Gala night events?

[LMaxwell]

just got a private offer letter w Caribbean at 429 pp and 3rd guest free. Interesting, wife asked if Hal has formal night, explained they have gala night where you dress to impress. Asked me if there are other events around ship that night or is just in dining room? You tell me

[Crew News]

just got a private offer letter w Caribbean at 429 pp and 3rd guest free. Interesting, wife asked if Hal has formal night, explained they have gala night where you dress to impress. Asked me if there are other events around ship that night or is just in dining room? You tell me

 

Dress to impress is optional. Only collared shirts and slacks are required form males. Nothing else special on Gala Nights.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Very, very few people "dress to impress". Those days are long gone. Smart casual and gala mean the same thing as far as the dress code goes.

The majority of the men wear slacks and a collared shirt and ladies wear slacks and a top or a dress. And this applies for the specialty restaurants as well.

You will see only a handful of tuxedos.

There are no special events unless you are on the world cruise.

[RuthC]

I don't know that the reason is to 'impress' others, but I do see a significant number of people who dress up on Gala nights.

 

It is likely that the number of people who dress up, vs. the number who merely meet the dress code (or can't even reach that level :rolleyes:), will vary based on ship and itinerary. On the 14-night cruises on the Prinsendam, for example, you will see many tuxedos and formal dresses. On a 7-night to Alaska, fewer.

 

So long as you meet the dress code of smart casual, then you can dine in the dining room. Don't expect any other activities, unless you are on a longer cruise that might have a special ball, or something.

[iancal]

I do not understand what is so 'gala' about it. The menu in the MDR is reduced. There is zero entertainment. Really nothing to make it gala unless of course one thinks that a couple of lobster tails does the trick.

[LMaxwell]

I am asking what events take place outside of the MDR on gala night. Is there a captains reception or special entertainment that night? I'm not interested in a dining room dress code discussion; am interested in other nightly activity surrounding gala night. Unfortunately sounds like there is "nothing". That's actually disappointing because the other mass market lines do nothing either besides Princess w the champagne waterfall and on some lines you get the meet/photo w Captain

[RuthC]

I am asking what events take place outside of the MDR on gala night.

Then I repeat, in case you didn't read it:

Don't expect any other activities, unless you are on a longer cruise that might have a special ball, or something.

[Lady Arwen]

I am asking what events take place outside of the MDR on gala night. Is there a captains reception or special entertainment that night? I'm not interested in a dining room dress code discussion; am interested in other nightly activity surrounding gala night. Unfortunately sounds like there is "nothing". That's actually disappointing because the other mass market lines do nothing either besides Princess w the champagne waterfall and on some lines you get the meet/photo w Captain

You are correct....nothing special on Gala night, either in MDR or elsewhere.

[MariTenor1]

Is there just 1 gala night on a 7 day cruise?

Edited April 29, 2018 by MariTenor1
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[OlsSalt]

There will be formal photo options (for a fee) throughout the ship on gala night because that is often when people want a special photo taken when they are dressed more formally. Plus there has been a "chocolate parade" on at least one of the gala nights, when the dining staff goes through the public areas after dinner with trays of various chocolate goodies.

 

There have been captain's toasts in the show room - large crowd and a glass of sparkling welcome cheer - but not sure now if they are on gala night or just any other night. I thought they were gala nights in the past. Been on too many shiips now over 10 years to keep all of this straight. There is always the possibility you will get invited to sit at the captain's table on gala night, so nice to have something special for that occasion. Who gets invited is anyone's guess, but it happened to us last cruise and I was glad I had my long gown with me.

 

Hard to know how many will dress more formally since we were discouraged by comments here not to bother on a 10 day Caribbean on the Neiuw Amsterdam, yet I had not seen that many black tie and long gowns out on that cruise in a long time. I now keep a mix of longer and shorter dresses just to feel the mood now.

 

Will DH take his tuxedo on a 14 day Alaska, probably? Mainly because it is either that or a black suit for him so why not go formal anyway. We enjoy dressing up even if it is just the two of us, but it never has been that few. There are still a lot who sail HAL who like dressing up on gala night.

[CAVE MAN]

There will be formal photo options (for a fee) throughout the ship on gala night because that is often when people want a special photo taken when they are dressed more formally. Plus there has been a "chocolate parade" on at least one of the gala nights, when the dining staff goes through the public areas after dinner with trays of various chocolate goodies.

 

There have been captain's toasts in the show room - large crowd and a glass of sparkling welcome cheer - but not sure now if they are on gala night or just any other night. I thought they were gala nights in the past. Been on too many shiips now over 10 years to keep all of this straight. There is always the possibility you will get invited to sit at the captain's table on gala night, so nice to have something special for that occasion. Who gets invited is anyone's guess, but it happened to us last cruise and I was glad I had my long gown with me.

 

Hard to know how many will dress more formally since we were discouraged by comments here not to bother on a 10 day Caribbean on the Neiuw Amsterdam, yet I had not seen that many black tie and long gowns out on that cruise in a long time. I now keep a mix of longer and shorter dresses just to feel the mood now.

 

Will DH take his tuxedo on a 14 day Alaska, probably? Mainly because it is either that or a black suit for him so why not go formal anyway. We enjoy dressing up even if it is just the two of us, but it never has been that few. There are still a lot who sail HAL who like dressing up on gala night.

We too are ones that like to dress up for Gala Nights !!! It just makes it feel more special.

[LMaxwell]

I'm looking for some other special themed events around the ship. Limiting the theme of the evening to just the dining room menu isn't all that appealing to me. Comes off as "Chintzy". Was hoping they had special events. I dressed up semi-formal on last cruise for formal night and we DID get a family photo, but after dinner changed back into more comfortable clothes because there was nothing else "formal" going on anywhere.

[bUU]

I'm looking for some other special themed events around the ship.

FWIR, I suspect that you'll see that sort of thing more so on upscale cruise lines where such niche interests are part of the service specification instead of on mainstream lines like Holland America that are aimed at a larger part of the market.

[LMaxwell]

FWIR, I suspect that you'll see that sort of thing more so on upscale cruise lines where such niche interests are part of the service specification instead of on mainstream lines like Holland America that are aimed at a larger part of the market.

 

Probably right; I thought premium lines like HAL would be differentiated from mainstream like Carnival and Royal Caribbean but doesn't appear to be the case.

[bUU]

Probably right; I thought premium lines like HAL would be differentiated from mainstream like Carnival and Royal Caribbean but doesn't appear to be the case.

Having just completed my first cruise on Carnival I assure you that there is a very substantial differentiation between Carnival and Holland America - just not this one specific differentiation. Interestingly, the most glaring differentiation for me was decor. Many areas on Carnival (especially on the upper decks) had remarkably low-grade flooring. I think a great part of the buffet area had the same painted steel as the pool deck - not much real flooring to be found. A lot of the visual appeal of the Carnival ship was accomplished with what some would consider "advertising art" rather than actual art. A lot of the public seating was distinctly inferior in grade. I should make the point though that I'm talking about "grade" rather than quality. Everything was of high quality, but of rather low grade. It felt like a budget ship compared to the ships we've cruised on in the past. The ship felt like it cost commensurately less to appoint in proportion to how much the cruise fares were less than our Holland America cruises. Edited April 29, 2018 by bUU

[Lady Arwen]

Probably right; I thought premium lines like HAL would be differentiated from mainstream like Carnival and Royal Caribbean but doesn't appear to be the case.

I don't think that anyone would label HAL a premium line. It's a mainstream line in the same class as RCI, Celebrity, Princess, and some folks would say equal to NCL, MSC and even Carnival. Premium lines would be Azamara, Regent, Oceania, etc. To be honest, all cruiselines offer a much more casual experience ,with the exception being Cunard. Formal nights with all the glitz and glam are a thing of the past. Some people still do dress it up, but most don't. The cruiselines no longer try to make it a special night, except for a slight nod to elegance in the MDR.

[bUU]

I don't think that anyone would label HAL a premium line. It's a mainstream line in the same class as RCI, Celebrity, Princess, and some folks would say equal to NCL, MSC and even Carnival. Premium lines would be Azamara, Regent, Oceania, etc.

I agree with you that Holland America isn't a top-shelf brand, but I disagree about your equating Carnival and Holland America. There seems to be three specific grades: Budget (like Carnival), mainstream (like Holland America), and upscale (like Seabourn).

 

Now: You may ask yourself why CCL has four cruise lines serving the primarily the US market (Carnival, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn) when there are only three differentiated grades of service. Good question. Some would say that it doesn't make much sense to have two CCL cruise lines competing against each other for the same portion of the market.

[3rdGenCunarder]

There will be formal photo options (for a fee) throughout the ship on gala night because that is often when people want a special photo taken when they are dressed more formally. Plus there has been a "chocolate parade" on at least one of the gala nights, when the dining staff goes through the public areas after dinner with trays of various chocolate goodies.

 

There have been captain's toasts in the show room - large crowd and a glass of sparkling welcome cheer - but not sure now if they are on gala night or just any other night. I thought they were gala nights in the past. Been on too many shiips now over 10 years to keep all of this straight. There is always the possibility you will get invited to sit at the captain's table on gala night, so nice to have something special for that occasion. Who gets invited is anyone's guess, but it happened to us last cruise and I was glad I had my long gown with me.

 

Hard to know how many will dress more formally since we were discouraged by comments here not to bother on a 10 day Caribbean on the Neiuw Amsterdam, yet I had not seen that many black tie and long gowns out on that cruise in a long time. I now keep a mix of longer and shorter dresses just to feel the mood now.

 

Will DH take his tuxedo on a 14 day Alaska, probably? Mainly because it is either that or a black suit for him so why not go formal anyway. We enjoy dressing up even if it is just the two of us, but it never has been that few. There are still a lot who sail HAL who like dressing up on gala night.

 

I think that, like so many things, the captain's toast varies. It's been on gala night (maybe back when it was formal night) if that was the second night. It's been on the first night when they do the show that introduces the various shows to come, if the first gala night is later in the cruise. On some cruises, there hasn't been one at all.

 

On recent cruises, we've seen only a handful of couples in tux and gown. Of the rest, I'd say at least 50% of the men in the MDR wore jackets, based on what we've been able to see (we usually have a table by the railing on the upper level, so I can see most of the room). Can't comment on ties other than some men wear them, some don't. DH hasn't brought the tux on HAL in years, but he will have a suit or sportcoat. And a tie. He believes that if he puts on a coat, he should wear a tie.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

My DH and I were just having this discussion. Bags look to be shaping up to be pretty heavy. Debating whether to take DH's sport coat or not. He will always wear a dress white shirt and tie and dress slacks on "Gala Night". I wear black dressy slacks and a dressy/cocktail type top. If the bags get too heavy, I guess the sport jacket can stay home with the cats and the cat-sitter. In a way, this is a relief that they relaxed the code. I have enough stuff to lug around and every item that can be eliminated will be.........

[VennDiagram]

All our cruises have been between 7 and 14 days. On the 14 day one, there was a Black and White ball on one Gala evening.

[3rdGenCunarder]

My DH and I were just having this discussion. Bags look to be shaping up to be pretty heavy. Debating whether to take DH's sport coat or not. He will always wear a dress white shirt and tie and dress slacks on "Gala Night". I wear black dressy slacks and a dressy/cocktail type top. If the bags get too heavy, I guess the sport jacket can stay home with the cats and the cat-sitter. In a way, this is a relief that they relaxed the code. I have enough stuff to lug around and every item that can be eliminated will be.........

 

Just remember to put the jacket in the closet unless you have a hairless cat! Our cats have always looked for a comforting garment to lie on when we're away.

 

Depending on how much travel you have outside of the cruise, DH could wear it in transit. If we're flying to and from our cruise, with just an overnight pre/post, DH will wear his onto the plane.

[Lady Arwen]

I agree with you that Holland America isn't a top-shelf brand, but I disagree about your equating Carnival and Holland America. There seems to be three specific grades: Budget (like Carnival), mainstream (like Holland America), and upscale (like Seabourn).

 

Now: You may ask yourself why CCL has four cruise lines serving the primarily the US market (Carnival, Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn) when there are only three differentiated grades of service. Good question. Some would say that it doesn't make much sense to have two CCL cruise lines competing against each other for the same portion of the market.

Well, I've spoken to a number of people who rate HAL below Carnival and NCL. Carnival is no longer considered a budget line. If you look at pricing, they are most often equal to HAL. Lots of people like more entertainment, more upbeat music and all those bells and whistles that HAL does not offer. These are actually what we like about HAL....no water slides, no pool events, quiet music and very little evening entertainment. I personally don't equate HAL and Carnival, but I'm certainly not in the majority anymore.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Kathy:

Where we will be going will be casual before and after, so don't think we'll need it, but it is a great idea for taking a jacket if you don't want to pack it. Never thought of that! Thank you!

 

Yes! In the closet it goes! My cats will make a bed out of anything...especially towels. Put a towel down anywhere and they are on it.

Same with any kind of cardboard box.....put it out there and they are in it. They are such entertaining creatures, and we love all 3 of them.

[iancal]

At DW's suggestion we stopped bothering with gala/formal nights about 10 years ago. We have not missed it one bit. Don't miss dressing up, don't miss lugging clothes that we will only use for a few hours, don't miss the photographers outside the MDR, don't miss the food. As for the Captain's toast, well we can buy a can of ginger ale at the bar any time we want and do our own toast.

 

Having said that I think that anyone who wants to dress to the nines should do so and not be so concerned about how many others on the ship are or are not dressing in tuxedos or long gown. What does it matter as long as you are having a good time? No need to be sheep.

[colonialinnkeeper]

Is there just 1 gala night on a 7 day cruise?

 

Usually two for a 7 night cruise. Your documents will state the number of Gala nights you will have on each cruise.