Brummel

seasickphil: Already have, including the coveted Queen Anne maiden voyage. She looks like a Vegas casino.

True. This guy would not have gotten a standing O on a QM2 transatlantic crossing.

Oh, he was loved my almost all the audience. It's not just the quality of food and entertainment that is now unexceptional on board Cunard.

Far from it even during the Depression. See for yourself. Example of QE entertainment from last night: "Comedian"/pianist opens with... "Are there any Canadians here tonight? I like Canadians. They're like Americans but unarmed and with health-care." Hilarious. He then butchered some pop songs and beat the poor piano up a bit, interspersing other jejune "jokes," some mawkish sentimentality and even got in a photo of his dog. Of course, he got a standing ovation, from an audience that would have given a standing O to card tricks. It is not that Cunard is not good. It is fine. It's that it is not exceptional anymore. And that is sad.

Chryso is correct. Check out the website, if you have the stomach... I suggest you take a look on YouTube of city street scenes from the 1920s up to the 50s to see how far we have fallen in public dress. Now transiting the Panama Canal. The "Insights" lecturer doing commentary could make the Second Coming boring.

Fourmile.ranch writes: "But even if this were true GL, Cafe Carinthia, casino, Yacht Club and Lido do not have a dress code." Not correct. Even in the mealy-mouthed worded What to Wear: Smart Attire section of the Daily Programme ("...we ask that you wear smart attire."), guests in those venues after 6:00 pm are asked to "...please refrain from wearing shorts, sports attire, swim wear or sleeveless t-shirts outside of the gym, spa and deck spaces." Granted the after 6:00 pm part is not explicitly stated but is clear from the intent and context. Even without dress codes per se there must be standards. To think otherwise is to concede those venues to the People of Walmart. "These spaces are open to everyone." Not so. Even absent a dress code, nudists can be assumed to be excluded. (Sorry, fourmile.ranch, couldn't resist! 😁)

I am a World Club Platinum member currently on board the Queen Elizabeth on the way to Barcelona. My thoughts: The service and the ship itself are immaculate. Despite it being your standard cruise ship hull and layout, the Art Deco interior is lovely and from the outside the ship looks like a ship and not a floating amusement park. The entertainment is okay but, in my experience, bested by both Holland and Princess. Cunard has never been known for its dazzling entertainment, but that's not what it is - or used to be - about. The "Insight" lectures are almost without exception boring PowerPoint regurgitations by presenters with zero stage presence, few insights, and no clue how to engage an audience. I know they are uncompensated, so I guess you get what you pay for, but these used to be much better. The food in the MDR is uninspired, repetitive and no better than your typical slightly upscale local restaurant - and can take forever to reach your table. Again, Holland and Princess equal or exceeds. This may be just on the QE as a friend just off a QM2 transatlantic crossing says the food on that ship is the best it has ever been. The chefs on the QE are certainly capable of 4-star cuisine; you just have to pay a stiff surcharge in the specialty restaurants to get it. The once-vaunted Cunard dress code is a dead letter. Instead, there are a set of "requests" and "suggestions." The MDR, which only a few years ago required men wear a jacket and tie, now timidly hopes you will consider wearing a collared shirt and trousers without holes. That Cunard doesn't give a rip about any dress code is evident. You will see men bellied up to the Golden Lion's bar and in the Commodore, Lounge in swim trunks and flipflops, next to Cunard staff who say nothing. Enjoy the Gala Nights while you can. In ten years, tuxedos and gowns will be quaint oddities. Cunard used to be exceptional and special. Now it is just another cruise line. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Even the Beau would think that's a good occasion to break the rules. Enjoy!

Good question! And one the Beau never had to consider. I would think if both are presenting as male, standard formal rules apply, perhaps even more austere as "peacocking" might come across as effeminate and thus clichéd. Again, the rule is men shouldn't stand out - even from each other. But I admit, we're in uncharted territory here.

The Beau nods. Gallantry to the ladies absolves everything.

Indeed. The peacocks also illuminate the eagles.

Victoria2 writes: "Luckily, sartorial faux pas are in the eye of the beholder and if those of a let's say, flamboyant nature wish to dazzle us with less than sober attire, I for one love their exuberance." Let us remember, the Beau (Peace be upon him!) dictated simple, sober and non-foppish formal wear for men as a way to highlight the ladies' glittering, colorful gowns. The true gentleman does not compete with his lady for attention in the ballroom; he enhances her by the contrast..

The Beau's Prime Directive always applies: do not wear (or by extension, do not not wear) anything that draws attention to yourself 😁.

Sunday afternoons at home in the US knows no dress codes.

Close enough.