New Dress Code Designations?

As a fellow Scot, let my try to put your mind at rest. The HAL brand, much maligned on this thread, 'dumbed down' to the same Gala and Smart Attire evening dress code and has had that for a couple of years now. We are not long returned from an 18 night Westerdam cruise to Hawaii from San Diego. The ship had mainly Americans and Canadians, many Australians and Japanese, and only 22 Brits....4 of whom were Scots.

 

Anyway, to my point...we found the evening dress to be probably about 80% compliant, although the average age was certainly well into 60's so that generation do tend to dress more formally. We are early 60's and enjoyed that ambience. My gut feeling is that Cunard dress will not change in the short term, certainly not by August. Go with a positive attitude, as we Scots tend to do, and you will have an amazing cruise.

It is the 20% who don't comply we are concerned about!!!

A glitch mid reply please continue reading from above

 

The only exception to wear what you are comfortable in in the day should be in the formal waiter service dining rooms. I don't see why in day i can't put a towel over my shoulders and wear swimming shorts as I walk to pool..

 

However come 6pm then the strict dress code should apply to much of the ship , dressing up for dinner makes a cruise special, otherwise we'd just go to 5 star beach resorts.

I don't see the comparison between the QM2 and a beach resort. I would only sail the QM2 on a crossing which I view as a means of transportation, not a destination where I will be checking on everyone else's wardrobe. If Cunard decides to open a nudist restaurant where not only formal, but all clothes are optional, I could care less. Until another line starts doing frequent crossings throughout the year I will continue to cross on the QM2 as opposed to spending the same amount of money on a ten hour flight.

The problem with that is that the standard (non-Grills) is not 'luxury' travel.

 

It is certainly not unpleasant, but it definitely doesn't deliver an equivalent service to a real luxury hotel.

I disagree with your statement

- show me a 4 or 5 star luxury hotel that charges a similar average daily room/cabin rate Cunard charge

- AND includes all unlimited meals and & alcoholic drinks, complimentary room service, full entertainment, guest social gatherings, enrichment programmes, complimentary sports facilities, complimentary laundries = THEY DONT EXHIST AT ANY £

I’ve been lurking on this thread. Mister and I are booked for our first crossing on the Queen Mary 2 in August. We are members of “the great unwashed”. We ride motorcycles. We have chickens and raise vegetables. We each worked and retired from two jobs. This will be “the trip of a lifetime”. I have never “dressed”. I’ve worn formals maybe three times in my life (my own wedding was not one of those times.) I am one of those stressing over the dress codes. I finally bought a couple of what for me are VERY formal outfits last week. I spent a considerable amount of money on them. Will I take them back? No. For us, the “new” dress code will be the only one we’ve ever known. We are looking forward to the gala nights. I’ve never seen my husband of 30 years in a tux (although we both have worn formal military dress complete with cummerbund and black tie). If others choose to wear jeans, well, that’s their decision. We’re going to dress. Someone will probably look at me and say I’m underdressed; others may look at me and know immediately that I bought my clothing from a {gasp} department store. I will not look like Audrey Hepburn (my body has more in common with Bilbo Baggins than Eliza Doolittle). I’m going to enjoy myself either way. Those of you who would dress to the nines? I will love to see you in all your finery. And those who wear jeans in the theater? Well, even though it isn’t what I was prepared for, maybe they, like us, scrimped and saved for a once-every-thirty-years experience.

We were on QE last summer, it must have been about 5.45pm, and we sauntered into the Commodore Club and looked at the cocktail menu. "Over the top" was cocktail of the day. We sat down and placed our order. It was amazing, gin, brandy and lots of smoke, served elaborately in a glass teapot. We sat down to enjoy. The waiter came over and whispered to my guest, "Excuse me sir, after 6pm, gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and trousers". He did this very discreetly. My guest returned to our stateroom, quickly changed with appropriate attire and returned to enjoy probably the best ever cocktail.

OMG he is totally unique and should be promoted to Hotel Manager on one of their ships = IMMEDIATELY. Did you get his name as I will try to get him roster'd to our future sailings. Heck I will even pay his salary!! :D

Will all other areas, where dress code applies, be strictly enforced by Cunard?

Highly doubtable IMO it is currently not enforced AT ALL.

I have no idea.

It's disappointing that the staff need to do any enforcing, the dress codes are clearly printed in the Daily Programme and signs posted at the entrance to rooms but people still stroll in apparently completely oblivious to the fact that they are wearing a shirt when every other man in the room has a jacket on.

Totally agree Hattie - if they can read they know. This is the 'age of entitlement' - in other words "I am entitled to do as I want regardless" - hence, IMO the need for the Cunard staff to tell those not towing the line "there is a dress code Sir/Madam please...........thank you"

As this thread continues it sort of astounds me how detached from reality some of this is. Cunard operates the same size ships that carnival, HAL, Costa, and Celebrity so. They are by definition a mass market cruise line and have been since they cut loose the Sea Goddesses and Caronia. They have good marketing- they present an upscale image. But you’re not boutique when you’re carrying 2-3000 passengers. If anything the QE2 had her own style but the QM2 on have sort of been cartoonish versions of older ships- that sort of Hollywood glamor that someone once said “never was but always will be”. If I want to luxuriate in Art Deco splendor and dress up every night I’ll do it in the authentic confines of The Savoy. Cunard ships are extremely pleasant and I prefer their decor to most others but it has more in common authenticity wise with Disneyland than it does the Queen Mary in Long Beach.

 

Now after that rant I’ll say that I like Cunard very much- I’ve been sailing them for 40 years and have seen them evolve from a struggling holdover of another time to a well run corporate outfit. I’ll continue to sail them from time to time regardless if jackets are required in the theater or not. But let’s call a spade a spade if we’re going to have a spirited argument about what they represent as a brand and how that effects our dress.

Bad example - The London 'Savoy' is not longer an authentic Art Deco classic hotel since Fairmont got there hands on it. They sold of most of the old Savoy fittings, gutted its deco public rooms and bedrooms, sold of the original art and put in imitation Deco fittings and cheap Poster Art pictures = it may be successful but - it is about as Disney as your could get.

Tonopah..I'm with you. I ride a Harley and camp out about 1/3 of the time on long rides. I restore cars and can never quite get the grease out from under my fingernails. I do believe in following stated dress codes for venues and expect the rules to be enforced.

We are doing a Hamburg to NYC crossing in August, mostly as a fun way to get home after several weeks on land in Europe. We were looking forward to the more refined atmosphere that we thought existed on Cunard and planned to ship a bag of cruise clothes to ship so that we would be appropriately dressed for the cruise.

Now, it sounds like if I squeeze a blazer into my land tour bag, I should be ready to cruise. If I wanted the mass market, county fair, atmosphere, I would have booked one of those lines.

It will still be a fun way to get across the Atlantic.

They're probably giving themselves the Bank Holiday weekend off.

As Hattie says: be fair "don't shoot the piano player" the customer facing staff are not responsible for this mess.

Its the ineffective senior executives that caused this situation by not being totally transparent about proposed the change in advance BEFORE MAKING THE CHANGE.

The front end staff taking our calls, emails and the brunt of our frustration deserve a breather.

Having just been on the Q.V. South America Adventure, the dress code was not enforced in the theatre. People were entering wearing jumpers, shirts no jackets and all manor of casual dress. There was though a pre recorded message played 15 minutes before the performance stating the dress code applied in the theatre, but no one took any notice.

 

 

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And no doubt not a single Cunard staff member or Officer did a thing about it.

I don't see the comparison between the QM2 and a beach resort. I would only sail the QM2 on a crossing which I view as a means of transportation, not a destination where I will be checking on everyone else's wardrobe. If Cunard decides to open a nudist restaurant where not only formal, but all clothes are optional, I could care less. Until another line starts doing frequent crossings throughout the year I will continue to cross on the QM2 as opposed to spending the same amount of money on a ten hour flight.

What percentage of people look at a TA crossing as mere transportation? In its current configuration if they can't profitably put around 2500 people onboard for each crossing they will stop the TA service and use the ship for some other cruise purpose.

Most people don't have the luxury of spending 7 days to cross the Atlantic when a jet can do it in around 7 hours. Roundtrip airfare from the NY area to Heathrow runs less than $1000 on major airlines depending on the dates.

I don't see the comparison between the QM2 and a beach resort. I would only sail the QM2 on a crossing which I view as a means of transportation, not a destination where I will be checking on everyone else's wardrobe. If Cunard decides to open a nudist restaurant where not only formal, but all clothes are optional, I could care less. Until another line starts doing frequent crossings throughout the year I will continue to cross on the QM2 as opposed to spending the same amount of money on a ten hour flight.

Winsurfboy - its called 'STYLE' - Google it!

I’ve been lurking on this thread. Mister and I are booked for our first crossing on the Queen Mary 2 in August. We are members of “the great unwashed”. We ride motorcycles. We have chickens and raise vegetables. We each worked and retired from two jobs. This will be “the trip of a lifetime”. I have never “dressed”. I’ve worn formals maybe three times in my life (my own wedding was not one of those times.) I am one of those stressing over the dress codes. I finally bought a couple of what for me are VERY formal outfits last week. I spent a considerable amount of money on them. Will I take them back? No. For us, the “new” dress code will be the only one we’ve ever known. We are looking forward to the gala nights. I’ve never seen my husband of 30 years in a tux (although we both have worn formal military dress complete with cummerbund and black tie). If others choose to wear jeans, well, that’s their decision. We’re going to dress. Someone will probably look at me and say I’m underdressed; others may look at me and know immediately that I bought my clothing from a {gasp} department store. I will not look like Audrey Hepburn (my body has more in common with Bilbo Baggins than Eliza Doolittle). I’m going to enjoy myself either way. Those of you who would dress to the nines? I will love to see you in all your finery. And those who wear jeans in the theater? Well, even though it isn’t what I was prepared for, maybe they, like us, scrimped and saved for a once-every-thirty-years experience.

Hi - you and your Mr sound like excellent people - I would love to have a drink with you any time on a Cunard and I am sure you both look as well turned out as the best of them. Bon Voyage and you enjoy your smart and elegant cruise - David

Tonopah..I'm with you. I ride a Harley and camp out about 1/3 of the time on long rides. I restore cars and can never quite get the grease out from under my fingernails. I do believe in following stated dress codes for venues and expect the rules to be enforced.

 

We are doing a Hamburg to NYC crossing in August, mostly as a fun way to get home after several weeks on land in Europe. We were looking forward to the more refined atmosphere that we thought existed on Cunard and planned to ship a bag of cruise clothes to ship so that we would be appropriately dressed for the cruise.

 

Now, it sounds like if I squeeze a blazer into my land tour bag, I should be ready to cruise. If I wanted the mass market, county fair, atmosphere, I would have booked one of those lines.

 

It will still be a fun way to get across the Atlantic.

Bon Voyage - you will have a wonderful time. Please make my day and tell me you are travelling with the 'Harley'! Have a great voyage, David

I disagree with your statement

- show me a 4 or 5 star luxury hotel that charges a similar average daily room/cabin rate Cunard charge

- AND includes all unlimited meals and & alcoholic drinks, complimentary room service, full entertainment, guest social gatherings, enrichment programmes, complimentary sports facilities, complimentary laundries = THEY DONT EXHIST AT ANY £

Sorry, I can’t agree with your statement. Last year wetravelled to Spain staying in an Adults Only, All Inclusive 4* luxury hotel.Cost covered flights, accommodation all meals and all drinks (alcoholic ornon-alcoholic). Room facilities were better than stateroom, sports facilitiesand quality entertainment was provided. The holiday cost was not similar, itwas half what we have paid for a similar length cruise. So it is quite wrong to say that theseholidays are not available.

I’m also interested to know which Cunard cruise you havebeen on which includes free alcoholic drinks in the fare? On board creditperhaps, but that is something different.

Lot of resistance to change expressed in this thread. In UK,corporate organisations (banks, insurance companies and others) give morefavourable terms to new customers to the detriment of long standing clients. Why should Cunard be any different? If revenue increases from new passengers who wish a more “relaxed” environment, whyshould they care if traditionalists wail and gnash teeth.

“To book or not to book – that is the question..........”

I disagree with your statement

- show me a 4 or 5 star luxury hotel that charges a similar average daily room/cabin rate Cunard charge

- AND includes all unlimited meals and & alcoholic drinks, complimentary room service, full entertainment, guest social gatherings, enrichment programmes, complimentary sports facilities, complimentary laundries = THEY DONT EXHIST AT ANY £

I disagree with your statement becuase there are many cruise ships out there that offer all what you say plus equal if not better standard of food and some cheaper so Cunard had better be careful as it will lose its USP and a lot of customers to other cruise lines.

Bon Voyage - you will have a wonderful time. Please make my day and tell me you are travelling with the 'Harley'! Have a great voyage, David

Sorry, but no Harley this trip. My personal best ride was over 11K miles and 48 days. Hit all four corners of the contiguous US.

Planning another long ride after the QM2 voyage, maybe coast-to-coast on the Lincoln Highway.

And now back to our regular programming.

I disagree with your statement

 

- show me a 4 or 5 star luxury hotel that charges a similar average daily room/cabin rate Cunard charge

 

- AND includes all unlimited meals and & alcoholic drinks, complimentary room service, full entertainment, guest social gatherings, enrichment programmes, complimentary sports facilities, complimentary laundries = THEY DONT EXHIST AT ANY £

That doesn’t make the case that Cunard is a luxury product- it merely makes the case that it’s an inclusive one and a good value. But the reality is, and I agree with the previous poster, except for maybe Queens Grill Cunard really isn’t a luxury product. That was always the problem with QE2 in the last 20 years of her service- everyone was lured aboard with tales of caviar, off menu ordering of extravagant tableside dishes, and doting staff. In a Q3 to Q1 cabin that picture was accurate. But for the rest of the ship it wasn’t. Same thing exists today. I sailed Britannia one time last minute on the QM2s 4th of July cruise with some friends (we are fortunate to usually sail QG when we travel by ourselves but wanted to dine with our friends traveling aboard this trip). Frankly I thought Britannia was over priced and underwhelming. I consider the much more expensive QG a good value on the other hand.

Cunard is a wonderful experience and even more wonderful if you pay for top accommodation. But it is not uniformly a luxury product.

Does this mean you consider yourself a Bucket?

No,dear. Bouquet!

No,dear. Bouquet!

Isn't that even worse?

I disagree with your statement

- show me a 4 or 5 star luxury hotel that charges a similar average daily room/cabin rate Cunard charge

- AND includes all unlimited meals and & alcoholic drinks, complimentary room service, full entertainment, guest social gatherings, enrichment programmes, complimentary sports facilities, complimentary laundries = THEY DONT EXHIST AT ANY £

You seem to be confusing quantity with quality.

Any cruise company provides the same quantity of products as you describe above, but it doesn't make them a luxury product.

Your suggestion that a 4 star hotel is a luxury hotel probably explains why you think Cunard (outside the Grills) is luxury. A 4 star hotel can be quite nice, but it certainly isn't luxury.

The market that Cunard are aiming at will soon discover that paying a premium price to be able to dine,drink and go to the theatre in a polo shirt and chinos is not sufficient and they will want more facilities i.e a video games room,dance competitions,circus shows,a large water slide etc. If Cunard provide these then the new clients will find that Cunard ships are no different from other cruises and will either want more facilities or cheaper prices.Eventually the bean counters at Carnival will suggest they could save millions in advertising by putting the cruises all under one brand and calling the ships "Carnival Something" Within 5/8 years Cunard will have changed dramatically and within 10/15 years the brand will have disappeared. R.I.P. Cunard !!

The market that Cunard are aiming at will soon discover that paying a premium price to be able to dine,drink and go to the theatre in a polo shirt and chinos is not sufficient and they will want more facilities i.e a video games room,dance competitions,circus shows,a large water slide etc. If Cunard provide these then the new clients will find that Cunard ships are no different from other cruises and will either want more facilities or cheaper prices.Eventually the bean counters at Carnival will suggest they could save millions in advertising by putting the cruises all under one brand and calling the ships "Carnival Something" Within 5/8 years Cunard will have changed dramatically and within 10/15 years the brand will have disappeared. R.I.P. Cunard !!

wheres that like button....I've been saying that for years...