I haven’t sailed with Holland America myself, but my parents recently did, so I asked them what people actually wore onboard.
Holland America has a reputation for being quite traditional, so you might expect the dress codes to be strict and rigorously enforced. That’s what I had always thought, anyway.
I was never sure if Holland America would be a cruise line for me, as I don’t like to dress up every night. My mind has now been put at rest – it seems far more casual than I had originally thought.
Holland America now uses the term “Dressy Nights” rather than “Formal Nights” on their cruises.
Is Holland America Actually Formal?
Although Holland America have “dressy nights” and “orange party” nights on their cruises, most of the time they don’t seem particularly formal or stuffy.
If anything, my parents were surprised by how little people did dress up. It wasn’t unusual to see people in shorts in the main dining room at lunch and dinner.
My dad would wear a shirt with a collar, with trousers or smart jeans when they went to the restaurant in the evening. My Mum would mostly wear a dress, or trousers and a plain T-shirt.
Plenty of other guests were in T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, etc.
On dressy nights, they didn’t see people in tuxedos. They saw plenty of gentlemen in smart suits and ladies in beautiful sparkly dresses.
Onboard photography seemed to be a very big thing, and many people dressed up to the nines to have that special photograph taken.
The Holland America App states that on “Grand Voyages,” traditional formal nights will be held.
What Is a Grand Voyage?
Holland America Line
A Grand Voyage is immersive travel on a different scale. These 60+ day journeys are designed for travelers who believe the journey is as meaningful as the destinations along the way.
Whether sailing around the world or exploring a single region in depth, each voyage reflects Holland America’s 153 years of destination expertise and experiences too good to hurry through.
I can only imagine how many suitcases you would need to pack if you were undertaking one of these mammoth grand journeys!
You would certainly have to make good use of the Holland America laundry service…
What Can You Wear During the Day?
Holland America’s daytime dress code is casual.
Think shorts, T-shirts, jeans, trainers, etc.
Swimwear can be worn around the pool.
There were bars and restaurants in the pool area on Nieuw Statendam, so their was no need to get changed if you wanted to grab a drink or a bite to eat. .
Shirts and footwear are required indoors, but Holland America supplied bathrobes, so my parents were able to wear those and walk the short distance back from the pool to their cabin without getting completely dried and dressed.
People were actually far more casually dressed than my parents had expected.
What Do You Need to Wear for Dinner on Normal Nights?
Most evenings are officially smart casual, so you could easily get away with a collared polo shirt and smart jeans – although some people did seem to wear whatever they wanted.
In reality, Mum wore mostly dresses to dinner (as that is easy), and Dad wore a polo shirt with jeans or chinos.
Many women wore Trousers and a top or Skirts and blouses. Men wore nice jeans and shirts / collared T-shirts or a jumper/sweater.
They did see plenty of people in trainers, and some in shorts or T-shirts with slogans on – they never saw any dress codes being enforced.
What Is a Holland America “Dressy Night”?
These are Holland America’s more dressed-up evenings.
The official suggestions include dresses, skirts, blouses, slacks (trousers), collared shirts and jackets.
A tuxedo is not required. Holland America specifically says it uses the term “Dressy” rather than “Formal” to avoid giving that impression.
They saw plenty of ladies in beautiful cocktail dresses, and a couple in long gowns.
Men mostly wore suits or jackets and trousers. Many didn’t wear ties – and that was just fine.
In the main dining room, probably around 60/70% of guests seemed to have dressed up to some degree.
Plenty of others chose not to dress up, and in the buffet or around other parts of the ship, most were still dressed very casually.
A lady in a simple dress or trousers and blouse and a man in trousers and a shirt would blend right in when eating in the main dining room on formal night.
Do Men Need a Jacket and Tie?
Holland America says a jacket and tie are not strictly required, although they are preferred on Dressy Nights in the restaurants.
Collared shirts and trousers are around the baseline for restaurants on dressy nights.
Many gentlemen didn’t wear jackets, ties or suits.
You don’t need to go out and buy a tuxedo or a new suit specifically for a Holland America cruise.
6. Can Women Wear Trousers on Dressy Night?
Yes. Holland America explicitly states slacks/trousers as options in its dressy suggestions.
Mum and I tend to wear a dress on these occasions, as they are easy and comfortable. You can look smart without putting in too much effort!
Dresses that don’t crease easily and have pockets are our preferred go-to on a cruise.
7. Can You Wear Jeans?
The rules get slightly confusing here.
Holland America says jeans can be worn on most evenings in casual restaurants, provided they aren’t distressed, but they aren’t permitted in table-service restaurants on Dressy Nights.
My parents never saw anyone turned away in the main restaurant for wearing smart jeans.
If you were concerned, you could always eat in one of the casual dining options instead of going to the main restaurants – but they were actually surprised by the lack of formality onboard Nieuw Statendam
8. Can You Wear Shorts to Dinner?
Officially, shorts aren’t allowed in table-service restaurants in the evening – but my parents definitely saw people in shorts – and not even smart shorts!
One gentleman in the dining queue ahead of them appeared to be wearing what could only be described as running shorts, but the crew didn’t comment on it.
Shorts are, of course, fine at any of the casual dining venues at any time.
9. How Many Dressy Nights Will There Be?
It makes sense that the longer the voyage, the more dressy nights there will be.
Dressy nights are often held on sea days, as guests don’t want to rush back and then dress up for dinner.
A typical seven-night cruise has two Dressy Nights. My parents’ two-week cruise had three, but on one of those nights, they didn’t dress up; they just ate at the buffet.
Guests can check the Navigator app/Daily Program while onboard to see the evening dress code.
What Happens If You Don’t Want to Dress Up?
It is easy to skip dressy night and just go to the buffet or eat elsewhere.
On Nieuw Statendam, the options were the buffet, the pizza place by the main pool, snacks at the Dutch cafe (sandwiches, pancakes, cakes, etc.) or free room service.
Unfortunately, the very good burger, fries, and hot dog pool bar restaurant closed at 6 pm every day. My parents wished it had been open later in the evenings.
It wasn’t like being on a Cunard ship where ship-wide dress codes are often in force in the bars, restaurants and theatre after 6 pm.
You wouldn’t look out of place in a bar or in the theatre if you hadn’t dressed up.
Dressy nights certainly don’t mean you are trapped in your cabin unless you own a ball gown or a tuxedo!
There Is Also an Orange Party
Although my parents did wear orange on the orange night (Dad an orange polo shirt and beige chinos, Mum a dress which was mostly orange), many people didn’t.
Probably around 75% of the guests they saw in the main restaurant had some orange on their clothes. They were certainly not dressed completely in orange – just the odd clothing item or accessory.
My parents didn’t go to the orange night parties at all. They had had a busy day in port and wanted to just take it easy.
12. Grand Voyages Can Be More Formal
Standard Holland America cruises mainly use Smart Casual and Dressy Nights.
Grand Voyages also have actual Formal Nights, where suits, tuxedos, dresses or other formal attire may be expected in the restaurants.
If you are considering booking a Grand Voyage, I would advise you to check the specific guidance for your sailing rather than relying entirely on the normal Holland America rules.
13. What I’d Actually Pack for a Holland America Cruise
My parents packed the same as they would pack for any other cruise!
For women
- Daytime casual clothes
- Dresses/skirts/trousers to wear to dinner
- Maybe a slightly nicer dress / nicer trousers and top for Dressy Nights – but you don’t need to pack a ball gown (unless you want to!)
- Comfortable shoes – this is very important as you will probably do a lot of walking in port and around the ship
- Something orange – a dress, blouse – or just an accessory to wear on orange night.
- If you don’t want to dress in orange on Orange Night, don’t!
For men
- Daytime casual clothes
- Trousers/chinos
- A few collared polo-type shirts
- Optional jacket
- Something orange – a polo shirt or shirt – but you don’t have to wear orange if you don’t want to.
- A tie – only if you actually want to wear one.
My Dad packed a navy suit, but only wore it once on the first formal night. After seeing how relaxed the dress code actually was, he wore chinos and a shirt on other formal nights.
Would Holland America Suit Someone Who Hates Formal Nights?
Yes – in reality, their Holland America cruise was far more relaxed and informal than they had anticipated.
It is easy to avoid the main dining room on formal nights, and the dress code isn’t in force in the bars or the theatre.
They thought that anyone used to sailing with NCL/Virgin/Marella wouldn’t find it too much of a culture shock – it was certainly nowhere near as formal as a Cunard cruise.
They do some great itineraries, and my parents felt that the cruise looked far more formal on paper than it did onboard.
You need to look reasonably smart for certain dinners if you want to go and eat in the main restaurant – but on a normal Holland America cruise you definitely don’t need a wardrobe full of formalwear!
The most formal sailing I have ever taken was my transatlantic crossing on Cunard’s Queen Mary. Have a look at that memorable cruise – and the wonderful clothes people wore on formal night – here:
Before You Go
Orange Nights, White Nights, Black and Gold nights – different cruise lines have different themes. Find out more about that here:
Theme Nights On Cruise Ships (Everything You Need to Know) – Examples
Find out what I think makes a perfect cruise dress here:
This Is What Makes the Perfect Cruise Dress (5 Must-Have Features)
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