Nervous that I won't fit in

[Jules London]

Hi

 

My mum and dad have booked our first ever cruise on a Cunard ship on 18th July for 21 days. Its a cruise around the Med and although I am looking forward to seeing all the different destinations I am nervous about the formality of cruises

 

As my parents and I have never cruised before we don't know what to expect.

 

Probably all silly questions I know for experienced cruisers however I would really appreciate advise on the following:

 

1. How much luggage can you take. its a 21 day cruise from Livorno, Italy and I was wondering how much I need to pack for three weeks

2. What would I be expected to wear on formal and semi formal nights. Can you get away with most things as long as they look smart

3. What would I wear on informal nights

4. Will there be much for someone my age (I am 16) to do on board ship. Will there be many my age on board. I don't really want to hang out with my parents all the time and they probably want their space anyway

 

Thanks everyone for any help you can give

 

Jules :)

[CruiserBruce]

The first place I would be researching would be on the Cunard board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

 

That will take care of all your dress code issues, and on board activities.

 

The ship doesn't care how many suit cases you bring. The airline will, as it will cost you money to check a lot of bags.

[spookwife]

Hi

 

My mum and dad have booked our first ever cruise on a Cunard ship on 18th July for 21 days. Its a cruise around the Med and although I am looking forward to seeing all the different destinations I am nervous about the formality of cruises

 

As my parents and I have never cruised before we don't know what to expect.

 

Probably all silly questions I know for experienced cruisers however I would really appreciate advise on the following:

 

1. How much luggage can you take. its a 21 day cruise from Livorno, Italy and I was wondering how much I need to pack for three weeks

2. What would I be expected to wear on formal and semi formal nights. Can you get away with most things as long as they look smart

3. What would I wear on informal nights

4. Will there be much for someone my age (I am 16) to do on board ship. Will there be many my age on board. I don't really want to hang out with my parents all the time and they probably want their space anyway

 

Thanks everyone for any help you can give

 

Jules :)

 

1: unlimited although you may want to be frugal as there is not a lot of storage space in a cabin.. check with the line itself on availability of self serve facilities or the cost of laundry services.

 

2: I have never sailed Cunard but go by the line's suggested attire.. if they say gowns, then you will want to pack a gown or 2. Europeans do tend to dress sup more even for every day dining.

 

3: again, go by the suggested attire the line indicates.\

 

4: who knows. longer cruses tend to have fewer families with ids on board but that does;reman there will be no one your age to connect with.

 

I suggest you go to the Roll call for the sailing and ask around, as well as reading through the discussion boards on Cunard.

[Sauer-kraut]

Cunard is a very grand line. Since you are under 18 you won't have to adhere to the dress code, but rather, look smart. If you are a male I'd suggest a black pair of trousers and a blazer, with or without a tie. If you're a female a couple of nice dresses will be fine, the needn't be long gowns. This is from the Cunard FAQ:

 

 

Is there a dress code on board?

 

The dress code helps to set the tone of an evening on board the whole ship, and generally most guests enjoy the ambience generated.

"What will the dress code be whilst I am on board?"

During the day

 

Casual shirts, shorts, trousers and beachwear are ideal. The main restaurants require a casual wear dress code for breakfast and lunch, however you may wear shorts in either the Kings Court (Queen Mary 2) or Lido Restaurant (Queen Victoria & Queen Elizabeth).

Evenings

 

Evenings will be split into 2 different dress codes. You will be notified of the evening's dress code in your Daily Programme. As a guide, these will be:

 

Formal evening wear consists of an evening or cocktail dress or smart trouser suit for ladies, a tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit for men or you may wear formal national dress or military uniform. Military or Award decorations may be worn on formal nights. A range of gentleman's formal wear is available to hire on board. Further details on this facility can be found by clicking here.

 

Informal evenings would consist of a required jacket and optional tie optional for gentlemen, whilst ladies should wear cocktail dresses, stylish separates or equivalent.

 

Please note that after 6pm, shorts and blue or worn denim (for men and women); sandals and sleeveless tops (for men) are not considered appropriate within the ship. On formal nights, any guests wishing to dress more casually are welcome to dine in the Kings Court or Lido buffet restaurant and relax in the Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bar, but should not use other areas within the ship, including our Alternative Dining Restaurants, out of respect for their fellow guests.

Children

 

Children under 18 do not have a dress code but should dress as smart as possible in relation to the above

[aquilegia]

I see you are sailing from Livorno. Presumably, you are flying from the UK, so the amount of luggage will be limited to what the airline allows. Unless you are prepared to pay extra. But generally people tend to take too many clothes with them anyway.

Edited May 11, 2014 by aquilegia

[cruisead]

There's nothing that says because a person is under a certain age that they shouldn't have to adhere to the dress code. Of course toddlers and infants don't have to, but teenagers are certainly expected to dress to code. Cunard is not a line where you can "get away" with something if its not what their dress code says.

 

Cunard is probably the most formal line around. While most other cruise lines have relaxed their codes, Cunard has not. Most men will be in tuxedos or dark suits on formal nights, and the women will be wearing long gowns or fancy beaded outfits. Informal night means jackets, dress shirts and trousers for the men, and nice dresses, dinner suits or slacks and dressier tops for the women. Casual nights are slacks and collared shirts for the men and slacks, Capri pants and nice tops or sundresses for the women.

 

Longer cruises tend to have fewer families and therefore fewer kids, but there are always some kids on board. But I'm guessing that your cruise is very port intensive, and you'll be off the ship most of the time taking tours.

 

One thing I will warn you about is that the Med in July will be VERY hot and humid, so be prepared for that. Also, remember that there will be dress codes on some tours where people will not be allowed to wear shorts and sleeveless tops---legs and arms must be covered.

[BeagleOne]

The ship will have a laundry service so you don't have to bring enough clothes to last three weeks without doing laundry. I don't know how much the service costs, though, or whether there are self-service laundries on any of the ships. That would definitely be something to look into.

 

If there IS a self-service laundry, I would bring along a bag of the little detergent pods in your checked luggage rather than worrying about bringing liquid or powdered laundry soap, or buying it on board or in a port.

 

No idea whether there will be any other people your age on board, but some of us old codgers aren't so bad. ;) If there are activities that interest you, like trivia or a lecture, you could always go along on your own. You never know whom you might meet!

 

I haven't sailed on Cunard in years, and have only sailed on the QE2. But I have very fond memories of my voyages on her, and I hope you and your parents have a wonderful time!

[jocap]

Cunard provides free launderettes; there will be washing powder but it's good to take your own brand, especially tablets.

What we do on longer cruises is aim to use white and very light clothes during the first week, and then have a laundry morning....it does help for a fly/cruise.

[FionaK]

There's nothing that says because a person is under a certain age that they shouldn't have to adhere to the dress code.

 

Well this is straight from the Cunnard website, following on from it spelling out the various dress codes:

 

Is there a dress code on board?

 

Children under 18 do not have a dress code but should dress as smart as possible

 

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/life-on-board/dress_code

[CraftyEC]

There is a youth programme, including a teen section. My son was about you age when we went on Cunard from Southampton to New York and back. He signed up for the programme, but didn't really take part in any of the organised activities. He did hang out in the games (consoles, not board games!) room and did hang around with some other teenagers, but they used to drift around the ship, hot pools (NOT being a nuisance, before I get flamed!) etc and several evenings they played cards in one of their cabins.

 

Your luggage will be limited by your airline luggage allowance only. You can wear outfits more than once, especially if you have ones which will 'mix and match' e.g. a couple of pairs of short and some T-shirts that all go together. The formal nights are a great excuse to get dressed up - my daughter took her school ball / prom dress and was glad to have an opportunity to get some more wear out of it! Mind you, we weren't flying ...

 

I doubt you'll find on-board life the most wildly exciting vacation you've ever taken, but I think you will (as long as you have an open mind) find it interesting and fun. It's a new experience for you, and it's the best way to get an overall view of the Mediterranean - we did a port-intensive cruise on Princess for our first cruise and the kids both loved it. Roman ruins in Pompeii, windmills on Mykonos, chilling in Rhodes ...

 

One bit of advice, if this is your first family cruise, is to NOT do what we did for that first cruise in the Med. We really wanted to take the opportunity to see as much as possible, and, on an already port-intensive cruise, we picked really full excursions. The most ridiculous was the one which started in Naples, detoured to a cameo shop (NOT listed on the itinerary!), went to Pompeii for the morning, then a drive along the coast (for which read a very long tailback of traffic, where we moved at a snails pace), lunch in Sorrento, and then a trip to Capri! By the time we had been herded all day, and eventually made it, en masse, to the top of the funicular in Capri our guide took us the first square and told us to be back at the top of the funicular for the journey back down in 25 minutes! Yes, we have been to Capri for an ice-cream. It was delicious, but not worth the effort! So, try to pick excursions which have one, or maybe two, things you really want to see. You are young, you can look at this as a taster and later choose to go back to visit the area, or not.

 

Cruising is a great experience for all ages, and a brilliant way to travel where you only have to unpack once. There will be a LOT of older people on board, but also younger ones - and some of the older ones will be great fun too. Some dinners will be very formal, but it's a great opportunity to learn how to handle the setting, all that cutlery etc.

 

I think you'll have a ball.

[Jules London]

There is a youth programme, including a teen section. My son was about you age when we went on Cunard from Southampton to New York and back. He signed up for the programme, but didn't really take part in any of the organised activities. He did hang out in the games (consoles, not board games!) room and did hang around with some other teenagers, but they used to drift around the ship, hot pools (NOT being a nuisance, before I get flamed!) etc and several evenings they played cards in one of their cabins.

 

Your luggage will be limited by your airline luggage allowance only. You can wear outfits more than once, especially if you have ones which will 'mix and match' e.g. a couple of pairs of short and some T-shirts that all go together. The formal nights are a great excuse to get dressed up - my daughter took her school ball / prom dress and was glad to have an opportunity to get some more wear out of it! Mind you, we weren't flying ...

 

I doubt you'll find on-board life the most wildly exciting vacation you've ever taken, but I think you will (as long as you have an open mind) find it interesting and fun. It's a new experience for you, and it's the best way to get an overall view of the Mediterranean - we did a port-intensive cruise on Princess for our first cruise and the kids both loved it. Roman ruins in Pompeii, windmills on Mykonos, chilling in Rhodes ...

 

One bit of advice, if this is your first family cruise, is to NOT do what we did for that first cruise in the Med. We really wanted to take the opportunity to see as much as possible, and, on an already port-intensive cruise, we picked really full excursions. The most ridiculous was the one which started in Naples, detoured to a cameo shop (NOT listed on the itinerary!), went to Pompeii for the morning, then a drive along the coast (for which read a very long tailback of traffic, where we moved at a snails pace), lunch in Sorrento, and then a trip to Capri! By the time we had been herded all day, and eventually made it, en masse, to the top of the funicular in Capri our guide took us the first square and told us to be back at the top of the funicular for the journey back down in 25 minutes! Yes, we have been to Capri for an ice-cream. It was delicious, but not worth the effort! So, try to pick excursions which have one, or maybe two, things you really want to see. You are young, you can look at this as a taster and later choose to go back to visit the area, or not.

 

Cruising is a great experience for all ages, and a brilliant way to travel where you only have to unpack once. There will be a LOT of older people on board, but also younger ones - and some of the older ones will be great fun too. Some dinners will be very formal, but it's a great opportunity to learn how to handle the setting, all that cutlery etc.

 

I think you'll have a ball.

thanks for the tips Crafty

[ldubs]

Well this is straight from the Cunnard website, following on from it spelling out the various dress codes:

 

Quote:

Is there a dress code on board?

 

Children under 18 do not have a dress code but should dress as smart as possible

 

 

Maybe they meant 18 months?:D

[jammen]

Hi

 

My mum and dad have booked our first ever cruise on a Cunard ship on 18th July for 21 days. Its a cruise around the Med and although I am looking forward to seeing all the different destinations I am nervous about the formality of cruises

 

As my parents and I have never cruised before we don't know what to expect.

 

Probably all silly questions I know for experienced cruisers however I would really appreciate advise on the following:

 

1. How much luggage can you take. its a 21 day cruise from Livorno, Italy and I was wondering how much I need to pack for three weeks

2. What would I be expected to wear on formal and semi formal nights. Can you get away with most things as long as they look smart

3. What would I wear on informal nights

4. Will there be much for someone my age (I am 16) to do on board ship. Will there be many my age on board. I don't really want to hang out with my parents all the time and they probably want their space anyway

 

Thanks everyone for any help you can give

 

Jules :)

 

 

 

Formal night, bring something nice, for all of you to wear. It is good to bring things that you can “mix& match” for each dinning night, it is always good to wear nice things.

No levi's, hats, for guys, no flip flops, or tank-tops, shorts.