naturelovergirl

Cunard is very special at night with the dress code. It is part of their tradition and part of what makes them unique. It is different from other more casual lines. Whereas other lines have dress codes that are merely suggestions, Cunard is more of a traditional line and has a true dress code. I would not want to limit my Cunard experience at night- it is great. So my suggestion is not to stress about it, but just embrace and enjoy Cunard for all of its beauty after 6pm.

The dress code is formal on a Gala night- some people might give a nod to the theme (that would be us), others may go all out with the theme, while some people do not do the theme at all. The main thing is to dress formal. Oh, and have fun!

We have made the choice today to switch from Late seating to Open seating for our Alaska voyage later this summer- and it truly came down to the idea of making the most out of scenery and scheduling with our port activities- some of our morning excursions are quite early. We typically prefer traditional seating on a cruise- but in the end, we discussed it, and we decided that early seating was too early and late seating was too late. We have done open dining on other cruises- and I will certainly miss having the same wait staff in the dining room on this upcoming Cunard voyage. Still, in the end I think it is the right choice for us with our plans. I’ll make sure to let you all know what my experience in Open is like for us on Cunard after the August Alaska cruise. Crossing my fingers!

✨We are bringing masks from home for the Masquerade night in Alaska✨

Hoping they bring it back to all of the ships

Dark suit with tie or bow tie is absolutely acceptable for the Gala Night’s dress code

We love to dress up for the evenings- so we have zero problem with smart attire or the gala/formal nights. We love Cunard for the chance to experience traditional cruising as I always dreamed about my whole life. Where Cunard has a branding problem is that they want to attract new passengers- but many of those new passengers do not know the brand or the traditions. All you have to do is go on any social media platform discussing the Alaska cruises this year. There are many people who have never had the joy of sailing Cunard before. Many. They found an excellent Alaska itinerary on Cunard and booked. Many of them have sailed other lines before- and many of them have sailed to Alaska before on those lines. Other lines do have more ambiguous dress codes- almost like they are just mere suggestions. (And you see that wide variety of dress in the evenings, for certain) And specifically for Alaska, you read all of the time on travel articles and travel blogs that Alaska cruises are more “casual”. I have read so many people who booked Cunard (for Alaska specifically) and are surprised that the dress code is what it is. (I even read a comment one day where a person was saying that their travel agent told them that they had to dress nicely for only a couple of nights- and they were so surprised that there was a dress code all nights) And yes- I’ve also read many people say online that their polo shirt has a collar. So here (on social media discussions) we have a new crop of Cunard passengers who just booked a vacation with a fantastic set of ports and days- and they are trying to figure out that bare minimum they have to do to adhere to the dress code- and all of the Cunarders are like, didn’t you research? But regardless. These new passengers did not know that their cruise was going to be more traditional. Our hope is that they try Cunard and LOVE it as so many of us do! We want new passengers to love Cunard- but we also don’t want Cunard to lose the things that differentiate Cunard from other lines. Somewhere the communication has broken down between the Cunard marketing to new passengers who are not familiar with the brand or its history and the loyal passengers who know tradition of the line. Whether that is Cunard, or travel agents, or just the person planning not reading between the lines on the website- it really comes down to communicating what Cunard is.

We loved it too

Our Cunarder arrived yesterday! 😊

We listened to Michener’s Alaska on Audible It is long, as you would expect, but we enjoyed it very much The Gold Rush chapters were outstanding We also liked the salmon section, but all of it was good So glad we listened to it

The rooms on cruises are that way so that they can be adapted either way depending on guest preference- twins or set together as a king We found our bed (king configuration) to be very comfortable on Cunard

We are independent off the beaten track travelers too- but we do tend to go for scenic views, see nature, and find historical spots in our treks We like to bike, walk, and rent cars on our travels We will do excursions, as well, but tend to gravitate towards history and nature when booking I also have no need for Diamonds International or shopping in tourist shops… now… give me a good artist co-op and I’ll be charmed in 😏 Have fun and make the memories you want to make

The Cunard dress code will be the same on all Cunard sailings... including their trips to Alaska For Alaska sailings you will have 2 Formal Gala nights - Ice White Gala - Masquerade Gala Those will be on the sea days The rest of the evenings (ports and the glacier scenic viewings) will be "smart attire" for the after 6pm dress code It is all part of the Cunard experience It makes the ships feel wonderful and beautiful at night

No cruise line will be perfect at ports That is the luck of the draw on the day and with the conditions of the day- and also where the ports schedule each ship So I would not make that a criteria You absolutely can make time in port a priority All cruise lines have kids clubs and activities Choose the itinerary you want first then choose the cruise line you want second

Since you are just purchasing for one, I should think you would do better just buying what you want instead of a package which covers for two.

If you would wear them for a nice evening out to a lovely restaurant or the theatre then your clothes are “smart” ✨Of course in my house choosing to take each other out to the theatre and/or a beautiful restaurant is VERY SMART! ✨ 😏

Cunard is different from other lines as it does have a dress code after 6. (Other cruise lines might have suggestions of clothing choices at night… but Cunard is a traditional line and actually has a dress code at night. It makes the ship feel very special in the evenings.) On the smart attire evenings, if you both dress nicely within the code, then all is good. You will have free rein of the ship and all the activities. I would absolutely suggest that as a minimum. Do the smart attire evenings. Personally I would not miss out on the full Cunard experience, though. On Gala Nights he would be fine in a dark suit with tie or bow tie. It does not have to be a tux. Then you could enjoy everything. (The phrase “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” can just be switched to “when on Cunard, do as the Cunarders do” 😊) Seriously, my husband and I will be hiking boots by day (we love the outdoors and exploring) in port and then spruce up at night on Cunard. It’s all part of the experience which we embrace. It is something to consider.

We wanted the full-day since riding around to see nature and the history of the area, so it was fine for us- Alaska is expensive anyway. The e-bikes are more than just transportation for us- they will be our activity for the day. But the website says you can rent by the hour on the day. Might be worth checking out when you arrive at the port.

If you prefer being independent, you can also rent e-bikes from Kings E-bikes at the port and then bike into the town of Sitka instead of taking the shuttle. That is our plan.

I’m a shameless planner… love planning for my trips. Never too early- enjoy planning!!!

When I look at the CLAA site it has Radiance in on the 24th Make sure you refresh your internet browser and that you are also looking at the 2023 schedule and not the 2024 schedule for Skagway

He will be just fine on the Gala nights in his dark suit with tie or bow tie My husband always wears a dark suit with tie or bow tie on the Gala evenings and looks great Don’t miss the full Cunard experience It is wonderful and special

I thought this was an interesting recent article from May 8 https://khns.org/cruise-ships-may-avoid-hot-berthing-entirely-in-skagway-this-summer

Luckily my parents took me on a trip to England when I was 3. I fell in love with real Fish & Chips there. AND Being from the Southern US, we would sometimes enjoy an actual big fish fry with the family. We also traveled often to the Lowcountry to get seafood there too. So I was not scared off of eating and enjoying fish by the measly frozen fish stick as a kid. Ha!

We woke up early in the States and streamed the Coronation through PBS online. The music was beautiful. I also loved the military members gathering in the garden after the coronation procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.