Informal dress nights???

[lakerman]

Hello all,

 

I need some quick help. The requirements for formal and casual nights are pretty straight forward (I have a question about that too, though) but I am thrown off on informal.

 

For informal, would a dress shirt and slacks be fine for males and business attire (ie; dress slacks and nice shirt) for women? And that means for the duration of the night after dinner, in all public areas, I have to be dressed in that attire? And on formal nights, I have to be dressed 'formally' to be in all public areas? How strict is the Oosterdam with this?

 

No jeans...So basically, no jeans or shorts are ever welcomed for dinner and public areas at night time...? ever?

 

Thank you... ship leaves in 1 day... so much needs to be done, BUT I CAN'T WAIT!!!

 

[Happy ks]

Lakerman, they ask you not to wear jeans or shorts to the dining room on any night, the first night would be an exception as some may not have received their luggage yet. Semi formal is supposed to be a nice pair of slacks and a sportcoat/tie or a suit. Casual is casual slacks and an open collar shirt. Formal is tux or a dark suit.

 

Most people will stay dressed in formal attire or whatever they have worn to dinner around the ship the rest of the evening. We find we don't want to take the time to go back and change right after dinner, but we like to end our evening with a walk around deck. We then will change into a sweatsuit or shorts (depending on weather) and sneakers to walk around deck.

 

If you eat at the buffet you may be able to get away wearing shorts up there, but I would not count on it. You would probably feel a little out of place in such casual clothes in the evening if you go into the public areas such as the showroom, lounges or casino.

 

I've never been on Oosterdam, but this is the way it is for most main stream cruiselines. If you wan a more casual experience, there are some other lines that are not at all formal, like Windjammer and some that are pretty much country club casual. Those usually tend to be the more expensive lines (go figure).

[Happy ks]

I just want to add something else. Don't worry too much about all this, they will not throw you overboard. HAL tends to be a bit older in their demographics and you may find the pax a little more dressed to "code" than other lines. But, we have had tables with people who were not dressed up as much as the requested "code" and had a lovely time with them. The smile on your face and your friendliness are far more important than the clothes on your back.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. We have only been on 7 cruises so far and we have never seen "fashion police" on guard at the entrance to the dining room. But, I have seen people politely asked to change out of jeans. So, it is not a fashion show, but treat the dining room (in the evening) as a very fancy place to dress up to eat. You will have a lot of fun in there, so don't

miss it!