"Informal Night" - Are jackets really required?

[ClothesHorseJoe]

I am sailing on the Oosterdam with a group of 30 friends and family. We chose HAL because we were Carnival'd to death, and wanted something more upscale. That being said, some of the male members of the group work in industries where Jackets/Sport Coats are not required, therefore they don't even own them. We have all cruised before, and everyone buys into Formal Night in a big way, so that is not the issue. Can a nice silk shirt and a pair of dress pants cut it for informal night? Is the lack of a jacket a problem? Honestly, with a group this big we kind of make our own "atmosphere", but I would still like to know the Real Deal

:confused:

[Sierrachik]

On our Zuiderdam cruise last October (2nd cruise for us) we chose to eat in the Lido for similar reasons on informal night. Turns out that over half of the men that night did not wear sports jackets to the dining room, in keeping with that a button up or polo shirt and nice pants would have worked just fine. Technically it goes against dress code.

 

On our first cruise the previous October the Zuiderdam had 5 casual nights and 2 formal, no informal.

[herb]

WOW....Jackets are required for INFORMAL nights?????????

 

I own suits, and have a tux....but I've never even thought of buying a sports jacket....

[RuthC]

"Required" may be too strong a term, but certainly a jacket---tie optional---is "requested". It might not be too strong a term to say "expected".

 

If you are looking to sail on a "more upscale" (as you put it) line, then a jacket on informal night goes with the territory.

[sail7seas]

On HAL, jackets are requested for Informal Nights; tie is optional.

The OP said they wanted a cruiseline which is more upscale from Carnival. Part of the upscale exerience on HAL is the dress code. There are loads of places to find jackets at a very reasonable price. No need to spend a lot of money for one.

 

 

Herb......You certainly can wear your suit on Informal Night and look great doing so.

[Stevesan]

HAL really needs to change the name from informal to semiformal. It's logical to interpret informal to mean casual. The great majority of cruise pax are not CC addicts and are not familiar with the more esoteric aspects of cruising and its slanguage. Nor should they be.

 

Most people view a cruise as just another vacation. They don't bone up on message boards or read the fine print in the cruise "contract". Most are just too busy trying to earn a living. Then they're blindsided after boarding by being told INformal means jacket for gents.:eek:

[mechcc]

Take a plain black or dark blue suit for formal night then for informal night you can pair the jacket with a pair of tan or gray pants and you are following the expected dress code.

[Linda&Vern]

Remembering that only a small percentage of cruise passengers read Cruise Critic or similar boards - and a large percentage do not access and read the HAL web site or read their cruise information . . . the biggest question on our last HAL cruise from the passengers at "informal" dinners was: :rolleyes: "We weren't sure what to wear tonight - what the heck does informal mean."

 

My "personal" vote is for only two recommended evening attire classifications: "dressy casual" and "formal." I would rather see casual go a little more upscale and :eek: forget the "informal" designation.

 

Linda & Vern

[herb]

HAL really needs to change the name from informal to semiformal. It's logical to interpret informal to mean casual.

 

Formal to me would mean dark suit or tux;

Informal would mean dress pants and collared shirt.

 

I guess HAL has a 3rd dress specification...

 

Oh well :(

[sail7seas]

Remembering that only a small percentage of cruise passengers read Cruise Critic or similar boards - and a large percentage do not access and read the HAL web site or read their cruise information . . . the biggest question on our last HAL cruise from the passengers at "informal" dinners was: :rolleyes: "We weren't sure what to wear tonight - what the heck does informal mean."

Linda & Vern

 

 

The daily program that is delivered to every cabin states the suggested dress for the evening with a description as to what it means.

 

The Know Before you Go booklet that is included with our documents describes the dress code.

 

[herb]

No need to worry about me.... I go along with the rules :D

 

I'm very excited about our first HAL cruise. Wouldn't want to stir the pot by dressing inappropriately.

[tammyp5]

Last week on the westerdam, 90% of men wore sports jackets or their suit jackets on informal night. My husband wasn't planning to wear a jacket that night until we saw it posted on the daily program as "jackets requested". Informal isn't the best term, is it? Casual night, still 20% of men wore jackets. That said, I still think a nice dress shirt with a silk or similar tie would suit your group fine. Wear it with a formal attitude, gentlemanly manners and your best smile and you'll be fine!

[bepsf]

HAL really needs to change the name from informal to semiformal. It's logical to interpret informal to mean casual. The great majority of cruise pax are not CC addicts and are not familiar with the more esoteric aspects of cruising and its slanguage. Nor should they be.

 

Most people view a cruise as just another vacation. They don't bone up on message boards or read the fine print in the cruise "contract". Most are just too busy trying to earn a living. Then they're blindsided after boarding by being told INformal means jacket for gents.:eek:

 

Ya know, it irks me to no end whenever someone plays the "Woe is me: I'm too busy/Nobody told me/They need to change to accomodate me/I've been blindsided" bit - whatever the subject at hand.

 

There's a nicely bound booklet in everyone's cruise documents called "Know Before You Go" that takes up nearly half of the space of the folder.

 

It has 46 pages of information under the headings of General, Cruise Preparation, Arrival Advice, Shipbard Life and Disembarcation. Nearly two entire pages in Cruise Preparation are devoted to Clothing and the definitions of Casual, Informal and Formal.

 

In addition, most cruiseline brochures will also discuss these things at length in their FYI sections, so prospective clients can be aware of these things before they ever purchase a ticket!

 

You don't need to be aware of CC.com or even have a computer to read this stuff - it comes standard. TA's even ask you if this is your first cruise so that they can go over the basics of what you need to know. All you have to do is be interested enough in your purchase to do a tiny bit of research to learn what is and is not appropriate.

 

I'd be willing to bet my CCL stock that the "It's Just a Vacation" folks who "Didn't Know/Weren't Told/Shouldn't be held responsible" had the time to watch one hour's worth of TV sometime in the months leading up to their cruise...

 

...maybe they shoulda stayed in front of the TV.

[herb]

I for one am pleased that this thread came up. Now I know that there are 3 types of dress on HAL : casual, informal, and formal. In the past our cruises only had formal and casual....

 

Thanks for the info... ;)

 

BTW: for my DW... how does formal differ from informal?

[WillK]

ClothesHorseJoe-

 

I think you'll be much more comfortable wearing a jacket on informal nites. Was on O'dam last October and I'd estimate that over 90% of the men observed the dress code. Those didn't really did stand out....

[bepsf]

BTW: for my DW... how does formal differ from informal?

 

Herb--

 

The gals got it easy...

Formal night: Wear more jewelry!

;)

[VABeach]

One thing you might need to be awear of (since you normaly cruise CCL) is that the dresss codes on HAL are for all the "public areas of the ship, for the entire evening" and not just for the "dining room for dinner".

 

Take a jacket, it wouldn't hurt to have it should they decide they would feel more comfortable. Yes, HAL is more upscale than CCL and while no one will throw them out for not wearing a jacket, they might feel out of place.

 

On my recent cruise, my SO changed after dinner on formal night into a pair of jeans to go up to the Crows Nest. No one said anything to him, but he was very uncomfortable the whole time because everyone else was still in their formals. We ended up not staying very long because he felt so out of place. :(

[Maryandi]

The Carnival board is full of these questions. 'Do they really mean a jacket?, Do they really mean no diapers in the pool? Do they really mean this or that?

 

Our Carnival cruises have a majority of people following the dress code, no diapers in the pool, etc. So when Joe asks the question here - I am thinking he and his party really want to comply.

 

As for the gents without a jacket - it's time to join the grown-ups and have a jacket, long pants and nice shoes. Doesn't anyone go to weddings or funerals or graduations? Certainly they should have the proper clothing at hand.

 

You can go to second hand stores, Sears, etc. without spending a fortune.

 

Glad you are going on HAL, we like both lines but HAL is our favorite.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On formal nights DH always wears his tuxedo.

 

On informal nights on short cruises, he wears a sports jacket. When we are on longer cruises he takes a suit as well and alternates between the two.

[FlorenceItaly]

I have not read the other replies. And, the board is not going to like what I have to say, lol. We sailed on the Zuiderdam last month. My dh did not wear a jacket on informal night. He did wear a nice dress shirt and tie. He does not own a jacket. There were many more casual then he. He does own a suit and he wore that on formal evenings.

 

Marie

[Candy]

I for one am pleased that this thread came up. Now I know that there are 3 types of dress on HAL : casual, informal, and formal. In the past our cruises only had formal and casual. ;)

 

On our last Zuidy Carib, the 'suggested' dress mode was:

 

Embarkation Day, Casual

Half Moon Cay, Casual

Sea Day, Formal

St. Thomas, Casual/Tropical

Tortola, Informal

Sea Day, Formal

Nassau, Casual

 

Candy the ZuiderPrincess

[jhannah]

Ya know, it irks me to no end whenever someone plays the "Woe is me: I'm too busy/Nobody told me/They need to change to accomodate me/I've been blindsided" bit - whatever the subject at hand.

I'm with you, Brian. There's no excuse.

[sail7seas]

Herb--

 

The gals got it easy...

Formal night: Wear more jewelry!

 

;)

 

 

Brian.......If I don't meet you soon, I could seriously injure myself!!!! I just love the way you think!!!

[sail7seas]

I for one am pleased that this thread came up. Now I know that there are 3 types of dress on HAL : casual, informal, and formal. In the past our cruises only had formal and casual....

 

Thanks for the info... ;)

 

BTW: for my DW... how does formal differ from informal?

 

 

Herb.....Your wife may wish to think about wearing a nice skirt outfit, pants suit, a dress she might wear to church or even a short cocktail dress. Nothing real dressy but not real casual either.

 

I normally wear a silk slacks outfit, or a skirt/matching top type outfit.

[sail7seas]

Originally Posted by bepsf

Ya know, it irks me to no end whenever someone plays the "Woe is me: I'm too busy/Nobody told me/They need to change to accomodate me/I've been blindsided" bit - whatever the subject at hand.

 

I'm with you, Brian. There's no excuse.

 

Please add my name to the list of 'those wo are 'irked' with that dribble. Just because someone says they did not abide by the dress code and they felt just fine about it does not make it fine. JMHO