TeamBozo Posted January 9, 2012 #1 Share Posted January 9, 2012 We have noticed a significant reduction in the number of formal nights during our last 2 HAL cruises and were told that HAL is considering phasing them out or making them optional. Has anyone else heard anything along these lines? I have mixed feelings-- I always bring a tux, but the idea of leaving it home doesn't sound too bad. It seems like fewer and fewer people are bothering with it anymore and the dress code has become quite liberal. I apologize if this topic has been previously discussed. Have you heard anything about this??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted January 9, 2012 #2 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Could you elaborate on the "significant reduction" in number of formal nights? Have sailed with HAL for 20 years, and haven't seen a decrease in the standard number- 2 for 7 day, 3 for 10 day, etc. Have heard of an occaisional 2 formal nights on 10 days, when the cruise is very port intensive. But hasn't happened to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted January 9, 2012 #3 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I haven't seen any reduction in the number of formal nights on any of our cruises. Last cruises -- 10 days -- 3 formal nights. 11 days -- 3 formal nights. Looked at our documents for an upcoming cruise -- 25 days -- 7 formal nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
califgary Posted January 9, 2012 #4 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Just off the beautiful and elegant Statendam (shout out to Capt Franz!) on a 14 day cruise and we had 4 formal nites. I admit Im seeing more folks not opting to participate in the dressing up those evenings but they still advertized the 4 nites as formal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IRL_Joanie Posted January 9, 2012 #5 Share Posted January 9, 2012 .... when someone comes onto the boards here and asks the question almost word for word as you.:) Not being snarky just telling you what has happened over the last few months. No one in the real know has mentioned it, no one from HAL has mentioned it, only passengers like you and I asking this question.:) Joanie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamBozo Posted January 9, 2012 Author #6 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Our last 2 cruises were 35 days (Sept. 2011 and 17 days (Dec. 2011). Our boarding documents for the 35 day cruise indicated 10 formal nights, but there were only 7 and the 17 day cruise had 3 formal nights plus an "optional" 1. I'd never seen that before. At any rate, 10 formal nights in 52 days is only slightly more than one per week on average. A couple we had dinner with said HAL was considering eliminating them altogether. I find that hard to believe, but I wonder what others have heard. By the way, I don't care what other people wear to dinner. I didn't mean to stir up that debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted January 9, 2012 #7 Share Posted January 9, 2012 IMO we will begin to see more formal optional nights. We've had one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmdchiefthom Posted January 10, 2012 #8 Share Posted January 10, 2012 IMO we will begin to see more formal optional nights. We've had one. That's the way is started on NCL maybe 10 years ago, and now its jeans and tee shirts almost anywhere, anytime onboard their ships:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMLincoln Posted January 10, 2012 #9 Share Posted January 10, 2012 To me the best thing about formal night in the MDR is the better food selections. I wouldn't want that to go away. m-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted January 10, 2012 #10 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We have noticed a significant reduction in the number of formal nights during our last 2 HAL cruises and were told that HAL is considering phasing them out or making them optional. Has anyone else heard anything along these lines? I have mixed feelings-- I always bring a tux, but the idea of leaving it home doesn't sound too bad. It seems like fewer and fewer people are bothering with it anymore and the dress code has become quite liberal. I apologize if this topic has been previously discussed. Have you heard anything about this??? Actually on the last two 20 day cruises that we did, there were supposed to be 5 formal night. We had four. Are they toning them down? I don't know. I understand that these are the captain's discretion. I loved it. 4 is enough IMO:D don't get me wrong, we like to dress up - not much chance here. but once every five nights was the perfect solution. JMO:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissMyst Posted January 10, 2012 #11 Share Posted January 10, 2012 On our last cruise was one night designated "optional formal" night and lo and behold easily 80-90% showed up in full dress. When HAL passengers were given a choice on this cruise, they chose to do it up right. Formal is alive and well among this group of HAL passengers who do it anyway, even when they don't have to. Even "casual nights" were special too - the dining room setting just seemed to make people want to take it up a notch to get full enjoyment from the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startwin Posted January 10, 2012 #12 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I tend to agree with Joanie...,. only time I've heard anything about it is when someone asks the question on here. It's not been mentioned at any of the Q&A's of my past cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon1 Posted January 10, 2012 #13 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Oh goody, (another) formal night/wear thread! :D Here we go again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifogger Posted January 10, 2012 #14 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Formal nights are one of the many things that differentiate HAL from the mass market lines. A formal optional night which assigned the formal to one dining room and those who chose the informal to another dining room would give the passengers one more choice, a good thing, but maybe a logistical challenge. Mixing the formal and the informal at individual tables would be monstrous, portions of two different things joined unnaturally, like a bird and a woman to make a harpy. The fact that some may have already tried it and no one at the table voiced their displeasure is not a valid test. I wouldn't speak up any more than I would point out that someone at the table was even uglier than I am; I'd just go elsewhere. I don't necessarily enjoy lugging formal clothes half-way around the world, but if HAL decides that most of its passengers don't want to bother, it would do far better to just eliminate formal nights. (I'd prefer that no one tell my wife that I made that statement.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted January 10, 2012 #15 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We have already eliminated them...on HAL and any other cruise line we happen the be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted January 10, 2012 #16 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We go with the flow on this topic. As long as HAL has formal nights, we will dress according to their description as a minimum. If they discontinue them, we will 'roll with it.' We admittedly have done so many formal nights for so many years and as we've gotten older, we are less interested in them than we used to be. However, we are respectful of crew/Officers/staff/fellow guests and would never be so rude to not abide by dress code as long as we choose to sail HAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bozemanman Posted January 10, 2012 #17 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Personally really GLAD TO SEE yet another DRESS CODE THREAD:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted January 10, 2012 #18 Share Posted January 10, 2012 :cool: Always the choice to not open it and 'move right along' without ever reading a word of it. :) Seems some of us never tire of the conversation. :eek: :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iflyrc5 Posted January 10, 2012 #19 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Our documents show 8 formal nights on our upcoming 30 day on the Rotterdam with 12 sea days. It will be interesting to see if we end up with all 8 or if they cut some out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted January 10, 2012 #20 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We have already eliminated them...on HAL and any other cruise line we happen the be on. Count me in too! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeriatricNurse Posted January 10, 2012 #21 Share Posted January 10, 2012 We go with the flow on this topic.As long as HAL has formal nights, we will dress according to their description as a minimum. If they discontinue them, we will 'roll with it.' We admittedly have done so many formal nights for so many years and as we've gotten older, we are less interested in them than we used to be. However, we are respectful of crew/Officers/staff/fellow guests and would never be so rude to not abide by dress code as long as we choose to sail HAL. So, Judy, following this logic, are you suggesting that on all formal nights I should dress formally even if I choose to dine in the Lido? :confused: Boy, wouldn't I stick out like a sore thumb if I were to be so foolish! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangerinebunny Posted January 10, 2012 #22 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I've never done one of the European cruises, but it sounds as though they're port intensive with busy, tiring days. Are the formal nights well received? I wouldn't miss them in Alaska where packing is an issue, but people appear to really enjoy them in the Caribbean. I enjoy formal nights but they're not why we cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&G Posted January 10, 2012 #23 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Another formal night thread; 5000 and counting but I will add my two cents. It appears formal nights are going the way of the rotary phones; disappearing. We just returned from a RCL cruise to the Western Caribbean (2nd time on RCL). RCL dress code for formal nights in the MDR is basically the same as HAL. There were two formal nights. I estimated less than 50% of the passengers wore tuxs, jackets or even ties in the MDR. The clothes for formal night included for men, golf shirts, hawaiian shirts and yes tee shirts. My issue is either enforce the dress code or make everything casual. Oh I forgot, on RCL, casual night, shorts, tee shirts and baseball caps were abundantly present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted January 10, 2012 #24 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I've never done one of the European cruises, but it sounds as though they're port intensive with busy, tiring days. Are the formal nights well received? I wouldn't miss them in Alaska where packing is an issue, but people appear to really enjoy them in the Caribbean. I enjoy formal nights but they're not why we cruise. On the European cruises I have been on, formal nights are very well received. In fact there are often a slightly higher percentage of tuxes on these:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mescat4 Posted January 10, 2012 #25 Share Posted January 10, 2012 E bound TA on Nieux Amsterdam, W bound on QM2- in between flying Barcelona-Geneva-London on Easy jet (20 kilo limit). Could get by with a sports jacket on HAL but definitely need a black suit or tux on QM2 for their 3 formal nights as well as sports coat for 4 casuals. Suit and tux weigh the same.- Just bought a new Samsonite 29" spinner that weighs 10#- about 5# less than current luggage- that should help. As long as Cunard is the only alternative to go TA were stuck Ev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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