Objection to Tuxedos and Gowns?

[mr green]

I regret to say that, I have dispensed with my tux, [at times I felt almost out of place wearing it] in favor of of my military blazer and tie.

 

john

[Harry1954]

DW/I find formal nights delightful .. it gives us a chance to dress up without having to attend one of those boring silent auction specials etc ... it is quite sad that more and more folks find it preferable to skip formal dining while concurrently show up for the shows in shorts/flipflops .. I can not decide if this is due to a lack of maturity, lack of class, or just a lack of brain cells.

 

As a few have said, if one prefers not to partake in formal nights and still wants to join other ship activites that evening ... then they should go to a different cruise line where they welcome casual dress wherever it is desired.

 

I only hope that HAL maintains its formal nights and its dress code as well. It reminds me of the new math ... sorry, but 2x2 always equals 4 .. not 5 or 6, so Johnny might get his feelings hurt being wrong, but 4 is the answer. Formal nights are formal nights .. not just for those of us who were raised to follow the rules, but for everyone ..

 

harry

[trophy_23]

We are in our mid 20's, neither have to dress in a suit or the like for work, so we enjoy the opportunity to dress for formal nights. I have never worn a tux, but always a jacket and tie. That said, quite often for 'smart casual' nights I am dressed the same as I would for a formal night minus the jacket and tie. On our last cruise there was a gentleman in casual wear and he made a big deal about the dress code when he was asked to put on a jacket for the MDR. Unfortunately (IMO), he was allowed in the dining room as he was dressed even though everyone else seemed to be following the formal night rules. I would never say anything to a fellow passenger about their choice of dress as it really doesn't change my dining experience, but it is a frustration when everyone else seems to make the effort to bring along formal attire even though it takes up a ton of space in their luggage.

[hal lover]

I personally still like the formal night's. Smart casual night's are very easy.

 

I hope that HAL keeps it's dress code because of the overall experience.

 

Remember, HAL has option's. On some formal night's and even smart casual night's, if we do not feel like dressing up, we go to the Lido and it's great.

 

I just love seeing the men and women in their finest! There's a different "air" about those night's and it's lovely.

[taxmantoo]

We always get a table for two. That way, we are always sure that everyone at our table is dressed according to the code. ;)

[fann1sh]

Startwin, I took maha123's comments differently than you did.

 

If someone is going to be offended by something, or they feel strongly about it, they should bear that in mind as much as itinerary when choosing a ship.

 

That could be the presence or absence of formal night, or smoking or alcohol policies.

 

People who say they picked a ship by itinerary, then complain about the other things they claimed weren't important....well, bless their hearts!

[serendipity1499]

I had an experience with this on our last cruise. Apparently I was too dressed for another passenger's taste on a 'smart casual' night. I was wearing black slacks, black & while print shell with a black linen swing jacket. FAR from formal, but I still met with her vocal disdain. :rolleyes:

 

What did she say to you?

On a recent cruise DH & I were in our Formal clothes on an elevator, he in his TUX & I was in a long chiffon skirt with a chiffon & beaded top...

A group of people got on the elevator, with a drink in hand..One man sneeringly said to DH something like ...

"Wow..Are you a politician or something?" We laughed it off but I wish we could have had a good comeback..

On our last cruise we purposely took "Any time Dining" as we wanted to eat at different times when we were in Hamilton..

Now back to Sail's question: Apparently there are those who think those of us who are properly dressed on Formal night are SNOBS..

On the last cruise & the last formal night we made reservations for 7:45 P.M....DH & one other Gentleman were in a Tux...DH then made the decision, that on future cruises, he doesn't wish to stand out & wants to wear a dark suit instead...I feel a bit sad, as he looks wonderful in his TUX..However, he now needs a new suit..If we can't find a decent suit to fit him, he may have to take his TUX next cruise..Unfortunately he is over 6 ft, has very long legs & arms & is to top it off is quite slender...None of the Dept. Stores have anything to fit him..We'll try a specialty store next..

 

 

 

Seems to me you're jumping to conclusions here. I re-read Colleyberry's post and no where was I led to believe that she wears "casual only clothes" in the MDR.

 

I had the same impression..All Colleyberry said was, what others wear does not impact her cruises one bit..She never said she wears smart casual in the MDR on formal night.. She went on to say she dresses to please herself & another person...what others think is no concern to her..I don't see anything wrong in that statement at all..

Cheers....:)Betty

[Napi's Mom]

Azamara have a similar policy and it works very well!

We've been on both these lines, and I loved it (as well as the open dining) but I admit to renting a Tux (no buying..little use for it later) for DH for our next cruise (10/18) as he loves to dress up, we'll have 4 formal nights...think he'll have to have the shirts laundered, which we also don't care for on this ship (Noordam) no self help laundry. You can say all you want about it being a vacation or it not being classy and the ships too upscale, nonsense...Oceania and Azamara both have laundries as do the even more Luxury lines.:rolleyes: Just a way to get more money from us...(our veranda looks cute with undies on it) :D

[CleoT]

I absolutely adore dressing to the nines in my dresses and seeing the men look mighty handsome in their tuxes and dark suits. It's one of my favorite things about cruising, and I hope they don't do away with it. It just so happens our next cruise has no formal nights, which I'm a little down about, but we did truly pick this cruise for many reasons, including the intinerary.

 

That being said, I'm truly amazed at the snobbery and blatant attempt to rile that I see on some of these threads. Every cruise line thread seems to have their negative people, but I'm just surprised to see so many on here tell others to take a hike if they don't like something. I assumed with a little classier line I'd run into a little classier people.

 

Makes me want to reconsider cruising on HAL. :(

[Napi's Mom]

We always get a table for two. That way, we are always sure that everyone at our table is dressed according to the code. ;)

Very True, but you miss meeting some very interesting people. Another question...would you have refused to eat with others not exactly following dress code?? Some of us have little or no use for formal clothing in our lives and the added expense of buying some just to meet dress codes is not practical. Nowdays there is also the cost of luggage

[taxmantoo]

Very True' date=' but you miss meeting some very interesting people. Another question...[b']would you have refused to eat with others not exactly following dress code??[/b] Some of us have little or no use for formal clothing in our lives and the added expense of buying some just to meet dress codes is not practical. Nowdays there is also the cost of luggage

 

Absolutely not, unless as they were wearing jeans, a tee-shirt and or basebell hat :eek: ,which by the way I wouldn't find very interesting.

[bradpole]

We've had a number of comments about folks who object to lack of jacket and tie for gents and reasonably dressy clothing for ladies on formal night but I wonder if there are some who actually object to seeing tuxedos and gowns?

 

Are they so uninterested in requested dress code they would far rather not have to see tuxedos and gowns at all during their cruise?

 

I'm not being facetious, I'm really curious if some people have totally had it with dress codes?

 

Seeing tuxedos and gowns? No objection, if you enjoy getting dressed up, than you should enjoy that! You can never be to overdressed. I've read some comments in this thread about how well Oceania's "country club casual" works, and it does work well. Those who want to dress more formally are free to do so...and do! But those who don't want to dress formally aren't required to to have an enjoyable meal in the MDR.

[bradpole]

I really think that if you so object to seeing it or adhering to the dress code rules then you should cruise on another line... Sorry, just my opinion

 

So formal night is the ONLY reason you cruise HAL?

[maha123]

So formal night is the ONLY reason you cruise HAL?

 

Absolutely not! I never said that, you are assuming... and you know what happens when one assumes....

 

I cruise HAL for a lot of reasons, formal night is one of them.

[bcd2010]

...$85 to rent a tux...

 

Is that the charge regardless of number of formal nights (e.g. 2 on a one week cruise, 8 on a 30 day cruise, etc.). If you rent for a longer cruise, who pays if the tux needs cleaning part way through?

[Taxguy77]

I had an experience with this on our last cruise. Apparently I was too dressed for another passenger's taste on a 'smart casual' night. I was wearing black slacks, black & while print shell with a black linen swing jacket. FAR from formal, but I still met with her vocal disdain. :rolleyes:

 

Well Bless Her Heart. :p:D

Hope most get the reference.:D

[we2cruze]

I had an experience with this on our last cruise. Apparently I was too dressed for another passenger's taste on a 'smart casual' night. I was wearing black slacks, black & while print shell with a black linen swing jacket. FAR from formal, but I still met with her vocal disdain. :rolleyes:

 

That's amazing. What did she say?

[innlady1]

Quite honestly, I'd be happy with Smart Casual nights as they have on Oceania - but I love HAL for all the other reasons that there are to love about it...the crew, the fresh flowers, the wood and brass...and the fact that it feels like I'm "home" everytime I cross the gangplank.

 

Because of the business we are in, we are only able to cruise in the winter...so we cruise to the Caribbean. After being in port all day when it's hot; or around the pool in the sun, I often don't feel like changing and "dressing up" for dinner. We do it, but as I said, we'd be happier with Smart Casual. On our recent Collector's Cruises, we've opted for the Lido & the sailaway B-bque several nights. 20 nights, dressing for dinner, gets old fast! :rolleyes:

 

But, to each their own...I never notice what others are wearing...especially if we're at see and trying to navigate our way to our table. I would probably only notice if someone was wearing a baseball cap, t-shirt or shorts!

[kyriecat]

Is that the charge regardless of number of formal nights (e.g. 2 on a one week cruise, 8 on a 30 day cruise, etc.). If you rent for a longer cruise, who pays if the tux needs cleaning part way through?

According to cruiselineformal dot com (HAL's tux provider), charge is $85 for classic black or classic white tux for a single voyage up to 21 days. They have other tuxedo options available (deluxe, optional vests/ties, etc.).

The tuxedo rental fee is for single voyages of 21 days or less. For back-to-back cruises or longer voyages, please call our Customer Service number to obtain the correct pricing.

We had 4 formal nights for our last cruise. The classic package comes with jacket, tie, 2 shirts, cummerbund, pants, and studs. We sent one shirt for cleaning because of a stain caused by my husband and paid for it. He did that on the first formal night so we wanted the shirt clean in case he needed it again. He wore the other shirt twice without having it washed but he didn't drop anything on it. The tux company takes care of washing it after the tux is returned. We actually went to all 4 formal nights that cruise. If there are 4 formal nights, sometimes we'll skip a night because we are tired or just don't feel like dressing up that night.

 

Two weeks is the longest cruise that I have done so I don't know if the tux company includes washing for longer cruises or if the renter is expected to handle washings. Below is their phone numbers in case you want to ask questions.

 

Cruiseline Formalwear

Toll Free Customer Service: 1 800 551-5091 (U.S. and Canada)

International guests please call: +1 305 252 6565

[peaches from georgia]

Two weeks is the longest cruise that I have done so I don't know if the tux company includes washing for longer cruises or if the renter is expected to handle washings.

To be honest I don't know, but just can't imagine that Cruiseline Formalwear would be responsible for cleaning bills. Spill soup on your tux and need to wear it again or wearing it many times on a long cruise? I certainly think it fair that the pax pay his own cleaning bill.

[sail7seas]

I agree I would expect cleaning/laundry bills would be the responsibility of the guest for the duration of the cruise. The rental company would clean it when it is returned to them.

 

[peaches from georgia]

Delete

[Trader Ron]

We've had a number of comments about folks who object to lack of jacket and tie for gents and reasonably dressy clothing for ladies on formal night but I wonder if there are some who actually object to seeing tuxedos and gowns?

 

Are they so uninterested in requested dress code they would far rather not have to see tuxedos and gowns at all during their cruise?

 

I'm not being facetious, I'm really curious if some people have totally had it with dress codes?

 

Sail,

 

I hear what you are saying. I worry if you will open pandora's box if the cruiselines do away with formal nights. People might figure, no formal nights, I can wear anything I want. And downhill we go.

[k-town girl]

i personally still like the formal night's. Smart casual night's are very easy.

 

I hope that hal keeps it's dress code because of the overall experience.

 

Remember, hal has option's. On some formal night's and even smart casual night's, if we do not feel like dressing up, we go to the lido and it's great.

 

I just love seeing the men and women in their finest! There's a different "air" about those night's and it's lovely.

 

 

i totatly agree!!!!!

[bcd2010]

According to cruiselineformal dot com (HAL's tux provider), charge is $85 for classic black or classic white tux for a single voyage up to 21 days. They have other tuxedo options available (deluxe, optional vests/ties, etc.).

We had 4 formal nights for our last cruise. The classic package comes with jacket, tie, 2 shirts, cummerbund, pants, and studs. We sent one shirt for cleaning because of a stain caused by my husband and paid for it. He did that on the first formal night so we wanted the shirt clean in case he needed it again. He wore the other shirt twice without having it washed but he didn't drop anything on it. The tux company takes care of washing it after the tux is returned. We actually went to all 4 formal nights that cruise. If there are 4 formal nights, sometimes we'll skip a night because we are tired or just don't feel like dressing up that night.

 

Two weeks is the longest cruise that I have done so I don't know if the tux company includes washing for longer cruises or if the renter is expected to handle washings. Below is their phone numbers in case you want to ask questions.

 

Cruiseline Formalwear

Toll Free Customer Service: 1 800 551-5091 (U.S. and Canada)

International guests please call: +1 305 252 6565

 

Thanks - I've noted these numbers. It will (unfortunately) be a year or more before we're able to cruise again, and this is the first I've started thinking about it for DS. We love dressing up and the idea of having a tux there really appeals. (I'd bet we'll do this!)