New Dress Code Designations?

Current theme nights, I haven't noticed the Victorian theme being well supported either.

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Oh the thread that will never die.

 

I suppose diehard Cunard fans should be outraged at these changes. But it depends on how you define "diehard". I've been sailing with Cunard since 1977. Back when QE2 had class and classes. And two dress codes for each. So if you look at it in a different light, that's precisely what Cunard has reverted to with these changes. There is Grill, First (Britannia Club and Britannia) and Tourist (lido, casino, pub etc). And as a 19-year-old on QE2 in Tourist Class I knew that if you wanted to sneak into First, you dressed and sometimes got away with it. If "Tourist" on today's QM2 wants to "sneak" into the Commodore Club, they have to dress or, hopefully, they won't get away with it. It's really simple. And nothing has significantly changed as long as the "Tourist" folks appreciate they have to dress to use "First" facilities. Cunard for most of its existence always had different dress codes for class or venue.

 

Finally, for those who are fleeing Cunard over this... where are you fleeing to? All of the deluxe lines are bastions of "Country Club Casual" already. My wife and I love Oceania but find Cunard a refreshing change for its traditional formality which, by any comparison, remains quite intact post 18 June. Oceania, otherwise perfection on most counts, is a khakis and polo shirt wasteland by comparison.

On the grounds that you state 'love' of Oceania may I just add that having clocked three cruises with them I have found their passenger's dress standards and, more pertinently, quality to be way above that what Cunard will experience from the 'tourist' class you mention earlier.

In other words..."Quiet quality that doesn’t need to scream anything".

Oh, and PS. I'm sure I've mentioned here before, but a stricter dress enforcement policy is practised on a cruise line I have also had a number of cruises with, Hapag-Lloyd.

That's our approach too. We shall wait and see what happens in practice on the ship over the coming weeks and months, both based on our own experience during our forthcoming Fjords cruise on QM2 (the first week of the changes, I believe) and based on first-hand reports by others. In the meantime, we too will hold off from making any further bookings at present, including those we were planning to make whilst on board.

 

I do find some of the snarking and lampooning on this thread of those of us who value the Cunard frormality and dress codes to be regrettable. If that's what is important for us about Cunard - and it is - then so be it.

Thank you.

Unfortunately Cunard's fudging the issue has given those you mention a field day.

The staff have given up, same on QM2 in March last year, Sydney to HK. Formal nights, Adidas Track suit tops mixed up with the Dinner suits...ugly.:evilsmile:[/quot

 

 

But the poster said he had seen quite a few people turned away for not wearing ties. That hardly suggests the staff have given up, as you phrase it.

Just as an update we’re on QM2 from Southampton to Hamburg although many are continuing their crossing from New York.

Last night dress code informal (jacket required) yet a few in the Chart Room in jeans t shirts and others with no jacket.

Just letting you know. Others in tuxes though, not us tonight.

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All this fuss about dress code! Just got off in Southampton from our first crossing. The dress code seems redundant based on the quality of the crossing. Starting with the "entertainment" for lack of a better word, to the food, we felt it all was Carnival quality. For everyone to be getting in a tizzy over who is formal or not, should look at what is being offered by Cunard. It definitely isn't worth dressing up for in my opinion! If you want me to dress up, give me something to dress up for!

Thank you for the info. You’re looking quite at ease in your dapper jackets. Thank you for this. My Mister will be pleased to see the style.

And yesterday evening we did our twist on black tie

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And yesterday evening we did our twist on black tie

Love, love, LOVE this! Mister will be wearing a bow tie with stars on it.

If you want me to dress up, give me something to dress up for!

That is exactly what myself and Mrs Toad thought last year on the QV; why are we dressing to eat this mediocre food ? Dinner Jacket and Evening Dress was not warranted compared to the quality of the food served.

And yesterday evening we did our twist on black tie

 

 

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Just to say, although we have enjoyed our ‘trial’ of QM2, the dress code on this sailing has not been enforced at all in my opinion. I know that on the last evening guests may have packed all their finery, but yesterday evening there were t shirt, jeans and baseball caps in the Commodore Club, Carinthia Lounge and Champagne Bar.

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Just to say, although we have enjoyed our ‘trial’ of QM2, the dress code on this sailing has not been enforced at all in my opinion. I know that on the last evening guests may have packed all their finery, but yesterday evening there were t shirt, jeans and baseball caps in the Commodore Club, Carinthia Lounge and Champagne Bar.

 

 

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Thanks for reporting back, has your short cruise encouraged you to try a longer one ?

The price of wine is ridiculous in our opinion. I know to expect a mark up, but the evening before sailing we purchased a bottle of ‘Geyser Peak’ in a bar in Southampton for £12, Cunard sell this for $35 plus 15% gratuity. There wasn’t 1 glass of house wine less than $11.50 per glass. If we did sail, we’d have to take wine onboard and pay $20 per bottle corkage.

Unless Cunard implement a beverage package, then it’s a no go for us.

I consider a bill of $555 for 3 nights expensive when we drank very moderately, and that included paying $40 corkage for 2 bottles we took onboard.

The entertainment was diabolical in our opinion. It’s a pity that the most entertaining part of the evening was watching guests dance in the Queens club.

And as discussed on here, the dress code needs enforcing to justify the high prices for a premium experience.

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I don't understand why enforcing a dress code justifies a higher price.

The higher price should be justified by a higher level of service, food quality and onboard facilities, not by what others are wearing,

I don't understand why enforcing a dress code justifies a higher price.

 

The higher price should be justified by a higher level of service, food quality and onboard facilities, not by what others are wearing,

I agree a higher price should be justified by a higher level of service, food quality and onboard facilities.

As for service, we didn’t find this any higher than we have experienced on other lines, food quality, although acceptable, isn’t stellar, but as I said food is very subjective.

Just because we feel the higher fares and entertainment aren’t to our liking, doesn’t mean they aren’t seen as good value to others, that’s why there’s choices available.

We did enjoy it, it’s just not for us.

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theckenlady

(and to some others who are not enjoying their first cruise with Cunard)...after reading your post and you saying that the food was Carnival quality (whatever that means), I thought I would look at some sample menus from Queen Mary 2. DH and I are booked on a crossing soon and I wanted to see what food was offered. Looking at the menus, they all seemed to be quite appetizing. I am a beef eater and also enjoy other foods and vegetables. I was able to see at least one meal that I would order and on some of the menus, there was another entree that I might order. For dessert you can have REAL ice cream.

If you are saying that the food was not good, then you must be specific. Something like, the caviar was too salty. Please let me, and other people reading the posts, know what you did not like about the food.

You did not like the entertainment, yet did not say what was wrong with it. I am not sure what cruise line it was on, however one night the show was a man who played the harmonica. Some people were turned off and did not go to this show. However, he was also a comedian and it was a very enjoyable and entertaining show. Queen Mary 2, you said you were on a crossing, also has a very nice theatre where they show very recent movies. I have seen many new films on cruise ships on sea days.

Our dining waiters have always been very gracious in their service. Our cabin on Cunard ships has always been kept clean.

My daughter asked me to accompany her on a cruise with a mainstream cruise company about 3 years ago. I had never been on this line but the price was good. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Lido restaurant. Handed utensils wrapped in 1 thin paper napkin on entering. No other napkins, cloth or paper to be seen. In the cabin, the sheets were not as nice, the towels were not very fluffy and products were scarce. No conditioner for my long hair. The combination shampoo and conditioner just did not work. Sailing with Cunard I am used to having these amenities. I will not cruise with that other company again. Therefore I choose Cunard.

Saying that, maybe Cunard is not upscale enough for you. You should try a Luxury Line.

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As a quick reply (I believe I covered the food quality) the entertainment (production show ‘Rythm of the Night’ had singers whose voices were weak, the dancing looked like something from the 70s). The ‘ABBA’ night in G32 was too short.

Films being shown in Illuminations were mostly Japanese.

There was nothing wrong with the cabin steward or facilities, nice toiletries (but they don’t deserve the high fares), tea/coffee can be found on other lines.

Bathrooms far too small.

Linen napkins are provided on the other lines we prefer, although may not be placed on the tables in the buffet.

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As a quick reply (I believe I covered the food quality) the entertainment (production show ‘Rythm of the Night’ had singers whose voices were weak, the dancing looked like something from the 70s). The ‘ABBA’ night in G32 was too short.

 

Films being shown in Illuminations were mostly Japanese.

 

There was nothing wrong with the cabin steward or facilities, nice toiletries (but they don’t deserve the high fares), tea/coffee can be found on other lines.

 

Bathrooms far too small.

 

Linen napkins are provided on the other lines we prefer, although may not be placed on the tables in the buffet.

 

 

 

 

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The films were Japanese?! Not 100% certain what you mean. Japanese language, travelogue? Please explain. I would also like to say that such a short trip is often not indicative of the usual 7 day crossings. Perhaps at some point in the near future you might take a crossing and see how that goes. If you do such a trip please post a review.

Happy cruising :D

The films were Japanese?! Not 100% certain what you mean. Japanese language, travelogue? Please explain. I would also like to say that such a short trip is often not indicative of the usual 7 day crossings. Perhaps at some point in the near future you might take a crossing and see how that goes. If you do such a trip please post a review.

 

Happy cruising :D

As for my reasons above, I doubt we can justify the high fares for a 7 night crossing, unless we book more than 2 years in advance (April 2020 for £1150 pp) when we have a 14 night crossing from Barbados already booked for £1500 pp including premium flights out to Barbados.

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theckenlady

 

(and to some others who are not enjoying their first cruise with Cunard)...after reading your post and you saying that the food was Carnival quality (whatever that means), I thought I would look at some sample menus from Queen Mary 2. DH and I are booked on a crossing soon and I wanted to see what food was offered. Looking at the menus, they all seemed to be quite appetizing. I am a beef eater and also enjoy other foods and vegetables. I was able to see at least one meal that I would order and on some of the menus, there was another entree that I might order. For dessert you can have REAL ice cream.

 

If you are saying that the food was not good, then you must be specific. Something like, the caviar was too salty. Please let me, and other people reading the posts, know what you did not like about the food.

 

 

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Where shall I start with the food? Steaks are full of gristle and barely edible. Everything is under seasoned. Fish was dry and bland. Even the dinner bread offered is hard as a rock and feels like they just pulled it out of a freezer. Even in a mediocre restaurant you get warm bread! Lobster night is not worth the time, as the lobster is frozen and rubbery. I will say the salads tended to be good, but then again its hard to mess up a salad. And yes there is real ice cream which is actually delicious.

Where shall I start with the food? Steaks are full of gristle and barely edible. Everything is under seasoned. Fish was dry and bland. Even the dinner bread offered is hard as a rock and feels like they just pulled it out of a freezer. Even in a mediocre restaurant you get warm bread! Lobster night is not worth the time, as the lobster is frozen and rubbery. I will say the salads tended to be good, but then again its hard to mess up a salad. And yes there is real ice cream which is actually delicious.

I think I will cancel my next cruise and ask to have a holiday with some of the people complaining about the food on Cunard.I would imagine they put on a sumptuous banquet every night ! I spent 45 nights on the QM2 sailing to Sydney earlier this year and probably only had a couple of meals I didn't enjoy....and when I left a lot on my plate my waiter asked if he could get me an alternative.Food is subjective but for anyone to say everything is bad then they are really in the minority.

Where shall I start with the food? Steaks are full of gristle and barely edible. Everything is under seasoned. Fish was dry and bland. Even the dinner bread offered is hard as a rock and feels like they just pulled it out of a freezer. Even in a mediocre restaurant you get warm bread! Lobster night is not worth the time, as the lobster is frozen and rubbery. I will say the salads tended to be good, but then again its hard to mess up a salad. And yes there is real ice cream which is actually delicious.

Most restaurants, mediocre or otherwise, don’t seat 1000+ diners at a time. And as for the lobster - and other items - being frozen, on a crossing they can’t restock with fresh foods en route.

The meals aren’t always gourmet, but for mass catering, which is what it must be given the numbers involved, I think they do a very, very good job!

Where shall I start with the food? Steaks are full of gristle and barely edible. Everything is under seasoned. Fish was dry and bland. Even the dinner bread offered is hard as a rock and feels like they just pulled it out of a freezer. Even in a mediocre restaurant you get warm bread! Lobster night is not worth the time, as the lobster is frozen and rubbery. I will say the salads tended to be good, but then again its hard to mess up a salad. And yes there is real ice cream which is actually delicious.

I might be easily pleased and I know food is very subjective but sometimes I wonder if I travel on the same ships as those who say the food is that bad.

Once when traveling abroad with a university group, one participant complained loudly and regularly about every meal. I finally asked her where she ate at home. She mentioned a series of American chain restaurants that weren't to my taste but explained why she wasn't happy at the local restaurants we were dining at. Food is so often about preferences and comfort. Since then when confronted by people unhappy with their meals or hotel rooms and such, I ask where they usually dine or stay and it gives me great insights to their expectations.

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