Casual dress on Formal nights

[RevNeal]

I would like to point out, in the "rules" someone posted earlier, suggested is the key word. These are guidelines people, not rules. Suggested attire for the evening is not required attire for the evening.

 

Quite the contrary, the dress code most certainly contains RULES, as well as suggestions. Let's take a look at what the Dress Code actually says:

 

Evening dress falls into three distinct categories. Each night a daily program will be delivered to your stateroom announcing the suggested dress for the following evening. Comfortable, relaxed clothing is fine for evenings designated as casual; however, T-shirts, jeans, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido restaurant, or public areas during the evening hours. During informal nights, dresses or pantsuits for women and jackets (tie optional) for men are standard.

 

On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. There are approximately two formal nights per week. (Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights.)

 

There ... that's pretty straightforward, but let's give it some interpretation, ok?

 

"...the suggested dress for the following evening."

Yes, indeed, the "suggested dress" is given. Also listed is the minimal amount allowed ... I'll post, below, examples of this for formal and informal nights in the form of scanned clippings from the evening program.

 

"T-shirts, jeans, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido restaurant, or public areas during the evening hours."

What words in the above provide any indication that this is a suggestion? "Not allowed" seems pretty clear to me. And, please note ... it's not just in the main dining room, but throughout the entire ship during evening hours.

 

"During informal nights, dresses or pantsuits for women and jackets (tie optional) for men are standard."

I don't see that it states that jackets are optional ... just the tie. If they meant that the jacket AND the tie were optional, don't you think they would have so-stated? They didn't. Rather, one may wear a tie if one wants, but it's optional. The jacket, on the other hand, is "standard." Now, what does "standard" mean? Does it mean "not required", has some have asserted? Here is how Websters defines the adjective "standard": "used or accepted as normal or average", and "such as is regularly used or produced; not special or exceptional". That's very interesting. Let's see what the Thesaurus has to say about the adjectival essence of "standard": "normal, usual, typical, stock, common, ordinary, customary, conventional, wonted, established, settled, set, fixed, traditional, prevailing." So ... far from being "not required," the adjectival usage of "standard" does seem to contain within it a sense of "here is what is expected, normal, established, conventional, traditional ... and, by following this, you will be conforming to the norm." I'm sorry, but it doesn't sound like a permissivle "not required" to me. Quite the contrary, it sounds to me like the cruise line is simply being polite in articulating a requirement: a jacket on informal night. Anything less is "abnormal" or "sub-standard" or "not customary" or "not prevailing."

 

"Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights."

Here we find something which is NOT a surprise. As has been stated here, MANY times, a business suit or tuxedo is the "suggested," but not required, dress code for men on Formal Nights. We have NOT seen anyone try to tell any of the Dress Code dissenters that one was required to wear a suit or a tuxedo, only that the line suggests it and that one the average HAL cruise one will find a goodly percentage wearing such. But, please note what the code says after it informs the gentlemen that a suit or a tux are not required. It states, clearly, "You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights." It nowhere says that the jacket and the tie are "optional." It nowhere says that the jacket and the tie are "suggested." It does say that gentlemen who do not wish to wear a suit or a tuxedo are "welcome" to wear a jacket and a tie. "Welcome" means "allowed, permitted, or invited to do a specified thing," with synonyms being "gladly received, wanted, appreciated, popular, desirable, permitted, allowed, accepted." Again, I don't see anything about "not required" in the concept of one being "welcome" to wear a certain item of clothing. Rather, in contrast to the suggested dress code of a suit and a tie, "welcome" means that the gentlemen are permitted to wear a jacket and a tie instead of a suit or a tuxedo. In other words, this denotes the minimal dress that a gentleman is allowed to wear on formal night. Anything less would be, per the language of the code, "un-welcome." Who truly wants to wear something that is not welcomed by one's host? Not I. But, it would appear, some people excel in doing so.

 

In case someone doubts my above reading, check out what the daily program on at least one HAL cruise had to say about the dress code for a formal evening:

 

 

What is it about "required" that lends itself to some people to think it means "suggested?" What's suggested in the dress code for Formal Nights is a Tuxedo. What's clearly "required" is a suit and tie.

 

Here's what the daily program said regarding informal night:

 

 

Those two scans from a daily program aboard the Zaandam in 2004 really do state it clearly, don't they ... and with such brevity that it's hard to argue with them.

[RevNeal]

I'm certainly not going to let a bunch of stuffy-snooty people in tux'es and evening gowns ruin my holiday....hope that my wearing casual (office appropriate) garb to dinner doesn't ruin your holiday either.

 

Yes ... we are "stuffy-snooty people" simply because we men are dressed in tuxedos and our women are wearing evening gowns. Thanks for passing judgement on us.

[kryos]

I´m going to Alaska this june and like to have a different cruise, more casual. Also I´m on an aft. corner suite on the Westerdam and dreaming of the large balcony and all the use I can get from it, like having breakfast and dinner.

I'm gonna get flamed for saying this, but I wouldn't worry about it. Dress nice (though casual) and go to the dining room. Believe me, there will be a lot of people dressed the same as you and doing the same. A lot of the posters on these boards don't want to acknowledge that the face of cruising is changing, and on seven-day itineraries, many folks don't want to even pack formal clothes, let alone dress up for dinner. But, yes, they still want to cruise ... and they may want to cruise an elegant ship. So, they smile, dress country club casual, and show up in the dining room where they are welcomed with a smile.

 

Alaska tends to be an itinerary where people like to dress casual, and many of them will, regardless of the dress code. Of course, I wouldn't recommend going to the dining room if you want to dress real laid back ... shorts, tee-shirts, polo shirts, etc. ... but I'd be willing to bet you can get away with a nice shirt and slacks in the dining room on ANY night.

 

Other options would be, of course, in room dining on that nice balcony ... or the Lido which offers a combination of buffet and table-side service for dinner. The hours are restricted for dinner service in the Lido, so be sure to check your daily program ahead of time.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[FlorenceItaly]

Dec 2005 on the Zuiderdam

 

Under Tonight's Dress: Formal

(but no specifications)

 

From the Oosterdam last March 2006

 

Under Tonight's Dress: Formal

Jacket and tie for men

Tuxedo suggested

 

For informal: Sports Jacket for men

 

I don't know how to operate my scanner so you'll just have to take my word for it :).

 

Yes, I understand personal responsibility, but I also think HAL needs to enforce a dresscode if they are going to profess to have one. Personally, it doesn't matter one way or the other to me personally what people wear (except for the guy in the bathrobe, that bugged me).

 

Marie

[kryos]

I would like to point out, in the "rules" someone posted earlier, suggested is the key word. These are guidelines people, not rules. Suggested attire for the evening is not required attire for the evening.

Exactly. It is "suggested" ... and how much that "suggestion" is followed, I've found, depends upon the ship, the length of cruise, and the particular itinerary. I laugh when I read the suggestions for formal dress on a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Yeah, right ... people are gonna get all gussied up after a whole day in the sun in port ... and then get their children gussied up too. They will throw on casual clothes ... nice, but casual, and head right into the dining room as they are, and no one will say a word about it.

 

Now, on the kind of cruises you and I particularly like ... the nice long ones ... yeah, more people will dress up and it is kind of difficult to ignore the dress code. But, even with our Amsterdam cruise, I noticed a lot of people dressed casually in the lounges and bars on formal nights, so maybe things are changing.

 

I say the same thing as others on this board have said. Each person should go on their cruise, within reason dress as they feel comfortable, and have a good time. After all, isn't that the bottom line when we spend a bundle for a cruise?

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita

[kryos]

Yes, I understand personal responsibility, but I also think HAL needs to enforce a dresscode if they are going to profess to have one. Personally, it doesn't matter one way or the other to me personally what people wear (except for the guy in the bathrobe, that bugged me).

I think I read on another thread here that HAL hesitates to enforce the dress code on some cruises out of fear that everyone will just stay in their rooms and order room service. That would possibly place an incredible burden on the room service staff ... perhaps amounting to a level of demand they could not meet. So, the dining room staff will pretty much look the other way when people come to the dining room not dressed to "code."

 

At least that's what I heard ... and it does make sense.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[FlorenceItaly]

A lot of the posters on these boards don't want to acknowledge that the face of cruising is changing, and on seven-day itineraries, many folks don't want to even pack formal clothes, let alone dress up for dinner. But, yes, they still want to cruise ... and they may want to cruise an elegant ship. So, they smile, dress country club casual, and show up in the dining room where they are welcomed with a smile.

 

 

--rita

 

I agree, Rita.

 

Marie

[bepsf]

Personally, it doesn't matter one way or the other to me personally what people wear (except for the guy in the bathrobe, that bugged me).

 

Marie

 

Marie--

I'm right there with you on the Bathrobes!

Even US Immigration on St Thomas was so offended by folks in bathrobes that they made them go back to their staterooms and put on some halfway-decent clothing before they would even look at their documents!

:D

[LiveToCruise99]

Hi,

 

I can get my DH into a suit and tie for formal nights but as for the other nights, as long as he'll put on nice pants and a collared shirt for the rest I'm a happy cruiser. One cruise we were on, we met a wonderful couple. The husband felt strong enough about wearing a tie that he said he wouldn't be joining us for formal night. We really enjoyed his/their company and wanted them to come so the men all agreed to wear their suits without ties if only they would join us on formal night. Needless to say we all had a great evening and to us it was all about the wonderful friendships not how fancy we were dressed.

 

My theory - go with the flow and don't sweat the small stuff.

[CJC]

If you want to stay in your cabin, or slip up the back elevator to the Lido - no problem. That's in keeping with the dress code. But please don't try to go to a show, the casino or a lounge after dinner because the "formal dress" is requested for those.

 

But, as Brian said, why even bother? Choose a cruise line which makes all formal dressing optional. I certainly enjoyed Alaska just as much on the Norwegian Sky as I did on HAL ships...

 

We just came from a 7 day cruise on the Veendam. There seem to be at a good fair of amount of people not dressed properly on formal night. There were dressed casual to clothes you'd were during the day.

 

I think you should at least dress smart casual or elegant (business) casual on formal nights if you are even going to eat in the Lido, not like you are going on an excursion for the day. Even at a AI resort, I dress nice (business casual) for dinner. Of couse, ideally, everyone should dress formal, but it isn't going to happen in this day of business casual dress to work.

[kryos]

I ask for THOSE THAT CHOOSE NOT TO DRESS FOR FORMAL NIGHT for some experience, notes, "will You do it again", etc.

Oh, man ... I'm gonna get in trouble again here ... but here's what I did. And, remember, I travel solo and am thus limited to two checked bags and one carry-on. For the 30-day cruise I was taking this past January, that was a real challenge and did not allow me to pack much for formal nights.

 

I have a tee-shirt ... yes, nothing more than a black tee-shirt ... that has multi-colored reinstones embedded all over the neckline and down the front. Looks really dressy, but still a tee-shirt. I packed that and one other dressy blouse and a pair of nice velvet pants with matching jacket. Those were my formal night outfits. I never had any problem entering the dining room with them and being seated. My tablemates also had no problems with them. As I glanced around the dining room, I saw many people dressed nicely, but not in gowns and tuxes ... not all gussied up ... just dressed nicely. So, for me, that was good enough.

 

My feeling is that while I certainly won't go into the dining room dressed like a slob on any night, the fact that I choose not to don a real dressy dress or a gown on formal night should not in any way detract from the cruise experience others will have. And, personally, if I were one to dress up, I would kind of enjoy seeing others dressed down. Makes me look better, right?

 

So, if I was comfortable dressed as I was ... on a 30-day cruise where people are gonna lean more towards formal anyway ... I can't imagine you having any problems whatsoever on a seven-night cruise where a lot of people are gonna leave their formal wear at home.

 

And, by the way, for my next cruise ... a 13-dayer in October, again on the Amsterdam, I plan on doing the exact same thing. In fact, since I am traveling with someone on that cruise ... and we have a suite ... I may not even bother dining very often in the dining room since I think she prefers in-room casual dining as well. Dining room dinners often take wayyyyyy too long and we are both smokers.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[FlorenceItaly]

Oh, man ... I'm gonna get in trouble again here ... but here's what I did. And, remember, I travel solo and am thus limited to two checked bags and one carry-on. For the 30-day cruise I was taking this past January, that was a real challenge and did not allow me to pack much for formal nights.

 

I have a tee-shirt ... yes, nothing more than a black tee-shirt ... that has multi-colored reinstones embedded all over the neckline and down the front. Looks really dressy, but still a tee-shirt. I packed that and one other dressy blouse and a pair of nice velvet pants with matching jacket. Those were my formal night outfits. I never had any problem entering the dining room with them and being seated. My tablemates also had no problems with them. As I glanced around the dining room, I saw many people dressed nicely, but not in gowns and tuxes ... not all gussied up ... just dressed nicely. So, for me, that was good enough.

 

My feeling is that while I certainly won't go into the dining room dressed like a slob on any night, the fact that I choose not to don a real dressy dress or a gown on formal night should not in any way detract from the cruise experience others will have. And, personally, if I were one to dress up, I would kind of enjoy seeing others dressed down. Makes me look better, right?

 

So, if I was comfortable dressed as I was ... on a 30-day cruise where people are gonna lean more towards formal anyway ... I can't imagine you having any problems whatsoever on a seven-night cruise where a lot of people are gonna leave their formal wear at home.

 

And, by the way, for my next cruise ... a 13-dayer in October, again on the Amsterdam, I plan on doing the exact same thing. In fact, since I am traveling with someone on that cruise ... and we have a suite ... I may not even bother dining very often in the dining room since I think she prefers in-room casual dining as well. Dining room dinners often take wayyyyyy too long and we are both smokers.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Rita - What you describe is totally acceptable and certainly something I would wear on formal night. And, I agree, dining room dinners take wayyyyyy to long. That is one of the reasons I enjoyed the casual dining in the lido SO much on my most recent cruise.

 

Enjoy your suite!

 

Marie

[NORTHSHOREPAIR]

Formal night was very special. I had wanted to do it, my husband did not - it was the main contention between us in doing a cruise. I finally gave in and said that he didn't have to dress - I would and attend on my own - but he would need to stay in our cabin for the evening. He asked about 2 weeks prior to the cruise to rent him a tux.

It was the greatest evening. Being dressed and the whole ambiance of the ship was fantastic. He looked forward to the second formal night. The only thing that was a glitch was the guy behind me at the main show wearing his shorts and spouting obsenities about the quality of entertainment. Maybe he should have been on a more "Fun Ship"

[Bucky3]

I'm REALLY sticking my neck out here, BUT after reading for SO LONG on SO MANY THREADS about formal, informal, & casual dress I had this thought: Let's face it - times they are a changing - and have been for a LONG time. How about if people, after making their deposit or final payment, received a formal invitation for the formal dinners onboard from the cruise line such as what you would ordinarily receive for any formal event. Something along the lines of "You are cordially invited to attend the formal dinner/s onboard the (Ship's Name). Formal attire required. Please respond by (whatever date). Then, certain dining venues (upper/lower/Pinnacle/others) depending on the number of respondents could be designated for this purpose. A notice in the cabin with the night & time designated at embarkation would confirm the reservation or it could perhaps be done ahead of time with the documents. For those that did not respond there could be a note such as: If you did not choose to dine formally this evening, please enjoy dining - in whatever venues designated.

 

Let's be real: There is NO WAY IMO on ships that carry 2-3 thousand people you will EVER find ALL of those people dressed formally on ANY formal night.

 

I do not agree that people should have to stay formally dressed for the whole evening. I also do not agree that jeans, halter tops, flip flops, baseball caps, or bathrobes, etc. are ever in good taste on a formal evening or any other evening in or out of the dining room. Well, maybe nice jeans in the evening when a late departure is scheduled in Alaska would be acceptable!

 

These are only MHOs, and definitely not meant to inflame anyone. I'm only in search of SOLUTIONS! There may not be any! Hesitantly, I'm submitting this reply!!

[iceman93]

I laugh when I read the suggestions for formal dress on a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Yeah, right ... people are gonna get all gussied up after a whole day in the sun in port ... and then get their children gussied up too. They will throw on casual clothes ... nice, but casual, and head right into the dining room as they are, and no one will say a word about it.

 

Admittedly I was on an 11-day Caribbean cruise but, yes, virtaully all passengers DID get gussied up after our sunny days at sea or in port. Even my 2 year-old was in nice dresses for formal nights (yes, children can dress up too). So while you may not be able to imagine it, a full ship full of passengers was somehow able to struggle through the onerous dress code requirements.

 

In fact, I only noticed one man who did not follow the "suggested" attire--he wore a polo shirt and jeans to dinner every night no matter what the dress code. He actually became the butt of shipwide humor. It was amazing how often when meeting new people during daily trivia, or chatting with folks on a bus for a shore excursion, or whatever... the topic of the "polo shirt guy" came up. Of course he didn't ruin my (or anyone else's, I think) cruise, but it was just one of those things that made people shake their heads and wonder "Why?"

[Bucky3]

Oh, darn! I meant to make my #39 post above a NEW thread instead of a reply! I guess I can't change it now, right?

[herb]

I´m going to Alaska this june and like to have a different cruise

 

I won't even involve myself in the "dressing up" debate but I did want to wish you a great cruise to ALaska. We too have booked ALaska for NEXT summer and can't wait to take part in a "different" cruise experience.

[kryos]

Rita - What you describe is totally acceptable and certainly something I would wear on formal night. And, I agree, dining room dinners take wayyyyyy to long. That is one of the reasons I enjoyed the casual dining in the lido SO much on my most recent cruise.

Enjoy your suite!

My final dinner in the Pinnacle on the 30-day cruise ... it was a group thing arranged by the cruise director's staff for the singles and solos onboard. There were about 12 of us, spaced over two tables. The dinner took so long that I had to excuse myself to go have a cigarette. I think that dinner took about 2.5 hours.

 

Maybe I'm getting old, but that is wayyy too long for me. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Then, certain dining venues (upper/lower/Pinnacle/others) depending on the number of respondents could be designated for this purpose. A notice in the cabin with the night & time designated at embarkation would confirm the reservation or it could perhaps be done ahead of time with the documents. For those that did not respond there could be a note such as: If you did not choose to dine formally this evening, please enjoy dining - in whatever venues designated.

Excellent suggestion! I've often said the same thing. Why can't a special section of the dining room (the size dependent upon the number of people interested in formal dining) be set aside for that purpose. Hell, if they want, they can dine formally every night of the cruise and enjoy dinner in their own special "dress up" section of the dining room surrounded only by others of like mind. The matri 'd would strictly enforce the dress code in that section, and not hesitate to send someone to the general area who was not up to "code." This "special section" would allow people to dress formal any given night of the cruise and know that they would never have to dine with the "sloppy" masses. :)

 

As for being required to remain dressed for the entire evening, that's gonna be kind of difficult if there are both formal and non-formal attired passengers in the dining room every night. But, it shouldn't be a problem. I think a lot of folks go back to their cabins after dinner anyway to change into something more comfortable.

 

I think the whole bottom line with this dress code thing is a matter of common sense. I read about "bathrobe guy," a "blue jeans guy" ... obviously such is not proper attire for any night in the dining room. But as long as people dress appropriately ... nothing less than country club casual ... I don't know what the big to-do is about regarding formal dress. Just go on your cruise and have fun! Isn't that what's truly important? Don't worry about how others are dressed. If you're comfortable in your "skin," that's all that matters.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Frankly, it does bother me, because its my vacation too.

I chose a line that has a few formal nights where folks are expected to dress in something better than khakis and polo shirts. I also expect to enjoy the company of others who choose to abide by the same rules as I. If I had wanted a consistently casual cruising experience, I'd have booked Oceania - just as if I'd wanted an exclusively formal experience, I'd have chosen a crossing on Cunard - and if I didn't care what others did, I'd have chosen Carnival, NCL or RCCL.

I'm so glad that my 'stuffy-snooty guy in a tux' attitude doesn't bother you - but it does irritate me when folks justify their actions with "it's my right to do whatever I darned well please and I don't care what you think" (That's like telling the boss that it doesn't bother you that everyone else comes to work on time, so you should be allowed to come in whenever you feel like...)

If you don't like the very simple and clearly stated rules HAL have given and have no intention of following them - please take responsibility for yourself and go someplace where your preferences are more acceptable.

 

All HAL has to do is enforce the dress code and this matter wouldn't have to be debated every 3 days.

Newbies like the OP would post and ask for experiences and everyone would reply that you will not be permitted into the dining room unless you strictly adhere to the dress code, end of story!

 

Sadly we all know that it will never happen.:(

 

Bill

[kryos]

All HAL has to do is enforce the dress code and this matter wouldn't have to be debated every 3 days.

Newbies like the OP would post and ask for experiences and everyone would reply that you will not be permitted into the dining room unless you strictly adhere to the dress code, end of story!

 

Sadly we all know that it will never happen.:(

Did you ever stop to think that maybe the reason it will never happen is because an overwhelming majority of the passengers don't want it to happen? HAL is a business. They are a successful business. The reason they are so successful is specifically that they dance to the tune of their customers. If the majority have made their feelings known against formal dress codes in the onboard surveys, then HAL will more than likely not very stringently enforce such a dress code. If you want to get all gussied up, fine. But if someone else chooses to come to the dining room dressed country club casual, that's fine too.

 

Believe me, if the majority of the passengers were dressed to the nines, and expressed their desire to see dress codes strictly enforced, those few who did not abide by them would be on their way to the Lido in no time flat.

 

As I've said before, I think how strongly the dress code is enforced will also depend upon the ship/itinerary. The OP is going on an Alaska cruise ... 7-dayer. Believe me, the majority of the passengers on that sailing aren't going to be putting on tuxes and gowns on formal night, and the OP will most likely be fine as long as she is dressed appropriately for the dining room ... even if the outfit she chooses to wear would not even come close to formal.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[venicecruiser]

Rita - I agree wholeheartedly! I do not want to sit in a dining room for 2 or more hours.......

 

Exhalt Him - Marie, the Volendam cruise last month was the first time I didn't go to the dining room too. I enjoyed casual dining so much, I may never go to the dining room again! However - if I should change my mind, rest assured I will, as always, be dressed appropriately..............

 

Almost forgot - we left the auto tips in place for the dining room staff too. We just gave cash to the casual dining staff at the end of the cruise...

 

Claudia

[RevNeal]

Believe me, if the majority of the passengers were dressed to the nines, and expressed their desire to see dress codes strictly enforced, those few who did not abide by them would be on their way to the Lido in no time flat.

 

Let me put it this way, Rita. On most of the HAL cruises I've been on the "majority" (at least 50%+1 person) have been dressed according to the dress code. Even on my 2003 Alaska Cruise, this was true ... and that was, by far, the "worst dressed" cruise I've ever been on. Was my cruise ruined because of this? Heck no! That cruise was among my favorites. But I would have enjoyed the evenings more had more people abided by the dress code. The lounges would have looked nicer, the dining room more elegant, had more passengers abided by the dress code. As it was, it looked like a jumbled up mess.

 

As for dress-code enforcement ... as I've repeatedly posted on this board, I have seen it happen. I have seen/heard people turned away from the main dining room ... and even asked to leave ... for not being dressed according to code. It's happened on the Statendam, the Zaandam, the Volendam, and the Maasdam. All of these cruises were longer cruises ... and in every instance it was a man who refused to wear a jacket.

[herb]

The lounges would have looked nicer, the dining room more elegant, had more passengers abided by the dress code. As it was, it looked like a jumbled up mess.

 

I agree with you 1000% and for that reason I dislike formal nights. Either EVERYONE takes part or do away with it.

[bellebaby]

I agree with you 1000% and for that reason I dislike formal nights. Either EVERYONE takes part or do away with it.

 

They have done away with it.... on NCL. See below.

 

Attire

Wear what you want. Dress according to your mood. It is your vacation. “Resort casual” attire is as dressy as you’ll ever have to get for dinner. But if it’s elegance you’re dreaming of, we invite you to indulge. Many of our restaurants offer formal options. If you prefer more casual dress, that’s fine, too. How you dress is up to you.

 

HAL is not NCL. If "how you dress is up to you" makes you happy, choose a cruise that meets your requirements.

 

I just don't get it. It's like people who buy a home in a deed restricted neighborhood and build a storage shed in the front yard. I'm all for personal rights and everyone being happy. But when you know, upfront, what the expectations are and choose not to go along, then how is it right for the people you are imposing upon?

 

Enough said. I will go on my next sailing and enjoy. I do hope to avoid the "bathrobe guy", though. On the other hand, maybe we should all go on a clothing optional cruise and avoid this discussion altogether.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

B