dress code

[sandiegosun1]

We have not been on a cruise for about 20 years. How strict is the dress code these days?

[OlsSalt]

They are now called guidelines, and it is hoped you enjoy following them so there can be a few nights that remain special in the former formal ship's dining traditions. Alternative dining is available in several venues (specialty restaurants, room service and Lido) if you don't want to participate on those evenings.

 

The smaller the ship, the longer the cruise, the later the dining time, the more likely you will still see many gowns and tuxedos. The dining room is done specially for that evening along with the menu.

 

There is little enforcement of dress guidelines any longer; it is a voluntary event and is now a lot easier to pack for as well at least for women. And men can rent tuxedos on the HAL website if they don't own one or want to pack one.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On formal nights you are expected to dress nicely. Ladies wear cocktail dresses, long skirts or long dress slacks with fancy tops. The men wear either tuxedos, suites with ties or jackets with ties. On these nights the Pinnacle Grill follows the same formal dress code. If you are on the Nieuw Amsterdam or the Eurodam -- they also follow the formal night dress code.

On our last long cruise this past spring, there were very few men wearing tuxedos and only a couple of women wore long gowns.

If you do not wish to dress up on formal nights, you can dine in the Lido, Canaletto ($10 per person charge) or you can have room service. Room service has its own menu or you can order from the main dining room menu.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Available 24 hours:

 

Smoked Atlantic Salmon - pickled red onion, capers & cream cheese

 

Mesclun Garden Greens - tomato, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts & blue cheese crumbles

 

Triple Decker Club Sandwich - sliced turkey, ham, bacon, tomato & lettuce served on toasted bread of your choice

 

All American Hamburger - broiled 1/4 pound beef patty on a sesame bun with dill pickle & coleslaw - add cheddar or Swiss cheese

 

Open faced Omelet - ham & cheese or vegetables

 

Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

 

Apple tart with whipped cream

 

Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce

 

A plate of chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk

 

Fruit salad - selected fruits in season

　

　

Available from 12 noon until 10 PM:

 

Appetizers & Soups:

Bay shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce

Smoked Atlantic Salmon

French onion soup baked with Gruyere cheese

Soup of the day

 

Salads:

Mesclun Garden Greens

Chef salad - mixed greens, ham, salami, swiss cheese, turkey, hard boiled egg - choice of Italian or blue cheese dressing

Caesar salad - tossed with Caesar dressing, croutons & parmesan - add bay shrimp or grilled chicken breast

 

Sandwiches & Burgers:

All are served with a choice of potato salad or potato chips

 

Triple decker club sandwich

Broiled California chicken breast sandwich on multi=grain bread with avocado & honey mustard sauce

Grilled tuna melt - tuna salad & Swiss cheese on rye bread with pickle spears

Thai Vegetarian wrap - eggplant, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts & cilantro rolled with rice & green curry sauce in a tomato tortilla

Steak sandwich - sirloin steak on sourdough bread sauteed with onion & bell pepper

All American Hamburger

 

Entrees:

Seared salmon steak - dill-lime fusion, broccoli florets, carrot batonnet & country mashed potatoes

Penne Primavera - tossed in marinara sauce with Italian roasted vegetables - add grilled chicken breast

Pizza:

margarita (tomato sauce & cheese)

Pepperoni

Vegetarian (mushroom & bell pepper)

 

Desserts:

Apple tart

Chocolate cake

Creme caramel surrounded in berry compote

Fruit jello

fruit salad

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce

Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

[RJ2002]

On the HAL website, for formal night, the language states men may wear jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo.

 

A CC member posted on a recent cruise that the dining room manager was applying a policy of jacket OR tie, dark suit or tuxedo.

 

YMMV.

 

As OlsSalt mentioned, there is little enforcement of the dress code. You will likely see men in just slacks and a collared shirt, no tie. You may even see nice jeans. You will not see shorts and t-shirts in the MDR.

Edited September 1, 2013 by RJ2002

[RuthC]

Since you last cruised, HAL has eliminated "informal" nights. Except for the two formal nights per cruise, all the other nights are deemed "smart casual". This is a step up from daytime casual, although compliance with this standard varies.

Think of the non-formal nights as Country Club Casual, or the old "Elegantly Casual". Remember that one?

[sevenseasnomad]

To ease packing, consider taking a long skirt or dressy slacks in a neutral color. Pair it with several dessy tops in chiffon/georgette, maybe with some sparkle. You could also add some knock-out costume jewelry to make an outfit pop.

 

Sometimes, I take a plain black outfit, use it both nights, but take different assessories, including different wraps. No one will recall what anyone else wears unless it's spectacular. On our Noordam Christmas/New Year's cruise, a young lady wore a silk embroidered kimono (sp) that was gorgeous. All the other passengers were talking about it because it stood out as the most beautiful outfit most of us had ever seen.

 

It's rare though that other passengers will notice from one formal night to the next what you're wearing.

 

DH always wears his tux. Immediately after we embark, it goes to the cleaners to be steamed, since it's packed with everything else and suffers from lots of wrinkles. Usually about 40% of the men will wear tuxes. The rest (of those who are participating) are in dark suits. And, of course, there are always passengers who don't dress up at all. A couple in cut-off jeans sat in front of us at the show on one formal night. That was the worst we'd seen. DH said that they could have been dressed to the nines and simply stopped by their cabin to change before the show. Lately, we've seen a lot of that.

[Our Tracey]

It's been really interesting reading all of your comments about HAL's dress code. (we fly from Heathrow and board Maasdam on 5th October). My other half doesn't like wearing a tux but would more happily wear a lounge suit so that really helps.

 

We've been on 2 x P & O cruises (UK-based company) this year and formal nights mean JUST that - men are fully expected to wear a formal dinner suit and the ladies in dresses/smart trousers and pretty top, although I didn't see much in the way of full-blown ball gowns.

 

I wonder if it's more a cultural thing? :)

[RJ2002]

DH always wears his tux. Immediately after we embark, it goes to the cleaners to be steamed, since it's packed with everything else and suffers from lots of wrinkles. Usually about 40% of the men will wear tuxes. The rest (of those who are participating) are in dark suits. And, of course, there are always passengers who don't dress up at all.

 

I have not seen a figure approaching 40% for men wearing tuxes on any HAL cruise I've been on, and the remainder who are dressing up don't all wear dark suits. I've seen lots of men wearing sport coats.

 

We choose open seating, and generally dine around 8pm. I wonder if it makes a difference if you are in fixed vs. open, and early vs. late?

Edited September 1, 2013 by RJ2002

[fuzzywuzzy]

To ease packing, consider taking a long skirt or dressy slacks in a neutral color. Pair it with several dessy tops in chiffon/georgette, maybe with some sparkle. You could also add some knock-out costume jewelry to make an outfit pop.

 

Sometimes, I take a plain black outfit, use it both nights, but take different assessories, including different wraps. No one will recall what anyone else wears unless it's spectacular. On our Noordam Christmas/New Year's cruise, a young lady wore a silk embroidered kimono (sp) that was gorgeous. All the other passengers were talking about it because it stood out as the most beautiful outfit most of us had ever seen.

 

It's rare though that other passengers will notice from one formal night to the next what you're wearing.

 

.

 

Sorry but I have to ask....how do you know what other passengers are noticing on formal night?

 

Personally, my DH and I always notice what other people are wearing as I'm sure most others do too. You can't help but notice the lovely gowns and dresses especially if someone wears it well. I love looking at the other dresses and the shoes women are wearing also. People wear these outfits to look nice and to feel good. IMO

[OlsSalt]

I have not seen a figure approaching 40% for men wearing tuxes on any HAL cruise I've been on, and the remainder who are dressing up don't all wear dark suits. I've seen lots of men wearing sport coats.

 

We choose open seating, and generally dine around 8pm. I wonder if it makes a difference if you are in fixed vs. open, and early vs. late?

 

We have easily seen 40% in tuxes on our HAL cruises. We always do a quick visual scan ...for the record. Looks great. It will be interesting to see how this holds up on the Prinsendam - for both men and women. Long black velvet gown is getting packed for me.

Edited September 1, 2013 by OlsSalt

[fuzzywuzzy]

They are now called guidelines, and it is hoped you enjoy following them so there can be a few nights that remain special in the former formal ship's dining traditions. Alternative dining is available in several venues (specialty restaurants, room service and Lido) if you don't want to participate on those evenings.

 

The smaller the ship, the longer the cruise, the later the dining time, the more likely you will still see many gowns and tuxedos. The dining room is done specially for that evening along with the menu.

 

There is little enforcement of dress guidelines any longer; it is a voluntary event and is now a lot easier to pack for as well at least for women. And men can rent tuxedos on the HAL website if they don't own one or want to pack one.

 

 

Yes, I agree. MY DH still likes to rent a tux as it makes packing so much easier and lighter..lol. The tux is waiting in our cabin when we arrive. How easy is that?

I find packing men's sportsjackets and shoes really weigh down a suitcase. I always order his tux online and it has worked out just great.

[RJ2002]

We have easily seen 40% in tuxes on our HAL cruises. We always do a quick visual scan ...for the record. Looks great. It will be interesting to see how this holds up on the Prinsendam - for both men and women. Long black velvet gown is getting packed for me.

 

Fair enough. I guess it varies from one cruise to another. I suspect length of cruise and itinerary might make a difference, as you noted in your other post.

 

All I'm saying to the OP is that I would not necessarily expect for 40% of the men to be dressed in tuxes, and the rest in dark suits. You will also see men in sport coats, some with ties and some without. And you may see some men in only slacks and a collared shirt.

Edited September 1, 2013 by RJ2002

[NoobCruise]

I have not seen a figure approaching 40% for men wearing tuxes on any HAL cruise I've been on, and the remainder who are dressing up don't all wear dark suits. I've seen lots of men wearing sport coats.

 

We choose open seating, and generally dine around 8pm. I wonder if it makes a difference if you are in fixed vs. open, and early vs. late?

 

I've wondered this too as we accidentally went to dinner in smart casual on formal night. We had thought the 2nd formal night would be after Ketchikan, but it turned out to be after Sitka. DH was just in a dress shirt, open collar, no tie or jacket. I was in black pants, lacy top, and knee-high flat black suede boots. The host didn't bat an eye, just took us to our table. It was only after we sat down that we noticed some people were dressed up. The attire was such a mixed bag that we actually sat and debated if it was formal night. There were a number of men dressed like DH or even just wearing a nice sweater. We went to the show afterwards and it was even more casual around the ship. I only noticed a couple of tuxes and one woman in a full length gown. It was Alaska though, and we had open seating and it was between 5:30 or 6pm. I wondered if it was more formal later in the fixed seating.

[OlsSalt]

Disclaimer: My own " at least 40% tuxes" visual scan on formal nights is limited to the upper level dining room for late fixed dining - this alone by choice may be a more traditional crowd.

Edited September 1, 2013 by OlsSalt

[Crew News]

Disclaimer: My own " at least 40% tuxes" visual scan on formal nights is limited to the upper level dining room for late fixed dining - this alone by choice may be a more traditional crowd.

 

We usually book a table for two but on a recent cruise, we decided to skip formal night and eat in our room. Several CC members convinced us to go to the lower dining room so that we could all sit together. .

 

My observation of the lower dining room, early, was not more than a handful of tuxedos and 10% dark suits, at least for men. The balance were just sport jackets over a wide variety of shirts (polo, t-shirts, Hawaiian, dress, etc).

 

It is worth noting here that the most unusual male outfit I have ever seen was from the Benjamin Franklin era, complete with silk capri pants, buckle shoes, ornate silk long coat, and powdered wig.

[RJ2002]

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I've wondered this too as we accidentally went to dinner in smart casual on formal night. We had thought the 2nd formal night would be after Ketchikan, but it turned out to be after Sitka. DH was just in a dress shirt, open collar, no tie or jacket. I was in black pants, lacy top, and knee-high flat black suede boots. The host didn't bat an eye, just took us to our table. It was only after we sat down that we noticed some people were dressed up. The attire was such a mixed bag that we actually sat and debated if it was formal night. There were a number of men dressed like DH or even just wearing a nice sweater. We went to the show afterwards and it was even more casual around the ship. I only noticed a couple of tuxes and one woman in a full length gown. It was Alaska though, and we had open seating and it was between 5:30 or 6pm. I wondered if it was more formal later in the fixed seating.

 

On our last HAL cruise, 14 day Australia / New Zealand on the Oosterdam, our experience on formal nights more or less mirrored yours. Again, this was open seating, around 7:30 to 8:00 pm.

 

OlsSalt, thank you for your disclaimer ;). I'll bet you are probably correct that fixed seating has more folks following a traditional, formal attire.

[cmjaffe]

Just back from 7 day Westerdam on open seating (not our choice) and found that "almost anything goes". Things have changed over the years

[Richie2pies]

I don't understand why people even care what other people wear. If you're comfortable with what YOU wear, why worry about other people.

[Wakepatrol]

I don't understand why people even care what other people wear. If you're comfortable with what YOU wear, why worry about other people.

 

 

Using your logic,it would make perfect sense for a guy in a tuxedo, to sit next to a guy in a robe

Edited September 2, 2013 by Wakepatrol

[paul8]

Just back from 7 day Westerdam on open seating (not our choice) and found that "almost anything goes". Things have changed over the years

I just returned from a RT cruise from Boston to Montreal. Very few people with Tux's most had either suits or jacket & pants. Very noticeable that some women, even for a 7 day voyage, take a dress for each day & 8 prs of shoes!

[lovetocruise2020]

Using your logic,it would make perfect sense for a guy in a tuxedo, to sit next to a guy in a robe

 

 

:eek:

[iancal]

We have had many MDR formal night dinners on many ships.

 

 

We have yet to see someone attend a formal dinner in the MDR wearing a robe. Are HAL's rules really that relaxed?

Edited September 2, 2013 by iancal

[paul8]

We have had many MDR formal night dinners on many ships.

 

 

We have yet to see someone attend a formal dinner in the MDR wearing a robe. Are HAL's rules really that relaxed?

I can only tell you what I saw. Please remember this was a 7 day cruise and the weather was unusually warm from the Boston to Montreal portion.

A few men wore tux's, most wore either suits or a jacket with pants.

It appears that HAL has relaxed a bit. Although they are making changes to their wine policy which does not bother me since I do not drink.

On this cruise one night I showed up in shorts because on the previous night a person at my table wore shorts. The manager stopped me saying shorts were not allowed. Yet on the last night shorts were allowed, you figure.

[CaveDiving]

Using your logic,it would make perfect sense for a guy in a tuxedo, to sit next to a guy in a robe

 

As I always bring several tuxedos. I can absolutely guarantee you that I would not be sitting next to some guy in a robe.

 

Either he would have left the table or I would have switched tables. And since we usually take longer cruises and always select fixed seating, I can't tell you which of us would have moved.

 

Scott & Karen