First Night Dinner

[26Martini]

I know the first night at dinner is casual......how casual...are "nice" jeans acceptable? Hope they don't throw me out of the dining room!:eek:

[jtl513]

I know the first night at dinner is casual......how casual...are "nice" jeans acceptable? Hope they don't throw me out of the dining room!:eek:

The first night things are more lax because some people may not have even gotten all their luggage yet. :)

[doone]

I have never noticed jeans in the dining room on any of my HAL cruises. I usually wear a nice pair of capri's with a nice top.

[Fblack]

You will see jeans the first night. Some times luggage arrives too late to change for an early dinner. I often wear jeans the day I travel to a ship, but pack some nicer dockers in a carry-on bag.

[GeriatricNurse]

I have never noticed jeans in the dining room on any of my HAL cruises. I usually wear a nice pair of capri's with a nice top.

 

 

:) I have! Nothing wrong IMHO with wearing jeans in the dining room for the first dinner! In fact, I have seen jean shorts worn at the first dinner!

[newmexicoNita]

Jeans are acceptable the first and last night or at least they were on the Amsterdam. If you are afraid of being turned away or not comfortable you may want to eat in Lido that first night. That is what we did, no, we were not wearing jeans, but were in the process of having our table changed. The Lido experience was quite pleasant, I wouldn't make a habit of it, but for one or two nights it was fun. If you decide to go that route, make sure you don't order your entree until you are about finished with the salad, soup, appitizer or whatever. That was our biggest complaint: they brought our entree to our table within 5 minutes of us starting our salad. NMnnita

[lougee1043]

I have never noticed jeans in the dining room on any of my HAL cruises. .

 

we just got off the odam and jeans were seen just about every nite- men wore jeans with a sport jacket and some without the jacket

 

after talking with mr deering the reality is you can wear just about anything to dinner except maybe shorts and a tee shirt and not be turned away

[doone]

Geriatricnurse, I never have noticed jeans in the dinning room, if you have, good for you.

 

Lougee, isn't that sad. Stay tuned, shorts and t-shirts will be next, then we'll have the ones who don't shower before dinner.

[Schplinky]

Just off Westerdam. LOTS of jeans the first night, musch less so other nights. Interestingly, it's not a generational thing. It was a mix of people who were wearing them. I thought it would be the younger people but it was mostly older people wearing them (although i realise that is my presumption, in guess folks ages).

[Schplinky]

Just off Westerdam. LOTS of jeans the first night, musch less so other nights. Interestingly, it's not a generational thing. It was a mix of people who were wearing them. I thought it would be the younger people but it was mostly older people wearing them (although i realise that is my presumption, in guess folks ages).

[hammybee]

Am I the only one who has noticed sweat pants in the dining room? And yeah, they tend to be worn by mature pax, in variations of pink. Why is this?

 

My rule: Offend no one and take no offence.

[mamaofami]

This might seem like a silly question, but if it's cold in NYC and I wear a winter weight sweater set to board the Noordam and not freeze during the life boat drill, will I be too hot in the dining room? Should I bring something summery in my carry on in case I don't get my luggage?:confused:

[bankerbabe]

I always pack anything that I will need that first night in my carry-on luggage. That way I'm not sweating bullets when my luggage isn't there before dinner. This also came in handy when we sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale. I didn't have to wait for my luggage to arrive to be sitting by the pool - bathing suit was in my carry-on.

[Nasmas]

Geriatricnurse, I never have noticed jeans in the dinning room, if you have, good for you.

 

Lougee, isn't that sad. Stay tuned, shorts and t-shirts will be next, then we'll have the ones who don't shower before dinner.

They are already doing it. We were on the O in April last year and that was the grungiest looking bunch I have ever seen on a HAL cruise. One lady was in the elevator with us, and when she got off, my husband remarked that that was the only scent he'd seen cover up the 'old lady' perfume that so many of the ladies like to wear when they get in the elevator, if you get my drift.

[kryos]

I know the first night at dinner is casual......how casual...are "nice" jeans acceptable? Hope they don't throw me out of the dining room!:eek:

From a thread that appeared on this board a while back, it would seem that HAL has removed the prohibition against jeans on casual nights. The first night's dinner is always casual, so a nice pair of jeans is totally acceptable in the dining room ... and not just on the first night, but on ANY casual night.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I have on rare occassion seen jeans worn in the Dining Room, and was a little bothered by it, but no harm was done. The stylishness of jean wear is evolving, and now if you wear jeans with holes in the knees you are considered totally hep. I can see a future where such attire will be all over the Rotterdam. Hopefully that will be a long time from now.:)

I think there are jeans, and then there are jeans. If a pair of jeans are nice ... not just blue jeans ... and are worn with an attractive top, there's nothing wrong with them on casual nights. It's when people start wearing jeans with holes in them, faded, etc., that the dining room begins looking like your local Denny's on a Saturday afternoon.

 

Like I've said before, though ... I honestly can't say I particularly take notice of what others are wearing ... unless they are extremely well dressed and look really sharp, or extremely poorly dressed in which case I think to myself "wonder how they have the guts to walk around like that?" Other than those two cases, I am just way too busy enjoying the meal and the conversation at my table to even take notice if the person at the next table chose to wear a pair of jeans or a nice pair of slacks on casual night.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[GeriatricNurse]

I always pack anything that I will need that first night in my carry-on luggage. That way I'm not sweating bullets when my luggage isn't there before dinner. This also came in handy when we sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale. I didn't have to wait for my luggage to arrive to be sitting by the pool - bathing suit was in my carry-on.

 

 

:) That is exactly what DW & I do as well.

[sail7seas]

This might seem like a silly question, but if it's cold in NYC and I wear a winter weight sweater set to board the Noordam and not freeze during the life boat drill, will I be too hot in the dining room? Should I bring something summery in my carry on in case I don't get my luggage?:confused:

 

You may wish to pack a change of tops (so you can freshen up for dinner and not be in the same thing you wore all day) in your carryon but it doesn't need to be summery. Noordam sails two days from New York until she reaches Caribbean. It will hardly be summery when you sail away.

 

****Must edit this to say that on our January 6 Noordam cruise, we were incredibly lucky to have 68-70 degree temps when we boarded. DH and I ate lunch at aft pool in shirt sleeves!!! Can you imagine......the first week of January in New York!! We knew that had to bode well for a fantastic cruise and it did.

[Schplinky]

From a thread that appeared on this board a while back, it would seem that HAL has removed the prohibition against jeans on casual nights. The first night's dinner is always casual, so a nice pair of jeans is totally acceptable in the dining room ... and not just on the first night, but on ANY casual night.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

That is true. I'm typing in now from one of the casual night instructions onboard last week:

 

<<No shorts, tank tops, swim wear or workout attire>>

 

That seems to leave a lot of lattitude for some.

 

To me, this sounds like what should be the dress code for the lido in the evening, not the main dining room of a line that likes to call itself premium or upscale or whatever.

[mamaofami]

Thanks for the info. It makes sense that it will be "winter" when we leave. I had a friend on the cruise on 1/6, so I know you had great departure temperature.

 

According to a post I just read, the Noordam is skipping its stop at Tortola because they had an emergency medical evacuation near Virginia last night and are now going through three storms with 100 mile an hour winds. Sounds not so great! But I can't wait!:)

 

Carol

[lougee1043]

i did see someone in a tank top turned away from the dining room at lunch --- he went and changed into a tee shirt (with sleeves) and was then allowed in

[bankerbabe]

On NCL, my husband (against my advice) attempted to have lunch in the main dining room in a tank top. Even on that ultra-casual line, he was turned away. I couldn't resist a hearty round of "I told you so's" :D