Dress code on QM2

I have only just registered here and maybe this question has been asked already, but I can't find it. I want to know about the dress code on QM2, both regular and formal nights? How dressy is it on formal nights? We are (6 senior family members) sailing from Cape Town to Sydney next Feb. Have sailed on Princess cruises, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL and Star Cruises and want to know how QM2 compares dress wise.

We will be getting off as you get on! We have found that you can be as dressy as you like and no one will care one way or the other. We abide by the rules and wear formal wear and dressy dresses but there is no fashion police stationed at the door to send you back. You will have a grand time....

Just go to www.cunard.com and the dress code will be carefully outlined.

The QM2 is pretty dressy. On formal nights most men (70-80% if not more) wore tuxedos; almost half the women (maybe a little less) wore long gowns with almost all the rest in cocktail dresses/dressy blouse and skirts (long gowns were more common on older women, shorter dresses more common on younger women, but the opposite was not uncommon). On other nights almost all the men wore blazers/sport coats--consistent with the published dress code. On "informal" nights, perhaps 1/3rd to 1/2 of the men work suits; almost all the rest wore blazers/sport coats with ties. [At least this was the case on a Transatlantic crossing I just got back from.] More than other lines I have been on, people did comply (voluntarily) with the published Cunard dress code.

During the day it was very casual. There were plenty of people in jeans and some in shorts (not that many because most of the time it was too cold). T-shirts were not uncommon, although most men wore shirts with collars.

I have only just registered here and maybe this question has been asked already, but I can't find it. I want to know about the dress code on QM2, both regular and formal nights? How dressy is it on formal nights? We are (6 senior family members) sailing from Cape Town to Sydney next Feb. Have sailed on Princess cruises, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL and Star Cruises and want to know how QM2 compares dress wise.

The QM2 is very different from the other cruise lines you mentioned. For instance, we went on a cruise on RCI last year and we wore the same things on formal nights on both the Royal Caribbean ship and the QM2. On the Royal Caribbean ship. we were the only ones dressed in a tuxedo and long gown that I saw, while on the QM2 we were the norm. Also, although there is no fashion police, we did know four gentlemen who were turned away from the Britannia Restaurant because they had Hawaiian shirts on, where that would not happen on the Royal Caribbean ship.

The dress code is explained on the Cunard FAQs page:

Do I have to dress for dinner every evening?

One of the great thrills of a Cunard voyage is the sheer glamour of the evenings. Generally, evening dress may be either formal, semi- formal or elegant casual when your ship is at sea, and semi-formal or casual when your ship is in port. There will be a maximum of three formal nights in a week. Evening attire for the ship's main restaurants, effective from 1800 hrs (6:00 pm), will be specified on your ship's Daily Programme.

Please refer to the below-listed dress code descriptions:

 

 

Formal:

Black tie or formal dark suit for men. Evening dress or other formal attire for ladies.

 

Semi-formal:

Jacket and tie for men. Cocktail dress or trouser suit for ladies. No jeans.

 

Elegant Casual:

Jacket, no tie required for men. Dress, skirt or trousers for ladies. No jeans or shorts.

If you are a lady don't sweat bringing a ton of gowns/cocktail dresses. Bring one long skirt/plazzo pants and switch out some different tops, and dress up or down with jewelry or scarves and wraps. Its a lot easier to pack that stuff than to deal with heavy gowns and such. I know because when we sailed a few years ago both mom and I sweated the details too much and boy our bags were heavy! Then we had to carry them up and down the train station getting to the correct platform. It was not a fun time.

Otherwise just nice skirt/pants and a nice top for the elegant casual nights will be fine. Men have it so much easier...dark suit and a sports jacket/blazer and some shirts, switching out ties for a different look. :D

Have fun! :)

If you are a lady don't sweat bringing a ton of gowns/cocktail dresses. Bring one long skirt/plazzo pants and switch out some different tops, and dress up or down with jewelry or scarves and wraps.

While this is a option, by all means, if you have gowns and dresses you enjoy to wear, bring them.

I would be a most boring look and destruction of the festive atmosphere if all the ladies were dressed in the ever same black dress/skirt, just with different accessoires, night after night.

Thank you all for the advice. I think we will have to do some serious shopping before we go. Too much luggage is a problem as we are are travelling around a bit before the cruise, Brisbane to Sydney then to Johannesburg then to Mauritius (for 10 days) finally to Cape Town. I think I will have to do a bit of the mix and match thing.

Thank you all for the advice. I think we will have to do some serious shopping before we go. Too much luggage is a problem as we are are travelling around a bit before the cruise, Brisbane to Sydney then to Johannesburg then to Mauritius (for 10 days) finally to Cape Town. I think I will have to do a bit of the mix and match thing.

Wow Dizey. That sounds like a fantastic trip! BTW, don't worry about wrinkes from squeezing your formal clothes into your suitcase. You can have clothes pressed/dry cleaned after you board.:)

Bon voyage,

Salacia

You can have clothes pressed/dry cleaned after you board.:)

 

Bon voyage,

Salacia

Yeah the drycleaning was cheaper and quicker than I paid at home.

The dress code makes me feel like I'm joining a vanity parade rather than taking a leisure vacation. I had no idea I was booking on the snob-boat. Oh well, we'll follow the code... But what's up with the guy telling the woman she needs to bring lots of gowns so he doesn't get bored looking at the ladies? How many suits is he bringing?

The dress code makes me feel like I'm joining a vanity parade rather than taking a leisure vacation. I had no idea I was booking on the snob-boat. Oh well, we'll follow the code... But what's up with the guy telling the woman she needs to bring lots of gowns so he doesn't get bored looking at the ladies? How many suits is he bringing?

All you really need are a few nice dresses/suites with some "accessories" to highlight the outfit. A tux is by no means mandatory. A good "dark" suite is fine. Cunard is noted for "dressing up" call it snobby if you wish, but it's what separates it from otherlines. The "British" style of oceanliner travel is what also separates it.

The dress code makes me feel like I'm joining a vanity parade rather than taking a leisure vacation. I had no idea I was booking on the snob-boat. Oh well, we'll follow the code... But what's up with the guy telling the woman she needs to bring lots of gowns so he doesn't get bored looking at the ladies? How many suits is he bringing?

Since when does dressing up equate with snobbery? You can dress as you please, however, you may stand out like a sore thumb and not really be welcome in the dining room. And it won't be the"snobs" that make you feel out of order, but Cunard's long established dress codes. I guess you would have been wise to check the specifics of the ship's policies before booking.

Perhaps snobbery is the wrong word. Though I have never met a person who believes he/she is a snob. Some people just need to dress up to boost their self esteem. Cunard markets to that segment of the population. Nothing wrong with that.

The dress code makes me feel like I'm joining a vanity parade rather than taking a leisure vacation. I had no idea I was booking on the snob-boat. Oh well, we'll follow the code... But what's up with the guy telling the woman she needs to bring lots of gowns so he doesn't get bored looking at the ladies? How many suits is he bringing?

1tomcrown, seems to me you have already judged Cunard's passengers to be a bunch of vain snobs, so why would you want to book on a "snob-boat" or join what you feel is a "vanity parade"? :confused:

Regarding the previous poster, he didn't tell the woman she needs to bring lots of gowns...this is exactly what he wrote:

While this is a option, by all means, if you have gowns and dresses you enjoy to wear, bring them.

I would be a most boring look and destruction of the festive atmosphere if all the ladies were dressed in the ever same black dress/skirt, just with different accessoires, night after night.

Perhaps snobbery is the wrong word. Though I have never met a person who believes he/she is a snob. Some people just need to dress up to boost their self esteem. Cunard markets to that segment of the population. Nothing wrong with that.

Apparently, you believe that (most? some?) people sail on Cunard because they suffer from low self esteem which is boosted by dressing up on a Cunard ship, and Cunard markets to those suffering from this sense of inferiority. That's quite a theory. If you do sail on a Cunard ship someday, may I suggest you get to know some of your fellow passengers. Perhaps you will be suprised. But may I suggest you don't comment on their low self-esteem as that might be considered rather rude and insulting.

Oh, and welcome to the Cunard forum.

Salacia

I agree with Salacia.

There are too many people saying that they will not obey any dress codes. I am glad that Cunard does not agree with them.

There are many cruise lines out there, if you think wearing elegant dresses and suits is snobby, then cruise with some of the others who cater to people: 'it is my vacation, I paid for it and I think shorts (equivalent to elegant underwear) are the latest in fashion' !!!!

I must admit that i'm in those "middling" years, not a spring chicken anymore but quite a bit of a way off of collecting my pension (if I ever do - as the government keeps putting off the pensionable age) :D

Anyway, self esteem aside, I love dressing up. A few years ago when I was in the army and married to a soldier, I used to love dressing up in ball gowns for the summer/christmas balls or regimental dinners. There really is something very special about a beautiful evening with a lovely meal and feeling a bit like a princess. Alas, dressing up isn't done so much anymore, so I'm one of those that loves to pull the gowns out of the back of the wardrobe, dust them off and put my "princess" head on for a night or two and feel really glamerous. My job involves lots of suits and work attire so any excuse to feel really glamerous is all the excuse I need. My hubby loves seeing me in the gowns and vice versa - I love his George Clooney look when he's in a tux - really fires my rockets! :D

So please, if you're really not up for the dressing up part, stop trying to cast aspersions on those that love it (for whatever reason) and perhaps consider another cruise line where the nights aren't so formal.

I get so cross when I read these posts about dress codes. As everyone states- the expected dress is in the brochures and when it is discussed on here it is repeated with quite a few good tips on how to improvise if required. Yet still, it isn't enough for some folk.

The 'passengers' in the photographs in the brochures are, I imagine, models so whether that impression of 'glamour' deters would be passengers, I don't know. :confused:

At home, people still dress differently if they were going out to a restaurant for an evening meal than if they were going for lunch to a shopping centre. Similarly, if it was a dinner followed by a dance- dress accordingly.

I noticed that someone refers to 'overdressed/over obsessed' on one of the forums. Quite honestly, I am not bothered if others choose to ignore what has been asked of them but I will continue to admire those who have made the effort and look stylish. A formal night onboard is an amazing sight and experience.

I might even, unless I am deterred by my low self-esteem, dare to cast more than a glance at Valentino's husband in his George Clooney look alike mode...mmm..:) However, don't worry Valentino- I will have my own with me :)

Don't be intimidated by Cunard's marketing hype about glamorous evenings and royal balls. Yes, Cunard passengers do respect the evening dress code and dress appropriately but that doesn't mean to say that women shouldn't wear trousers on formal nights or men must wear dinner jackets. Or that you need to look like you've just stepped off the catwalk. There is a wide range of clothing that most reasonable people would consider suitable. My advice would be to take items you can mix and match, dress up or down.

On our cruise last year the dress codes for each evening did not accord with what was advertised in advance. This meant my partner ended up wearing a smart "Nehru" jacket with a white collarless shirt buttoned up on a semi formal night which should have been an elegant casual one. It was the night of the Cunard World Club cocktail party and no one batted an eyelid.

So, by all means dress glamorously if you wish, but you're not obliged to - and if you and your family are simply smartly attired that will do just fine!

Enjoy the voyage.

Perhaps snobbery is the wrong word. Though I have never met a person who believes he/she is a snob. Some people just need to dress up to boost their self esteem. Cunard markets to that segment of the population. Nothing wrong with that.

I wonder just whose self-esteem you are speaking of?

I can only speak from my point of view, and I always feel very good when I dress up, but it certainly isn't done to boost my self-esteem.

Cunard is a very old cruise line that attemps to market itself to passengers who enjoy the very traditional aspect of what passenger ships offered their passengers throughout the golden age. And yes, you are absolutely right-- there is nothing, whatsoever, wrong with that!

Perhaps snobbery is the wrong word. Though I have never met a person who believes he/she is a snob. Some people just need to dress up to boost their self esteem. Cunard markets to that segment of the population. Nothing wrong with that.

Apparently, you believe that (most? some?) people sail on Cunard because they suffer from low self esteem which is boosted by dressing up on a Cunard ship, and Cunard markets to those suffering from this sense of inferiority. That's quite a theory.

Oh it's no theory Salacia.

Sadly I suffer from low self esteem and the Doctor has prescribed me multiple Cunard voyages .... for medicinal purposes. :rolleyes:

There are too many people saying that they will not obey any dress codes. I am glad that Cunard does not agree with them.

Well said :)

Oh it's no theory Salacia.

 

Sadly I suffer from low self esteem and the Doctor has prescribed me multiple Cunard voyages .... for medicinal purposes. :rolleyes:

Hot dam Margatebne, you've given me a scathingly brilliant idea! I must phone my medical insurance company right away and ask if they cover that prescription---if they do, I want the same diagnosis & treatment you got!:) Hey, who knows, maybe it's an epidemic!:D

Cheers,

Salacia

Since when does dressing up equate with snobbery? You can dress as you please, however, you may stand out like a sore thumb and not really be welcome in the dining room. And it won't be the"snobs" that make you feel out of order, but Cunard's long established dress codes. I guess you would have been wise to check the specifics of the ship's policies before booking.

Very well put. In addition, adhering to the dress code for the entire night is one of the the major reasons we love the Queen ships.