Skipping Formal nights - where can we go

We have a May Eastbound and October Westbound on the QM2 with our two dogs coming up.

We've decided to cut down on our packing requirements we are going to skip formal nights (formal is not our thing anyway).

Traveling for 5 months with dogs, my office (I work remotely) etc... something has to give so the dressy clothes that we'd only wear a few nights in each direction is just not worth it.

So - if the wife wears a nice cocktail dress, and I wear a nice pair of slacks, collared shirt and jacket - where on the ship can we go on formal nights dressed like that?

I know we can eat at Kings Court Buffet. Can we eat anywhere else? Kings Court Specialty Resturant? Verandah? Or is it easier to say where we CAN"T go? Can we walk the promenade?

Just trying to get an idea as to how restricted we'd be on the 3 formal nights each way.

Thanks!

Basically you can go anywhere that the staff will not make trouble for you (forget about any "disapproving" looks from passengers.) Hence anywhere except the main dining room and Grills.

BTW - I understand and appreciate the problems with limited luggage , especially for those of us faced with long haul flights before and after cruise and/or land based tours. Last time we traveled with Cunard we had 38 KG bags but that was just plain ridiculous but this time we are limited to 20 KG, fortunately I do have a rather light Tuxedo and the dress shoes are able to also be worn on non-formal nights. I took far too many jackets and trousers for the non-formal nights - this time I will be wearing the same jacket and trousers for 36 nights - with a mix of ties, shirts and bowties.

Basically you can go anywhere that the staff will not make trouble for you (forget about any "disapproving" looks from passengers.) Hence anywhere except the main dining room and Grills.

Plus the Theatre, bars, Commodore Club etc.

The Lido and the Garden Room are there solely for your enjoyment if declining the dress code.

We have a May Eastbound and October Westbound on the QM2 with our two dogs coming up.

We've decided to cut down on our packing requirements we are going to skip formal nights (formal is not our thing anyway).

 

Traveling for 5 months with dogs, my office (I work remotely) etc... something has to give so the dressy clothes that we'd only wear a few nights in each direction is just not worth it.

 

So - if the wife wears a nice cocktail dress, and I wear a nice pair of slacks, collared shirt and jacket - where on the ship can we go on formal nights dressed like that?

 

I know we can eat at Kings Court Buffet. Can we eat anywhere else? Kings Court Specialty Resturant? Verandah? Or is it easier to say where we CAN"T go? Can we walk the promenade?

 

Just trying to get an idea as to how restricted we'd be on the 3 formal nights each way.

 

Thanks!

I'm presuming you're both bringing "more" than 1 nice cocktail dress, slacks & nice shirt. Bring a tie & you'll get into ALL the venues. A tux is NOT required. A dark suit is more the norm, so bring a few subdued color shirts & a tie that matches pretty much all & you'll be fine. The line IS for those who like to dress up. Each cruise line has it's own niche. Cunard is for those who love the formal style of ocean liner travel. If you're unwilling to follow the code within reason, then most on this site would suggest you choose another line.

If you're unwilling to follow the code within reason, then most on this site would suggest you choose another line.

Which cruise line would you suggest for someone who wishes to sail on a cruise line that offers regular transatlantic crossings and which accepts dogs?

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Which cruise line would you suggest for someone who wishes to sail on a cruise line that offers regular transatlantic crossings and which accepts dogs?

 

 

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May one offer Cunard, but trust you will restrict your movements to the Kings Court, Kennels and stateroom.

ISTR that the specialty restaurants were informal (jacket required) on all nights. Is that no longer the case?

My observation is that if you're dressed as you describe (Man in trousers, collared shirt & jacket, Woman cocktail dress) - you would probably be OK and not feel out of place in the bars and theater, but not Britannia or the Grills, and probably not the Queen's Room, unless walking through to the G38 disco. (Although the technical rules limit you to King's Court, Carpathia Lounge and I think, G38 ...you seemingly have to teleport there.)

Not sure about alternative dining, but I suspect it's in that greyish area with the lounges and theatre.

(And for what it's worth, I second the idea of adding a tie to the mix with plain jacket and pants and covering all bases.)

- Mark

As Keith suggested, and since the wife already has a cocktail dress, bring a tie, white shirt and either a dark suit or a black sport coat and black slacks. These are useful clothes for traveling on land and should not over-burden your luggage. Then you will have full access to all of the QM2 every night. It would be a shame to be shunned to Kings Court and Carenthia and to miss out on all the rest. This work-around works for me as we sail QM2 to or from Europe and travel around the continent with cleverly-arranged luggage.

My observation is that if you're dressed as you describe (Man in trousers, collared shirt & jacket, Woman cocktail dress) - you would probably be OK and not feel out of place in the bars and theater, but not Britannia or the Grills, and probably not the Queen's Room, unless walking through to the G38 disco. (Although the technical rules limit you to King's Court, Carpathia Lounge and I think, G38 ...you seemingly have to teleport there.)

 

Not sure about alternative dining, but I suspect it's in that greyish area with the lounges and theatre.

 

(And for what it's worth, I second the idea of adding a tie to the mix with plain jacket and pants and covering all bases.)

 

- Mark

You will not be able to access the Grills even if you adhere to the dress code if you are not booked in a Grill Suite.

May one offer Cunard, but trust you will restrict your movements to the Kings Court, Kennels and stateroom.

Does one have to wear a jacket when dining in the kennels?

Does one have to wear a jacket when dining in the kennels?

Matching name embroided dog jackets can be supplied, at an additional cost. Dining bowls are standard, but not cutlery.

Matching name embroided dog jackets can be supplied, at an additional cost. Dining bowls are standard, but not cutlery.

I've heard the Osso Bucco is to die for.

Stew with bones is an ideal repast for the canine guests.

Stew with bones is an ideal repast for the canine guests.

I was rather struck by the canine dining menu when I visited the ocean liners exhibition at the V&A this week. I hadn't realised vegetarian dogs were a thing so long ago.

As Keith suggested, and since the wife already has a cocktail dress, bring a tie, white shirt and either a dark suit or a black sport coat and black slacks. These are useful clothes for traveling on land and should not over-burden your luggage. Then you will have full access to all of the QM2 every night. It would be a shame to be shunned to Kings Court and Carenthia and to miss out on all the rest. This work-around works for me as we sail QM2 to or from Europe and travel around the continent with cleverly-arranged luggage.

From Cunard's website: "Dinner jacket, tuxedo or dark suit with tie for gentlemen. A range of gentlemen's formal wear is available to hire on board ship."

So I guess it is possible to hire a tuxedo if you wished.

However, as others have said a dark suit with tie is acceptable. If you were going to take a jacket and pants you could do as suggested and use dark/black jacket and dark/black pants. In subdued lighting the appropriate jacket and pants will likely look like a suit. As suggested a tie (I would suggest dark/black tie) and nice shirt (some suggest subdued color, I might think white with cufflinks). The suggested mix if executed appropriately would likely not annoy anyone, except people who like to be annoyed. Wouldn't really take up any more room in a suitcase. Tie and cufflinks would take very little room and may useful on your trip. A shirt that uses cufflinks can generally be used anywhere a regular collared shirt can be used

It's a shame, really. Dressing for dinner on an ocean liner causing angst, confusion and concern. And it's probably Cunard's fault, too. Too darned many pix of preening models in tuxes and evening gowns they don't even own.

The simple fact, the reality is that the dress code is no different today than it was 100 years ago. In First Class, you wore a dinner jack (or indeed white tie and tails pre-war), in Second Class (Cabin) you wore a dark suit and in Tourist you wore that or a sports jacket and tie. So if you consider the Grills First and Britannia Cabin/Tourist (and you should because it is), it's that easy: jacket/tie or a suit and that's it. How easy can it be? When I crossed in the old days in QE2 Tourist Class, I wore a sports jacket/tie to dinner. And when I went Queens Grill I brought a d/j. If you don't like to dress in a tux/evening gown, you are wasting your money going the Grills frankly. But everywhere else.. it's dead easy. And a nice dark suit or dark sports jacket/trousers probably looks better than some rental tux anyway. And no, they don't check to see that you brushed your teeth or have clean fingernails. It's just an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic not some severe English boarding school.

" It's just an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic not some severe English boarding school."

As I said in my first post - basically anywhere that the STAFF will not cause you any grief!!!!! I doubt that any passenger will dare cause any grief!!!!

It's a shame, really. Dressing for dinner on an ocean liner causing angst, confusion and concern. And it's probably Cunard's fault, too. Too darned many pix of preening models in tuxes and evening gowns they don't even own.

 

The simple fact, the reality is that the dress code is no different today than it was 100 years ago. In First Class, you wore a dinner jack (or indeed white tie and tails pre-war), in Second Class (Cabin) you wore a dark suit and in Tourist you wore that or a sports jacket and tie. So if you consider the Grills First and Britannia Cabin/Tourist (and you should because it is), it's that easy: jacket/tie or a suit and that's it. How easy can it be? When I crossed in the old days in QE2 Tourist Class, I wore a sports jacket/tie to dinner. And when I went Queens Grill I brought a d/j. If you don't like to dress in a tux/evening gown, you are wasting your money going the Grills frankly. But everywhere else.. it's dead easy. And a nice dark suit or dark sports jacket/trousers probably looks better than some rental tux anyway. And no, they don't check to see that you brushed your teeth or have clean fingernails. It's just an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic not some severe English boarding school.

Good post, sums it up perfectly.

David

Actually, I would be more concerned with clean teeth and fingernails than what someone was wearing.

Actually, I would be more concerned with clean teeth and fingernails than what someone was wearing.

Guess we all have our priorities on what is importat to us.

Cunard however lays out its dress code for what it - and fellow passengers - expect. It also lists which venues are open to those who want to skip the formality. Seems fair to me as people have a choice. The OP prefers to stay casual and to his credit wants to know his options.

What does concern me however is the double standard for advice in "dress code" threads. Those who set out to flaunt the dress code in the restaurant and theatres are encouraged to "do what feels comfortable" and "be who they are". Those of us who dress formally as reqested however "worry over how people dress" and now "should be more concerned about hygiene than clothing". When did it become so wrong to expect a formal atmosphere on what is promoted as a formal night?

Guess we all have our priorities on what is importat to us.

 

Cunard however lays out its dress code for what it - and fellow passengers - expect. It also lists which venues are open to those who want to skip the formality. Seems fair to me as people have a choice. The OP prefers to stay casual and to his credit wants to know his options.

 

 

What does concern me however is the double standard for advice in "dress code" threads. Those who set out to flaunt the dress code in the restaurant and theatres are encouraged to "do what feels comfortable" and "be who they are". Those of us who dress formally as reqested however "worry over how people dress" and now "should be more concerned about hygiene than clothing". When did it become so wrong to expect a formal atmosphere on what is promoted as a formal night?

There is a reasonable balance. The dress code allows for a dark suit and tie. It does not mandate a tuxedo although that is what I will bring. A properly selected dark jacket (eg, black) and slacks (also black) would be indistinguishable from a dark suit except with a magnifying glass. I do not think that would violate the spirit of the dress code or annoy other passengers who are in part traveling on Cunard because of the formality.

On the other hand a plaid or herringbone jacket is probably completely inappropriate. I do agree that if you do not want to dress then Cunard is not the right cruise line. If the formality went away so would Cunard as there would be no reason for the line to exist, it would be just one more cruise line in a crowded field.

There are many other cruise lines (e.g., Celebrity, Oceania) that do not have the same dress formality.

I thank everyone for the kind replies on what to wear, what not to wear, how to pack for 5 months and still have the ability to attend formal nights etc.

My original question however was simply what venues and places on the ship would be appropriate for us if we chose not to dress formal? I'm trying to assess our options.

We are taking the QM2 to England and then back the the US 5 months later for one reason and one reason only......because the ship has kennels.

If it were not for the dogs we'd buy a business class ticket and fly over in hours - not days like we always do on shorter trips without our pets. That's just our preference. We've cruised on HAL a few times and it was just not our thing. No offense meant to anyone. We wont put our pets in the belly of a aircraft however. So by ship this time it is.

That said - I'm simply trying to get an idea as to where we'll have to hide on formal nights (other than the kennels and Kings Court) I have not been able to find a list anywhere about where we could go dressed nicely - but not formally - on those 3 formal nights.

Are any other lounges or restaurants non-formal friendly on formal nights? Walking outside on deck 7?

If someone would be so kind as to point me in that direction it would be appreciated.