Formal Night Question -- Beyond Dinning Room

[nckvilledudes]

In formal night, can I wear casual in show room or casino? :confused:

Yes you can dress casual after dinner on formal night and enjoy your cruise. We have been on 2 Caribe cruises and we changed into casual attire after dinner and saw many others who did the same. I asked the same question as you did as we had not sailed HAL before. Go enjoy your cruise and dont let some on here tell you that you cant look nice and casual on your cruise. You will not ruin anyones cruise by doing that.

Dan

[RevNeal]

It is difficult for me to imagine that others might be offended or upset by my clothing? Is this truly a matter for much discussion in cruising?

 

ON cruises? No. Between cruises, when we were wishing we were aboard ship, sometimes. :)

[babyher]

ON cruises? No. Between cruises, when we were wishing we were aboard ship, sometimes. :)

 

 

 

*LOL* Very well said :)

[Boytjie]

Printed T-shirts

Does that mean I can't wear my NCL T-shirt to the formal dinner?:confused:

 

Not even if it has a printed bow tie and vest!

 

I'm looking forward to getting a "dam"shirt on my 1st HAL cruise.:cool:

 

Just don't wear your dam shirt to dinner!

[Mid-Age]

After getting all the value input from everyone here. I know what I am going to wear for those 4 formal nights in show room and casino. :)

[satchiesmom]

A stupid question - how do those of you who dress for formal night feel about those who choose to eat in the lido. Are they supposed to just stay there until the next morning? :D :o I don't see how they could get back to their staterooms without going against the dress code. I know on my last cruise on the Ryndam my travelling companion and I ate in the Lido on formal nights and were glared at more than once as we were returning to our cabin. We found it amusing that anyone would care what we wore (smart casual) on an elevator ride.

[kryos]

And, trust me ... HAL will even take their money when dressed in shorts and flip flops. I've seen it, and documented it, right here on this board. None of this is a matter of trust, Rita, nor is it about friendship or kindness; it's about what the code says vs. what one actually experiences aboard ship. For me, it's a waste of time to go back to my cabin and change into something else after dinner ... I enjoy staying dressed up and enjoying the lounges and the show, etc.. However, as I've said before, recent events have caused me to entirely re-think how I choose to experience those who don't abide by the code: that's their business, not mine.

My feeling has always been ... if HAL is gonna have a "suggested" dress code, then they should enforce it. If they really want people to remain dressed after dinner on a formal night if those folks wish to enjoy the public areas of the ship, then bar stewards, casino workers, etc., should clearly be instructed not to serve folks who are not dressed to code, but rather to politely suggest they return to their cabin for their formalwear and then come on back. What's the point of having a dress code, if it's not going to have any teeth behind it. If people know that they are likely to be embarrassed if they remain in public areas without being dressed to code on a formal night, then they are not likely to try it ... rather they will either restrict themselves to their cabin or the Lido Deck if they wish to dress down after dinner.

 

As for people being served in shorts and flip flops, now see ... my experience was a bit different. In fact, that's the only time I saw someone refused service on a HAL ship. Two gentlemen walked into the Ocean Bar on a formal evening ... around the early seating cocktail hour. They were probably still in their day wear ... maybe they had late seating dinner. They both bellied up to the bar and took seats. The next thing I notice is the bartender quietly speaking with them, and then they getting up and walking out of the bar ... with no drinks. My guess is the bartender told them he couldn't serve them while they were dressed in such a manner. I'll admit that I was shocked. I had never seen that sort of thing on a HAL ship before. Can't say it upset me, though ... in fact, I was quite pleased ... because while I may not comply 100% with the "spirit" of a formal dress code, their manner of dress was way out of line ... even for a smart casual night, let alone a formal one.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

A stupid question - how do those of you who dress for formal night feel about those who choose to eat in the lido. Are they supposed to just stay there until the next morning? :D :o I don't see how they could get back to their staterooms without going against the dress code. I know on my last cruise on the Ryndam my travelling companion and I ate in the Lido on formal nights and were glared at more than once as we were returning to our cabin. We found it amusing that anyone would care what we wore (smart casual) on an elevator ride.

I think the technical HAL policy is that you can eat in the Lido and then either remain on that deck for the evening (sometimes there will be things going on up there), or retire to your cabin. I think the policy says that you aren't supposed to "remain" in public areas without being dressed to code. It says nothing about walking through them in order to get to your cabin. Though, in many cases you wouldn't need to walk through any public areas to get to your cabin. You would merely take the elevator down to your deck from the Lido deck and wouldn't be in any public areas ... unless your cabin was located on one of the promenade decks.

 

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a load too. My feeling has always been that as long as you hold your after dinner dress to at least the smart casual level, there is nothing wrong with availing yourself of all ship amenities on any deck.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

It is difficult for me to imagine that others might be offended or upset by my clothing? Is this truly a matter for much discussion in cruising?

Believe me, they won't. Only some people on these boards get offended. When you meet up with others on the ship, they are entirely too busy having their own good time to worry much about what you are wearing. I think the problem on these boards is precisely that. We are on these boards and ardently wishing we were on a ship. So we have time to worry about such minor things. The people on the ship couldn't care less. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

You will not ruin anyones cruise by doing that.

And even if you do ... well, then that's their problem and certainly not yours.

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

My feeling has always been ... if HAL is gonna have a "suggested" dress code, then they should enforce it. If they really want people to remain dressed after dinner on a formal night if those folks wish to enjoy the public areas of the ship, then bar stewards, casino workers, etc., should clearly be instructed not to serve folks who are not dressed to code, but rather to politely suggest they return to their cabin for their formalwear and then come on back. What's the point of having a dress code, if it's not going to have any teeth behind it. If people know that they are likely to be embarrassed if they remain in public areas without being dressed to code on a formal night, then they are not likely to try it ... rather they will either restrict themselves to their cabin or the Lido Deck if they wish to dress down after dinner.

 

It shouldn't have to be enforced; the code should need to have teeth in it. People should simply know how to behave and behave accordingly, and the code should simply be informative. Such simply isn't the case anymore. Some of us have simply been slow in accepting this fact.

 

As for people being served in shorts and flip flops, now see ... my experience was a bit different. In fact, that's the only time I saw someone refused service on a HAL ship. Two gentlemen walked into the Ocean Bar on a formal evening ... around the early seating cocktail hour. They were probably still in their day wear ... maybe they had late seating dinner. They both bellied up to the bar and took seats. The next thing I notice is the bartender quietly speaking with them, and then they getting up and walking out of the bar ... with no drinks. My guess is the bartender told them he couldn't serve them while they were dressed in such a manner. I'll admit that I was shocked. I had never seen that sort of thing on a HAL ship before. Can't say it upset me, though ... in fact, I was quite pleased ... because while I may not comply 100% with the "spirit" of a formal dress code, their manner of dress was way out of line ... even for a smart casual night, let alone a formal one.

 

I have seen people turned away from, and asked to leave the main dining room, when not properly attired. Otherwise, I've only seen people refused service in the lounges and bars when dressed FAR below evening standards. And, I've also had the rare experience of being on a cruise where shorts and t-shirts on Formal night were allowed both in the dining room and in the lounges around the ship. Such isn't the norm, but it has happened.

[RevNeal]

Believe me, they won't. Only some people on these boards get offended. When you meet up with others on the ship, they are entirely too busy having their own good time to worry much about what you are wearing. I think the problem on these boards is precisely that. We are on these boards and ardently wishing we were on a ship. So we have time to worry about such minor things. The people on the ship couldn't care less. :)

 

Which is, essentially, what I wrote earlier-on. :)

Indeed, some of the very same people who post on this board as being the most bothered are not so much interested in the subject when aboard ship. It takes the most egregious examples of under-dressing to motivate notice ... otherwise, we're having far too good of time to care.

[kryos]

It shouldn't have to be enforced; the code should need to have teeth in it. People should simply know how to behave and behave accordingly, and the code should simply be informative. Such simply isn't the case anymore. Some of us have simply been slow in accepting this fact.

It's not that people don't know how to behave, Rev ... it's just that in a lot of cases people feel the rule is "dumb," and thus make a conscious choice to ignore it. After all, this is not like going to work where you have rules that you have no choice but to abide by. Here you are on a cruise ship paying your money and if a lot of passengers choose to ignore the "suggested" dress code, then they will and there's nothing much anyone can do about it ... especially since HAL makes the wise choice in most instances to ignore it.

 

So, that's the reason why I think the whole "suggested" dress code is actually stupid in some respects. If HAL is not gonna enforce it, as I said ... wisely I believe ... then why even have it? Wouldn't it be smarter just to lay down some very general guidelines ... like please don't wear shorts around the ship after 5:00 p.m. or tee-shirts or flipflops, etc.? Then have optional formal nights where people can choose to wear their formal finery, or opt out.

 

We've been through this before, and as I've said in the past, I see mandatory formal nights dying out on most cruises. Oh, I think the cruises you generally take ... and the ones even that I take ... will probably continue to have them ... for a while longer anyway. But for your "family" type cruises ... seven to ten days, Caribbean or Alaska itineraries ... I wouldn't be surprised to see formal nights go away by the end of the year. It might not be a justifiable excuse, but airline baggage restrictions and extra charges are gonna be the reason people will cite for not wanting to bother with formal wear. And, since HAL won't want to lose a single passenger because of the airlines and their new regulations, they will gladly eliminate the need for those passengers to even pack a tie.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

It shouldn't have to be enforced; the code should need to have teeth in it.

 

Correction ... I intended to write "It shouldn't have to be enforced; the code shouldn't need to have teeth in it." I think the context of what I wrote made it clear what my point was, but I wanted to make sure.

 

It's not that people don't know how to behave, Rev ... it's just that in a lot of cases people feel the rule is "dumb," and thus make a conscious choice to ignore it. After all, this is not like going to work where you have rules that you have no choice but to abide by. Here you are on a cruise ship paying your money and if a lot of passengers choose to ignore the "suggested" dress code, then they will and there's nothing much anyone can do about it ... especially since HAL makes the wise choice in most instances to ignore it.

 

I guess my typo caused you to miss my point. I was speaking more to the cultural shift that we have experienced in our society over the last half century away from the "normative" in clothing and toward "anything goes" and "express yourself in the wildest possible combination of colors, patterns, and styles." Watch any old movies ... or, better yet, how's your memory? Back in the 1950s people dressed up not just to go to work, but to go to a baseball game, to the park, to dinner (even at home!), to church, to funerals, to travel, etc. A man in a suit and tie wasn't anything to be surprised at seeing beyond the work environment. That is no longer the case today. Back then people would check the dress code to see what the evening's dress was and they would dress accordingly ... and, it wasn't any kind of a big imposition or difficult prospect for them to do so. Indeed, it wouldn't even cross their minds to not dress according to the cultural standard (and the code reflected that cultural standard); as a cultural characteristic, non-conformism was far less prevalent than it is today.

 

So, that's the reason why I think the whole "suggested" dress code is actually stupid in some respects. If HAL is not gonna enforce it, as I said ... wisely I believe ... then why even have it?

 

Because once upon a time HAL didn't HAVE to enforce it ... people enforced it within themselves and followed the codes because, due to up-bringing and the cultural standards of the time, that was simply what one did. Such isn't the case anymore (as your post indicates) ... and the presence of a dress code on HAL is just an echo of that old social and institutional inertia which hopes people will follow the code not due to the threat of exclusion but simply because it used to be the "right thing to do." It's not anymore, but people like myself are only just now getting "the word."

 

Wouldn't it be smarter just to lay down some very general guidelines ... like please don't wear shorts around the ship after 5:00 p.m. or tee-shirts or flipflops, etc.? Then have optional formal nights where people can choose to wear their formal finery, or opt out.

 

No ... because the very same people who disregard it now will disregard it then, and with a lowered standard across the board it will produce even more people ignoring the code (the domino theory when applied to dress code violations). Likewise, some people are still "old-fashioned" enough to actually be embarrased if caught dressing out-of-step with others: if they're standing in a group and most are in shorts and t-shirts and they are in tuxedo or dress, it's the ones in Tuxedo or dress that feel uncomfortable and want to try to get away and change or at least not be noticed. Times have changed. That's been beaten into me on this board over the past few years. Why deny it?

[Boytjie]

It's not that people don't know how to behave, Rev ... it's just that in a lot of cases people feel the rule is "dumb," and thus make a conscious choice to ignore it.

 

But why would they pay money to a cruise line that had 'dumb' rules? They could just as well spend their money with 'clever' cruise lines. Its not like the dress code is sprung on them once they are on board.

 

Wouldn't it be smarter just to lay down some very general guidelines ... like please don't wear shorts around the ship after 5:00 p.m. or tee-shirts or flipflops, etc.?

 

And someone will come around and decide that too is a 'dumb' rule and ignore it!

[RevNeal]

Rev. Neal - thank you for your answer. May I ask, are you a cleric or is the "Rev. Neal" a nom de plum?

 

Yes, I'm an ordained United Methodist Minister. For more information about me, please check my profile and, if you wish, you may visit my website.

[pengu1n]

The dress code is not being honored because all the cruise are sending people the message that it's not important. I don't remember when it started but every year some of the dress code is gradually dropped or lightened. "Back in the olden days" every night was formal night. There wasn't any alternative if you wanted dinner - no Lido buffet. If someone did not have a suit jacket when he arrived in the dining room, he was offered one by the maitre d'. Once formal night drops to 2 a week and the Lido becomes a choice for dining, then the standards have dropped. Last year on the Carnival Pride, we decided not to take formal wear & eat in the buffet. The next night, our waiter begged us to come back, in our 'smart casual' wear, on the next formal night. (I don't know why, although we gave him an extra tip, he wouldn't have been expecting it, and he had other tables.) Last year, jeans and t-shirts were excluded from the dining room, now only "printed t's" are unacceptable. Everyone here seems to moan about what the passengers are doing to formal night, but I think the cruise lines are responsible. And, while I follow the recommended dining attire for the evening, I'd be just as happy eating in jeans as in a dress and the food would probably taste the same.

[RevNeal]

I see. Not necessary. But, thank you.

 

You're welcome, sir.

And would you care to return the favor? Are you also clergy, or is your "Bishop T" moniker a nom de plum?

[luxurysailer]

On our Zui cruise a few weeks ago, I do not recall having seen anyone not following the dress code in the dining room. However, some apparently felt that anything goes once outside the dining room. Some came to the theater in shorts and sandals or flip flops. Do I appreciate their being dressed like this? No. Does it ruin my evening or make my cruise less enjoyable? No. However, the attitude of someone who would do this seems indicative of one of the great ills of our modern society. That is, "If it feels good do it. After all it is all about me."

 

I do not understand why people think that formal wear is uncomfortable. Is it that their clothes are ill fitted? A properly fitted shirt with tie, dark suit, or even a tuxedo is not a straight-jacket by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Insofar as the ladies are concerned, my wife complains only about high heels being uncomfortable. Never her other clothing. And she looks very good, indeed. There is no reason why ladies should suffer with uncomfortable shoes. It is not necessary to wear shoes with heels that are so high they are uncomfortable Just be sure they fit and that the heels are not too high.

 

It is enjoyable to see people properly dressed on the formal evenings and feeling good about themselves.

[babyher]

First off I always dress to the expected code in the dining room. Yes I am sometimes guily of slipping into something more comfortable after, though not sloppy shorts or the like.

 

I truly do not care what anyone else is wearing as long as they aren't filthy and stinking and sitting right next to me, which has never happened to me on a cruise Thank God :).

 

 

I will give the dress code police their due that I can see maybe where as someone dressed less formally may off set their all gussied up experience. i don't see how personally, but I respect their feelings.

 

 

HOWEVER !!!!!

 

How does what somehwere wear in a theater affect you??????

 

you go in the theater, take a seat , the lights go down and the show starts , that is what you are there for. I am looking at the singer, dancers, comic , whatever up on stage. Who cares what the couple three rows ahead are wearing. Again as long as they are not stinking up the place.

[nckvilledudes]

First off I always dress to the expected code in the dining room. Yes I am sometimes guily of slipping into something more comfortable after, though not sloppy shorts or the like.

 

I truly do not care what anyone else is wearing as long as they aren't filthy and stinking and sitting right next to me, which has never happened to me on a cruise Thank God :).

 

 

I will give the dress code police their due that I can see maybe where as someone dressed less formally may off set their all gussied up experience. i don't see how personally, but I respect their feelings.

 

 

HOWEVER !!!!!

 

How does what somehwere wear in a theater affect you??????

 

you go in the theater, take a seat , the lights go down and the show starts , that is what you are there for. I am looking at the singer, dancers, comic , whatever up on stage. Who cares what the couple three rows ahead are wearing. Again as long as they are not stinking up the place.

Nice post. Good insight.

Dan