I'm going on a 7 day cruise on Holland America. What is the dress schedule usually like for the dinners?

Question

I've been on a cruise before and I can't remember the schedule of dress on the dinners. Is it 2 formal nights? How many casual nights? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

2 Formal nights, and the rest are "smart casual".  

I'm going on a Holland America week-long Alaska cruise in 2 weeks myself, and my travelling companion is not a lover of formal attire, so I had to do a bit of research on what exactly is allowed and preferred.  

I think the main thing to keep in mind for the dining room is:  No shorts or jeans for either s*x - men should wear a shirt with a collar.  A golf shirt and dockers would be the "minimum standard" with a dress shirt, tie and slacks being preferred.  A tie is required, jacket preferred, for formal nights.  

Ladies should wear something dressy for formal night - a pantsuit or dress is the minimum standard, with a formal gown being the preferred attire.  

As far as I know, they're not going to turn you away if you're wearing jeans on casual night - but it's frowned upon.

Answer 2

The number of formal nights depends on how long the cruise is. Usually there are 2.

Answer 3

Usually two formal nights on a 7-day cruise.

Holland America is a VERY traditional cruise line, so people tend to really dress for dinner.

Check their website for suggested dress.  You will also get that info in the cruise documents they send you.