Dressing on the QM2!

We just completed our first modern Cunard crossing (I did sail on the Queen Mary in 1966) Nov 18th., from Southampton - Ft Lauderdale. Prior to our sailing we read many posts on this board about "dress code!" Many silly postings about Black and White Dinner jackets....oh yes, and all that clap trap about north and south of Suez! and yes, many outragous opions about "jeans!"

In this year of 2006 let me quote from the Daily Programme (note English spelling!)

(One) "The Dress for tonight is Elegant Casual: For gentlemen, no jacket is required, a collard shirt with slacks is perfectly appropriate. For Ladies, a blouse with skirt or slacks."

(Two) "The Dress for tonight is Informal: For gentlemen, jacket and tie is required. For the Ladies, a cocktail dress or dressy pantsuit. Dress Codes will be enforced in the Britannia, Grill, and Todd English Restaurants."

(Three) "The Dress for tonight is Formal: Tuxedo ( alternatively a dark suit) for gentlemen. Evening gown or other appropiate attire for the Ladies. Dress Codes will be enforced in Britannia, Grill and Todd English Restaurants."

I think that the Dress Codes set out by Cunard for the QM2 are very clear and easy to uderstand.

As for the silly debates about Black .v. White Dinner jackets. On this crossing about two thirds were Black and one third were White. Everyone was having a good time and looked wonderful....myself I wore Black twice and White once.

Now concerning that "J" word, jeans. They were everwhere.....on both sexes. People were enjoying the ship and were perfectly happy. Oh, yes, there were many, many English, Welsh and Scotish accents heard wearing jeans...so let's not hear any anti "American" clothing taste comments that have been made on this board.

In short, to anyone reading this and thinking about booking a trip on the QM2......Follow the Dress Code....enjoy a White or Black Dinner jacket. Wear causal jeans during the day... you will not be alone!

Forget all the silly "Wear Country Club Casual" advice. Go and have a Great time on a Great Ship.

David

Hi sirdavid

Many thanks for this, I couldn't agree more, this was also my experience a couple of months back TA to New York except that there were far fewer ivory tuxedos than you saw.

Jeans were also much in evidence when I travelled, no-one seemed to take any notice what anyone wore during the day. As you say, the guidelines for the evenings are very clear and one should forget the "country club casual" nonsense.

I would be very keen to hear about your voyage and your thoughts on QM2.

Very best wishes

You know, I think Cunard add to the confusion by not being clear about this and contradicting themselves in various places.

I'm sure that my pre-cruise pack for the QM2 world cruise defines elegant casual as requiring a jacket (no tie though). In fact, I remember having to look hard to see the difference between informal and elegant casual - the only difference being the tie.

If its true that Elegant Casual does not require a jacket it will be much better for us. DH has a lovely tux, business suits suitable for informal nights, dress pants and shirts suitable for "casual nights" but he does not own a sports coat or similar and is not really the type to wear one. I thought we would need to buy one for the trip but that he would probably never wear it again!

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Regards

Timmi

Forget all the silly "Wear Country Club Casual" advice. Go and have a Great time on a Great Ship.

David

Well said! Back in May, before the creation of "Elegant Casual", the Daily Programme said: " The dress for tonight is casual: for gentlemen, no jacket is required, a collared shirt with slacks is perfectly appropriate. For ladies, a blouse with skirt, or slacks."

Paul

You know, I think Cunard add to the confusion by not being clear about this and contradicting themselves in various places.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Timmi - I can't provide definitive help with the QM2, I can only say that on the QE2 we wear lounge suits on casual nights and don't feel out of place (or at least we didn't when they only had one casual night per trip). I agree with you about Cunard adding to the confusion - they'll give one dress code in their brochure, a second in the pre-voyage documentation, a third on the ticket and a fourth on the daily programme! If you packed sufficient to adhere to all these dress codes you'd need to allow for five outfits per day. Just think of the luggage you'd need for that:eek:

Timmi - I can't provide definitive help with the QM2, I can only say that on the QE2 we wear lounge suits on casual nights and don't feel out of place (or at least we didn't when they only had one casual night per trip). I agree with you about Cunard adding to the confusion - they'll give one dress code in their brochure, a second in the pre-voyage documentation, a third on the ticket and a fourth on the daily programme! If you packed sufficient to adhere to all these dress codes you'd need to allow for five outfits per day. Just think of the luggage you'd need for that:eek:

I'm in full agreement with lounge suits for informal.

Obviously dress suit for formal - and I do maintain that black looks best save in very hot weather.

Blazer for casual.

I would not think of going for dinner without a tie. On my one and only casual night I wore blazer and tie.

Embarkation dress, really! There. Nice and easy to remember.

When I do a transatlantic on the Queen Glitzy I will still maintain informal, formal, formal, formal, formal, informal as dress. Well, unless my wife has other ideas!

I think the difference between "Casual" and "Elegant Casual" is one between ships.

As far as I know, QE2 has "Elegant Casual", jacket required. QM2 has "Casual", no jacket required.

A tie is optional in both cases.

I believe there were no "Elegant Casual" nights at all until fairly recently, perhaps 2004 or so, and that before then QE2 was always either "Formal" or "Informal".

QE2's restaurants still have signs outside them informing one that a jacket and tie is required for gentlemen at dinner, though this is of course in direct contradiction of the Daily Programme when Elegant Casual dress is specified.

I also believe that QE2 uses Elegant Casual only when she is in a port overnight or will be departing after 6 PM, while QM2's Casual does not have this restriction.

I also believe that QE2 uses Elegant Casual only when she is in a port overnight or will be departing after 6 PM, while QM2's Casual does not have this restriction.

That's my understanding too.

Our only "casual" was an overnight in Quebec.

I can't recall the precise terminology though.

I also believe that QE2 uses Elegant Casual only when she is in a port overnight or will be departing after 6 PM

I thought that as well - until we received our cruise tickets for Christmas. Any sailing as six or after is marked as casual (not even Elegant Casual!). We're still going to dress as we would have done for informal on these nights.

 

When I do a transatlantic on the Queen Glitzy....

Hi Kindlychap

I don't think you'll find that the Queen Victoria will do regular transatlantics.;)

I thought that as well - until we received our cruise tickets for Christmas. Any sailing as six or after is marked as casual (not even Elegant Casual!). We're still going to dress as we would have done for informal on these nights.

Further complexity arises when I study my Christmas tickets. There are 4 formal; 7 semiformal and 5 casual. I have not met the term 'semiformal' in the Cunard lexicon before. Still whatever they might suggest, we will dress up - as opposed to down - wherever possible.

Not long to go now!

Forget all the silly "Wear Country Club Casual" advice.

I have to say that I am a jeans wearer during the day (English to boot).

I also have to say that "Cruisewear" should be banned. It always amazes me that grown men walk around wearing nautical hats and shirts with little silhouettes of little boats on them. Anyone caught wearing such should be forced to wear bell bottoms to dinner.....

(Obviously, the second paragraph is meant to be tongue in cheek...)

I have not met the term 'semiformal' in the Cunard lexicon before.

I think it was Patwell, or it could have been Norfolk Brit (or it could have been someone else entirely) said they'd spoken with Cunard and been told that it was being used instead of informal.

Not long to go now!

What was that advert? "Are you asleep? - NO, I'm too excited":)

Hear hear!!!:)

Stop press news from Cunard! The ship expects there to be 6 formal; 9 semiformal and 1 casual nights. Apparently, even that is not set in stone but it is much more likely to be correct that the information we first received.

Now my wife can pack everything!

Stop press news from Cunard! The ship expects there to be 6 formal; 9 semiformal and 1 casual nights.

That is wonderful news:)

(we appear to have hijacked the original dressing on the QM2 thread and turned it into a Christmas on the QE2 thread:) !)

Any sailing as six or after is marked as casual (not even Elegant Casual!).

OK, I guess I should have said "at or after 6 PM" then :) .

I have not met the term 'semiformal' in the Cunard lexicon before.

I am pretty sure this is the same as informal. At least, that is how I have seen it used on other cruise lines.

The ship expects there to be 6 formal; 9 semiformal and 1 casual nights.

Malaga, with an 11 PM departure, should be the one casual night.

You also have four 6 PM departures, which would be the other four casual nights if they had them. I am not sure if a 6 PM departure becomes casual, or if it has to be after 6 PM - it is a bit tricky. If it's earlier than 6 it's definitely not casual and if it's later it definitely is, but the 6 PM departures themselves seem to be a point of some contention.

Looking at your itinerary, I would tend to predict four formal, ten informal, one casual. If they have five formal then either you have a formal night during a day that isn't a sea day, or your last night is formal (that is a sea day). Both seem rather unlikely to me, but who knows?

Malaga, with an 11 PM departure, should be the one casual night.

I'm with you there. I'll still treat is as informal/semi formal though.

You also have four 6 PM departures

And four 5-00pm departures with the first and last nights would mean that we had ten informal/semi formal nights - not the nine that Cunard now seem to be saying.

Looking at your itinerary, I would tend to predict four formal

I would have thought five as there are five days at sea that aren't either the first or last night (there are two days at the end, both at sea). If Cunard are saying six which is to be the sixth? I suppose either Christmas Eve or Boxing Day would be the most likely.

but who knows?

Not Cunard that's for certain!:D

Hi Kindlychap

 

I don't think you'll find that the Queen Victoria will do regular transatlantics.;)

Just as well!

I think it was Patwell, or it could have been Norfolk Brit (or it could have been someone else entirely) said they'd spoken with Cunard and been told that it was being used instead of informal.

What was that advert? "Are you asleep? - NO, I'm too excited":)

Spot on, Graeme; that's what Cunard told me. Semi-formal seems a much more accurate description of what is really cocktail dress/lounge suit.

Regards, Mary

I think the difference between "Casual" and "Elegant Casual" is one between ships.

 

As far as I know, QE2 has "Elegant Casual", jacket required. QM2 has "Casual", no jacket required.

 

A tie is optional in both cases.

I just checked my pre-cruise pack for our QM2 world cruise segment next Feb-Mar and they definitely say "elegant casual" not "casual" and do define that as including a jacket (no tie required). There are only formal, informal and elegant casual nights designated. So perhaps for the QM2's inaugural world cruise they are adopting the dress code as per the QE2?

Cheers

Timmi

Just off the QM2. Though the documents stated "casual" the terminology aboard the ship was "elegant casual" meaning open collared shirts with no jackets. I can tell you that most men wore jackets and ties all nights.

By the way, what do you mean by "lounge suit?"

Thanks,

Judy

By the way, what do you mean by "lounge suit?"

Thanks,

Judy

A conventional suit, as would be worn to the office.

A conventional suit, as would be worn to the office.

I suspect Judy is probably American (or at least not British) as "lounge suit" is not a popular term over here. Usually just "suit" or "business suit" would be used.

To me, "lounge suit" has always sounded like the sort of thing one would use while lounging around the house - exactly what one would not wear to work - but of course that is far from the case. I have always found the name rather ironic as a result.

Apologies for any confusion; had no idea lounge suit is not a universal term:o.

Mary