No shorts at night?

[Responder]

We will be on our first HAL cruise in one week (Baltics). We are in our mid fifties. No I won't be wearing shorts at any time (I don't like them), but neither will we be in a ball gown and tux on formal nights. Yes we plan to eat in Pinnacle and Tamarind. Will probably skip MDR most nights so as not to offend other cruisers with our lack of fashion.

 

Given the many comments I have read over the past year on the HAL forum, my enthusiasm for the cruise has waned. What others wear does not concern me and the judgmental attitude of HAL cruisers has the potential to put a damper on our enjoyment, if we allow it to.

 

I suspect it will be our one and only HAL cruise and we will stick with land based vacations or other cruise lines. I rarely post although I have been lurking on these boards for 7+ years. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I see no need to have dress (within reason) to make others happy and do not understand why my choice of clothes causes such angst for others.

 

On a very positive note, we've had a very active roll call with many wonderful people.

 

Just my opinion - flame away.

 

No flames here and as with what you expressed about your thoughts, I wouldn't waste a minute on what others think.

 

I suppose some of us are fortunate in that we don't have to worry about what others wear or that what we should be wearing to please them. And we don't have to broadcast to the world what the marching orders should be.

[iancal]

It is all entertainment value for us.

 

Let's face it....how many people who cruise on HAL actually read or pay attention to these forums? It is probably well below 5 percent.

[PathfinderEss]

We will be on our first HAL cruise in one week (Baltics). We are in our mid fifties. No I won't be wearing shorts at any time (I don't like them), but neither will we be in a ball gown and tux on formal nights. Yes we plan to eat in Pinnacle and Tamarind. Will probably skip MDR most nights so as not to offend other cruisers with our lack of fashion.

No flames just a question Harley57. If on most night you will be skipping the MDR and your planning on going to the Pinnacle/Tamarind, how do you think they dress in those venues? Your "lack of fashion"(your words not mine) will not fit into those restaurants either as they follow the same suggested dress code that the MDR does. I have seen in some Pinnacle's extra men's jackets being supplied to passengers who come in without them.

[cruising cockroach]

PARTIAL QUOTE

 

Don't forget your Lederhosen! :D

 

They don't wear those with those jackets.

[kazu]

We will be on our first HAL cruise in one week (Baltics). We are in our mid fifties. No I won't be wearing shorts at any time (I don't like them), but neither will we be in a ball gown and tux on formal nights. Yes we plan to eat in Pinnacle and Tamarind. Will probably skip MDR most nights so as not to offend other cruisers with our lack of fashion.

 

Given the many comments I have read over the past year on the HAL forum, my enthusiasm for the cruise has waned. What others wear does not concern me and the judgmental attitude of HAL cruisers has the potential to put a damper on our enjoyment, if we allow it to.

 

I suspect it will be our one and only HAL cruise and we will stick with land based vacations or other cruise lines. I rarely post although I have been lurking on these boards for 7+ years. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I see no need to have dress (within reason) to make others happy and do not understand why my choice of clothes causes such angst for others.

 

On a very positive note, we've had a very active roll call with many wonderful people.

 

Just my opinion - flame away.

 

Have a great cruise.:D:D and a wonderful time:)

 

Don't let some posts deter you. HAL cruisers are a great bunch and unless you are dressed in a very prepostorous manner (highly doubtful;)), no one looks at what others are wearing (other than perhaps to admire).

 

You don't need to dress for anyone else. No need for a tux. As I have said HAL's formal is very easy - just a jacket and tie for men and something nice for women. Life is good on a cruise ship:)

[localady]

As do I. It's simply a question, though, of what's tolerated. Do you tolerate:

 

1) the guy in wifebeater & cut-offs in the MDR for dinner?

2) Red light runners?

3) the woman who "samples" all the produce in the market?

4) The person who "marks" their deck chair at 9 AM so tey can have it in the late afternoon?

5) People who zip past a line of traffic, then bully their way into the front of the line?

6) The woman in the cabin next to you who likes to sit on her verandah by candlelight? While her husband smokes a cigar?

7) The man who takes a wine glass from the bar so he can fill it from the box in his cabin and carry it around the ship?

 

Just how "tolerant" are you? Where do you (and by implication, where should we) draw the line?

 

Someone can dress as they please and still have manners and be courteous. :D Someone that pushes ahead of me is rude and as well as their behavior having impact on me. The behaviors you have cited are rude acts that affect others. :rolleyes:

 

Someone wearing shorts does not have am impact on me as what they wear has little to do with their behavior. I have had some very nicely dressed folks plow me over trying to get to the MDR as well as display other of the behaviors you listed above. :rolleyes: The dress does not the behavior make! :D

[3rdGenCunarder]

Someone can dress as they please and still have manners and be courteous. :D Someone that pushes ahead of me is rude and as well as their behavior having impact on me. The behaviors you have cited are rude acts that an affect on others. :rolleyes:

 

Someone wearing shorts does not have am impact on me as what they wear has little to do with their behavior. I have had some very nicely dressed folks plow me over trying to get to the MDR as well as display other of the behaviors you listed above. :rolleyes: The dress does not the behavior make! :D

 

I disagree. While rude people can be seen in all kinds of clothing, in my experience, when people dress up they generally use their best manners.

[sapper1]

Someone can dress as they please and still have manners and be courteous. :D Someone that pushes ahead of me is rude and as well as their behavior having impact on me. The behaviors you have cited are rude acts that affect others. :rolleyes:

 

Someone wearing shorts does not have am impact on me as what they wear has little to do with their behavior. I have had some very nicely dressed folks plow me over trying to get to the MDR as well as display other of the behaviors you listed above. :rolleyes: The dress does not the behavior make! :D

 

Usually what a person wears has no impact on me but when you have some slob in a tank top sitting next to you at breakfast it turns the stomach and takes away the appetite. All that hair hanging out everywhere. :eek:

 

And I was going to stay out of this discussion. Ah well------:D

[sapper1]

I disagree. While rude people can be seen in all kinds of clothing, in my experience, when people dress up they generally use their best manners.

 

What you say has always been my experience.

[localady]

I disagree. While rude people can be seen in all kinds of clothing, in my experience, when people dress up they generally use their best manners.

 

I have witnessed some very formally dressed folks treat the dining room staff terribly more than a few times on HAL. :eek: Fancy dress seems to lead to superior attitudes in some. Unfortunately, some have no manners regardless of their manner of dress. :eek:

 

I have learned to never judge a book by it's cover. I try not to judge as much as possible actually, being a laid back Westerner!;) :D

[localady]

Usually what a person wears has no impact on me but when you have some slob in a tank top sitting next to you at breakfast it turns the stomach and takes away the appetite. All that hair hanging out everywhere. :eek:

 

And I was going to stay out of this discussion. Ah well------:D

 

I am tolerant for sure, but that just makes me want to get a razor or some hot wax, STAT!!!! :p :D

LOL

[jasbo49]

"T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours."

 

So, tell me, why would the word "allowed" be used in a statement, that was only a "suggestion"?

The sentence following that paragraph reads:

 

"In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

So that seems to say, retroactively, that everything before it is just a suggestion. It also makes it clear, with "throughout the entire evening," that they don't want slackers like me going back to the cabin and getting comfortable. And that's fine. I'll just cruise another line so I won't be bringing down the high-class atmosphere in HAL's casino full of chain-smoking drunks by wearing (gasp!) shorts.

 

OK, got a little carried away there. Sorry, but it felt good. I know people are free to take these threads where they will, but remember this one started with the simple question: Do people really have to wear long pants just to go to a bar or take a walk after dinner? Nothing about formal night, nothing about wifebeaters in the MDR, nothing about whether our society has gone to hell in a handbasket.

 

Jim

[sapper1]

It is all entertainment value for us.

 

Let's face it....how many people who cruise on HAL actually read or pay attention to these forums? It is probably well below 5 percent.

 

Entertainment value? Cruise Critic is better than television some nights. :)

 

I agree that while many of us voice our opinions here, nobody should be put off cruising HAL because they do not agree with each other. Nobody actually says anything to anybody about the way they are dressed, or not, once they are onboard. Most HAL cruisers would be too polite.

[kazu]

The sentence following that paragraph reads:

 

"In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

So that seems to say, retroactively, that everything before it is just a suggestion. It also makes it clear, with "throughout the entire evening," that they don't want slackers like me going back to the cabin and getting comfortable. And that's fine. I'll just cruise another line so I won't be bringing down the high-class atmosphere in HAL's casino full of chain-smoking drunks by wearing (gasp!) shorts.

 

OK, got a little carried away there. Sorry, but it felt good. I know people are free to take these threads where they will, but remember this one started with the simple question: Do people really have to wear long pants just to go to a bar or take a walk after dinner? Nothing about formal night, nothing about wifebeaters in the MDR, nothing about whether our society has gone to hell in a handbasket.

 

Jim

 

Unfortunately for you Jim, you hit one of the 'hot' topics. Dress code threads and smoking threads bring out a lot of the worst in some or entertainment value - depending upon how you take it.

 

Honestly - if you go back to the cabin and change after dinner no one is going to refuse you admittance to the show or whatever. Dh may remove his tie after dinner now and then. He wouldn't wear shorts but that's just him:rolleyes: I would never wear shorts - but I don't have the legs for them:p:p

[RevNeal]

This thread has reminded me of past conversations on CC regarding Formal Night dress codes, and how so many people -- some of them good friends, like our dearly departed Rita -- argued that Formal Night, if it is to be retained at all, should be "Formal-Optional." The argument tended to run something like this:

 

We're not talking about shorts and t-shirts on Formal Nights! But slacks, sports shirts, and other elegantly casual clothing should be ok! Your concerns about a domino effect are over-blown ... it'll never come to shorts and t-shirts in the evening hours. Smart Casual should be the norm every evening. We want to be comfortable, not dressed up like a stuffy penguin. The days of snob-appeal are over! I have it on good authority that, before the year 2006 is out, all damships will be "Formal-Optional!"

 

While I didn't lift that directly from any single post -- it's a composite from several posts on several threads across several years from the middle of the prior decade -- it, nevertheless, does convey the sentiment that was being communicate by those who were opposed to the Formal Night traditions on HAL.

 

It's now mid-2012. While Formal Nights are still not officially optional, levels of compliance vary as widely as one might expect or even hope. The only part of the Dress Code that even pretends to sound like its a "hard-and-fast" rule is the part that has the word "required" in it ... and, even here, the arguments are now in favor of ignoring that as well.

 

Yes, indeed ... the demand is no longer for Formal-Optional (because, by-and-large, that's been achieved by default) but, rather, the demand has now escalated to Smart-Casual-Optional.

[Cruzin Terri]

To all those who posted that they "could care less" about what people wear - just how much less could you care????

The people who say they "could care less" are certainly not into grammatical correctness. The rules of the game on CC are not to criticize grammar and spelling so I will leave it at that.

[innlady1]

Usually what a person wears has no impact on me but when you have some slob in a tank top sitting next to you at breakfast it turns the stomach and takes away the appetite. All that hair hanging out everywhere. :eek:

 

And I was going to stay out of this discussion. Ah well------:D

So was I, sapper! Sometimes I just can't help myself!!! :eek:

[innlady1]

I disagree. While rude people can be seen in all kinds of clothing, in my experience, when people dress up they generally use their best manners.

 

See...I can't help myself! :eek:

 

I agree...my mother, who was a middle school teacher for 35 years (bless her soul!), always believed in a dress code in the schools...first hand experience proved that was also true for her students.

[sapper1]

So was I, sapper! Sometimes I just can't help myself!!! :eek:

 

You developed a twitchy finger. Me too. I'll have to work on that :)

[startwin]

I disagree. While rude people can be seen in all kinds of clothing, in my experience, when people dress up they generally use their best manners.

 

 

Really? I use my best manners no matter what I'm wearing. It has nothing to do with what I happen to be wearing.

[startwin]

What you say has always been my experience.

 

 

Not always Sapper... you may remember a white tux, a diamonte bow tie...... and extremely bad manners:D

[localady]

Really? I use my best manners no matter what I'm wearing. It has nothing to do with what I happen to be wearing.

 

My point exactly! :D

You said it so much better!

[sapper1]

Not always Sapper... you may remember a white tux, a diamonte bow tie...... and extremely bad manners:D

 

How could I forget. He almost trampled me at the yum yum cart. I thought I was a gonner for a minute. Fortunately I can still move fast.

 

I think there was more at work there than bad manners.

[iancal]

We are in the midst of planning a 60 day plus vacation in the fall. So far, twelve days on a cruise ship. Perhaps more if we do a transatlantic.

 

I can assure you that the formal dress code on the ship is the very last thing that we will be thinking about as we struggle to limit ourselves to a 21 and a 24 inch roller respectively.

 

It may be incorrect grammer, but we could CARE LESS if anyone has concerns or opinions about us not wearing formal attire on formal evenings or wearing shorts at night (if it is warm enough) topside. We do not view it as 'our' problem.

[Harley57]

No flames just a question Harley57. If on most night you will be skipping the MDR and your planning on going to the Pinnacle/Tamarind, how do you think they dress in those venues? Your "lack of fashion"(your words not mine) will not fit into those restaurants either as they follow the same suggested dress code that the MDR does. I have seen in some Pinnacle's extra men's jackets being supplied to passengers who come in without them.

 

I will be wearing dressy black pants and a dressy, sparkly top. DH and DS will be wearing dress pants, shirt and tie - no jacket. I told my guys to skip the jacket to save on space in our luggage. If we are turned away at Tamarind and Pinnacle, so be it.

 

The point of my earlier post is that you can go to a very nice restaurant on land or a wedding or some other dress up kind of affair and find people dressed in jeans and a Tshirt. Their clothes do not impact my enjoyment of the dining and companionship of friends and family.

 

The OP asked about wearing shorts after dinner and this thread (and several others) seems to have descended into name calling and denigrating of others which is a shame because we have so much to offer each other when we share our travel experiences.

 

It's just my opinion.