QE evening attire on Alaska Cruise

[jp2001]

I'm TRYING to pack light for my Alaska Cruise and I am wondering what I should pack for evening attire (gala nights I'm OK, I know I need fancy dresses). In warmer climates, I bring sundresses and semi formal dresses but I don't feel like it would be appropriate on a Alaska Cruise.

 

Should I plan more pants? What type of tops? Would knit sweater with a scarf be appropriate or should it be more dressy?

[D&N]

@jp2001

Not sure that aircon works differently indoors on a ship in Alaska from anywhere else. We certainly didn't notice.

Seems like you'll be fine. You plan something for gala nights; otherwise anything that isn't ripped jeans or sportswear that fits in your packing should be suitable.

My wife wouldn't feel that way, but she wouldn't go on a cruise and pack light!

[david,Mississauga]

We have done three 10-day Alaska cruises on the QE. There are only two gala nights.  On one cruise - we were in PG that time - there were three women at a nearby table who wore a different formal dress every night.  By no means was this seen on many other women on the non-gala nights. But even in the Britannia Restaurant, people do dress  more elegantly than on some other cruise lines, but no-one should worry about it.

 

My wife and I always take a total of two mid-size cases and one carry-on shoulder bag for all our Cunard voyages, no matter which restaurant "class" we have booked.  In addition to casual clothes, we get my tuxedo and my wife's two long dresses and one cocktail dress in the two cases.  Travelling light can be done.

[naturelovergirl]

One way to pack light and bring a bit of bling to your smart attire nights is to bring some fun and sparkly accessories. (One of my packing light tricks)

[cruisetonowhere10]

22 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

One way to pack light and bring a bit of bling to your smart attire nights is to bring some fun and sparkly accessories. (One of my packing light tricks)

Agreed…simple black or navy dress with different jewelry and/or scarves can change the look!

[NE John]

Along with the above great advice, don’t forget to plan what to wear while outside in Alaska. Especially for the chill and rain. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 hours ago, D&N said:

@jp2001

Not sure that aircon works differently indoors on a ship in Alaska from anywhere else. We certainly didn't notice.

Seems like you'll be fine. You plan something for gala nights; otherwise anything that isn't ripped jeans or sportswear that fits in your packing should be suitable.

My wife wouldn't feel that way, but she wouldn't go on a cruise and pack light!

 

I don't pack light, either. Alaska cruises have a reputation for being less dressy, and I did find that on HAL. But the level of dress I saw on my Cunard Alaska cruises was about the same as on other Cunard cruises. I would love to have all sea days formal/gala. If a sea day is not a gala night, I don't wear a long gown, but I dress up more than I do on port days, and even on port days I do a little better than Cunard's idea of "smart casual."

[Victoria2]

6 hours ago, NE John said:

Along with the above great advice, don’t forget to plan what to wear while outside in Alaska. Especially for the chill and rain. 

Onboard [inside!] I would see no difference from other Cunard itineraries and would pack appropriately.

 

Re outdoor clothing, our Alaska cruises were July and August and it wasn't cold. Sometimes downright hot  and so having managed a couple [not Cunard] my advice would be a fleece jacket and a light waterproof [kagoul in my case] which doubles as a windcheater. Layers are the clue to any potential 'cold water' cruises and if the cruises are May/early June or September, I would anticipate cold at some point and layers would definitely be my advice.

 

 

 

[david63]

10 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

three women at a nearby table who wore a different formal dress every night.

According to my wife that is "normal" - that is why she has two and a half cases whilst I have to make do with the remaining other half😉

[Pushpit]

I would also point out that the air conditioning on Cunard vessels tends to chilly on the whole. It's fine for me, but it's not unusual to notice that flesh coverage tends to increase as the evening wears on. If I was noticing, that is.

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

I would also point out that the air conditioning on Cunard vessels tends to chilly on the whole. It's fine for me, but it's not unusual to notice that flesh coverage tends to increase as the evening wears on. If I was noticing, that is.

and can be overbearingly hot too and that's on non sunny cruises.

 

Layers, which for me of an evening means delicate pashminas. The silk or cashmere ones pack into nothing and are a vital part of my evening get ups.

[jp2001]

6 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't pack light, either. Alaska cruises have a reputation for being less dressy, and I did find that on HAL. But the level of dress I saw on my Cunard Alaska cruises was about the same as on other Cunard cruises. I would love to have all sea days formal/gala. If a sea day is not a gala night, I don't wear a long gown, but I dress up more than I do on port days, and even on port days I do a little better than Cunard's idea of "smart casual."

Thank you, that is helpful.

 

I have sailed on Cunard a few times but they were Transatlantic Crossings and I didn't pack light for those. I'll probably have to add a checked luggage. My problem is I'm officially flying to Seattle but disembarking on my layover in Vancouver. Not sure they'll let me check my luggage to YVR and not SEA.

 

May I ask what type of outfits you wore for the port days dinner? 

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, jp2001 said:

Thank you, that is helpful.

 

I have sailed on Cunard a few times but they were Transatlantic Crossings and I didn't pack light for those. I'll probably have to add a checked luggage. My problem is I'm officially flying to Seattle but disembarking on my layover in Vancouver. Not sure they'll let me check my luggage to YVR and not SEA.

 

May I ask what type of outfits you wore for the port days dinner? 

I also dress what is probably considered beyond the required and as I rarely wear dresses unless they're long, for non Gala evenings, I wear dress/evening trousers and beautiful tops/jackets. I might pack a ballerina length dress to ring the changes but that will depend how little I want to take as we too, try and pack 'light' when flying, if we can.

 

If flying, I just take a few pairs of black trousers and co ordinate the tops accordingly.

Edited April 14 by Victoria2

[jp2001]

12 hours ago, D&N said:

@jp2001

Not sure that aircon works differently indoors on a ship in Alaska from anywhere else. We certainly didn't notice.

Seems like you'll be fine. You plan something for gala nights; otherwise anything that isn't ripped jeans or sportswear that fits in your packing should be suitable.

My wife wouldn't feel that way, but she wouldn't go on a cruise and pack light!

It's not about air conditioning. I just feel my typical cruise "nice sundress" with or without a wrap/swawl wouldn't be appropriate for dinner on a Alaska cruise as it's more a summer or Carribean type of clothes.

 

I'm from Canada and don't wear sundresses in the winter, I don't even wear semi formal dresses in the winter either but that might just be me (except I don't see many people wearing them either, even for Christmas and the like). If going to a fancy restaurant I would wear I heavier fabric with a scarf or jacket (I guess what you could refer to as business attire accessorised for the evening but I was trying to avoid bringing bulky jackets and thinking more scarves).

 

I've sailed Cunard but it was summer crossings and I had a checked luggage so it was day dresses with a cardigan for the day, cocktail dresses most nights and long formal gown (or more fancy semi formal dress, think designer) on Gala nights.

 

I'll do a packing test and see what fits the suitcase I guess. I might just repeat outfits by going to alternative dinning so my dinning room table mates are not offended.

[jp2001]

9 hours ago, NE John said:

Along with the above great advice, don’t forget to plan what to wear while outside in Alaska. Especially for the chill and rain. 

Yes, I'm from Canada and I also work on a ship up North so I know how to dress according to the weather (I plan on boarding the plane with my winter jacket to save space in the suitcase even if I'll look very weird in the summer with my coat... A coat doesn't count in your luggage allowance and I'm using the opportunity). My question was more about evening attire for nights other than gala nights.

[jp2001]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

and can be overbearingly hot too and that's on non sunny cruises.

 

Layers, which for me of an evening means delicate pashminas. The silk or cashmere ones pack into nothing and are a vital part of my evening get ups.

I agree. I am definitely bringing my cashmere pashmina. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, jp2001 said:

Thank you, that is helpful.

 

I have sailed on Cunard a few times but they were Transatlantic Crossings and I didn't pack light for those. I'll probably have to add a checked luggage. My problem is I'm officially flying to Seattle but disembarking on my layover in Vancouver. Not sure they'll let me check my luggage to YVR and not SEA.

 

May I ask what type of outfits you wore for the port days dinner? 

 

For port day dinners, I generally wear what @Victoria2 described. Dress trousers and some kind of dressy top. I have a lot of lightweight dressy jackets that I've accumulated over the years (there's a great thrift shop near me), so a silky tank top and a jacket works well. Dressier than required, but easy to pack. I love to dress up, and I'm going to shower after being out and about much of the day, anyway. So if I have to change, I change into something that looks worthy of an evening on a Cunard Queen. 

[Victoria2]

7 hours ago, jp2001 said:

...I might just repeat outfits by going to alternative dinning so my dinning room table mates are not offended.

I tend to 'recycle' evening wear occasionally as I have favourites even tho' I have enough to wear for the duration, and couldn't care less what others might think, that's if it's even noticed!

 

No need to make a dining venue safari as no offense would be taken. Call it judicious evening dress planning! 👍

 

 

Edited April 14 by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

9 hours ago, david63 said:

According to my wife that is "normal" - that is why she has two and a half cases whilst I have to make do with the remaining other half😉

I’m surprised, as I don’t think dresses take up very much space, compared to, say, a dinner jacket. On the other hand, if she has different shoes for each dress, I can see they both take up space and add weight.

 

[2BACRUISER]

We have,Alaska booked for next year and I pretty much plan to take what I took on our QV trip to the Fjords though slightly pared down due to luggage weight restrictions. I have crepe navy dress and some black silky evening pants that will dress up with blingy tops that will be for smart attire nights. I'm sure you'll be fine. There's lots of Alaska attire suggestions on the fashion board in cruise discussion forum hth 

[3rdGenCunarder]

A comment about the "ice white" gala night in Alaska. The first time I did an Alaska cruise on QE, I thought that was stupid. Glaciers are blue, not white. So in defiance (and because I already had the skirt), I wore a long turquoise skirt and bought a white top that had a little bling on it. So, like a glacier, snow on top, blue ice below. And then on board, the description was blue and/or white and/or silver. Plenty of people didn't dress in those colors anyway. 

[naturelovergirl]

13 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

A comment about the "ice white" gala night in Alaska. The first time I did an Alaska cruise on QE, I thought that was stupid. Glaciers are blue, not white. So in defiance (and because I already had the skirt), I wore a long turquoise skirt and bought a white top that had a little bling on it. So, like a glacier, snow on top, blue ice below. And then on board, the description was blue and/or white and/or silver. Plenty of people didn't dress in those colors anyway. 

I also wore icy blue ❄️

[Cowbell Kingdom]

Having cruised to Alaska multiple times.... You are inside MOST of the evening so dress for inside. It will be snappy outside, but you can bring a wrap. Below is a one of the gowns I wore last summer. I was absolutely fine temperature wise. My other gown was even less sleeve. Also fine.

[elmsliebev]

On 4/14/2024 at 9:33 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

A comment about the "ice white" gala night in Alaska. The first time I did an Alaska cruise on QE, I thought that was stupid. Glaciers are blue, not white. So in defiance (and because I already had the skirt), I wore a long turquoise skirt and bought a white top that had a little bling on it. So, like a glacier, snow on top, blue ice below. And then on board, the description was blue and/or white and/or silver. Plenty of people didn't dress in those colors anyway. 

I wore a white dress with an ice blue/turquiose pattern on it.

 

[jp2001]

On 4/21/2024 at 3:43 PM, Cowbell Kingdom said:

Having cruised to Alaska multiple times.... You are inside MOST of the evening so dress for inside. It will be snappy outside, but you can bring a wrap. Below is a one of the gowns I wore last summer. I was absolutely fine temperature wise. My other gown was even less sleeve. Also fine.

Beautiful dress! I'm good for gala but I would welcome pictures of your other nights outfits