Are coats necessary

[iancal]

Given the hours of operation of the Lido I would not call that a good alternative. We will pass on Canoletto-thanks. It is not much of an alternate dining venue. Going into a Lido at or after 7 and finding the staff cleaning up, many of the selections items gone, is hardly appealing. This could be why some people simply try to get into the MDR or the specialty restaurants.

Edited July 11, 2014 by iancal

[Copper10-8]

Like others, I suspect that the choice of clothing on formal evening may depend on your travels prior to or after the cruise.

 

We are going to Thailand on Jan 1. Our cruise (unless we snag a second last minute trip) departs Sydney on Feb. 20. In the interim we will be making our way through Thailand and Malaysia-spending lots of time on theislands/ beaches of the Adaman coast. And after the cruise it will another cruise or a week on the beach in Hawaii to break up the air travel. Who wants to carry formal clothing around for what will amount to a few hours at night for perhaps three of four nights out of the entire journey? Not us. Alas, we don't wear hats-frontwards or backwards, baseball or otherwise.

 

We would not even consider taking a jacket, dress shoes, shirt, whatever. It is going to be carry on. Happy to avoid the MDR but at least on this Princess cruise the Horizon buffet will be open for reasonable hours and the optional dining venues remain casual on formal evenings. A very nice compromise that seems to work on most cruise ships that we have been on.

 

Brilliant trip! Enjoy!

[PROCRUISE]

I totally agree. On our last Veendam cruise (Canada/New England 5/31-6/14/2014) we saw people in shorts and tees on formal night. DH brings a jacket and tie (cruises are the only time he wears one!:D and I was in a long dress. There were so few people that kept to the dress code that I felt out of place. I'm not sure about our upcoming Alaska cruise. Oh well - to each their own

 

Terry

 

Did HAL Land/Sea Alaska Tour 6/9-22. On the Oosterdam (lovely, well run ship) MOST men wore jeans in the MDR on smart causal evenings and even shorts too, and on "formal nights" many just wore a shirt and tie but majority did wear a sports coat/suit coat, very, very few in tuxedos. Enjoy your Alaskan adventure. :)

[eandj]

Given the hours of operation of the Lido I would not call that a good alternative. We will pass on Canoletto-thanks. It is not much of an alternate dining venue. Going into a Lido at or after 7 and finding the staff cleaning up, many of the selections items gone, is hardly appealing. This could be why some people simply try to get into the MDR or the specialty restaurants.

 

Yes. We found this a couple times on a busy itinerary cruise when we didn't want to spend time in the MDR. (not formal night) It was a real downer to the end of a great day at port. We felt like the food presented looked like leftovers and certainly not inviting. And I agree that that could be a reason for slippage in following dress "guidelines".

The specialty restaurants on Celebrity are open to smart casual every night. On formal nights, the majority of diners are really dressed up. Maybe not all ties, but lots of jackets and the ladies looking very nice. X has it figured out. And the cruisers recognize the atmosphere of the restaurants and dress accordingly. I think HAL doesn't give their passengers enough credit.

Edited July 11, 2014 by eandj

[eandj]

Our opinion is the exact opposite of this. We'd like the Pinnacle to be truly formal on formal evenings, requiring a tux for men and long dresses for women.

 

Scott & Karen

 

 

Well with that policy they might as well close the specialty restaurants! :D

Have you cruised Cunard? Might be what you'd like.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9937320/Cunard-relaxes-cruise-ship-dress-code.html

Edited July 11, 2014 by eandj

[iancal]

I think the challenge for HAL is that on many issues they seem to sit on the fence. Their bums must be very sore.

 

HAL is a mass market line. They operate 15 or so ships. They sell cruises from 7 days in duration to months. Their fares range from as low as $299. for a seven day inside (and I recently saw one advertised at $295.) to tens of thousands for a world cruise.

 

At some point HAL management needs to get off that 'fence'. Their do nothing attitude toward change can only hurt them with future cruisers. Perhaps the eventual arrival of a new fleet with bring some changes. That is, if they can ever get their sales and marketing messages in sync with their target market.

Edited July 11, 2014 by iancal

[brookeinmn]

 

We would not even consider taking a jacket, dress shoes, shirt, whatever.

 

Don't forget that you can rent a tux. Cruiselineformal.com is a good way to go if you don't want to pack one. For $100 you can rent a tux and shoes for the entire 7 day cruise. I'm not sure how much longer cruises would cost. If you have a desire to dress up without the hassle of packing, this is a good option.

[iancal]

No interest whatsoever in renting a tux etc.-especially after weeks on the islands and beaches. Smart casual is just fine for we poor folk from the western plains.

 

The OP hit the nail on the head with the comment on Celebrity. It is fairly obvious that their management 'gets it'. They know their target market, their shipboard environment reflects that market as does their marketing and advertising. The difference between the two organizations is stunning. Same for Princess IMHO..they 'get' it.

Edited July 11, 2014 by iancal