Alaska and "formal" nights
#16
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: JFK LGA PBI BOI
Posts: 910
It really comes down to what is enforced at the entrance to the dining room no matter what is posted or on a website before that. I have seen many attire violations in the dining room even on casual nights.
Sure some passenger could complain during the meal that someone isn't dressed correctly but I doubt they would be thrown out after being seated.
Let's not start a topic about baseball hats in the dinning room too....
Sure some passenger could complain during the meal that someone isn't dressed correctly but I doubt they would be thrown out after being seated.
Let's not start a topic about baseball hats in the dinning room too....
#17
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MSP
Programs: DL Gold, DL MM 8/22/16!
Posts: 2,563
...taking along plenty of sea sickness tablets and ginger candy!) We have downloaded all the docs for the cruise and checked in. ...
Forgot to say that we intend to have carry-on bags only (no checked bag). We will do one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward, and own land itinerary in Alaska for another 7 days.
Forgot to say that we intend to have carry-on bags only (no checked bag). We will do one way cruise from Vancouver to Seward, and own land itinerary in Alaska for another 7 days.
And you will be really happy not having to deal with the checked bag routine, both getting arriving and departing the ship.
#18
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Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG, Enterprise, Avios, Nexus
Posts: 8,355
It really comes down to what is enforced at the entrance to the dining room no matter what is posted or on a website before that. I have seen many attire violations in the dining room even on casual nights.
Sure some passenger could complain during the meal that someone isn't dressed correctly but I doubt they would be thrown out after being seated.
Let's not start a topic about baseball hats in the dinning room too....
Sure some passenger could complain during the meal that someone isn't dressed correctly but I doubt they would be thrown out after being seated.
Let's not start a topic about baseball hats in the dinning room too....
#19
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 96
The "fancy dress crowd" has trouble dealing with the fact that the cruise lines now let those "who can't be bothered" onto the ship, after decades of cruise ships being exclusionary and specific to the "fancy dress crowd".
Now, when you get into the premium and luxury lines, like Silver Sea, Regent Seven Seas or Seabourn, that might be different.
Last edited by bicker; May 16, 2018 at 3:39 am
#21
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG, Enterprise, Avios, Nexus
Posts: 8,355
Well, with regard to air travel yes, but with regard to cruising - with all due respect to flyertalk - there is more reliable and practical information over on Cruise Critic. The challenge is understanding and keeping in mind what makes the information reliable - specifically that it is practical, i.e., information about how strenuous an excursion is, whether there are enough plugs for all your electronics, and whether you need to make advance arrangements if you're a vegetarian. When the thread isn't an opportunity for the "fancy dress crowd" to try to turn their noses up at those "who can't be bothered"; when the thread isn't an opportunity for bitter people to whine about the replacement of ballroom dancing with discotheques or the replacement of "dignified" music at sail-away with Caribbean steel bands; and when the thread isn't an opportunity for self-promoting over-tippers to argue with self-motivated cheapskates, etc., Cruise Critic is quite helpful.
Thanks. I wasn't aware Cunard offered Alaska cruises. Cunard only appeals to me for their NY-Southampton transatlantic service and those are more accurately described as voyages as opposed to mass-market holiday cruises.
#22
Join Date: May 2017
Location: ORD
Posts: 369
And yes, the NY-Southampton service is not a cruise, it's a crossing. Just as QM2 is not a cruise ship, it's an ocean liner.
#23
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
Azamara is "country club casual" (no sports coats required, no formal nights) in all dining areas at night. We enjoyed a 15 night cruise in Asia last year and I know they have some Alaska cruises - we were looking at some, as well as Oceania (also casual) but then found Seabourn at almost the same price as Oceania, so we booked that ;-) We'll go on an 11 night YVR-Seward cruise in Aug/Sept and can't wait. But they DO have "formal" nights where a sports coat at minimum is required in the main dining room. We're totally ok with that.
[as you can tell, we prefer small ships! We did Alaska on Pacific Princess in 2007 - loved the ship, but Princess has formal nights....]
[as you can tell, we prefer small ships! We did Alaska on Pacific Princess in 2007 - loved the ship, but Princess has formal nights....]
#25
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
Please note: On 7 day sailings in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Alaska, formal night is always optional; guests may choose to
dress informal, a jacket is required for gentlemen.
dress informal, a jacket is required for gentlemen.
#26
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
When we were looking for our cruise (coming in June) Silversea and Holland America were the 2 we settled on. And we went with HAL because of their being less formal.
#27
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 96
It's not cruise that does that, but rather participating on certain forums on Cruise Critic that does that.
#28
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
While it’s true HAL is less formal it’s interesting that the decision between two very different cruise lines and experiences came down to dress code. Fully understand that can be a big issue but typically people are much more concerned about the cost difference.
#29
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
Silversea would have been a bit more expensive yes, but we went with a Neptune suite on HAL (aft facing with the wraparound balcony.) So the cost actually wasn't all that big. And there were a few other factors as well like the wraparound balcony on HAL. I thought that might be very nice especially on an Alaska cruise. But since we are renting an RV and driving around where ever we want for the second week, I really didn't want to be carrying around a bunch of dress clothes that I was only going to wear a couple of times on the cruise ship.