Why is everyone hating on formal nights?

[cruz chic]

I also believe that HAL wants to offer a more traditional cruising experience and is one of the reasons for formal nights. There are a large number of cruisers who enjoy formal nights and there are a large number of cruisers who prefer a more casual experience. There are lots of options for both these cruisers.

 

I also believe though that there are many cruisers who enjoy HAL, who also enjoy formal nights, but do not enjoy formal nights on a HAL ship. These are cruisers, like myself, who have experienced the MDR formal experience provided by HAL and did not enjoy it.

 

The challenge for HAL is that there simply isn't a huge demand for its ships. HAL has to work quite hard at filling many of its berths on many of its ships with fire sale pricing being quite common. Imagine further adding to this problem by alienating a passenger base who want to sail on HAL and just not participate in formal nights? HAL doesn't need to provide cruisers with more reasons not to book a HAL cruise, as it is already doing quite well in this area.

 

Like any company providing a product and service to its customers, HAL must continue to evolve to meet the needs of its customers. There are a large number of HAL customers that want formal nights, and there are a large number who do not care for it. Could this be an indication that HAL's customer base is changing? It may be, who knows?

 

One thing is certain though. The more crowded that the Lido becomes on formal nights and the more than passengers decide to avail of room service or the Dive In, the higher the risk that HAL will continue to alienate it passengers. Fact is that HAL needs to continually fill those berths, with or without the formal wear.

 

How do you know there isn't a huge demand for their ships? I think the problem with HAL is that they price too high before final and too low after. For next spring I'm considering 2 cruises. One on Princess and one on HAL. The one I'm considering on HAL is the duplicate on the one I have for November. I paid about $3100 for a 2 week cruise for November (before the final payment). For the same one in March HAL wants $4200. No thanks. While I'd prefer Hal, if I like the Princess price better I will be going that route.

 

To get back to the topic of the thread, I do open dining. The most difficult nights to get a seat in the MDR are the "formal" nights. It is packed. If you don't do the MDR how do you know how busy it is? Judging from what I see, formal night is alive and well on HAL ships.

[iancal]

Have to agree with you on HAL's pricing.

 

Invariably, if we purchase in advance the HAL cruise is more expensive than the Princess or Celebrity-on like for like itineraries and ships. So we pass because for our preferences there is no reason to pay a premium.

 

After final payment, HAL's pricing is usually more in line with others Oddly enough that is when we find Princess 'out to lunch' with the exception of Alaska cruises.

 

We only spring for verandahs. But we keep hearing about fabulous price reductions/offers on HAL suites after final payment. A TA even mentioned it to me as an incentive to book on a HAL cruise. Go figure.

 

We were told by another TA a few years ago that insides and suites were the first to sell out. Perhaps this is/was not true...or perhaps it has changed over time since the newer ships have a much higher percentage of verandah and suite cabins.

Edited August 29, 2014 by iancal

[3rdGenCunarder]

Have to agree with you on HAL's pricing.

 

Invariably, if we purchase in advance the HAL cruise is more expensive than the Princess or Celebrity-on like for like itineraries and ships. So we pass because for our preferences there is no reason to pay a premium.

 

After final payment, HAL's pricing is usually more in line with others Oddly enough that is when we find Princess 'out to lunch' with the exception of Alaska cruises.

 

We only spring for verandahs. But we keep hearing about fabulous price reductions/offers on HAL suites after final payment. A TA even mentioned it to me as an incentive to book on a HAL cruise. Go figure.

 

We were told by another TA a few years ago that insides and suites were the first to sell out. Perhaps this is/was not true...or perhaps it has changed over time since the newer ships have a much higher percentage of verandah and suite cabins.

 

I've seen this on Cunard, too. The top suites and inside cabins tend to sell out first. This goes back to QE2 and continues on QM2. I guess the people who want the top amenities grab them before they're all sold. And the people who want to spend the least scoop up the insides to avoid having to book a more expensive cabin. Fortunately, we don't look for either of those extremes, so we have a bit more time to make up our minds.

[cruisemom42]

If people don't want to dress up,bring their own beverages,eat in a cafeteria for dinner,why bother? What's the allure of going on a cruise?

 

For most of my cruises, the allure is the ports/itinerary.

 

That's not to say I don't enjoy good food -- I don't eat in the buffet except at breakfast on certain days -- but I don't know that I'd say the MDR food is something I greatly anticipate. Perhaps because I am spoilt for choice living in a large city with many great dining options.

[chrispb]

If people don't want to dress up,bring their own beverages,eat in a cafeteria for dinner,why bother? What's the allure of going on a cruise?

 

While I get that the ship is the destination for some people, for others it would be:

 

1. To get from A to B to C etc without packing and unpacking

2. To see new places

3. To experience different cultures

 

 

Equally, I could say to you if you want to dress up and eat in a fine restaurant then book into a 5 star hotel with a sea view;)

[iancal]

We don't select a cruise line/ship based on whether or not there are formal events or no formal events.

 

Ten hours or so of formal dining on a fourteen day cruise does not even enter into our selection process. We have other preferences that are well ahead of this. In the same way we do not select a cruise on the basis of entertainment or the casino attributes.

[kangforpres]

FYI, we observe Labour Day in Canada as well.

 

I thought you guys did May day like the rest of the World does.

 

-Paul

[kangforpres]

It was my first one, and I assumed each question had the option of a yes and no answer. There should be 2 more questions to the poll:

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue Formal nights?

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue the Dress Code?

 

Maybe I can edit the Poll, does anyone know about such things?

 

-Paul

[POA1]

It was my first one, and I assumed each question had the option of a yes and no answer. There should be 2 more questions to the poll:

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue Formal nights?

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue the Dress Code?

 

Maybe I can edit the Poll, does anyone know about such things?

 

-Paul

Since it's just a multiple choice question, you have to make sure that the choices give a complete selection and are exclusive.

[Host Walt]

It was my first one, and I assumed each question had the option of a yes and no answer. There should be 2 more questions to the poll:

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue Formal nights?

 

Do you want HAL to Discontinue the Dress Code?

 

Maybe I can edit the Poll, does anyone know about such things?

 

-Paul

 

I suggest you start a new thread with the new questions. When you do, let me know and I'll close this thread.

[earljr]

When HAL chose to begin describing acceptable formal wear for gentlemen as jacket and tie, they effectively ended formal night.

Formal night no longer exists on HAL no matter how hard some struggle to tell us it does. A blazer and tie can never be described as formal.

 

 

Spot on

[visagrunt]

I enjoy formal nights--I have a kilt for a reason, and it gives me an excuse to drag out the miniatures of my decorations. Sure it adds a bit of weight to the baggage, but between laundry service on board and two passengers' worth of baggage allowance, we do just fine. (My partner gets rents his tux, so it's waiting in the cabin when we embark.)

 

But my formal evenings are not made or broken by how other people dress. I know the officers will be dressed, and I know some of my fellow passengers will also be dressed. I won't feel out of place being dressed, and I won't feel put out by others who do not.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I enjoy formal nights--I have a kilt for a reason, and it gives me an excuse to drag out the miniatures of my decorations. Sure it adds a bit of weight to the baggage, but between laundry service on board and two passengers' worth of baggage allowance, we do just fine. (My partner gets rents his tux, so it's waiting in the cabin when we embark.)

 

But my formal evenings are not made or broken by how other people dress. I know the officers will be dressed, and I know some of my fellow passengers will also be dressed. I won't feel out of place being dressed, and I won't feel put out by others who do not.

 

 

Same with us. We dress for formal nights. We enjoy it to wear something really nice for a change. The world is far too casual as far as I'm concerned. My DH usually rents a tux to avoid carrying extra in the luggage and I take a formal gown or two plus a cocktail dress or two. Although this time, I think DH is foregoing the tux.

 

I know there will be others who will be dressed and like you, I will not feel out of place by doing so.

Edited August 29, 2014 by fuzzywuzzy

[cbr663]

How do you know there isn't a huge demand for their ships? I think the problem with HAL is that they price too high before final and too low after. For next spring I'm considering 2 cruises. One on Princess and one on HAL. The one I'm considering on HAL is the duplicate on the one I have for November. I paid about $3100 for a 2 week cruise for November (before the final payment). For the same one in March HAL wants $4200. No thanks. While I'd prefer Hal, if I like the Princess price better I will be going that route.

 

To get back to the topic of the thread, I do open dining. The most difficult nights to get a seat in the MDR are the "formal" nights. It is packed. If you don't do the MDR how do you know how busy it is? Judging from what I see, formal night is alive and well on HAL ships.

 

I believe I explained why there isn't a huge demand for its ships - HAL's practice of fire sale prices is a clear indicator of this. HAL frequently has to discount inside cabins to less than $300 for a 7-day cruise. Why? Low demand. HAL frequently has to fill suites with deeply discounted upsells. Why? There aren't enough passengers who want these cabins.

 

As I also stated, there are lots of passengers who enjoy formal nights and there are lots who do not. But, should HAL decide to enforce its dress policy, which includes formal attire not only in the MDR but also every other public space (which we can argue about the definition of until the cows come home), I fear that many of those who just choose not to participate in formal nights may choose not to participate in HAL at all.

 

HAL has a long history and a well-established brand, but when forced to offer cruises at less than $40 a night, I don't think HAL currently has the luxury to turn away customers.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I believe I explained why there isn't a huge demand for its ships - HAL's practice of fire sale prices is a clear indicator of this. HAL frequently has to discount inside cabins to less than $300 for a 7-day cruise. Why? Low demand. HAL frequently has to fill suites with deeply discounted upsells. Why? There aren't enough passengers who want these cabins.

 

As I also stated, there are lots of passengers who enjoy formal nights and there are lots who do not. But, should HAL decide to enforce its dress policy, which includes formal attire not only in the MDR but also every other public space (which we can argue about the definition of until the cows come home), I fear that many of those who just choose not to participate in formal nights may choose not to participate in HAL at all.

 

HAL has a long history and a well-established brand, but when forced to offer cruises at less than $40 a night, I don't think HAL currently has the luxury to turn away customers.

 

 

Good,.....all the better for us who are sailing with HAL.

[navybankerteacher]

When HAL chose to begin describing acceptable formal wear for gentlemen as jacket and tie, they effectively ended formal night.

 

It took a few cruises after that change before my late DH and I recognized there were no more formal nights on HAL but that is fact.

 

We actually got so we're just fine with that. :o

DH always wore at the least requisite jacket and tie and more usually dark suit and I always dressed appropriately but for us, that was nothing that resembled the formal we always wore.

 

Formal night no longer exists on HAL no matter how hard some struggle to tell us it does. A blazer and tie can never be described as formal.

 

And, recognizing the accelerating gravitational aspect of the "slippery slope", the degradation of "formal" to being a dark suit, followed shortly to jacket and tie, may be expected to further devolve to just a clean (hopefully) collared shirt.

[Lizzie68]

I can only speak from my own experience - I have had numerous couples tell me that they would not sail on HAL because of the formal nights. Just as an example. We shared a table on Granville Island with a delightful couple from New Zealand after our Alaskan cruise. We were just off our ship and they were getting ready to board NCL for Alaska. When we told them we were on HAL, they specifically told us that they would never sail HAL due to the formal nights.

 

Why? :confused: How does formal night ruin a cruise and cause you to say you'll never sail on that line again? I'm betting that was just some kind of excuse, and they probably would have come up with something else very easily. I don't care about formal night one way or the other, but it sure as heck has never impacted negatively on my cruises.

[mame42]

Why? :confused: How does formal night ruin a cruise and cause you to say you'll never sail on that line again? I'm betting that was just some kind of excuse, and they probably would have come up with something else very easily. I don't care about formal night one way or the other, but it sure as heck has never impacted negatively on my cruises.

 

Formal nights could be construed as a negative given HAL's already limited dining choices, especially since it occurs twice on a 7 day sailing (almost 30% of one's evenings aboard). The ambiance of the "cruise experience" is somewhat lacking when dining in the Lido or an inside cabin. Not everyone can afford a balcony for dining al fresco.

[Lizzie68]

Formal nights could be construed as a negative given HAL's already limited dining choices, especially since it occurs twice on a 7 day sailing (almost 30% of one's evenings aboard). The ambiance of the "cruise experience" is somewhat lacking when dining in the Lido or an inside cabin. Not everyone can afford a balcony for dining al fresco.

 

Yes, but when you book you know (or should) about formal nights, so how on earth can it ruin your cruise?

[Wakepatrol]

I can only speak from my own experience - I have had numerous couples tell me that they would not sail on HAL because of the formal nights. Just as an example. We shared a table on Granville Island with a delightful couple from New Zealand after our Alaskan cruise. We were just off our ship and they were getting ready to board NCL for Alaska. When we told them we were on HAL, they specifically told us that they would never sail HAL due to the formal nights.

 

Running into two people that don't like formal night proves nothing

 

That's like me running into two people with green hair, that would never consider a regular color. What about it? Proves nothing

Edited August 29, 2014 by Wakepatrol

[cruz chic]

Running into two people that don't like formal night proves nothing

 

That's like me running into two people with green hair, that would never consider a regular color. What about it? Proves nothing

 

Exactly. Funny, but I've never run into anyone that has said they won't cruise HAL because it's to formal. Clearly, I've lead a sheltered life:D;).

[serendipity1499]

Formal nights could be construed as a negative given HAL's already limited dining choices, especially since it occurs twice on a 7 day sailing (almost 30% of one's evenings aboard). The ambiance of the "cruise experience" is somewhat lacking when dining in the Lido or an inside cabin. Not everyone can afford a balcony for dining al fresco.

 

Hey everyone..Looks like Hal has recently changed the Number of Formal nights! We take the longer cruises, & a 10 day cruise used to have 3 formal nights, now it seems there are two..

 

Check out HAL's WEB site or Post No. 1 on this CC thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2091822

 

Voyage duration / Number of Formal evenings

 

Less than 7 days = 1 Formal evening

7 - 13 days = 2 Formal evenings

14 - 20 days = 3 Formal evenings

21 - 28 days = 4 Formal evenings

 

The number of Formal evenings on voyages longer than 28 days will vary based on the activities and cruise schedule.

Edited August 29, 2014 by serendipity1499

[navybankerteacher]

Hey everyone..Looks like Hal has recently changed the Number of Formal nights! We take the longer cruises, & a 10 day cruise used to have 3 formal nights, now it seems there are two..

 

Check out HAL's WEB site or Post No. 1 on this CC thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2091822

 

Voyage duration / Number of Formal evenings

 

Less than 7 days = 1 Formal evening

7 - 13 days = 2 Formal evenings

14 - 20 days = 3 Formal evenings

21 - 28 days = 4 Formal evenings

 

The number of Formal evenings on voyages longer than 28 days will vary based on the activities and cruise schedule.

 

As has been recently posted, HAL has NO formal nights. Calling something a "formal night" because men are requested to wear a jacket and tie - but not even enforcing that is not having a formal night. (Nor would it be a formal night even if the jacket and tie requirement was enforced.)

[Lizzie68]

Hey everyone..Looks like Hal has recently changed the Number of Formal nights! We take the longer cruises, & a 10 day cruise used to have 3 formal nights, now it seems there are two..

 

Check out HAL's WEB site or Post No. 1 on this CC thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2091822

 

Voyage duration / Number of Formal evenings

 

Less than 7 days = 1 Formal evening

7 - 13 days = 2 Formal evenings

14 - 20 days = 3 Formal evenings

21 - 28 days = 4 Formal evenings

 

The number of Formal evenings on voyages longer than 28 days will vary based on the activities and cruise schedule.

 

 

Thanks for the info. On our last cruise (21 days) there were 6 formal nights. They have really cut them back.

[Fouremco]

Why? :confused: How does formal night ruin a cruise and cause you to say you'll never sail on that line again? I'm betting that was just some kind of excuse, and they probably would have come up with something else very easily. I don't care about formal night one way or the other, but it sure as heck has never impacted negatively on my cruises.

Why would you think that they are lying? I personally don't mind formal nights, but I can understand that there are others who don't. You don't have to go any further than this board to see the many reasons people don't like them. I'm not saying that you need to agree with them, but I see no reason to disbelieve someone who says that they've chosen not to sail HAL for that reason.