I'm pretty sure the dress code has changed

[Victoria2]

For goodness sake, those who are concerned, chill.

 

Will the 'new' dress code be that 'final coffin nail'? I haven't a clue as the seacation cruises are a one off for the '21 summer season, at the moment. Maybe the 'new' dress code is a temporary measure. I hope so. My knickers are not going to get in a twist about something which might/might not be a permanent fixture until it becomes, a permanent  fixture. Even then, we'll cope.

[exlondoner]

And there is, of course, nothing to stop you wearing a DJ and a glamorous evening dress any night, or even every night. You might even set a trend.

[Victoria2]

40 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

And there is, of course, nothing to stop you wearing a DJ and a glamorous evening dress any night, or even every night. You might even set a trend.

Every night?

Husband only has three dress shirts. Better buy some more. Luckily, I can still fit in all my formal stuff so, Bring It On!  🙂

[exlondoner]

46 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Every night?

Husband only has three dress shirts. Better buy some more. Luckily, I can still fit in all my formal stuff so, Bring It On!  🙂

 

He can use the excellent laundry service.

[Victoria2]

14 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

He can use the excellent laundry service.

We already do. I won’t iron on holiday. A couple more shirts will  be needed though for formal dinners every evening. Fingers crossed for trad. number then🤞

[Lakesregion]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

For goodness sake, those who are concerned, chill.

 

Will the 'new' dress code be that 'final coffin nail'? I haven't a clue as the seacation cruises are a one off for the '21 summer season, at the moment. Maybe the 'new' dress code is a temporary measure. I hope so. My knickers are not going to get in a twist about something which might/might not be a permanent fixture until it becomes, a permanent  fixture. Even then, we'll cope.

It would appear that it is permanent as it appears in the information on mycunard for the 100th Anniversary World Cruise. Yes children, Cunard is allowing gardening and wash the car attire for males and "skirts" rather than dresses for the women in the formally formal dining room for dinner. Sad that the crew may be better attired than the passengers. But then one will pray that on the 117 full World Cruise NYC - NYC the vast majority of passengers will know better how to dress themselves for a grand 100th anniversary of the first world cruise where even the second class passengers dressed for dinner in suit and tie.

[Covepointcruiser]

My husband does not have trouble packing a blazer and a tux.   There is a passenger laundry where it is easy to was a permanent press shirt.   He loves the transatlantic crossings as he wear his tux every evening except the first and last.   He likes not having to make decisions regarding what to wear.

[Victoria2]

9 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

It would appear that it is permanent as it appears in the information on mycunard for the 100th Anniversary World Cruise. Yes children, Cunard is allowing gardening and wash the car attire for males and "skirts" rather than dresses for the women in the formally formal dining room for dinner. Sad that the crew may be better attired than the passengers. But then one will pray that on the 117 full World Cruise NYC - NYC the vast majority of passengers will know better how to dress themselves for a grand 100th anniversary of the first world cruise where even the second class passengers dressed for dinner in suit and tie.

 My goodness, the gardeners and car wash crew must be well dressed in the US.  If I suggested a dress shirt as suitable attire for our gardener  I think I know what his answer would be! Unprintable.😄

I have looked at 'My Cunard' for all our bookings and  for the non formal evenings, funnily  enough, although a jacket for the chaps isn't specified [yet], gardening and car washing attire isn't mentioned either and as I have never worn a dress for the less than formal evenings, I can assure you I haven't cleaned my car for years so the ladies who choose to wear trousers or a skirt of an evening, and the chaps in their dress shirts will not be handing out their cleaning and gardening services business cards.

 

Will there be more chaps sans jackets? Indubitably. Will the majority? I doubt it. My husband will be taking his jackets and one tie. I will be dressed, as usual in high end separates or long evening dress and I think most passengers will be doing the same. Look for gloom, and you'll find it. Think positive and the holiday will go with a swing.

 

Alternatively, those who object, can always find another cruise line to sail with. There are plenty out there which can compete with Cunard on the less formal spectrum. I know what we will be doing and it won't be jumping ship because jackets are less prevalent.

[Dermotsgirl]

I was originally booked on the QV sailing to Venice on 1st October, but moved it ages ago to the British Isles sailing next May.

 

I think think is a sailing that has a reasonable chance of going, so I will have to, at some point,  refresh my cruise wardrobe. To be honest, I haven’t got much enthusiasm about it. 
 

I’ve been going on cruises for 20 years, and have always avoided Cunard, in part because of some of the extreme dress code threads. For a newcomer to Cunard, some of the things that are said are a real turn off.  I’ve been told that, for ex-Southampton cruises at least, people more or less dress like they do on P&O. As a veteran of P&O, that’s how I will dress, so I hope I don’t scare the horses too much. 
 

Fortunately, I’m not a skirt type of person as I much prefer trousers when wearing separates, but I’m very curious to know why ‘skirts’ are regarded with such horror on Cunard. 

Edited September 19, 2021 by Dermotsgirl

[exlondoner]

39 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I was originally booked on the QV sailing to Venice on 1st October, but moved it ages ago to the British Isles sailing next May.

 

I think think is a sailing that has a reasonable chance of going, so I will have to, at some point,  refresh my cruise wardrobe. To be honest, I haven’t got much enthusiasm about it. 
 

I’ve been going on cruises for 20 years, and have always avoided Cunard, in part because of some of the extreme dress code threads. For a newcomer to Cunard, some of the things that are said are a real turn off.  I’ve been told that, for ex-Southampton cruises at least, people more or less dress like they do on P&O. As a veteran of P&O, that’s how I will dress, so I hope I don’t scare the horses too much. 
 

Fortunately, I’m not a skirt type of person as I much prefer trousers when wearing separates, but I’m very curious to know why ‘skirts’ are regarded with such horror on Cunard. 

 

I have never heard anyone express their horror at the thought of a skirt, and I've been going on Cunard for a while. 

[wolfie789]

46 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I was originally booked on the QV sailing to Venice on 1st October, but moved it ages ago to the British Isles sailing next May.

 

I think think is a sailing that has a reasonable chance of going, so I will have to, at some point,  refresh my cruise wardrobe. To be honest, I haven’t got much enthusiasm about it. 
 

I’ve been going on cruises for 20 years, and have always avoided Cunard, in part because of some of the extreme dress code threads. For a newcomer to Cunard, some of the things that are said are a real turn off.  I’ve been told that, for ex-Southampton cruises at least, people more or less dress like they do on P&O. As a veteran of P&O, that’s how I will dress, so I hope I don’t scare the horses too much. 
 

Fortunately, I’m not a skirt type of person as I much prefer trousers when wearing separates, but I’m very curious to know why ‘skirts’ are regarded with such horror on Cunard. 

I think people can get animated on here because Cunard is really the only line left retaining many of the traditions of cruising, including dressing up in the evening. A small minority of the customers can spoil the ambience onboard which is a real shame, but the vast majority do not.

Having cruised with both P&O and Cunard, they definitely are different. On formal evenings the proportion of men wearing proper dinner jackets as opposed to dark suits is much higher and ditto women wearing ball gowns or cocktail dresses, relative to smart separates. Both are permitted within the dress code, though, and I would hope nobody would criticise anybody at the more casual end who was still within what the dress code permits. Informal evenings have also historically been quite different to P&O in that women are generally a bit smarter and men wear jackets, with around 30% wearing ties too. It was very different when I was on P&O five or so years ago. Of course, if Cunard permanently change the dress code for informal evenings the difference between the two lines might reduce considerably. Time will tell.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I was originally booked on the QV sailing to Venice on 1st October, but moved it ages ago to the British Isles sailing next May.

 

I think think is a sailing that has a reasonable chance of going, so I will have to, at some point,  refresh my cruise wardrobe. To be honest, I haven’t got much enthusiasm about it. 
 

I’ve been going on cruises for 20 years, and have always avoided Cunard, in part because of some of the extreme dress code threads. For a newcomer to Cunard, some of the things that are said are a real turn off.  I’ve been told that, for ex-Southampton cruises at least, people more or less dress like they do on P&O. As a veteran of P&O, that’s how I will dress, so I hope I don’t scare the horses too much. 
 

Fortunately, I’m not a skirt type of person as I much prefer trousers when wearing separates, but I’m very curious to know why ‘skirts’ are regarded with such horror on Cunard. 

I do wonder sometimes if those who have appointed themselves as the Dress Police, either onboard, in person or on a cruise forum actually realise the harm they are doing to their line of choice.

 

Please believe me, the Dress Police  may be vocal in print but they don't even register on the radar of the vast majority of Cunard passengers and as I, for one, want the Cunard line to survive and if slightly evolving with the times means more people are 'less frightened' of committing a sartorial faux pas and will book, then absolutely fine by me.

 

It would be an interesting exercise to see if the Dress Police have pushed the suits to modify, in writing, their stance

 

Food for thought for the  Outraged of Tunbridge Wells [Google it those not from the UK]!

[Yaldi]

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I was originally booked on the QV sailing to Venice on 1st October, but moved it ages ago to the British Isles sailing next May.

 

I think think is a sailing that has a reasonable chance of going, so I will have to, at some point,  refresh my cruise wardrobe. To be honest, I haven’t got much enthusiasm about it. 
 

I’ve been going on cruises for 20 years, and have always avoided Cunard, in part because of some of the extreme dress code threads. For a newcomer to Cunard, some of the things that are said are a real turn off.  I’ve been told that, for ex-Southampton cruises at least, people more or less dress like they do on P&O. As a veteran of P&O, that’s how I will dress, so I hope I don’t scare the horses too much. 
 

Fortunately, I’m not a skirt type of person as I much prefer trousers when wearing separates, but I’m very curious to know why ‘skirts’ are regarded with such horror on Cunard. 

It’s easy to snarl disapproval through the medium of message board anonymity. The reality is guests on Cunard line, I have found, are truly lovely and friendly people and I would not hesitate to recommend Cunard line to family and friends. 
 

 

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

I do wonder sometimes if those who have appointed themselves as the Dress Police, either onboard, in person or on a cruise forum actually realise the harm they are doing to their line of choice.

 

Please believe me, the Dress Police  may be vocal in print but they don't even register on the radar of the vast majority of Cunard passengers and as I, for one, want the Cunard line to survive and if slightly evolving with the times means more people are 'less frightened' of committing a sartorial faux pas and will book, then absolutely fine by me.

 

It would be an interesting exercise to see if the Dress Police have pushed the suits to modify, in writing, their stance

 

Food for thought for the  Outraged of Tunbridge Wells [Google it those not from the UK]!

 

I  agree, but I am also completely mystified by the occasional male who posts here, saying they are not keen on cruising on Cunard, because they would have to wear a jacket. Seems very strange to me, especially with the air conditioning.

[Lakesregion]

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I do wonder sometimes if those who have appointed themselves as the Dress Police, either onboard, in person or on a cruise forum actually realise the harm they are doing to their line of choice.

 

Please believe me, the Dress Police  may be vocal in print but they don't even register on the radar of the vast majority of Cunard passengers and as I, for one, want the Cunard line to survive and if slightly evolving with the times means more people are 'less frightened' of committing a sartorial faux pas and will book, then absolutely fine by me.

 

It would be an interesting exercise to see if the Dress Police have pushed the suits to modify, in writing, their stance

 

Food for thought for the  Outraged of Tunbridge Wells [Google it those not from the UK]!

"Slightly evolving" is not going from Jacket to Shirt with no jacket, that is surrender to the lack of proper attire in a formal dining room. If one needs to be that casual and still requires to pretend they are on the real Cunard then they can dine en-suite or in the cafeteria.

 

For those wondering what the proper level of attire is for a 117 day world cruise, here is a suggested list.

1. Arriving in the grandest city in the US - New York for a few days before sailing - Dark suit or Navy Blazer, Dress shirt, tie dark charcoal wool slacks, Cashmere overcoat, homburg, black leather gloves and nice silk scarf, Black tasseled loafers and a brass tipped cane.

2. Embarkation - Navy Blazer, Slightly less dressy dress shirt (some color) dark charcoal slacks, Tie or neck scarf, same outer wear as it is January 3rd.

3. On-Board during the day -

10 sweaters of various colors - Crew neck is my preference

17 long sleeve shirts in a variety of stripes and patterns

10 Collared Polo shirts again in a variety of colors. No patterns

4-6 Pairs of tan linen or year round wool slacks, Several pairs of charcoal slacks, tan, green and red slacks to tone up afternoon tea that  requires the Navy Blazer and throat scarf instead of tie.

Sunday services - Suit and dress shirt and tie

For exercise - pair of sweat pants to go with the colored polo shirts

Swim Suit

Two - four pairs of shorts, Madras and plain white for deck games.

Shoes - Black tasseled loafers, Brown tasseled loafers, white sneakers for deck walks and deck games, several pairs of general casual but not in the sneaker class

Hats for on deck - will acquire several QM2 caps while on board, wide brim hat for sunning.

Evening - Formal nights - Tuxedo and all required fig - White dinner jacket for the tropics' Three formal shirts (full use of the ships laundry planned) - Evening slippers in patent leather or velvet with leather soles for dancing.

Other evenings - Jacket 9 Navy Blazer single and double breasted, Master Golf green, salmon, beige. Long sleeved dress or casual shirts with throat scarf or tie. Ten ties, ten throat scarfs, numerous pocket squares.

On-shore; Over nights in port - suit for a fine dinner in one of the locales historic hotels, Opera where available (tuxedo for those nights), cane

Day time - comfortable slacks, long sleeve or polo shirt and walking shoes (no sneakers) wide brim hat, wind breaker, cane.

Disembarkation - NYC Back to the dark suit and tie. After all, after 177 days, we do represent Cunard to the local masses and should not give the wrong impression.

8 suitcases, suit bag and one carry on will do it.

Nothing to hard to do and far less than when the initial world cruise left port in 1923.

 

 

[ovccruiser]

Nice read, I will keep my end up and wear jacket and tie to dinner and formal when required. 😄

 

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Lakesregion said:

"Slightly evolving" is not going from Jacket to Shirt with no jacket, that is surrender to the lack of proper attire in a formal dining room. If one needs to be that casual and still requires to pretend they are on the real Cunard then they can dine en-suite or in the cafeteria.

 

For those wondering what the proper level of attire is for a 117 day world cruise, here is a suggested list.

1. Arriving in the grandest city in the US - New York for a few days before sailing - Dark suit or Navy Blazer, Dress shirt, tie dark charcoal wool slacks, Cashmere overcoat, homburg, black leather gloves and nice silk scarf, Black tasseled loafers and a brass tipped cane.

2. Embarkation - Navy Blazer, Slightly less dressy dress shirt (some color) dark charcoal slacks, Tie or neck scarf, same outer wear as it is January 3rd.

3. On-Board during the day -

10 sweaters of various colors - Crew neck is my preference

17 long sleeve shirts in a variety of stripes and patterns

10 Collared Polo shirts again in a variety of colors. No patterns

4-6 Pairs of tan linen or year round wool slacks, Several pairs of charcoal slacks, tan, green and red slacks to tone up afternoon tea that  requires the Navy Blazer and throat scarf instead of tie.

Sunday services - Suit and dress shirt and tie

For exercise - pair of sweat pants to go with the colored polo shirts

Swim Suit

Two - four pairs of shorts, Madras and plain white for deck games.

Shoes - Black tasseled loafers, Brown tasseled loafers, white sneakers for deck walks and deck games, several pairs of general casual but not in the sneaker class

Hats for on deck - will acquire several QM2 caps while on board, wide brim hat for sunning.

Evening - Formal nights - Tuxedo and all required fig - White dinner jacket for the tropics' Three formal shirts (full use of the ships laundry planned) - Evening slippers in patent leather or velvet with leather soles for dancing.

Other evenings - Jacket 9 Navy Blazer single and double breasted, Master Golf green, salmon, beige. Long sleeved dress or casual shirts with throat scarf or tie. Ten ties, ten throat scarfs, numerous pocket squares.

On-shore; Over nights in port - suit for a fine dinner in one of the locales historic hotels, Opera where available (tuxedo for those nights), cane

Day time - comfortable slacks, long sleeve or polo shirt and walking shoes (no sneakers) wide brim hat, wind breaker, cane.

Disembarkation - NYC Back to the dark suit and tie. After all, after 177 days, we do represent Cunard to the local masses and should not give the wrong impression.

8 suitcases, suit bag and one carry on will do it.

Nothing to hard to do and far less than when the initial world cruise left port in 1923.

 

 

 There is a huge difference between announcing one's own style, on anything  and presuming to impose it on others. Cunard seems to be  changing its code and yes, slightly as the inference is still there re jackets, in the wardrobe photos. The slight change [slight as I imagine the majority of men will still wear a jacket on non formal nights and the ladies will continue to look great] will help passengers such as Dermotsgirl who will not fear intimidation [which doesn't exist in reality] when thinking of booking.

 

I for one had to smile at the attire mentioned in point one. It reminds me of how my parents 'dressed' to travel. A far cry from my jacket and jeans! 😃 Thank goodness I couldn't care less what folk think of my clothes. I dress to respect all Cunard suggests is appropriate and in doing so, to please myself.

 

Those who take issue with any changes have choices. They can continue to dress to previous more formal suggestions or they can choose a different cruise line. Whichever, any advice given when requested  should be objective and relevant in the first instance and not personal and aspirational.

 

Personal views can definitely be given but only when the reader is made aware they are, personal and do not form any official guide

[Dermotsgirl]

4 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I do wonder sometimes if those who have appointed themselves as the Dress Police, either onboard, in person or on a cruise forum actually realise the harm they are doing to their line of choice.

 

Please believe me, the Dress Police  may be vocal in print but they don't even register on the radar of the vast majority of Cunard passengers and as I, for one, want the Cunard line to survive and if slightly evolving with the times means more people are 'less frightened' of committing a sartorial faux pas and will book, then absolutely fine by me.

 

It would be an interesting exercise to see if the Dress Police have pushed the suits to modify, in writing, their stance

 

Food for thought for the  Outraged of Tunbridge Wells [Google it those not from the UK]!

I've always said, that if I'd read forums before I booked my first cruise, I'd have never have actually booked!

 

Back in the day, the P&O forums were awash with dress code threads and people got quite worked up about it, but, over time , people have become more relaxed about it. 

 

Even so, on my first ever formal night, I was looking through the cabin door spy hole, watching people go by, to make sure we were dressed ok. (we were!).  I'm not going to start that again, 20 years later!  My husband will wear his  dinner suit and bow tie on formal nights, and I will either wear a cocktail type dress or evening trousers with a sparkly top, and on the other nights I'll either wear separates or a dress. 

 

For us, the dress code has become one of the less important aspects of a cruise  these days, although we always adhere to the guidelines.  Our original reason for booking this cruise was because 2020 is the year of our 40th wedding anniversary and my husband's 70th birthday, and we wanted to treat ourselves to the Britannia Club experience.   

 

I'm still not 100% sure if we'll actually go next year, but if we do, I'm sure we'll have a good time 

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

 

 

I'm still not 100% sure if we'll actually go next year, but if we do, I'm sure we'll have a good time 

 

I'm sure you will have a quite splendid time.

[Dermotsgirl]

41 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

 Whichever, any advice given when requested  should be objective and relevant in the first instance and not personal and aspirational.

 

Personal views can definitely be given but only when the reader is made aware they are, personal and do not form any official guide

I think that is a good point. A lot of people give advice on the basis of what they would like to see, rather than what actually happens.

 

Several years ago when 'smart jeans' were first listed as being acceptable on smart casual night, there was one poster who maintained, for several years that 'jeans were not acceptable after 6pm', because this was his personal view and not what P&O said! 

 

At the time there was lots of angry harrumphing about jeans being 'work wear' and that people would dress as if they had been working under their car.  My husband and myself were both office workers so we never wore jeans to work in our lives, and contrary to the belief of some, the people who chose to wear smart jeans looked perfectly fine, and not as if they had been dragged through a hedge backwards! 

[Victoria2]

9 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I think that is a good point. A lot of people give advice on the basis of what they would like to see, rather than what actually happens.

 

Several years ago when 'smart jeans' were first listed as being acceptable on smart casual night, there was one poster who maintained, for several years that 'jeans were not acceptable after 6pm', because this was his personal view and not what P&O said! 

 

At the time there was lots of angry harrumphing about jeans being 'work wear' and that people would dress as if they had been working under their car.  My husband and myself were both office workers so we never wore jeans to work in our lives, and contrary to the belief of some, the people who chose to wear smart jeans looked perfectly fine, and not as if they had been dragged through a hedge backwards! 

The only time I've seem 'proper' jeans was when we arrived early  in Oman and we had an unexpected overnight there. The dress code was changed to casual but no torn jeans.

 

Two chaps came into dinner wearing, jeans and they looked as if they'd stepped off a fabulous Armani shoot. Jacket and tie'd chaps v the Armani brigade on that night? No contest, Armani won hands down. 🙂

[bbtablet]

I think the gentlemen should wear detachable stiff collars - that would sort the men from the boys at dressing time!

[lissie]

4 hours ago, bbtablet said:

I think the gentlemen should wear detachable stiff collars - that would sort the men from the boys at dressing time!

My partner has several shirts which go with the detachable shirt - they are for competing in ballroom dancing. 

 

He had to buy a "formal" shirt for Cunard LOL - and a suit as he only had tails. (And no he wasn't taking those the weigh a ton) 

[lissie]

6 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I've always said, that if I'd read forums before I booked my first cruise, I'd have never have actually booked!

...

For us, the dress code has become one of the less important aspects of a cruise  these days, although we always adhere to the guidelines.  Our original reason for booking this cruise was because 2020 is the year of our 40th wedding anniversary and my husband's 70th birthday, and we wanted to treat ourselves to the Britannia Club experience.   

 

 

Completely agree - Id booked 14 days on QE before I found these forums. I was totally freaked out by them.  In real life ie on board - no one cared that I wore $20 / high street tops on formal nights - well except for a woman who had one from the same range - we shared a grin. 

 

Because we are ballroom dancers we are very familiar with going out to balls wearing formal wear when some others will wear jeans.  We wear what we want and are comfortable in.  As do others. 

 

I think those on these boards who shout most loudly are really, really insecure about - something... 

 

When we cruised men wore suits, tuxes, and the white jackets  (no kilts it was PNG in summer - hot).  Jackets came off as soon as they sat down in the dining room so you only need one.  Women wore 20 yo tops and $1000 designer gowns - no one cared or noticed. 

 

The only thing I'd do different now is - my man needs one less jacket for casual nights  (if he chooses to iron his shirts - otherwise he'll take the jacket his choice, I don't iron).  I will probably take more capris than shorts as I found inside a bit too cool for shorts on occasion (during the day).  

 

I agree - the dress code is not why I choose Cunard - I choose it for the dancing and the itinerary - that is what influences my packing - those floor length designer gowns are never going to me  - you can't dance in them- as they are too long - you step  back - put your hell through the fabric and end up on  the floor 

Edited September 19, 2021 by lissie

[Lakesregion]

Interesting that those who like the lower end of the dress code always seem to be the defensive ones while the rest of us who enjoy the upper end of the code lament the lose of overall ambiance but are not defensive. If one carefully reads the Cunard dress code tucked into the approval of the dress shirt and slacks is the mention of wearing attire that would be appropriate for a fine dining establishment on land. Odd maybe, but that means at least to me a restaurant with linen , a full setting of flatware, china and crystal and wait staff in some form of upscale uniform. To wear a dress shirt and slack with neither a jacket nor tie is an insult to the operators of that fine restaurant (Cunard in this case) who offer a formal dining room with staff in a formal livery. Surely one can find it in their sensibility to grant Cunard and the staff a better level of grace than a simple office level of shirt and slacks.