Jeans Turned Away on Gala Night

[OlsSalt]

When the President of Holland America came on stage on the recent Veendam Cuba cruise to answer passenger questions, he was wearing his shirt-tales out in casual vacation passenger mode. His professional bio claims he is a bit of a fashionista. He did wear a suit to attend the new port ceremony when we docked in Havana - a pretty loud plaid one.

 

So where will dress standards be going on HAL ships under his direction? You decide. The crew now has far less formal "uniform" attire as well. More tee-shirts and Dockers, less Bristol shape nautical formality. There are cost-savings in this alternative. However, also dressed the crew in "Mexican wedding shirts" and Panama hats while we were in Cuba. That would cause the costs to go up - if each port now has a port theme costume. IMHO, we don't need the gimmicks, just continued professionalism.

[RedneckBob]

Yes. I got it! That's why the :D after my posting.

 

OK, I'm a little slow today Tampa Girl. By the way, let me introduce myself, RedneckBob from Tampa Bay. Maybe I should change my CC name to Tampa Bay.

[shipgeeks]

OP, thank you for posting this. I am taking it as the omen I've been looking for, and am booking our next cruise on HAL.

[sail7seas]

deleted sorry. ;)

[Tampa Girl]

OK, I'm a little slow today Tampa Girl. By the way, let me introduce myself, RedneckBob from Tampa Bay. Maybe I should change my CC name to Tampa Bay.

 

Where in "Tampa Bay" - west side, east side, or in the middle?

[RedneckBob]

Where in "Tampa Bay" - west side, east side, or in the middle?

 

None of the above; in the country; northwest Hills. Cty; cows grazing behind barb wire fence at end of street and alligators from lake trying to get through barb wire fence. :eek:

[JT1962]

Dress codes are rapidly changing in most venues due to economic trends and the changing ideas of style.

 

 

 

Cruise lines that try to hang onto the outdated dress codes face mounting pressure to change, and they will do so or they will fail to remain competitive.

 

 

 

I totally agree. If HAL does not change with the times, they will be out of business in 10 years. I am not for shorts and tank tops on Gala Nights, but also don't want to pack a suit on every cruise. Based on the average age on our recent HAL cruise, most of their current clientele will be dead in 10-15 years.

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

I totally agree. If HAL does not change with the times, they will be out of business in 10 years. I am not for shorts and tank tops on Gala Nights, but also don't want to pack a suit on every cruise. Based on the average age on our recent HAL cruise, most of their current clientele will be dead in 10-15 years.

 

 

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What age will be those who follow them .... in 10 to 15 years? A renewable resource - old people. Every generation has them. Eventually.

[JT1962]

I am 56 and will be one of those "old people" very soon, and based on my recent HAL experience, I will not be one of their customers in the future. I am not a big party person or drinker, but this was the 16th cruise I have taken on multiple lines and the first cruise I have been bored on.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't picture that most people in their 50s will consider 1940s music, jigsaw puzzles, bridge, etc as enjoyable entertainment for their vacation. The food quality and service were below my experience on Carnival, Princess, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. If they don't make changes, they will lose their future clientele.

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

I am 56 and will be one of those "old people" very soon, and based on my recent HAL experience, I will not be one of their customers in the future. I am not a big party person or drinker, but this was the 16th cruise I have taken on multiple lines and the first cruise I have been bored on.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't picture that most people in their 50s will consider 1940s music, jigsaw puzzles, bridge, etc as enjoyable entertainment for their vacation. The food quality and service were below my experience on Carnival, Princess, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. If they don't make changes, they will lose their future clientele.

 

 

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If they do make changes, they will lose their present clientele. No, you will not be "one of those old people very soon" - it will take you another quarter of a century. And that is a long time away - many things can happen still.

 

PS, few of us thought we would become as old as our parents either. But the funny thing is when my parents were cruising when they were "older" they were having pretty much the same experiences we now enjoy at their ages on HAL. Traditional and sedate.

 

Good thing is Carnival won't change much either so we are both are covered.

[esimon]

nicely put OldSalt -- thanks -- 25 years is a very long time until it passes -

there is a reason there are many cruise lines -- I don't like the floating cities either - HAL is our favorite for many reasons

[JT1962]

If they do make changes, they will lose their present clientele. No, you will not be "one of those old people very soon" - it will take you another quarter of a century. And that is a long time away - many things can happen still.

 

PS, few of us thought we would become as old as our parents either. But the funny thing is when my parents were cruising when they were "older" they were having pretty much the same experiences we now enjoy at their ages on HAL. Traditional and sedate.

 

Good thing is Carnival won't change much either so we are both are covered.

 

 

 

I prefer Royal Caribbean, but also cruise with Carnival, Norwegian and Princess, if the itinerary is interesting. To each his own, but my experience with HAL was below each of those lines in food and entertainment quality and service. I am sure HAL will continue to have their loyal customers, but to not try to make changes to appeal to other customers for the future is a recipe for failure. But Carnival may have decided not to invest a lot into HAL and will just slowly retire ships from the fleet as they become obsolete and focus on their other lines.

 

 

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[Dancing Shoes]

We were at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night for hubby's birthday. Expensive/fancy place. A family came in and the young kid, maybe 15, had a baseball cap on. Kept it on. I said to my husband, ( who wears one to work), "What do you think of that"? Oh, probably not right, but times are changing. A young couple came in, her in a nice casual dress and he in what looked like clean poly long gym shorts and a poly sport tee. I like to dress for the place and so does he. As my husband says, people are people. When they make rules, it would be nice if they were enforced, but it does not seem to happen anywhere. Wonder how old this guy was that was turned away???

[Copper10-8]

......................... But Carnival may have decided not to invest a lot into HAL and will just slowly retire ships from the fleet as they become obsolete and focus on their other lines.

 

 

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New ship in December 2018 plus new ship in 2021; Carnival not investing a lot?

[esimon]

my last post cause you all are off topic --- Ruth Chris steakhouse doesn't not say on gala night no jeans or caps !!!!!!!!! It's about the guidelines ------------ if HAL goes out of business cause there aren't enough people who care about guide lines - so be it ..

[JT1962]

New ship in December 2018 plus new ship in 2021; Carnival not investing a lot?

 

 

 

I'm speaking of the next 10-15 years. Maybe I will be proven wrong and it's obvious HAL has loyal customers. I just wonder how many customers they will have in 15 years if they have the same standards I experienced on my recent HAL cruise. Many of the current customers won't be cruising then and what will they do to attract the next generation? Sticking with strict dress codes and offering little in the way of entertainment may appeal to the current customers, but may not be as attractive to those a few years younger.

 

 

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[swedish weave]

Not necessarily. Fortunately there are cruise lines for a wide variety of tastes, whether it be entertainment, dining or dress codes. Cunard lowered their standards slightly several years ago. (Jacket and tie were required of gents on non-formal nights, now ties are optional but worn by a very large number of men because they want to.) Most of their regular passengers are happy about fairly traditional dress standards. Cunard doesn't appear to have suffered. Since Carnival bought Cunard, three new ships were built and the QE2 was retired. A fourth ship has been ordered.

 

I'm not surprised that HAL changed "formal" to "gala" considering that casually-dressed people - and even a few slobs - were admitted to the MDR on formal nights on a cruise we took in 2015.

Cunard is owned by Carnival. Carnival became the most successful cruise line in the,world by catering to the masses.

Cunard could not survive as a stand alone cruise line and they were bought by Carnival. They DID suffer from being too rigid.

[CruiseGal999]

We were at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night for hubby's birthday. Expensive/fancy place. A family came in and the young kid, maybe 15, had a baseball cap on. Kept it on. I said to my husband, ( who wears one to work), "What do you think of that"? Oh, probably not right, but times are changing. A young couple came in, her in a nice casual dress and he in what looked like clean poly long gym shorts and a poly sport tee. I like to dress for the place and so does he. As my husband says, people are people. When they make rules, it would be nice if they were enforced, but it does not seem to happen anywhere. Wonder how old this guy was that was turned away???

 

The problem is .... IF they enforce the 'rules', it's not just that couple or family's $$ they lose. They lose $$ from everyone those people talk/tweet/facebook, etc. Profit margin and the $$ is the god almighty to businesses.

[RDC1]

Keep in mind that HAL and the other cruise lines have far far more information about their passengers, their likes and dislikes, marketing plans, and who they want to attract on board than any of us have. We each have our own opinions, but they have lots and lots of data to support their decision making processes.

[JRG]

Keep in mind that HAL and the other cruise lines have far far more information about their passengers, their likes and dislikes, marketing plans, and who they want to attract on board than any of us have. We each have our own opinions, but they have lots and lots of data to support their decision making processes.

 

Absolutely with a capital B. They have the meta data to make decisions. They are in the Carnival umbrella and the HAL product has been branded to cater to the older cruising population. Margins are very slim in this industry, but as long as HAL stays in the black they will stay in the Carnival stable.

 

When babyboomers dominate the next generation of senior cruisers, the entertainment, music and fashion trends will change, but not as fast as some of us would like.

[OlsSalt]

I......... But Carnival may have decided not to invest a lot into HAL and will just slowly retire ships from the fleet as they become obsolete and focus on their other lines.

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While HAL is choosing to not replace its smaller older ships, it is going the direction of larger ships with a lot of the very features others claim they are looking for. HAL is no longer just a smaller, older cruise line. (Darn it)

[ithaca gal]

Absolutely with a capital B. They have the meta data to make decisions. They are in the Carnival umbrella and the HAL product has been branded to cater to the older cruising population. Margins are very slim in this industry, but as long as HAL stays in the black they will stay in the Carnival stable.

 

When babyboomers dominate the next generation of senior cruisers, the entertainment, music and fashion trends will change, but not as fast as some of us would like.

 

Judging by the vast majority of passengers who chose NOT to dress down to the lowest allowable denominator on Gala Night, HAL has got it just right now.

[OlsSalt]

I'm speaking of the next 10-15 years. Maybe I will be proven wrong and it's obvious HAL has loyal customers. I just wonder how many customers they will have in 15 years if they have the same standards I experienced on my recent HAL cruise. Many of the current customers won't be cruising then and what will they do to attract the next generation? Sticking with strict dress codes and offering little in the way of entertainment may appeal to the current customers, but may not be as attractive to those a few years younger.

 

 

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What do the current HAL investments in the Konigsdam and Nieuw Statendam mean to you? Why are you still just calling it a smaller, older ship cruise line for old people. Let's give its new future commitments and directions a chance. Let's also hope the old HAL is still around when a new generation's tastes change as they too age and look for something more sedate and traditional.

[swedish weave]

New ship in December 2018 plus new ship in 2021; Carnival not investing a lot?

Carnival is gambling that the,new,ships will boost the HAL brand, but if that fails, a new,paint job and a facelift the ships can sport a new name. Think Princess, Costa, etc.

[donaldsc]

Cruise lines that try to hang onto the outdated dress codes face mounting pressure to change, and they will do so or they will fail to remain competitive.

 

 

I disagree - the jean wearing cap wearing folks will go to a more casual line and those of us who like to dress and don't mind following rules will love it

 

+1. I would suggest that they cruise on the Staten Island Ferry.

 

DON