elaine5 Posted November 9, 2022 #1 Share Posted November 9, 2022 (edited) How formal is dining for summer Norway fjords cruise on Queen Elizabeth? Would we feel out of place if husband wore sports jacket with buttondown shirt/tie/slacks for formal nights and I wore simple dress, skirt/blouse, dressy silky capris/silk blouse? And, do we need to dress in costumes for themed balls? What percentage do (not) dress up for those events? And what would be attire for the other nights? We are used to Princess/Celebrity dress codes. Not a lot of luggage space for a tux or long gowns. Edited November 9, 2022 by elaine5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 9, 2022 #2 Share Posted November 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, elaine5 said: How formal is dining for summer Norway fjords cruise on Queen Elizabeth? If husband had one sports jacket with buttondown/ties/slacks for formal nights and I wore skirt/blouse, dressy silky capris/silk blouse, would we feel out of place. And, do we need to dress in costumes for themed balls? And what would be attire for the other nights? We are used to Princess/Celebrity dress codes. Not a lot of luggage space for a tux or long gowns. A sports jacket won’t really do for formal nights, if you want to go the restaurant, theatre, or most bars. No need for costumes for themes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare carlmm Posted November 9, 2022 #3 Share Posted November 9, 2022 It is good that your ask: I have not sailed with Princess but with Celebrity and they and Cunard are worlds apart. The sports coat will do well on non-formal nights, on formal nights the tux will be right. In my experience the standard on non-formal Cunard nights is higher than on elegant/gala Celebrity nights. The only theme that is followed by a majority is black and white - it is very easy to so, of course. Do not bring costumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted November 9, 2022 Author #4 Share Posted November 9, 2022 would husband be fine with dark suit on formal nights? Will there be other men in dark suits or 90%+ tuxes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 9, 2022 #5 Share Posted November 9, 2022 2 minutes ago, elaine5 said: would husband be fine with dark suit on formal nights? Will there be other men in dark suits or 90%+ tuxes? A dark suit (and tie) will be fine, though you will probably be in a minority, but that won’t be a problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCC retired Posted November 9, 2022 #6 Share Posted November 9, 2022 16 Cunard cruises under my belt. All with a dark suit for the Formal nights and had plenty of company dressing the same .. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissie Posted November 9, 2022 #7 Share Posted November 9, 2022 1 hour ago, elaine5 said: would husband be fine with dark suit on formal nights? Will there be other men in dark suits or 90%+ tuxes? Absolutely - we've done 2 long cruises this year on QE - and I'd say the tuxes/dinner suits were maybe 50/50 or 60/40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_boy Posted November 9, 2022 #8 Share Posted November 9, 2022 We were on QV in August for a 7 night Norwegian fjords cruise and would say 95% of men wear a tuxedo and bow tie on Gala (formal) nights. A dark suit is fine and would not be out of place. Quite a few dress according to the theme and we were surprised by how many dressed in outfits from the 1920s for the Roaring Twenties themed Gala night. Maybe as high as 25% Black and White Gala night is easier to choose an outfit for, few wore masks for Masquerade themed Gala night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissie Posted November 10, 2022 #9 Share Posted November 10, 2022 What my partner wears - he has a couple of different ties to coordinate with me - we couldn't find the bowtie he thought he owned otherwise he'd have taken that - the shirt is designed to be worn with a bow tie (the buttons are black not white) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 2BACRUISER Posted November 10, 2022 #10 Share Posted November 10, 2022 (edited) I posted a what I & DH wore on a cunard QV fjords cruise on the cruise fashion discussion page. See Edited November 10, 2022 by 2BACRUISER Add info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMac1953 Posted November 10, 2022 #11 Share Posted November 10, 2022 We're on QV right now. Approx 90% of men were wearing Dinner Suits on the Gala nights. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 10, 2022 #12 Share Posted November 10, 2022 36 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said: We're on QV right now. Approx 90% of men were wearing Dinner Suits on the Gala nights. It was about the same on our Med. cruise in the summer, but obviously varies greatly between cruises, and can be much less. In any case, a dark suit is irreproachable. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swjumbo Posted November 11, 2022 #13 Share Posted November 11, 2022 If you don’t want to wear black tie and conform then go with another cruise line. We’re about to go on our first Cunard cruise and are looking forward to dressing up. It saddens me that some people think they’re above the rules and even have to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted November 11, 2022 #14 Share Posted November 11, 2022 1 hour ago, swjumbo said: If you don’t want to wear black tie and conform then go with another cruise line. We’re about to go on our first Cunard cruise and are looking forward to dressing up. It saddens me that some people think they’re above the rules and even have to ask. That's harsh. If a poster said "I intend to wear such-and-such on formal night and I don't care what anyone thinks" THAT would sound like being above the rules. OP simply asked what actually happens on board. It's a reasonable question, given the variation in dress code from one line to another. For years HAL pretended to have formal nights, but I saw very few tuxes and gowns. If I had packed for HAL what I typically pack for Cunard, I'd have been overdressed. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 11, 2022 #15 Share Posted November 11, 2022 7 hours ago, swjumbo said: If you don’t want to wear black tie and conform then go with another cruise line. We’re about to go on our first Cunard cruise and are looking forward to dressing up. It saddens me that some people think they’re above the rules and even have to ask. Nothing more conforming or rule-abiding than a dark suit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swjumbo Posted November 11, 2022 #16 Share Posted November 11, 2022 7 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said: That's harsh. If a poster said "I intend to wear such-and-such on formal night and I don't care what anyone thinks" THAT would sound like being above the rules. OP simply asked what actually happens on board. It's a reasonable question, given the variation in dress code from one line to another. For years HAL pretended to have formal nights, but I saw very few tuxes and gowns. If I had packed for HAL what I typically pack for Cunard, I'd have been overdressed. Totally agree and apologise if you think that my comment was directed at the OP. It wasn’t. It’s just that on CC there are lots of similar questions. Cunard seems to revel in the sense of occasion. We’re about to experience it and will be suitably dressed up to the nines! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_boy Posted November 11, 2022 #17 Share Posted November 11, 2022 33 minutes ago, swjumbo said: Totally agree and apologise if you think that my comment was directed at the OP. It wasn’t. It’s just that on CC there are lots of similar questions. Cunard seems to revel in the sense of occasion. We’re about to experience it and will be suitably dressed up to the nines! I don’t think you can ever be overdressed on a Gala night on Cunard. It is an occasion and one to be enjoyed. Fewer and fewer opportunities to wear finest outfits and not feel out of place. Just off QV and talking with other pax, like us they have a wardrobe for Cunard cruise wear. It is one of the reasons most pax choose Cunard. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PORT ROYAL Posted November 11, 2022 #18 Share Posted November 11, 2022 4 hours ago, exlondoner said: Nothing more conforming or rule-abiding than a dark suit. As an aside. Ceased cruising with Princess in 2013 when the word “suggested” entered to wording for the Dress Code and semi-formal (dark suit) disappeared from the dress code. But can’t remember the year when Cunard dropped semi-formal (dark suit), then making a dark suit (semi-formal) acceptable formal wear. Can anyone assist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 11, 2022 #19 Share Posted November 11, 2022 13 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said: As an aside. Ceased cruising with Princess in 2013 when the word “suggested” entered to wording for the Dress Code and semi-formal (dark suit) disappeared from the dress code. But can’t remember the year when Cunard dropped semi-formal (dark suit), then making a dark suit (semi-formal) acceptable formal wear. Can anyone assist? A dark suit was acceptable formal wear for years before semi-formal was dropped. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted November 11, 2022 #20 Share Posted November 11, 2022 40 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said: As an aside. Ceased cruising with Princess in 2013 when the word “suggested” entered to wording for the Dress Code and semi-formal (dark suit) disappeared from the dress code. But can’t remember the year when Cunard dropped semi-formal (dark suit), then making a dark suit (semi-formal) acceptable formal wear. Can anyone assist? I think our first cruise with Cunard was in 2011. Table for eight and one of the chaps wore a dark suit on the Formal nights so definitely part of the advisories over ten years ago and that was with the three codes of Formal, Semi Formal and Elegantly Casual. The three codes courtesy of Trip Advisor Formal (black tie or dark suit; evening dress); Semi-formal (jacket and tie; cocktail dress or pantsuit); and Elegant Casual nights (jacket, no tie; dress, skirt or pants). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 11, 2022 #21 Share Posted November 11, 2022 5 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: I think our first cruise with Cunard was in 2011. Table for eight and one of the chaps wore a dark suit on the Formal nights so definitely part of the advisories over ten years ago and that was with the three codes of Formal, Semi Formal and Elegantly Casual. The three codes courtesy of Trip Advisor Formal (black tie or dark suit; evening dress); Semi-formal (jacket and tie; cocktail dress or pantsuit); and Elegant Casual nights (jacket, no tie; dress, skirt or pants). Our first cruise was 1997, and even then it was as you describe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted November 11, 2022 #22 Share Posted November 11, 2022 4 hours ago, swjumbo said: Totally agree and apologise if you think that my comment was directed at the OP. It wasn’t. It’s just that on CC there are lots of similar questions. Cunard seems to revel in the sense of occasion. We’re about to experience it and will be suitably dressed up to the nines! Oh, I've seen the "I don't wanna, you can't make me" posts. I have to keep my hands off the keyboard for those! The thing I love about Cunard's formal/gala nights is that (almost) everyone participates in the dress code. Other lines say that you may dress up as much as you like, but it isn't the same when you're dressed to the nines and surrounded by those dressed to the fours. So dress up and have a great time! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted November 11, 2022 #23 Share Posted November 11, 2022 1 hour ago, exlondoner said: Our first cruise was 1997, and even then it was as you describe. Our first Cunard crossing was 1988, and a dark suit was included as a formal night option. The ratio of tux to suit was higher in the grills and Caronoia restaurant than in steerage (can't remember what the main dining room was called back then). Our rule was tux/gown for formal, suit/cocktail dress or LBD for semi- formal and dress slacks and sportcoat/dressy pants and top for the very few nights that were casual. And often, we wore our semi-formal attire for the casual nights. By the time we cruised around Australia in 2012, they had lowered the dress code to make a tie optional for semi-formal (or whatever they called the second level then). I recall our first semi-formal night on that cruise, DH wore suit and tie, and the Australian gentleman at our table did the same. He said, "Ah, I see you think a suit deserves a tie, too." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PORT ROYAL Posted November 11, 2022 #24 Share Posted November 11, 2022 1st on Cunard Countess in 1992 - Fly Caribbean- DW remembers Tux/Suit/Jacket taken because of DW first true sparkly red evening gown - Therefore it possibly changed between 1992 and 1997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted November 11, 2022 #25 Share Posted November 11, 2022 30 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said: 1st on Cunard Countess in 1992 - Fly Caribbean- DW remembers Tux/Suit/Jacket taken because of DW first true sparkly red evening gown - Therefore it possibly changed between 1992 and 1997 Seems unlikely as 1988 and 1997 were the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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