HAL Alaska Gala nights

[MudderBear]

Hello.  When does HAL post "when" the gala nights will be....and do I have to make reservations?  As of now, I have chosen "anytime" dining.  Not sure if that will hinder getting into "Gala Nights"?  Any info would be appreciated. Thank you!  By the way, the cruise is Seward to Vancouver.

Edited January 4, 2020 by MudderBear

[Aquahound]

Gala nights are just nights where the dress code suggestion is slightly nicer.  Your anytime dining will not be impacted at all.  And if it makes much difference, judging by my last HAL cruise, the Gala nights aren't much different than the other nights anymore.  In fact, I ditched my suit for the second Gala night because on the fist, I was one of the only guys wearing one.   

[RuthC]

Gala Nights will be listed on the cruise overview in your cabin when you board; they will also be listed on the daily program. 
You only need to make reservations for dinner if you plan to dine in a specialty restaurant. You may make reservations in the dining room if you want a particular time, otherwise it is open seating. You walk up, ask to be seated, and either you will be seated immediately, or there will be a short wait. 

[DeeniEncinitas]

8 minutes ago, MudderBear said:

Hello.  When does HAL post "when" the gala nights will be....and do I have to make reservations?  As of now, I have chosen "anytime" dining.  Not sure if that will hinder getting into "Gala Nights"?  Any info would be appreciated. Thank you!  By the way, the cruise is Seward to Vancouver.

MudderBear,

Ruth is correct in regards to Gala Nights

listed in the daily program. We have anytime dining also and either go when we want or we will make a reservation for a particular night.

I agree with aquahound  Gala Nights have been scaled down. I remember the tuxedos and now people dress nicely but very few gowns. 
Enjoy Alaska 

Denise😊

[MudderBear]

Thanks for the info.  And since this is Alaska, I will be packing so much "heavy" clothing that it would be great not to have to pack special "formal clothing", etc.

[Tom O.]

If you need to know which nights are Gala Nights well in advance someone here can probably help you estimate those dates.

I did this cruise (Seward to Vancouver) last August, but I don't remember exactly when the Gala Nights were. I am pretty sure the first one was the second night, but I am not sure of the second Gala Night.

One reason I like to know which nights are Gala Nights, is that they often have a little nicer menu in the MDR on those nights. I like to reserve a couple of nights at the Pinnacle Grill before my cruise, and prefer not to do the Pinnacle Grill on Gala Nights. This is simply so I won't miss out on the nicer items on the MDR menu for Gala Night.

My favorite day to schedule my Pinnacle Grill dinner is on embarkation day. This is because I usually find the first nights meal in the MDR to be less than spectacular, and with my Anytime Dining, the first night at the MDR is a little confusing, and the wait is longer than on other nights.

[Loreto]

Last summer on the 7 day Oosterdam there was a broad interpretation of "Gala Night"  from very casual to tuxedoes at the same table!  This was at early fixed seating.  A collared shirt and pants will do.  I did see some jeans and no one seemed to be turned away.

Karen

[AncientWanderer]

Be sure to call for a reservation.  

 

When we have booked anytime dining in the past, it went well -- were given a pager and had maybe a short wait, but no big deal.  

Our experience last week on Oosterdam was very different.  We appeared at the dining room on gala night at 6 pm and were told they were "all booked up," but we could "try again" at about 7:30.  Obviously we didn't want to wander around hungry for an hour and a half, with no assurance we would have a table even then, so we went up to the Lido buffet in our party clothes for a sad meal.  There were about five other couples up there, clearly all dressed up with no place to go. (Coats and ties and sequins.)  

 

I called the reservation number early the next morning to make dining arrangements for that night and asked if we could reserve for the next gala night, as we'd been disappointed, and was able to make arrangements for the next one.

 

It should be noted that the reservation system for anytime seems to be arranged such that they only do two seatings.  Knowing this, I'd just book a fixed seating instead of anytime -- which is what we usually do anyhow. For our short, one week to Mexico, we were mostly in the specialty restaurants, so didn't book the fixed dining.

 

Other than this one glaring misstep, we enjoyed our Oosterdam cruise.