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Daily Attire and Queen Mary: Is it for me?


jordans mom
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HI... for a long time I have wanted to sail on the QM.

 

My parents enjoyed many Cunard cruises over the years - and I remember their stories of the great ships and experiences (note: Mom loved to dress, Dad not so much - but he went along as long as Mom pulled it all together! :D:D)

 

However, I am not into "dressing up" every night, and while relaxing during sea days - prefer a nice tShirt or Coverup and Shorts over my bathing suit to sit, wander or find a place for day meals.....

so I have chosen many "casual cruises" over the years to many places on NCL.

 

Would I be comfortable on this type of cruise...I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic - dont really need any tours of Europe - been there plenty of times/ done that

 

But I do love Sea Days!

 

Thanks!

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I've did the T/A on QM2 last NOV + will be doing it again this NOV. On the formal nights, there's plenty of guests who avoid the MDR and its " dress code" and they eat happily in the buffet. Wearing decent clothing in the buffet ( no jeans and cut offs and tee shirts) is easy to do. And you will feel fine. And we went to the show in the theater, dressed nicely, but not formally, and it was no problem. The QM2 is a GREAT ship, and the T/A is awesome.

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Yes, folks dress very casually during the day on the QM2 crossings. However, the weather is often not warm and sunny, in fact, one usually wears a wind breaker on a sunny day stroll on deck. There is one pool in a sheltered area; the outdoor pool is not very useable on many days on a crossing. So wandering around in shorts, t-shirt, and cover-up of a swim suit does not fit the crossing experience weather-wise. I think you may be imaging an NCL cruise in the Med or Caribbean. Not a crossing of the North Atlantic. Still casual clothes are common during the day, and in the buffet at night on formal nights.

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HI... for a long time I have wanted to sail on the QM.

 

My parents enjoyed many Cunard cruises over the years - and I remember their stories of the great ships and experiences (note: Mom loved to dress, Dad not so much - but he went along as long as Mom pulled it all together! :D:D)

 

However, I am not into "dressing up" every night, and while relaxing during sea days - prefer a nice tShirt or Coverup and Shorts over my bathing suit to sit, wander or find a place for day meals.....

so I have chosen many "casual cruises" over the years to many places on NCL.

 

Would I be comfortable on this type of cruise...I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic - dont really need any tours of Europe - been there plenty of times/ done that

 

But I do love Sea Days!

 

Thanks!

 

You will be fine in casual smart shorts and Tee/ top during the day, with comfortable shoes.

Many will also be dressed similar as inside the ship can be quite warm and a quick walk with breeze around the deck when sun shining is refreshing.

You certainly will not be alone in that way of dressing.

 

Cunard state

All Cunard ships have a dress code on board in order to create an ambience throughout the ship and set the tone for the evening.

During the day, you’ll probably find yourself most comfortable in stylish casual wear, including shorts and smart jeans and during the evening one of two dress codes will apply, formal and informal.

The dress code changes each evening and applies in the main areas of the ship after 6.00pm. You will be notified of the evening’s dress code in your Daily Programme and you can also find out how many of each dress code you can expect on your Voyage Personaliser.

If you wish to dress more casually, you are welcome to dine in the buffet restaurants and relax in the Carinthia Lounge, Winter Garden, Garden Lounge, Yacht Club, G32 or on the open decks.

A full break down of dress codes, the number of formal nights and any themed balls can be viewed via the link below along with the suggested attire for each type of evening: What will the dress code be whilst I am on board?

https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/dress_code

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Altho-- you do know-- Right ?? there's not much weather that is going to make you wear shorts or swim suits on a T/A crossing.

 

On our recent crossing, I saw a man in shorts and Hawaiian shirt and he was complaining that the weather was so cold. People tend to equate "cruise" with warm weather and don't think about the route the crossing takes.

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As other have said the weather Trans Atlantic is not a Mediterranean or Caribbean like and except for the Pavilion pool in Queen Mary 2, I doubt you will do much swimming out doors.

 

I do think, however you might be a bit underdressed in shorts and a tee shirt in the evening. Think of it in terms of "business casual" and you will be ok. Super casual might get you into the buffet, but not likely the other dining venues, even those with out a supplement.

 

One of the pleasures of a Cunard crossing is getting to dress a bit more formally than is customary in everyday Europe or the US. To wear the clothes that otherwise sit in the closet all the time. Its fun to be with other smartly dressed people enjoying the evening activities on the Cunard Queens.

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True story: on my most recent crossing I saw a man who wore a denim mini skirt and woman's lace stockings during the day (nothing wrong with that). Not sure about the evening. The main theme during the days is comfortable clothing. People wear what they want. The evening is always dressing up and I do admit that I am not always in the mood to put my tux on, the end result is worth it when you see everyone in more formal attire. It is a great feeling of occasion.

 

 

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HI... for a long time I have wanted to sail on the QM.

 

My parents enjoyed many Cunard cruises over the years - and I remember their stories of the great ships and experiences (note: Mom loved to dress, Dad not so much - but he went along as long as Mom pulled it all together! :D:D)

 

However, I am not into "dressing up" every night, and while relaxing during sea days - prefer a nice tShirt or Coverup and Shorts over my bathing suit to sit, wander or find a place for day meals.....

so I have chosen many "casual cruises" over the years to many places on NCL.

 

Would I be comfortable on this type of cruise...I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic - dont really need any tours of Europe - been there plenty of times/ done that

 

But I do love Sea Days!

 

Thanks!

Having sailed on a few NCL cruises, you will find the level of attire even though Cunard folk consider it casual to be way above that on an NCL sailing. Do plan if you take any meals in the Britannia Dining Room to wear better slacks or if you must shorts during the day and of course in the evening a jacket and dress slacks and proper shoes are required. Sadly ties have been retired as a must but the majority of males still will be wearing then. Formal evenings are as the word implies formal with tux the choice of most with a decent black or dark blue suit, white shirt and tie followed. As others have stated you can still find a decent dinner in the buffet section should such attire not be to your liking and the lounge next door is quite nice with the redo and it offers libations and music.Transatlantic sailings tend t be more formal both day and evening than the cruises.

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Speaking of 'formal' - Can one rent a tux on board through Cunard? On a very superficial look at the web site, I didn't see any thing about rentals, but our TA thought they did rent on board. ???

 

We are going for Space Week from Brooklyn next month and returning to NYC on the QM2 the following week. I know my DH would rather wear a space suit, than a tux! :evilsmile:

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

 

"... Formal evenings are as the word implies formal with tux the choice of most with a decent black or dark blue suit, white shirt and tie followed. As others have stated you can still find a decent dinner in the buffet section should such attire not be to your liking and the lounge next door is quite nice with the redo and it offers libations and music.Transatlantic sailings tend t be more formal both day and evening than the cruises.

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Speaking of 'formal' - Can one rent a tux on board through Cunard? On a very superficial look at the web site, I didn't see any thing about rentals, but our TA thought they did rent on board. ???

 

We are going for Space Week from Brooklyn next month and returning to NYC on the QM2 the following week. I know my DH would rather wear a space suit, than a tux! :evilsmile:

 

Any information would be appreciated.

.

 

Welcome. We are on the same cruise. Have you been on the roll call for that cruise?

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Altho-- you do know-- Right ?? there's not much weather that is going to make you wear shorts or swim suits on a T/A crossing.

 

 

 

Just what I was thinking! Captain Wells describes the Atlantic as the real 50 shades of grey! Lol!

 

 

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HI... for a long time I have wanted to sail on the QM.

 

My parents enjoyed many Cunard cruises over the years - and I remember their stories of the great ships and experiences (note: Mom loved to dress, Dad not so much - but he went along as long as Mom pulled it all together! :D:D)

 

However, I am not into "dressing up" every night, and while relaxing during sea days - prefer a nice tShirt or Coverup and Shorts over my bathing suit to sit, wander or find a place for day meals.....

so I have chosen many "casual cruises" over the years to many places on NCL.

 

Would I be comfortable on this type of cruise...I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic - dont really need any tours of Europe - been there plenty of times/ done that

 

But I do love Sea Days!

 

Thanks!

 

Hi there Jordan's Mum.

 

If you want a frank and honest answer, based on what you have written, and particularly in view of..."I am not into "dressing up" every night" and..."I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic" then I would say Cunard is definitely 'not for you'.

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Thanks so much for the helpful answers to the tux mysteries. The rental expense is more than we would like to spend! Don't know if there is such a thing as a 'cheap tux' in the Rochester area (where they make Hickey Freeman suits & tuxes and have a true factory store)! But we'll see what we can find.

 

 

He already has the 'jewelry' covered. 51 years ago, my grandmother gave him my grandfather's cuff link and stud set. They are rather modest by today's standards, but I'm so pleased he'll finally be able to wear them. Also found some funny 'space' socks :D.

 

 

I have glanced at the sailing bds - once we have some of this other stuff under control, will get back to it. Wonder what percentage of the passengers are interested in the Space topic? Thank you for your welcome!

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To Jordon's Mom-

 

One place you might look is on YouTube. People have posted films of the evening dining and other spots on board the QM2 such as the buffet, pub. You don't have to eat in the MDR, or the Grills every night.

 

I also think the degree of formality goes up when you chose a cabin where you eat in the Grills.

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Thanks so much for the helpful answers to the tux mysteries. The rental expense is more than we would like to spend! Don't know if there is such a thing as a 'cheap tux' in the Rochester area (where they make Hickey Freeman suits & tuxes and have a true factory store)! But we'll see what we can find.
JosA.Bank occasionally has a 70% sale during which their tuxes become somewhat reasonably priced.
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HI... for a long time I have wanted to sail on the QM.

 

My parents enjoyed many Cunard cruises over the years - and I remember their stories of the great ships and experiences (note: Mom loved to dress, Dad not so much - but he went along as long as Mom pulled it all together! :D:D)

 

However, I am not into "dressing up" every night, and while relaxing during sea days - prefer a nice tShirt or Coverup and Shorts over my bathing suit to sit, wander or find a place for day meals.....

so I have chosen many "casual cruises" over the years to many places on NCL.

 

Would I be comfortable on this type of cruise...I am thinking of the 14 day Transatlantic - dont really need any tours of Europe - been there plenty of times/ done that

 

But I do love Sea Days!

 

Thanks!

 

 

Dressing up at night is okay, but if it was 'smart casual' during the day as well, I couldn't do it. This is why I've never taken the Orient Express, the dress code etc is all a bit too restrictive, though I suppose I could put up with it for a one or two night train trip :)

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Dear Jordan's Mom,

My wife greatly enjoys the formal nights and I'm OK with it a few times a year. We sailed the QM2 on a TA back in May (7 nights). The three formal nights were just enough. Not sure I could have done 6 on a two week voyage as you are talking about. However, Cunard and the crew of the QM2 certainly made those 3 nights special and a lot of fun as did our fellow passengers. Casual nights are very easy. For men it is just a blazer. For women, even easier as cocktail party styles were quite diverse. Daytime attire was again all over the board with the exception of "shabby chic". Didn't see any of that.

We had a couple of chilly days but managed to still get our walks in after breakfast on the promenade deck. We also found the hot tubs on the stern of the ship (deck 8 I think) were great in the afternoons on those chilly days. We would head out there in our robes with our bathing suites underneath and a couple of large glasses of wine.

Still, going on a 14 day cruise on a Cunard ship when formal is not your thing may not be a wise thing or as my old boss use to say, "bad plan executed perfectly".

 

Hint: A number of years ago I bought a used tux from the rental department of the Men's Wearhouse. I picked a classic design and the sales clerk let me go through the inventory until I found pants and a coat in very good condition. The cost was about the price of 2 1/2 rentals and that included a final dry-cleaning. I have worn that tux more than a dozen times since. For our cruise this year I bought a second tuxedo shirt with an updated look.

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Would it be acceptable to wear dark blue smart jeans with a brown jacket and opened neck shirt on informal nights?

 

see

https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/dress_code

 

Please note that after 6:00pm, shorts and blue or worn denim (for men and women); sandals and sleeveless tops (for men) are not considered appropriate within the ship.

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Dressing up at night is okay, but if it was 'smart casual' during the day as well, I couldn't do it. This is why I've never taken the Orient Express, the dress code etc is all a bit too restrictive, though I suppose I could put up with it for a one or two night train trip :)

 

I'm pairing a trip from London to Venice on the OE and QV in Grills next year. Love the formality. Sadly it's not something that we do often in Australia.

 

But it isn't hard to dress well and comfortably. A nice shirt, trousers and blazer during the day for men is easy to pack for OE and tux for night. Will be packing a lot more for QV cruise though (thankful for the walk in wardrobe even if I'm sharing it this time).

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