Still another formal night question

[marcc]

Does HA still require tie and jacket in the MDR on formal (gala) nights? The last posts I found were ambiguous. We are on the Zuiderdam in the Baltic next month and I'd really like to avoid packing a suit and tie that I'll only be using for a couple of hours.

 

Thanks

 

Marc C

[RuthC]

Holland America now has "Gala" nights, and the dress code was changed when the name for the night was. Jacket & tie was removed as expected level of dress. For a man, "Smart Casual", which is long pants and a collard shirt, is the minimum expected level of dress.

Now, that is not to say that you won't see men in jacket & tie, or even suits or tux. But you won't be excluded from the dining room if you aren't similarly dressed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our last couple of cruise, one of them being a 21 day cruise, we saw very, very few in tuxedos and/or suits.

The majority of the men now wear slacks and collared shirt. And that also included the Gala nights in the specialty restaurants.

[feathersandnananose]

We're still tossing our decisions around: I know I'll be in little black cocktail dress with bling or a long dress with same bling (these dresses don't take up much room) for our four Gala nights. Certainly not taking a suit for him, but last time we rented a tux/shoes and he really enjoyed the goofiness of the whole experience. Still thinking about which option he'll be taking. But if we were to be the dressiest folks in the MDR, who cares?

[ithaca gal]

Does HA still require tie and jacket in the MDR on formal (gala) nights? The last posts I found were ambiguous. We are on the Zuiderdam in the Baltic next month and I'd really like to avoid packing a suit and tie that I'll only be using for a couple of hours.

 

Thanks

 

Marc C

 

On our last few cruises (Koningsdam/NA/Eurodam), men in suits or jackets were in the vast majority. Following them were men without jackets but in ties. There were some who only wore collared shirts and slacks. It's up to you, of course, within the guidelines, but how much room does a tie take up?

[jhsocal]

Believe the level of dress on Gala Nights varies significantly from cruise to cruise. You have the official answer, so you are free to choose. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[bUU]

It's up to you, of course, within the guidelines, but how much room does a tie take up?

It isn't a matter of how much room the tie takes up, but rather the jacket. For many people wearing a tie without a jacket is like wearing a belt without pants. Those that choose to do so are welcome to their own decision, but as far as I'm concerned it shouldn't be considered any better (and perhaps should be considered worse) than going without the tie.

 

Even though I make the room for jacket and tie I respect the decision of those who choose to leave the jacket and tie home.

[maggiemou]

We're still tossing our decisions around: I know I'll be in little black cocktail dress with bling or a long dress with same bling (these dresses don't take up much room) for our four Gala nights. Certainly not taking a suit for him, but last time we rented a tux/shoes and he really enjoyed the goofiness of the whole experience. Still thinking about which option he'll be taking. But if we were to be the dressiest folks in the MDR, who cares?

 

We have just returned from the Rotterdam cruise of 30 nights. We like to dress for dinner and as we regularly cruise on Cunard we like formal dress. I toyed with the idea of what to wear pre cruise, and decided dressing up is what we do best.so husband took his tuxedo and three jackets. He wore his tux on Gala nights. A jacket every other night with a nice tie and occasionally with no tie but a nice shirt, I wore a long dress on Gala nights and also I had calf length beaded cocktail dresses for Gala nights and I wore them on other nights as well. Evening pants and tops. Nothing too casual. We were pleased to find we were not alone. Many tuxedos and DJ's on Gala night. Many ladies in long dresses including staff.

We decided to dine at a table for two fixed dining in the restaurant. I found people on fixed dining dressed up more. Going for a table for two,was a good idea as we were not seated next to someone in casual attire and we did not mind if they were so long as they were not sat next to us as we felt we were doing our thing.

I decided after this trip dining for two makes it less noticeable if you are dressed up and others are not.

I was pleased we took our regular dressy clothes and never felt overdressed or offended by others dress style. I got many compliments on my dresses for other guests. So go for it and enjoy your cruise.

[KirkNC]

Believe the level of dress on Gala Nights varies significantly from cruise to cruise. You have the official answer, so you are free to choose. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

I agree, short Caribbean cruise tend be the least formal. Longer cruise, grand voyages and such tend to be more formal. On the world cruise, tuxes were very common.

[msmayor]

My husband has always packed his tux and I always have at least one long dress and a couple of fancier cocktail dresses. For us, its a treat to dress up and we love the chance to do so on a cruise. Its never bothered us a bit to be among people who choose to be more relaxed in their dress throughout the evening.

 

Even on regular 'smart casual' nights, my husband would often wear a tie and his linen sport coat to the dining room while I almost always wore a dress or my dressy black palazzo pants with a special top. Just our choice to do so...we love dress up!

 

I generally expect us to be in the minority as many of the comments I read here express the desire to leave the fancy clothes home. That appeared to be a wrong conclusion on the Zuiderdam in March, at least for late dining, as I saw many more tuxedos than I expected and a lot of gentlemen in jackets and/or ties on gala night. Lots of fancy outfits for the ladies too.

[Herfnerd]

Wife loves to get pictures taken of us which means I always pack a suit........

[ger_77]

My husband has always packed his tux and I always have at least one long dress and a couple of fancier cocktail dresses. For us, its a treat to dress up and we love the chance to do so on a cruise. Its never bothered us a bit to be among people who choose to be more relaxed in their dress throughout the evening.

 

Even on regular 'smart casual' nights, my husband would often wear a tie and his linen sport coat to the dining room while I almost always wore a dress or my dressy black palazzo pants with a special top. Just our choice to do so...we love dress up

 

We're the same as you - we both love dressing up, so taking along a tux and sparklies isn't an imposition for us. DH always travels in a sports jacket and usually has another in his suitcase so he can wear one (or not) to the dining room whenever he wishes. I usually bring a LBTD (in my case, a long black tank dress) and several sparkly tops / jackets to wear over top. The LBD can also be dressed down with bright scarves or simple jewelry for several uses throughout the cruise.

Not everyone is happy playing dress up as we do; as long as they're following the suggested dress code of the dining room, we're fine with that. It's when they come in with baseball caps and t-shirts that we start to question the dress code suggestions entirely.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[summersigh]

From the HAL FAQs (I colored important text in red):

Did HAL change their dress code? A: Yes, some refinements were made to improve consistency and the policy now reads:

 

 

• Most evenings smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in fine dining restaurants.
  
• Gala Nights evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including our five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. For gentlemen, collared shirts and slacks are required in all fine dining restaurants.
  

 

Q: Why the change from “Formal” To “Gala” night?

A: To many, the “Formal” term was misleading as it implies a specific type of dress (black tie or tuxedo) that has never been a requirement. “Gala” still implies festive or dressy without misleading guests to bring attire the majority of guests don’t wear.

Q: What about ladies’ gala attire?

A: Dressy attire is appropriate. Dresses, skirts, and slacks are all acceptable.

Q: Are a jacket and tie required for men?

A: Jacket and tie is the preferred attire in all fine dining restaurants on Gala Nights, though it is not required. Guests without a jacket and tie were allowed in the fine dining restaurants before the new wording so this is not a policy change.

Q: Are jeans allowed?

A: Jeans without holes, tears or embroidery are welcome on most evenings in all restaurants, but on Gala Nights jeans are only allowed in the casual dining restaurants.

[iancal]

Formal nights lost their lustre for us a long time ago. If we attend, we are dressed as per the new rules. But even so, we will often skip formal evenings. Food is not really that great, service is slow slow slow. Not just on HAL, but on other lines as well. The last four cruises have been Princess, RCI, and Celebrity. Did not even consider attending the MDR on formal nights.

[Hlitner]

We are reading this thread with lots of interest. DW and I have traditionally worn formal clothes on formal and now gala nights. But we are generally on longer HAL cruises. Our last HAL cruise was on the Zuiderdam last August (Northern Europe) and there were plenty of passengers dressed in formal or near formal attire...on gala nights. There also plenty of passengers wearing smart casual. Our next cruise is the VOV cruise and we are thinking since its 38 days there will be a good mix of well dressed vs informal. Our current thinking iis to drag along lots of clothes (including formal wear) since we will be driving to the port and have no luggage weight issues.

 

I did smile at Lancal's post. Different folks have different likes :). We love to dine at large tables and socialize. To us, slow dining is what dining is all about. On many cruises our table will often be among the last to depart the MDR....because folks are having a good time socializing. Two hour dinners are fine for us (even desired). If we want fast food...we go to a fast food restaurant. But when we go to a "dining room" we prefer to dine at a much slower pace.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We don't want to dine and dash but on the other hand we don't especially want lukewarm hot dinners nor do we want to wait 20 minutes for coffee only to find it also lukewarm.

 

We enjoy the conversation but the mediocre lukewarm food and poor service take the shine off the entire event for us. Not to mention the high noise level in the MDR...it seems to have got louder lately.

[DeeDee Groff]

We are reading this thread with lots of interest. DW and I have traditionally worn formal clothes on formal and now gala nights. But we are generally on longer HAL cruises. Our last HAL cruise was on the Zuiderdam last August (Northern Europe) and there were plenty of passengers dressed in formal or near formal attire...on gala nights. There also plenty of passengers wearing smart casual. Our next cruise is the VOV cruise and we are thinking since its 38 days there will be a good mix of well dressed vs informal. Our current thinking iis to drag along lots of clothes (including formal wear) since we will be driving to the port and have no luggage weight issues.

I did smile at Lancal's post. Different folks have different likes :). We love to dine at large tables and socialize. To us, slow dining is what dining is all about. On many cruises our table will often be among the last to depart the MDR....because folks are having a good time socializing. Two hour dinners are fine for us (even desired). If we want fast food...we go to a fast food restaurant. But when we go to a "dining room" we prefer to dine at a much slower pace.

 

Hank

 

BBM

 

Agree with your first sentence, and ditto for the second sentence--hope you don't mind my adding the thought that I don't want to be cold on shore excursions!

[cattman]

I agree, short Caribbean cruise tend be the least formal. Longer cruise, grand voyages and such tend to be more formal. On the world cruise, tuxes were very common.

 

I realize this thread is a month old, but could not resist sharing our experience aboard the NA to Alaska a couple weeks ago.

 

We were very surprised at the lax enforcement of any dress code in the main dining room on 'Gala' nights. Weather was unusually warm for Alaska and some wore shorts, and we actually saw a couple admitted wearing rolled up sweat pants and flip-flops.

 

We usually try not to be very judgemental when it comes to dress codes, etc. on a cruise and certainly don't want to experience the discomfort of seeing people fight with a Maitre 'd, but bare feet in flip-flops?? This is not only disrespectful to fellow cruisers but unsanitary, and should be unacceptable at any time and is especially rude on Gala night.

 

No coat or tie? Not really a problem for us, but at least require pants and shoes. We have never seen anything like this before, not even in the Caribbean.

Edited June 1, 2017 by cattman

[north29]

We will be on a major trip to Provence and then a TA home on the Koningdam. We are packing art supplies etc and with little room for a lot of clothes. We will do our best to keep the HAL cruise happy and will eat in the MDR.

This is our first HAL cruise so I hope they do not keel haul us for lack of traditional clothes. LOL

[Stratheden]

We are reading this thread with lots of interest. DW and I have traditionally worn formal clothes on formal and now gala nights. But we are generally on longer HAL cruises. Our last HAL cruise was on the Zuiderdam last August (Northern Europe) and there were plenty of passengers dressed in formal or near formal attire...on gala nights. There also plenty of passengers wearing smart casual. Our next cruise is the VOV cruise and we are thinking since its 38 days there will be a good mix of well dressed vs informal. Our current thinking iis to drag along lots of clothes (including formal wear) since we will be driving to the port and have no luggage weight issues.

 

I did smile at Lancal's post. Different folks have different likes :). We love to dine at large tables and socialize. To us, slow dining is what dining is all about. On many cruises our table will often be among the last to depart the MDR....because folks are having a good time socializing. Two hour dinners are fine for us (even desired). If we want fast food...we go to a fast food restaurant. But when we go to a "dining room" we prefer to dine at a much slower pace.

 

Hank

 

We welcome the new dress rules. We have to fly at least for 24+ hours to get to European destinations. Because of both the cost and the distance involved we tend to do much more than just the cruise when we get there. In 2018 we are cruising for 24 days on one of the Northern Baltic cruises but we will be away from home for 3 months. Formal clothes are not part of our packing list. We simply cannot afford the weight of something that doesn't have many uses. A warm rainproof/windproof jacket will get much more wear than a suit jacket etc.

[slidergirl]

If "bare feet in flip-flops" is unsanitary, you had better let us ladies who go into the MDR bare-foot in sandals have it, too... ;)

[HUNKY]

I wear "nice" flip-flops, not sandals, made of leather and with a substantial sole to dinner when cruising the Caribbean. They look very nice with a pair of Tommy Bahama khakis and a bright colored Polo shirt. I wouldn't do this if my feet were not attractive.

 

I'm wearing a suit, and my other half a navy blazer, on the flight from the US to Europe for our upcoming Koningsdam cruise. So no need to pack them in our luggage. The flight attendants always take the coats away and hang them for the duration of the flight anyway.

 

The modern dress code of HAL embraces individuality and choice, and that is never a bad thing.

[cruisetheworld67]

I realize this thread is a month old, but could not resist sharing our experience aboard the NA to Alaska a couple weeks ago.

 

We were very surprised at the lax enforcement of any dress code in the main dining room on 'Gala' nights. Weather was unusually warm for Alaska and some wore shorts, and we actually saw a couple admitted wearing rolled up sweat pants and flip-flops.

 

We usually try not to be very judgemental when it comes to dress codes, etc. on a cruise and certainly don't want to experience the discomfort of seeing people fight with a Maitre 'd, but bare feet in flip-flops?? This is not only disrespectful to fellow cruisers but unsanitary, and should be unacceptable at any time and is especially rude on Gala night.

 

No coat or tie? Not really a problem for us, but at least require pants and shoes. We have never seen anything like this before, not even in the Caribbean.

 

The description and words you used to describe the guests with "rolled up sweats and flip flops" obviously shows you were upset enough to see it as "disrespectful", "rude" and "unsanitary."

If this was the case then why did you not report this immediately to the dining room manager?

While I agree this is unacceptable dress for the MDR......if one is upset enough then C-O-M-P-L-AI-N. If not why not?:confused:

[Stratheden]

I wear "nice" flip-flops, not sandals, made of leather and with a substantial sole to dinner when cruising the Caribbean. They look very nice with a pair of Tommy Bahama khakis and a bright colored Polo shirt. I wouldn't do this if my feet were not attractive.

 

I'm wearing a suit, and my other half a navy blazer, on the flight from the US to Europe for our upcoming Koningsdam cruise. So no need to pack them in our luggage. The flight attendants always take the coats away and hang them for the duration of the flight anyway.

 

The modern dress code of HAL embraces individuality and choice, and that is never a bad thing.

 

Wearing a suit on the plane for the first day of a 3 month holiday does not work for us. Where do you suggest we put the the suit and my 'gala' dress, shoes and tiara ;p for the remainder of the time. We will be clean, neat and tidy, collared shirt but definitely no jacket or tie.

[OlsSalt]

Wearing a suit on the plane for the first day of a 3 month holiday does not work for us. Where do you suggest we put the the suit and my 'gala' dress, shoes and tiara ;p for the remainder of the time. We will be clean, neat and tidy, collared shirt but definitely no jacket or tie.

 

You can fit suit or tux in a #50 limit suitcase easily and have plenty of space left over. DH does it all the time. Keep your tiara in your carry on. You wouldn't want anyone to steal it, would you?

 

With todays lightweight, no-wrinkle easy pack dress fabrics it makes no sense to complain there is no room in a suitcase. There might be other reasons, but suitcase space is highly unlikely to be one of them. Perhaps it is also time to invest in a new light weigh suitcase too - why pay the airlines extra to just take a heavy suitcase instead of using that same weight for clothes. I recommend the IT brand - a 5# open box rolling suitcase can easily hold it all for up to a month long cruise.