Is Cunard tweaking the Gala Evening dress code?

[PORT ROYAL]

6 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

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.

Agree, but the Mongrel on a WC will probably be a “bus”, being a vehicle to move the new breed of pax on short “holiday” cruises, from one port to another, with not a true Cunard Voyage, or Voyagers, in sight.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Agree, but the Mongrel on a WC will probably be a “bus”, being a vehicle to move the new breed of pax on short “holiday” cruises, from one port to another, with not a true Cunard Voyage, or Voyagers, in sight.

How does one become a true Cunard voyager? I’ve been on quite a lot of Cunard sailings, but none of them terribly long, so I doubt I’ve yet become one. And I wonder if I’d want to be.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Agree, but the Mongrel on a WC will probably be a “bus”, being a vehicle to move the new breed of pax on short “holiday” cruises, from one port to another, with not a true Cunard Voyage, or Voyagers, in sight.

I think I can be called a Cunard regular [obviously not a true Cunard Voyager by your standards] with five future bookings and nearing 300 nights under my belt and in spite of early misgivings, I am thoroughly looking forward to our 'holiday cruises' on Queen Anne. She might be different from her sisters but no one knows what she'll be like so why make a comment which comes across as rather belittling to those who have, or will book a QA cruise, Worldie or not?

 

To  insinuate she is not a 'proper' Cunard ship comes across as rather arrogant and if you think any future W.C on her will be a possible bus scenario, then we have been 'bussing' it on QV for years when we've completed segments of her World Cruises, so nothing new there then.

 

We might not want to make 'a crossing'/travel on QM2 but we thoroughly enjoy our 'holiday cruises' on Cunard along with thousands and thousands of others and look forward to many more in the future, which ever Cunard ship we choose.

 

We are Cunard clients/passengers/regulars.  That'll do for us.😄

[exlondoner]

But I remember pages of similar comments when QV came into service, somewhat exacerbated by the first attempt turning into Arcadia and them having a second attempt.

After she came into service, most people felt that, although she wasn’t QE2, she was pretty nice, and had advantages, like lots of balconies, so were happy to continue cruising, though I’m sure there were some who abandoned Cunard.

[shippmates]

I sure hope they keep the traditional gala night dress code.  That is what makes Cunard so special.  I love to see all the formal clothes, if I wanted to see shorts and t-shirts at dinner in the dining room I would cruise on Carnival or even Royal Caribbean on some sailings.  I hope Carnival Corp will read this and keep Cunard the special cruise line it is.  I will report back after my sailing in April and May.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

59 minutes ago, shippmates said:

I sure hope they keep the traditional gala night dress code.  That is what makes Cunard so special.  I love to see all the formal clothes, if I wanted to see shorts and t-shirts at dinner in the dining room I would cruise on Carnival or even Royal Caribbean on some sailings.  I hope Carnival Corp will read this and keep Cunard the special cruise line it is.  I will report back after my sailing in April and May.

Completely agree! Our first cruise (years ago) was on NCL. We very swiftly tired of dressing for dinner in the specialty restaurant only to feel odd as everyone around us came in cargo pants and baseball caps. (Okay, not everyone, but the behavior of so many who did—lots of drunken shouting so we couldn’t talk at our table—made it feel that way.) Soon thereafter, we landed on the QM2, and we haven’t looked back.

[Windsurfboy]

7 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Agree, but the Mongrel on a WC will probably be a “bus”, being a vehicle to move the new breed of pax on short “holiday” cruises, from one port to another, with not a true Cunard Voyage, or Voyagers, in sight.

 

Sorry don't understand what this means. 

[exlondoner]

14 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Sorry don't understand what this means. 

I didn’t entirely, either, but the tone was fairly obvious. Not a fan of the new ship. 😀

[Victoria2]

18 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I didn’t entirely, either, but the tone was fairly obvious. Not a fan of the new ship. 😀

and just as pertinently, the 'new breed' of passengers who will book and as we have two cruises booked on QA, we must be part of the new breed. 😄

[Windsurfboy]

7 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Agree, but the Mongrel on a WC will probably be a “bus”, being a vehicle to move the new breed of pax on short “holiday” cruises, from one port to another, with not a true Cunard Voyage, or Voyagers, in sight.

As far as I understand a bus picks up passengers at A goes to B drops them off , picks up passengers at B returns to A , then starts again. So that most sacrosanct of Cunard voyages  the transatlantic is actually nearer to a bus journey and a leg on a world cruise is a holiday. As far as I can see they are all just cruises on nice ships. But then I'm not a Cunarder just someone who enjoys the odd cruise or more on cunard

Edited March 15, 2023 by Windsurfboy

[escrick]

6 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I think I can be called a Cunard regular [obviously not a true Cunard Voyager by your standards] with five future bookings and nearing 300 nights under my belt and in spite of early misgivings, I am thoroughly looking forward to our 'holiday cruises' on Queen Anne. She might be different from her sisters but no one knows what she'll be like so why make a comment which comes across as rather belittling to those who have, or will book a QA cruise, Worldie or not?

 

To  insinuate she is not a 'proper' Cunard ship comes across as rather arrogant and if you think any future W.C on her will be a possible bus scenario, then we have been 'bussing' it on QV for years when we've completed segments of her World Cruises, so nothing new there then.

 

We might not want to make 'a crossing'/travel on QM2 but we thoroughly enjoy our 'holiday cruises' on Cunard along with thousands and thousands of others and look forward to many more in the future, which ever Cunard ship we choose.

 

We are Cunard clients/passengers/regulars.  That'll do for us.😄

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.  My husband and I will be taking our first Cunard cruise this September.  Reading a few of the comments, I began to wonder if we had made a mistake. By the way, we have no problem with dressing appropriately for the occasion.  I have a question, though:   Is it better for a man to wear a new dark business suit, or to pull out black-tie clothes that have seen better days?  Just wondering.  At any rate, I am very excited about the Cunard Cruise.   We used to cruise mainly on Holland America ships, and usually in Neptune suites.   We thought that cruise line was classy, and think Cunard will be really, really classy.

 

 

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, escrick said:

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.  My husband and I will be taking our first Cunard cruise this September.  Reading a few of the comments, I began to wonder if we had made a mistake. By the way, we have no problem with dressing appropriately for the occasion.  I have a question, though:   Is it better for a man to wear a new dark business suit, or to pull out black-tie clothes that have seen better days?  Just wondering.  At any rate, I am very excited about the Cunard Cruise.   We used to cruise mainly on Holland America ships, and usually in Neptune suites.   We thought that cruise line was classy, and think Cunard will be really, really classy.

 

 

Ignore all disdainful comments. You will have a great time and meet engaging people.

[NE John]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

and just as pertinently, the 'new breed' of passengers who will book and as we have two cruises booked on QA, we must be part of the new breed. 😄

We all can criticize Cunard’s opaque and ever changing dress policy decisions, but railing on fellow passengers, via a previous post, is not fair. Thank you @Victoria2for bringing civility and broader perspective to these boards. 

[moses0]

10 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Ignore all disdainful comments. You will have a great time and meet engaging people.

Amen to that

[moses0]

I know it's a big deal for some but I for one am not really too concerned how others are dressed. Just my lady and me.:) Yes we do enjoy dressing for Gala nights but I must admit I struggle getting into my Tux and the gear that goes with it.  

[exlondoner]

27 minutes ago, escrick said:

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.  My husband and I will be taking our first Cunard cruise this September.  Reading a few of the comments, I began to wonder if we had made a mistake. By the way, we have no problem with dressing appropriately for the occasion.  I have a question, though:   Is it better for a man to wear a new dark business suit, or to pull out black-tie clothes that have seen better days?  Just wondering.  At any rate, I am very excited about the Cunard Cruise.   We used to cruise mainly on Holland America ships, and usually in Neptune suites.   We thought that cruise line was classy, and think Cunard will be really, really classy.

 

 

I think he should wear whatever he feels more comfortable in. The majority will be in black tie, but if you fear you may spend the evening feeling yours is a little tight, for instance, join those in suits. It really doesn’t matter either way.

[BigMac1953]

Treat him to a new dinner suit. You can pick one up for less than £100 and he will blend in easier. After all, you're spending a wee fortune on a holiday, so what's another £100?

[Victoria2]

38 minutes ago, escrick said:

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.  My husband and I will be taking our first Cunard cruise this September.  Reading a few of the comments, I began to wonder if we had made a mistake. By the way, we have no problem with dressing appropriately for the occasion.  I have a question, though:   Is it better for a man to wear a new dark business suit, or to pull out black-tie clothes that have seen better days?  Just wondering.  At any rate, I am very excited about the Cunard Cruise.   We used to cruise mainly on Holland America ships, and usually in Neptune suites.   We thought that cruise line was classy, and think Cunard will be really, really classy.

 

 

Suit v Tux?

Whichever gives a more 007 look!!! 😄

Seriously, it;s entirely up to you. In our experience, Black Tie is still the more popular Gala attire but there will be many dark suited  chaps too.

 

We are also ex Holland America and experienced our First Cunard cruise twelve years ago and have never looked back. We've become loyal Cunard followers and my advice is, ignore the odd, odd comment on this board. We've met wonderful people on our Cunard cruises, well travelled and delightful. Go and enjoy and come back and tell us all about it. 🙂

.

[ballroom-cruisers]

It certainly appears to me that there is a community of like-minded cruise passengers who have remained loyal to Cunard for some years, and taken their cruise holidays on one or more of the Queens, not because of a particular itinerary even though that does matter to some extent, but because they become part of a social connection with other passengers who have a similar mindset regarding dress code, and feel comfortable dressing for the occasion, particularly on Gala nights, knowing that they are in the company of others who enjoy doing the same.  It is one of the things that makes Cunard special compared to many of the other, though not all, cruise lines. 

Of course there are also some other lines where people who enjoy dressing for the occasion book voyages, but there has always been a classic atmosphere across the Cunard ships, combining a level of service, an elegant look across the ship in terms of decor, and gentle and beautiful music not just in the Queen's Room, but in the Grand Lobby, in the Commodore Club, and the string quartet in the MDR on Gala evenings, that a significant number of people feel makes it a special extended occasion being on a Cunard voyage compared to booking a cruise on other lines. There is no booming loud music on the deck around the pools, even if on some occasions a band does play for a while on deck or in the Winter Garden room.  It is clear that some of the things that were always the Cunard tradition in the way a cruise was conducted is what a lot of people wanted. 

There are now increasing numbers of posts on some of the other forums indicating that some passengers have now booked and experienced voyages on other lines because of the dilution of such things as the dress code, the ballroom dancing, and the experience of main evening meals on Cunard cruises being constantly changed, and some of those passengers have been posting that having been on a voyage with a different line, they intend not return to Cunard cruises and despite the loss of ballroom dancing for some who enjoy dancing, which is not available as much on other lines, or any enforced dress code on their newly experienced cruises - they have posted that they are part of a community of passengers on the alternative to the Cunard cruise, who enjoy dressing for the occasion, and that there is no constant argument or discussion about whether or not having to 'dress formally' is an issue - people just do dress up because they want to, and very few others wish not to.  It seems that there are increasing numbers of people who feel strongly that the dress code should not be there for Cunard and people should have the freedom to wear whatever they wish on all evenings, and that makes those who do like to dress up feel that they are being taken to a new set of standards where they may feel less comfortable doing so, and where dressing up a bit is actually looked down up - which is actually pretty unfair really. It is a shame that so much effort now goes into deriding the dress code that so many passengers have enjoyed for so long.

[ExArkie]

It seems that, at some future date and to be more comparable to other lines, Cunard will probably relax the dress code to be above the “cargo shorts and tee shirt” level, but below expecting gentlemen to ever wear a tie. I hope that, if they do, they also acknowledge that the transatlantic crossings are a different breed entirely, one without direct competition. They should preserve the “glory days of crossings” vibe by retaining formal nights on them, even if formality disappears from other Cunard ships. 
 

Personally, I think a seven-day crossing, in order to be considered remotely comparable to the grandeur of said glory days, should have a minimum of four formal nights. Probably will never get above three, though, regardless of circumstances.

[Victoria2]

10 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

... It is a shame that so much effort now goes into deriding the dress code that so many passengers have enjoyed for so long.

I won't quote your long comment but I do think saying the dress code has been ridiculed  [which is what deriding means] is rather extreme.

We love dressing for dinner each evening on our Cunard cruises and most of the passengers we see make an effort, some more than others I will agree.

However, for some reason the powers that be have obviously decided some sort of evolving has to take place and if that means some stalwarts decide enough is enough, so be it. They can, and seemingly have according to you, found other ways of enjoying their holidays at sea. Their loss in my opinion.

 

We will continue to dress for dinner as we always have done and as has been pointed out, others' attire will not affect our enjoyment one bit.

 

 

[Victoria2]

Just now, PORT ROYAL said:

Counting nights?  
Is the total of 300 nights taken achieved over a period of every two or three years?
One stopped counting cruises in 2008 having reached three figures, so no idea of current total and it’s of no consequence.  Have never actually counted the number of nights.  

 

 As one didn't discover Cunard until 2011, one is rather proud of one's nights on Cunard so one is more than happy to mention them just as one is more than happy to say what wonderful people one has met over those nights. 🙂

[ballroom-cruisers]

When you say 'their loss in my opinion' that may well be, but they themselves seem to be saying

it is 'their gain' having switched lines!

[ballroom-cruisers]

I am delighted with most of the voyages that we have done on Cunard over the years. We are continuing to book Cunard, at the moment, but we are certainly not blind to changes taking place - and some changes we accept will happen. But as changes continue, there may come a time when we are also no longer able to enjoy what we would like from a cruise - and it we reach that threshold, then it will be a time to make decisions about alternatives.  We already now do more holidays on land than we used to - provided we can enjoy some Gala nights, some dressing for the occasion, and a reasonable amount of ballroom dancing, and in elegant classic surroundings, then it is not imperative that is has to be at sea on a Cunard ship. Hopefully the cruises we will be in this year, and even next on the new Queen, will lead to us having a lovely time.  If we stop having a lovely time we will do other holidays instead.

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

I am delighted with most of the voyages that we have done on Cunard over the years. We are continuing to book Cunard, at the moment, but we are certainly not blind to changes taking place - and some changes we accept will happen. But as changes continue, there may come a time when we are also no longer able to enjoy what we would like from a cruise - and it we reach that threshold, then it will be a time to make decisions about alternatives.  We already now do more holidays on land than we used to - provided we can enjoy some Gala nights, some dressing for the occasion, and a reasonable amount of ballroom dancing, and in elegant classic surroundings, then it is not imperative that is has to be at sea on a Cunard ship. Hopefully the cruises we will be in this year, and even next on the new Queen, will lead to us having a lovely time.  If we stop having a lovely time we will do other holidays instead.

Apart from taking land holidays as cruises suit us now, I entirely agree with you. The day we stop enjoying Cunard, is the day we will look at other lines.

Let's both hope that day isn't close. 🙂