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Dinner in the Hague
I saw in the itinerary that on day five we will be having dinner off the boat in The Hague. While we always dress nicely for dinner, on the boat, on some past Tauck cruises, the dinner off the boat required a little fancier attire. (eg: Dinners in Vienna and Paris required jackets for men.) Any insight as to the expected attire for the dinner in The Hague from people who have been on this cruise would be appreciated.
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If the packing list recommended by Tauck doesn't say coat/tie are optional then the expectation is a dressier evening than nights aboard the ship. You can find the list on the Tauck website on the page for your tour or in your final travel .documents.
baberrice,
It wasn't clear to me whether you have already received the itinerary for your trip? We are going next month and this is what is says:
This evening, travel to The Hague (the royal city of Den Haag to the Dutch), for a sparkling Tauck Exclusive evening featuring dinner, live music and a tour showcasing Dutch Golden Age paintings at the Mauritshuis, a renowned art museum housed in a historic 17th-century building.
Your journey also includes one or two evenings highlighted by a special dinner or other unique event. For these evenings, a sport coat and tie for gentlemen and a dress/pantsuit for ladies are suggested and appreciated. (Your Tauck Cruise Director or Tauck Directors will advise you prior to those evenings.)
If you are only looking for actual experience please ignore. Safe travels.
baberrice and taxare - I am hoping to take two back-to-back tours, this being one of them. Please consider posting a review of your experience afterwards.
The gala events we have experienced have always been special and I believe Tauck is very correct in 'suggesting and appreciating' appropriate attire. Nonetheless, have a wonderful journey!
Thank you all for your responses. I was looking for feedback from someone who has recently been on that cruise for guidance as exactly how dressy the dinner is. This will be my fifth Tauck river cruise ( thirteenth Tauck trip in total). It has been my experience that despite the information in the itinerary and the cruise documents, there is quite a variation on the formality of the special events. Just trying to determine if nice black pants and a dressy top will do or would something more in line with cocktail attire be more appropriate. Thanks in advance.
I went last year. No "cocktail" attire is necessary. Black pants and nice top will be fine. It's a beautiful venue, and people certainly do dress up and look nice.
I think it can often be the actual group you find yourself with. You could find yourself with an overwhelmingly dressy group or the opposite…..not very helpful to know of course!
I typically wear dresses at these events but certainly not a cocktail dress. Tailored black slacks and a nice top with some accessories, perhaps, will be just fine. My husband always wears a suit jacket to all formal dinner events, but that is merely his preference. Some people will scoff at this, but we believe in showing respect to the venue and host country.
Enjoy.
Thanks for the practical advice. Very helpful! I am taking my sister to celebrate her birthday. This is her first Tauck. While I have my standard evening outfit that can be dressed up or dressed down, she wants to make sure she is packing the appropriate attire.
Six river cruises down and I've seen a range of attire. Never seen anyone denied a meal because of what they wore.
While I too have never seen anyone denied a meal, we want to be respectful of the venue and the other passengers.
In multiple cruises and tours with Tauck and over 600 guests, I can't remember more than half a dozen who I'd consider being so underdressed as to be disrespectful. You want to be comfortable - both physically and mentally. For me the later is by not standing out for the wrong reasons. That said, don't let others choices dictate you enjoying yourself.
baberrice - Thank you for wanting to be respectful of the venue, as well as for the host country. As I mentioned earlier, the gala events have been some of the most memorable experiences we have had. I'm sure you and your sister will have a wonderful time and I do hope you will post a review.
Jetiii, when you were in Ghent were you able to view the Ghent Altarpiece during the walking tour?
The dinner at the Hague and the tour of the artwork was amazing. We did this last Spring. When I travel with Tauck, I wear nice black pants and bring along a few extra nice tops. I travel light. My husband usually wears a nice pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. I've never felt underdressed or out of place at any function. Sometimes he brings a jacket, but not usually. FYI- the dinner was very noisy, so we really couldn't talk to anyone except people sitting right next to us. But, lovely.
Ben, the Altarpiece was not included in our walking tour but we did have time to see it in our free time after the tour. Magnificent!