Is Cunard tweaking the Gala Evening dress code?

[ExArkie]

In a different CC thread, I had noted the distinction in wording of “black tie” on the US site versus “formal suit” and “tie of any color” on the UK site. Perhaps deletion of the “black tie” phrase is just their attempt to remove the impression that tuxedos/dinner jackets are required without acknowledging the provision for the alternative dark suit and tie.

 

To me, having a more formal dress code for TAs versus the traditional “cruise” itinerary makes sense if Cunard is trying to expand their market to the always-and-only-casual crowd. Leave the mystique and nostalgia for the glory days of ocean crossings on the TA (I’d suggest increasing the number of formal nights under this scenario) and relax the dress code on those itineraries where Cunard competes directly with less formal lines.

[Windsurfboy]

They may not think they are dumbing down.

 

However they have changed from words that were clear and unambiguous,  to a description that is completely ambiguous. 

 

Everyone will have a different definition of  elevated

[NE John]

29 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Everyone will have a different definition of  elevated

Exactly. No clear definition for pax on what one wears after 6 and little help to those trying to enforce/remind pax of dress code rules. 

Edited February 28, 2023 by NE John

[Victoria2]

Well we won't be getting our  knickers in a twist about something we have no experience of and will wait to see if the sky does fall on our first QV outing this year due to any scrum effect! 🙂

[D&N]

It won't make any difference to us.

 

I was rather disappointed in how scruffy I looked in several of the photos we took around lunchtime when we were on QM2. Next time I'll wear a jacket and tie every lunchtime. I might place the jacket over the back of my chair now and again.

 

The one exception being our day in New York when we plan to lunch at the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, D&N said:

It won't make any difference to us.

 

I was rather disappointed in how scruffy I looked in several of the photos we took around lunchtime when we were on QM2. Next time I'll wear a jacket and tie every lunchtime. I might place the jacket over the back of my chair now and again.

 

The one exception being our day in New York when we plan to lunch at the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

My husband finds wearing a polo shirt and decent chinos,  a great casual yet acceptably elegant daytime choice. Saves gussying up in a jacket and tie for lunch. 🙂

[D&N]

30 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

My husband finds wearing a polo shirt and decent chinos,  a great casual yet acceptably elegant daytime choice. Saves gussying up in a jacket and tie for lunch. 🙂

And of course that's fine. Not that it's any of my business of course!

 

I don't like the photos of me in chinos, tailored shorts and short sleeved shirts. So I don't plan to take any of them next time. I probably won't wear a jacket and tie at breakfast, and I'll have suitable attire for the pool and gym.

 

I dress casually at home so QM2 is an excuse to get away from that.

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, D&N said:

And of course that's fine. Not that it's any of my business of course!

 

I don't like the photos of me in chinos, tailored shorts and short sleeved shirts. So I don't plan to take any of them next time. I probably won't wear a jacket and tie at breakfast, and I'll have suitable attire for the pool and gym.

 

I dress casually at home so QM2 is an excuse to get away from that.

Casual dress for chaps can be just as much a minefield as formal.

Enjoy your next cruise. 🙂

[Brummel]

Perhaps some posters don't understand the concept of "Regression to the Mean," as I used it here. Another way to say it is, If high standards are not enforced, they will slip.

 

What you wear in a public setting is as much about showing respect to your fellows as it is making yourself look spiff. This is what is being lost, has been lost, over the past fifty years.

 

Don't believe me? Take a look at photographs of city streets from the dawn of photography (around 1840) to the early 1960s. Almost everybody is dressed up; the men are in suits and hats, the women in dresses. Why? Because when you went out in public, you were expected to comport yourself with a proper consideration of others. Want another example of how this ethos of civility has died? Look at film of the mourners passing by JFK's coffin in the US Capitol's rotunda, in 1963. People were in their Sunday Best. Now look at video of the crowds filing past Ronald Reagan's coffin fifty years later: shorts, sweatpants, flipflops, tee-shorts dominate.

 

And the slippage will be seen not only on Gala Nights but everywhere onboard. 

 

I guarantee that once twenty percent of Gala Night men are not in dinner jackets or dark suits, within a year  the percentage will flip and only twenty percent will be in Black Tie.

 

And that's when I save some dry cleaning bucks and book with HAL and Princess.

 

 

 

[carlmm]

36 minutes ago, Brummel said:

Perhaps some posters don't understand the concept of "Regression to the Mean," as I used it here. Another way to say it is, If high standards are not enforced, they will slip.

 

What you wear in a public setting is as much about showing respect to your fellows as it is making yourself look spiff. This is what is being lost, has been lost, over the past fifty years.

 

Don't believe me? Take a look at photographs of city streets from the dawn of photography (around 1840) to the early 1960s. Almost everybody is dressed up; the men are in suits and hats, the women in dresses. Why? Because when you went out in public, you were expected to comport yourself with a proper consideration of others. Want another example of how this ethos of civility has died? Look at film of the mourners passing by JFK's coffin in the US Capitol's rotunda, in 1963. People were in their Sunday Best. Now look at video of the crowds filing past Ronald Reagan's coffin fifty years later: shorts, sweatpants, flipflops, tee-shorts dominate.

 

And the slippage will be seen not only on Gala Nights but everywhere onboard. 

 

I guarantee that once twenty percent of Gala Night men are not in dinner jackets or dark suits, within a year  the percentage will flip and only twenty percent will be in Black Tie.

 

And that's when I save some dry cleaning bucks and book with HAL and Princess.

 

 

 

I am afraid you are perfectly right. 

Everybody who observed what happened within a short time after lines like HAL or Celebrity abolished any serious dress code, can tell the story of the race to the bottom. Now you see hardly anybody dressed up.

 

On Cunard itself we see what has happened since there is no more noteworthy dress code for non formal, sorry gala, sorry elevated nights: Yes, there is still a substantial group of passengers who follow the old dress code of jacket and tie. Thank you to you all. Yet, I myself saw, and there are many other reports of, clothes I neither expected or care to see during a Cunard night. 

[lissie]

14 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

Oh dear the slippery slope, noticed the other day some Racecourses are also dumbing down their dress codes for the 'posh' stands what next pajamas at Royal Ascot OMG..................its what we choose Cunard for the chance to be able to dress up to the nines and feel like a movie star of old! Where will it end?

Actually I have a pair of  black silk pj pants which have gone to the opera in several countries when I was travelling with only minimal luggage. They've fallen apart otherwise I'd have taken them on Cunard too 

[lissie]

Actually if anything the smart nights standard has been elevated - it was saying "collared shirt" which includes polo necks now it says "dress  shirt" which I assume does not . 

 

And the photos look far  better than the really out of fashion stuff they used to have. 

 

In general I think its far more understandable what the standards are - and my partner will be happy to ditch is suit jacket ofr waistcoat for galas in our next warm-weather cruise 

[NE John]

22 hours ago, NE John said:

Yes, wearing a jacket at dinner automatically exude class,

Lordy, in my quick typing, I meant to type “wearing a jacket at dinner does NOT automatically exude class”. 
I did not mean to be judgmental of fellow passengers, just Cunard’s dress code rule changes that make Cunard a less unique line. 

[bluemarble]

26 minutes ago, lissie said:

Actually if anything the smart nights standard has been elevated - it was saying "collared shirt" which includes polo necks now it says "dress  shirt" which I assume does not .

 

Just to clarify, the "What to pack" page has been stating "dress shirt" for the Smart Attire dress code for gentlemen since about the time of the restart of operations when jackets became optional on Smart Attire evenings. I can refer you to your "I'm pretty sure the dress code has changed" thread for further clarification on that.

 

It's the Smart Attire dress code listed in the daily programmes once on board which states "collared shirt" rather than "dress shirt".

[LittleFish1976]

8 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

« Who let the Americans take control of the computers at Cunard HQ?« 

 

Wow. As Americans who would prefer formality EVERY night on board, we wonder why this was a necessary or advisable part of the discussion.

 

It was slightly tongue in cheek and I apologise for the offence it has caused you.

 

I do believe though that it's where most of the pressure comes from to make the dress codes more casual. The US market is much larger than any other single market with its population of over 330 million people. Cunard already exhibits its commitment to courting (or indeed, catering to) this market by offering certain perks that are not offered elsewhere, not limited to drinks packages included in fare but also such things as the continuation of the Future Cruise Deposits which are unavailable to the Rest of World areas, special sales and so on. It is in fact a US brand, so its current direction makes some sense.

 

Of course there are people from North America who like to dress for dinner, such as yourselves but I fear that your own personal attitude does not reflect that of your fellow countrymen and women who are very vocal in their preference for a very casual mode of dress.

 

[Victoria2]

10 hours ago, Brummel said:

Perhaps some posters don't understand the concept of "Regression to the Mean," as I used it here. Another way to say it is, If high standards are not enforced, they will slip.

 

What you wear in a public setting is as much about showing respect to your fellows as it is making yourself look spiff. This is what is being lost, has been lost, over the past fifty years.

 

Don't believe me? Take a look at photographs of city streets from the dawn of photography (around 1840) to the early 1960s. Almost everybody is dressed up; the men are in suits and hats, the women in dresses. Why? Because when you went out in public, you were expected to comport yourself with a proper consideration of others. Want another example of how this ethos of civility has died? Look at film of the mourners passing by JFK's coffin in the US Capitol's rotunda, in 1963. People were in their Sunday Best. Now look at video of the crowds filing past Ronald Reagan's coffin fifty years later: shorts, sweatpants, flipflops, tee-shorts dominate.

 

And the slippage will be seen not only on Gala Nights but everywhere onboard. 

 

I guarantee that once twenty percent of Gala Night men are not in dinner jackets or dark suits, within a year  the percentage will flip and only twenty percent will be in Black Tie.

 

And that's when I save some dry cleaning bucks and book with HAL and Princess.

 

 

 

 I think it marvelous when folk queue in order to pay their respects to a public figure and it doesn't matter what they wear in order to do so. It's the need to say thank you and goodbye which counts.

 

A friend had a mobile phone in the early 90s. It literally, was the size of a brick. Technology moved on and I can fit my phone in my back pocket. The world of technology changed and so has the world in general and as far as 'dressing' is concerned, places less emphasis on formality, for want of a better word. It is a fact of life the traditionalists will have to put up with. That doesn’t mean to say tradition is wrong. Tradition has its place with those who wish to keep it alive but for those unused to it, a new world beckons and someone at Cunard must have taken note and have moved with the times.

 

We will miss [not mourn though] the old and will still keep our end up with black tie on non TAs. I am sure many others will do the same. 👍

[Windsurfboy]

I think it's no good being nostalgic about jackets every night. Those days are past.

 

Anyway a man can look smart in a well tailored dress shirt .

 

My rule of thumb , is

 

if you have a six pack you'll look smart in just a nice shirt.

 

If you have a keg then a jacket is an improvement 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[D&N]

I don't agree on the six pack/keg comparison.

Not sure that I have a six pack. I've certainly got some concave bits on my torso that I seemed to have lost for over 20 years!

Here's a comparison of two almost identical outfits over 16 years apart. The tie and shoes are the same in both cases.  I'm clear on which I prefer.

What is it they say about lipstick and pigs?

 

 P.S. Queen Mary 2's Atrium Balcony beats Arcadia's pool area hands down for a photo backdrop!

[ivanidea]

I have enjoyed dressing up for dinner on Cunard.  If the number of passengers who dress up reduces, then I will have to reconsider cruising Cunard.

 

My recent experiences on HAL and Celebrity, I have been one of only a handful of gentlemen who made an effort to dress up. In fact, we were often asked what the occasion was - the guests did not notice the gala dress code in the daily programme (or did not care).

 

The Cunard experience may not be worth paying a premium for, couple with the fact that now I live in Florida, there are hardly any opportunities to drive to/from a Cunard cruise.

 

Regardless whichever cruise I go on, I will take my formal wear.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, ivanidea said:

I have enjoyed dressing up for dinner on Cunard.  If the number of passengers who dress up reduces, then I will have to reconsider cruising Cunard.

 

My recent experiences on HAL and Celebrity, I have been one of only a handful of gentlemen who made an effort to dress up. In fact, we were often asked what the occasion was - the guests did not notice the gala dress code in the daily programme (or did not care).

 

The Cunard experience may not be worth paying a premium for, couple with the fact that now I live in Florida, there are hardly any opportunities to drive to/from a Cunard cruise.

 

Regardless whichever cruise I go on, I will take my formal wear.

I don’t think you should worry yet. On both my cruises last year, the vast majority dressed appropriately for Gala Mights.

[NE John]

2 hours ago, ivanidea said:

I have enjoyed dressing up for dinner on Cunard.  If the number of passengers who dress up reduces, then I will have to reconsider cruising Cunard.

 

My recent experiences on HAL and Celebrity, I have been one of only a handful of gentlemen who made an effort to dress up. In fact, we were often asked what the occasion was - the guests did not notice the gala dress code in the daily programme (or did not care).

 

The Cunard experience may not be worth paying a premium for, couple with the fact that now I live in Florida, there are hardly any opportunities to drive to/from a Cunard cruise.

 

Regardless whichever cruise I go on, I will take my formal wear.

I’ll be on June 23, 2023 Crossing and will report back with the “after 6pm” status update. 

[machmack]

There was a time when almost all men wore ties on flights….even in coach

[richstowe]

We are considering a Q E cruise this summer . I was amazed to find there are 4 MDR's based on cabin class . Is there any difference in the dress codes in each ?

[bluemarble]

13 minutes ago, richstowe said:

We are considering a Q E cruise this summer . I was amazed to find there are 4 MDR's based on cabin class . Is there any difference in the dress codes in each ?

 

The dress code is the same for all four main dining rooms (Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queens Grill). The "Smart Attire" dress code applies on the majority of evenings while the elevated "Gala Evening" dress code applies on those evenings designated as gala evenings.

[Lakesregion]

Just reading the tea leaves but here is my thought on the matter. The QM2 will NOT be making her usual world cruise in 2025. The New "Modern" Queen Anne will take her place and Cunard from that point forward will enter the land of causal in its totality. The dance floor on the Queen Anne is smaller and who knows about afternoon tea etc. So come H or high water I will be making the 2024 QM2 world cruise.(already well booked) It may well be the last of the real traditions. Just my opinion and we shall all see come 2025.