HAL no longer requires formal dress

[cruz chic]

Please don't flame the messenger, I have a cousin who works at Hal corporate. He recently told me they are thinking of reinstating formal nite. Usual amount of nites with a few changes, one dining room only for formal and hours between 6:30 and 8:30 so just one seating. Cannot verify this as it is second hand info. If true it should make some people happy, some wont care.

 

I can't see this happening. It would be difficult to enforce. My guess is that you are joking.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I can't see this happening. It would be difficult to enforce. My guess is that you are joking.

 

I don't see it happening, either. The logistics make it just about impossible. HAL has only one dining room, and if they do a formal night at a set time, there is the potential for a lot of unhappy cruisers. Do they block out two hours from anytime dining level? Require one of the fixed times to be all formal? If HAL had multiple open-seating dining rooms, it would be possible. As the ships are configured, it would be a mess.

 

I'd love to see true formal nights return to HAL, but it isn't going to happen.

[roses313]

I have been following the very heated discussions about Celebrity changing their formal night dress code...jeans are now permitted.

 

It has been a few years since our last HAL cruise, but have one scheduled for February. Wondering what the current and recent HAL cruisers thought about the changes at HAL. Have read the comments some of which are very strong...for and against.

 

We are in favour of the relaxed dress attire. Much of it has to do with luggage and the sheer amount of "extras" that go with formal wear. We always consider a cruise to be a relaxing experience and therefore the idea of donning formal attire did not fit with that idea. We have met wonderful people with whom we enjoyed many dinners in the MDR...even of formal nights. While my DH was dressed in a sports jacket, and me in a nice dress (not formal) ...we all enjoyed each other's company and never made what we were wearing an issue. I think we should not look for reasons to get ourselves stressed out, instead enjoy the cruise, the dinner and the other people you meet along the way. It's 2015!

[dakrewser]

If you've read this thread you should know that everyone has pretty much exhausted their opinions, including opinions of the Celebrity "code".

[JPH814]

The code has changed with the times. I will not complain. My only complaint is people who still refuse to comply with even the relaxed standard.

[Fouremco]

I have been following the very heated discussions about Celebrity changing their formal night dress code...jeans are now permitted.

Designer jeans are specified. Hopefully people won't show up in their gardening jeans. :eek:

[Viv0828]

I was really happy to see the change to the dress code for a different reason. I am always cold so the idea of wearing a dressy gown in the chilly MDR was impossible, even with a wrap. On our last formal night I wore long pants with a long sleeved dressy sweater, long underwear under the sweater and a wrap. I realize I am not typical but wearing a gown and freezing had little appeal for me.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Viv0828

[chefestelle]

Mum and I will still be dressing up on Christmas day and New Years Eve on our cruise next month. Bring on the bling:)

 

 

Same with me and DD. Bring on the bling!

[Jade13]

Please don't flame the messenger, I have a cousin who works at Hal corporate. He recently told me they are thinking of reinstating formal nite. Usual amount of nites with a few changes, one dining room only for formal and hours between 6:30 and 8:30 so just one seating. Cannot verify this as it is second hand info. If true it should make some people happy, some wont care.

 

 

HAL only has one dining room, so unless there are plans for more than one on the new ships I do not see this happening. And would this be real formal or include those such as women who wear pants and glittery tops and call it formal? Would only men in tuxes be allowed in?

Edited November 25, 2015 by Jade13

[Topsham]

Only way is to have one formal dinner.... in Pinnacle Grill... once a week.

 

Need extra staff too... and fill the restaurant. Extra items in the menu... and include the caviar!:)

 

They might try it... just for a month to see what happens.

 

I'd go for it.

[lawduck]

The code has changed with the times. I will not complain. My only complaint is people who still refuse to comply with even the relaxed standard.

 

How could what someone else is wearing possibly bother you? While on vacation nonetheless‽

[dakrewser]

How could what someone else is wearing possibly bother you? While on vacation nonetheless‽

 

The poster did not say they object to what someone is wearing, but to people ignoring the rules and conventions.

 

I, also, don't care what you wear, but I do care about those who ignore the rules and conventions whether that has to do with dress codes, bringing travel irons, smuggling liquor, hogging deck chairs, etc. People who ignore one rule will very likely ignore a bunch of others.

[lawduck]

The poster did not say they object to what someone is wearing, but to people ignoring the rules and conventions.

 

I, also, don't care what you wear, but I do care about those who ignore the rules and conventions whether that has to do with dress codes, bringing travel irons, smuggling liquor, hogging deck chairs, etc. People who ignore one rule will very likely ignore a bunch of others.

 

The poster said their "complaint" was people who in their opinion don't follow the new dress code. One would only complain about what bothers them. I merely asked how what someone else is wearing could bother you.

 

What you wrote makes no sense. You can't say that you don't care about what people wear and then say you care about about people who don't follow the dress code. It's the same damn thing. And people who don't strictly follow the dress code guidelines are no more likely to break any serious rules, much like just because you may exceed the speed limit doesn't make you more likely to stab someone.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The poster did not say they object to what someone is wearing, but to people ignoring the rules and conventions.

 

I, also, don't care what you wear, but I do care about those who ignore the rules and conventions whether that has to do with dress codes, bringing travel irons, smuggling liquor, hogging deck chairs, etc. People who ignore one rule will very likely ignore a bunch of others.

 

I agree. If the crusie line sets a dress code--and HAL's isn't difficult to adhere to--then passengers should respect it. It's also a show of respect for their fellow cruisers, who DO follow the rules. Whether it's dress code, chair hogging, cutting in line at the Lido, I'm tired of "I know it's the rule but I don't want to follow it."

[JPH814]

The poster said their "complaint" was people who in their opinion don't follow the new dress code. One would only complain about what bothers them. I merely asked how what someone else is wearing could bother you.

 

What you wrote makes no sense. You can't say that you don't care about what people wear and then say you care about about people who don't follow the dress code. It's the same damn thing. And people who don't strictly follow the dress code guidelines are no more likely to break any serious rules, much like just because you may exceed the speed limit doesn't make you more likely to stab someone.

 

At the risk of being again drawn into a flogging of a dead and buried horse....

 

I will answer the question "how what someone else is wearing could bother you?"

 

It is called ambiance.

 

When a situation is defined as "formal" or "gala" (and with it comes a definition for what that means for dressing) it is setting a certain ambiance that enhances the evening. Let me ask you: does the china affect the taste of the food? Does the crystal change the taste of the wine? Does linen tablecloths and napkins change the conversation with tablemates? If you say no, then feel free to wear your jeans and tee shirts into the main dining room on formal night. Or better yet, drink your Merlot from solo cup and eat your lobster tail on a paper plate.

 

But for those of us who believe that an evening is made more enjoyable with the trappings of a more traditionally formal setting, we choose a cruise line with one or two nights a week where people are dressier than their normal trip to McDonalds. Because we believe that the attire of the people in the dinning room enhances the ambiance the same way that china and crystal and linen does.

 

My question to you - in support of my friend Dakrewser: Why do you choose a cruise line with certain requirements and then feel they should not apply to you?

Edited November 25, 2015 by JPH814

[RuthC]

How could what someone else is wearing possibly bother you? While on vacation nonetheless‽

 

If I have to provide my own brain bleach, then it's a bother.

[Cruizer Bill]

We just got off the Prinsendam - a 15 night Transatlantic - and saw no change in dress. Everyone dressed as they did before and we saw quite a few tuxes there.

We did notice more people eating in the Lido nowadays and I admit we ate there a few times ourselves. People do not dress up in the Lido, it's just a relaxed atmosphere.

[RuthC]

People do not dress up in the Lido, ....

Actually, some do.

I have seen dressed up people eating in the Lido because the menu was better than the dining room.

[Cruizer Bill]

Yes, some do. We saw some very nice clothes there.

[Wonderingabout]

How could what someone else is wearing possibly bother you? While on vacation nonetheless‽

 

I read this a lot on these threads and it is one of the most dumb statements I read. Of course the manner of dress of the other passengers could bother you, if you are at all sensitive to your surroundings. If the ship's carpet is shag instead of pile if the carpet or the walls are painted in garish brash colors or muted colors all add to the ambiance of a cruise. What you wear is part of the backdrop for the ambiance as much as any other part of the ship's décor.

 

Your ego may say be true to yourself and let the rest of the world get over it. But to people who do not know you or may not even care to know you, you are just part of the décor and ambiance of their environment and you may add to that ambiance or detract from that ambiance.

 

For example what gives Venice beach its ambiance is not so much the Sand and Sea for which there are a number of California beaches with similar backdrops but rather the vast array of quirky people who haunt the beach.

 

People are a very important factor, perhaps even the most important factor, in determining the ambiance (enjoyablity or unenjoyabilty) of an activity or place for which cruising is both. Not just the how other people act but also how they dress and speak.

[2bout2c]

I read this a lot on these threads and it is one of the most dumb statements I read. Of course the manner of dress of the other passengers could bother you, if you are at all sensitive to your surroundings. If the ship's carpet is shag instead of pile if the carpet or the walls are painted in garish brash colors or muted colors all add to the ambiance of a cruise. What you wear is part of the backdrop for the ambiance as much as any other part of the ship's décor.

 

Your ego may say be true to yourself and let the rest of the world get over it. But to people who do not know you or may not even care to know you, you are just part of the décor and ambiance of their environment and you may add to that ambiance or detract from that ambiance.

 

For example what gives Venice beach its ambiance is not so much the Sand and Sea for which there are a number of California beaches with similar backdrops but rather the vast array of quirky people who haunt the beach.

 

People are a very important factor, perhaps even the most important factor, in determining the ambiance (enjoyablity or unenjoyabilty) of an activity or place for which cruising is both. Not just the how other people act but also how they dress and speak.

 

Well said.

[tinkr2]

I read this a lot on these threads and it is one of the most dumb statements I read. Of course the manner of dress of the other passengers could bother you, if you are at all sensitive to your surroundings. If the ship's carpet is shag instead of pile if the carpet or the walls are painted in garish brash colors or muted colors all add to the ambiance of a cruise. What you wear is part of the backdrop for the ambiance as much as any other part of the ship's décor.

 

 

 

Your ego may say be true to yourself and let the rest of the world get over it. But to people who do not know you or may not even care to know you, you are just part of the décor and ambiance of their environment and you may add to that ambiance or detract from that ambiance.

 

 

 

For example what gives Venice beach its ambiance is not so much the Sand and Sea for which there are a number of California beaches with similar backdrops but rather the vast array of quirky people who haunt the beach.

 

 

 

People are a very important factor, perhaps even the most important factor, in determining the ambiance (enjoyablity or unenjoyabilty) of an activity or place for which cruising is both. Not just the how other people act but also how they dress and speak.

 

 

This is well written. It makes the point with out attacking others .i hope I add to the ambiance of others dining rather than detract from it!

 

 

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[momatibm]

This is our experience. We were in the Ocean Bar prior to the main,second, setting. We were getting are drinks, and a group 'fell' into the banque to us-they had daisy dukes and very low brassiers my grandson was curious about their dress since he did have on this tux, which he wears every week.

[Lizzie68]

That is not a dumb statement at all and there is no need to use that kind of language. What someone else decides to wear has absolutely no bearing on my evening. As long as I am dressed appropriately that's all that concerns me. HAL has relaxed the dress code - therefore it is up to them to deal with it if someone takes it down further. As for the ambiance - there's not a darned thing we can do if someone dresses inappropriately and you feel it has ruined the ambiance. Complain to the MDR Manager and let him deal with it.

[dakrewser]

That is not a dumb statement at all and there is no need to use that kind of language. What someone else decides to wear has absolutely no bearing on my evening. As long as I am dressed appropriately that's all that concerns me. HAL has relaxed the dress code - therefore it is up to them to deal with it if someone takes it down further. As for the ambiance - there's not a darned thing we can do if someone dresses inappropriately and you feel it has ruined the ambiance. Complain to the MDR Manager and let him deal with it.

 

Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean that it doesn't affect someone else. Nor, when we observe someone flouting the rules, should we rely on the staff to "deal with it". The expression "see something, say something" comes to mind.

 

If you noticed your neighbor lighting candles on his balcony, would you also say "it is up to [HAL] to deal with it if someone" breaks the rules?

 

I also can't figure out who you're replying to as I can't find any inappropriate language in this thread...

Edited November 26, 2015 by dakrewser