Formal night

[RevNeal]

Originally Posted by suse

Hi Rev, we're self-emloyed and work Wed - Saturday and Saturday is a huge day for us. So, impossible to take 2 Saturdays in a row without getting people pretty angry.
We're part retail, part service, so it gets a little complicated to explain. Hopefully, though the day will come. I'm optimistic. I just have to get a little older.............

Ah! Ok! I understand.

[Thoth]

Me , I work weekends also, so a Sunday to Sunday cruise requires 2 weeks vacation. :neutral: That tells you just how much I love to travel.
That's one good thing about that mid-week Bermuda cruise that I have booked. I'm taking ONE week !

[anniegb]

I am very pleased for you Henry.

I accept that I may have been very unlucky with my dining experiences - but I can cook better and believe me I can't cook!

The fact remains that my food was tepid/cold, low quality and badly presented.

I can only speak as I find and based on my allbeit limited experience of HAL, I will not sail with them again unless the itinerary was exceptional.

[suse]

That's too bad your food was underpar. We've had the opposite experience on our HAL cruises but you might have hit just a bad time. It happens. I'm not always a cheerleader for HAL; I still think they are way behind other cruiselines on the smoking thing, but I've found their food quite exceptional.
And I consider myself an awesome cook.

[RevNeal]

Originally Posted by Thoth

Me , I work weekends also, so a Sunday to Sunday cruise requires 2 weeks vacation. :neutral: That tells you just how much I love to travel.
That's one good thing about that mid-week Bermuda cruise that I have booked. I'm taking ONE week !

I wish HAL would offer a mid-week departure for a Bermuda Cruise. As it is, I'm not going to be able to go on a Bermuda cruise either until they do or until I reach the point where I just say "to heck with it" and take two Sundays in order to get 1 week aboard ship. It's a BAD use of my vacation time, but sometimes the desire to do a specific itinerary becomes too strong.

So very often, those who DON'T work weekends just doing "get it." I once mentioned my issue at a Meet & Greet and the people I mentioned it to just couldn't wrap their brains around why it was a problem for me. Their point was that by cruising on a Sunday more people could go because they'd only miss 1 week of work. They're right, and I get that. But, for me, a Saturday Departure for a 7-day cruise, rather than a Sunday Departure, would have the same potential while enabling me to miss only one Sunday. Even laying it out that way didn't get the point across, however. Oh well. In the end, I almost never cruise 7-day itineraries. I enjoy 10 day cruises that depart on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday! Longer cruises, too ... when I can swing it. I like 18-19 day itineraries departing on a Monday or a Saturday. This October I'm doing a 17-day Transatlantic out of Rome. I fly to Rome on a Monday, arrive on a Tuesday and board the ship, and I'll be back home on a Saturday having only missed TWO Sundays in a row. Pretty cool.

[suse]

I know if we miss two Saturdays, in a row, people want to hit me over the head with a hammer,,,,,,,,
However, one of my favorite cruises of all time was this past summer on the Veendam to Bermuda. Yikes. Everything was perfect. We had a lanai cabin,which was great, so the smoking bothered me a little, but not much.
Once in a while, the cigar smokers wander down the the Promenade, so it can be an issue at night.
However, the cruise was wonderful. This was our third cruise to Bermuda, but our first on HAL. Much better than NCL.
I'd go again in a hearbeat!

[sapper]

Originally Posted by suse

Hi Rev, we're self-emloyed and work Wed - Saturday and Saturday is a huge day for us. So, impossible to take 2 Saturdays in a row without getting people pretty angry.
We're part retail, part service, so it gets a little complicated to explain. Hopefully, though the day will come. I'm optimistic. I just have to get a little older.............

I understand completely Suse---parents don't like to take their children out of school for their eye exams so you have to be open on Saturdays. It must be difficult for you to plan cruises. What a bummer!!!

[suse]

Interesting Sapper. You've been doing your research trying to find out my occupation.
For those not in the know, she's a very active poster from Cruise Critic. I'd had quite enough of the bullying tactics over there.
This is a much nicer site.

[usha]

Well, Sapper, since you've been so generous as to share with us Suse's occupation, I'm sure you won't mind telling us what you do for a living.

[suse]

She's pretty active on the blog that we know and love, too. Maybe she will!

[Thoth]

Originally Posted by RevNeal

I wish HAL would offer a mid-week departure for a Bermuda Cruise. As it is, I'm not going to be able to go on a Bermuda cruise either until they do or until I reach the point where I just say "to heck with it" and take two Sundays in order to get 1 week aboard ship. It's a BAD use of my vacation time, but sometimes the desire to do a specific itinerary becomes too strong.

So very often, those who DON'T work weekends just doing "get it." I once mentioned my issue at a Meet & Greet and the people I mentioned it to just couldn't wrap their brains around why it was a problem for me. Their point was that by cruising on a Sunday more people could go because they'd only miss 1 week of work. They're right, and I get that. But, for me, a Saturday Departure for a 7-day cruise, rather than a Sunday Departure, would have the same potential while enabling me to miss only one Sunday. Even laying it out that way didn't get the point across, however. Oh well. In the end, I almost never cruise 7-day itineraries. I enjoy 10 day cruises that depart on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday! Longer cruises, too ... when I can swing it. I like 18-19 day itineraries departing on a Monday or a Saturday. This October I'm doing a 17-day Transatlantic out of Rome. I fly to Rome on a Monday, arrive on a Tuesday and board the ship, and I'll be back home on a Saturday having only missed TWO Sundays in a row. Pretty cool.

Oh yeah...cool indeed !

[Charisse4]

Originally Posted by earl

Do you think HAL should stop Formal night or keep it the way it is. We like formal night, gives us a chance to dress up.
NCL and Oceania have stop it, I can see Carnival doing it soon.
Should it go or stay. What say you!!!

I think formal nights should stay. But certainly understand if someone doesn't like them.
I think that if you don't like the "formal night" you should probably book a cruise on a ship or cruise line that doesn't have them.