Questions around Formal nights and the Pinnacle grill

[MICK48DC]

We are on the Noordam Med cruise on Aug 7 , we do smart casual but not formal on holidays , so on formal nights will eat in the Lido or room service however i have a couple of questions

 

1) If you book Pinnacle on formal nights are you expected to wear tuxedo / suit & tie ?? . would you feel out of place in chinos , shirt ??

 

2) I assume 3 formal nights on a 10 night cruise , which nights??

 

3) How do you book Pinnacle before departure, i did check the HA website but could not find anything

 

Thanks!!!

[jannandjohn]

 

1) If you book Pinnacle on formal nights are you expected to wear tuxedo / suit & tie ??

if it's formal night in the dining room, The Pinnacle grill is too(and more)

[bcirish]

After 28 days on the Eurodam and 8 formals - we found no problem ever getting into the Pinnacle although I was concerned about reservations before I left. I also experienced on a previous cruise that some went to the Pinnacle because it was formal in the dining room so I am guessing that it may depend on the ship. The only way that you will know for sure is once on board ask the maitre'd if there is a coat requirement in the room on any night.

As far as making reservation you can go to the HAL section for booked guests and go into the pulldown and select onboard guests - after following directions through a couple of screens which ask again if you want onboard gifts then one where you sign in- if you don't have one then establish one and then it will ask for your booking numner and finally you are on a page which gives you options for select guests choose gifts and restaurant reservations. Hope this helps.

[Mary Ellen]

1) If you book Pinnacle on formal nights are you expected to wear tuxedo / suit & tie ?? . would you feel out of place in chinos , shirt ??

Yes, HAL asks that one follow the dress code for the evening. That does not include being out on deck or in the Lido though.

 

HAL:

Please note, informal wear or formal wear is recommended at the Pinnacle Grill at all times.

We've never dined in the PG on formal nights, only on 'Smart Casual'. From our experience, most men wear sports coats.

 

Also from the HAL site:

 

Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

 

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

[Harry1954]

We have dined in PG on formal nights and found it to be at least as dressy as the dining room. I suspect if one shows up dressed down, they will most likely get the table by the kitchen. When we don't want to dress up, we Lido or Room Service and are satisfied with that.

harry

[fann1sh]

Mick48DC - something I didn't mention, and it's too late to change my post. Are you in a "verandah suite" or a "superior suite"? If so, you don't get dining preference. Only those in "deluxe verandah suites" (SC, SB, SA or above) which have access to the Neptune Lounge get dining preference. I always assume people are NOT in these unless they state otherwise, because the number of these cabins on each ship is so small.

[Mary Ellen]

fann1sh - You have given thoughtful, polite responses. Kudos

 

OP - you asked which nights will be formal. That depends upon the itinerary. They are usually on sea days. Rarely they will be on a port day, but that is generally only when a partial day in port.

[Bojangles]

Whe I called Hal they said for our 10 night Canada New England cruise there would be 2 formal nights. Donna

[Copper10-8]

We are on the Noordam Med cruise on Aug 7 , we do smart casual but not formal on holidays , so on formal nights will eat in the Lido or room service however i have a couple of questions

 

1) If you book Pinnacle on formal nights are you expected to wear tuxedo / suit & tie ?? . would you feel out of place in chinos , shirt ??

On formal night, the chances of anyone getting in the PG w/o at least a jacket and tie (I'm talking men folk here) are slim. It will completely depend on the PG manager and members of the Spanish Inquisition who, btw, no one ever expect!

 

2) I assume 3 formal nights on a 10 night cruise , which nights??

Usually the first sea day plus the next to last day of the cruise - the 2nd one right smack in the middle somewhere

 

3) How do you book Pinnacle before departure, i did check the HA website but could not find anything

Call HAL Ship's Services - Unfortunately, I don't have their # handy but I bet someone else here will

 

Thanks!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise on Noordam!

[pms4104]

We have dined in PG on formal nights and found it to be at least as dressy as the dining room. I suspect if one shows up dressed down, they will most likely get the table by the kitchen. When we don't want to dress up, we Lido or Room Service and are satisfied with that.

harry

Not necessarily ... last year on the Statendam our dining table mates went to the Pinnacle on formal night. They had a mental oops and, although dressed quite nicely, they were not in keeping with the formal night dress code, and the Pinnacle people sent them to change before they could be admitted for dinner there. They were pretty embarrased because they aren't schlubs, they just fogged out.