Differences between Cunard dining attire and that of .....

[Sue's Mom]

Princess, HAL or Royal Caribbean. Do the last three mentioned cruise line passengers have a more relaxed approach to dressing for dinner?

 

We have never sailed with Cunard before and I am wondering what we need to take. I might even need to buy some clothes! We will be on board Queen Victoria in the Med at the end of October.

 

We have sailed with HAL, Princess and Royal Caribbean several times and know what to expect.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Sue's Mom

[navybankerteacher]

Cunard is different in that they have more formal nights, their definition of "formal" is more formal than that on other lines, and they actually try to enforce the dress code. On a formal night, men should wear a tuxedo or a dark suit - with a necktie. A man could probably get away with khakis and a blazer and tie and not be refused admission (anything less and he would probably not be seated)-- but then why sail Cunard if you do not want to sail Cunard?

 

A woman's choice is wider - cocktail dress or full length - even a pants suit --- but I would not suggest denim - even the "dressy jeans" (whatever that really means) or "nice" capris that a lot of people mention, would not work

[Scrapnana]

HAL definitely has a much more relaxed dress code than Cunard (I actually saw two men wearing baseball caps in the MDR during dinner on the Westerdam:eek:).

 

On formal nights you will see more women in floor length dresses and men in tuxes than on HAL.

 

If you don't want to wear a floor length dress for formal night, a little black dress will do. I try to bring separates for evening wear so I can mix and match. On my last Cunard cruise I brought a long black skirt and three different tops for our three formal nights (and the tops could be used for other nights).

[DWhit]

On our QE2 voyage, every night was more dressy than any other line I have travelled. Even on the non-formal nights, suit/sportscoat and ties were in the majority for men, with most every man in a jacket at least anytime after 6pm. I wore a tux on formal nights, and suit and tie on non-formal nights.

Edited May 29, 2015 by DWhit

[Lakesregion]

Cunard - The last bastion of civilized society. Dress up and enjoy or sail another line. It is just as simple as that. If the British could "dress" for dinner in the middle of the deserts or the jungles of the world then we can certainly go formal on a Cunard ship.

[kelly3399]

On my HAL Alaska cruise last year, I found the dress code to be very lax and nobody really seemed to care. Those who wanted to dress formally did and others simply did not. And a lot of those who did dress up for dinner on formal nights, actually changed back to casual wear after dinner, where on Cunard the dress code is in effect for the entire evening.

[old fool]

Cunard - The last bastion of civilized society. Dress up and enjoy or sail another line. It is just as simple as that. If the British could "dress" for dinner in the middle of the deserts or the jungles of the world then we can certainly go formal on a Cunard ship.

 

Part of the enjoyment is dressing for dinner. There are plenty of other lines where a wet swim suit and T-shirt seem to pass for correct clothing.

[Sue's Mom]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. It is just as I thought it would be and that is great.

[lannp]

I last cruised on Princess two years ago and on formal nights wore what I normally wear on non-formal nights and was not under-dressed:eek: I was appalled at the men entering the dining room wearing ball caps and Stetsons.

[pris993]

It really depends where you cruise on these other lines, i.e., Carribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico... you will find folks who have no sense of dress.

 

Sure glad Cunard is trying to maintain some standards. We cruise Princess, HAL, Cunard, Celebrity, and even NCL which has no rules. Go for the itinerary mostly, but glad to be with Cunard this fall on a 14 night. We love the style and atmosphere on Cunard.

 

We have only done the Mediterranean and a TA on Cunard, on these itineraries everyone dressed up which was very nice. We will see how it is on our 14 day to Quebec City and back to New York on the QM2... hope to see lots of folks dressed well.

[Sea Green]

It really depends where you cruise on these other lines, i.e., Carribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico... you will find folks who have no sense of dress.

 

Sure glad Cunard is trying to maintain some standards. We cruise Princess, HAL, Cunard, Celebrity, and even NCL which has no rules. Go for the itinerary mostly, but glad to be with Cunard this fall on a 14 night. We love the style and atmosphere on Cunard.

 

We have only done the Mediterranean and a TA on Cunard, on these itineraries everyone dressed up which was very nice. We will see how it is on our 14 day to Quebec City and back to New York on the QM2... hope to see lots of folks dressed well.

 

American lines definitely seem to be more casual overall, but much depends on the caliber of the passengers. I'll never forget the nice Hawaiian couple in the cabin next door on HAL who asked us to show them how to tie the husbands neck tie - as they said they never need to wear wear ties on Hawaii, but they were determined to dress up. They said they would loosen the tie and keep it knotted for future use - I wonder if it still goes on cruises?! :)

 

I would love to do a Cunard TA but I'm to short to wear full length dresses and dont want to be under-dressed :o

[Ray66]

I would love to do a Cunard TA but I'm to short to wear full length dresses and dont want to be under-dressed :o

 

You don't need to wear a full length dress. Cunard says:

 

Evening wear consists of an evening or cocktail dress or smart trouser suit for ladies.

 

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

 

So you would be fine in either of those.

[Underwatr]

I've cruised on Princess once. I recall that their formal nights were more of a suggestion, and while people did make an effort to dress up a bit compared to other nights this might have been a nice shirt rather than formal wear. Definitely not what is expected on Cunard (where you'll note that even the informal nights expect men to wear a jacket).

 

Not that you asked, but I've also cruised on Carnival once. I recall their dress code said no sleeveless T-shirts for men on most nights and no T-shirts whatsoever for men on "formal" nights.

[rkacruiser]

This is a most interesting thread for me at this time. I am considering a cruise in June, 2016 on Queen Elizabeth and have started to think about proper attire during the evening. My most recent Cunard cruise was a Fall Caribbean cruise out of New York on QM2, soon after she entered service. Certainly on formal nights, tuxedos and suits were approrpiate. But on informal nights, I don't recall needing to wear a jacket, and certainly did not wear a tie. From what I am learning, the expectations have changed for informal evenings?

[bobby1119]

In addition to more formal nights, which are not merely a suggestion as in the other lines you mention, another indicator of the dressier nature of evenings is the informal night designation where a jacket is still required, sans tie however.

[pmb1]

... another indicator of the dressier nature of evenings is the informal night designation where a jacket is still required, sans tie however.

It's not "sans tie", it's "optional tie" and I am among those who choose that option. Sometimes we're in the minority, but not always.

[Underwatr]

But on informal nights, I don't recall needing to wear a jacket, and certainly did not wear a tie. From what I am learning, the expectations have changed for informal evenings?

I've been sailing Cunard for five years and in that time a jacket has always been required on the least formal nights (elegant casual in the old three-tier dress code or informal in the new two-tier code). Ties aren't required on informal nights but many do choose to wear a tie.

[rkacruiser]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting that elegant casual got the heave-ho on the 3 tier system. But, I have to wonder: is this still true on the short New England/Canada. Independence Week-end cruises, and Caribbean cruises out of New York?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for the replies. Interesting that elegant casual got the heave-ho on the 3 tier system. But, I have to wonder: is this still true on the short New England/Canada. Independence Week-end cruises, and Caribbean cruises out of New York?

 

Caribbean cruises out of NY (there aren't many) are about as formal as other cruises. Length of the cruise is more significant than destination. A week or more will see the usual pattern of formal/informal.

 

The very short cruises (3 or 4 days) may or may not have a formal night. There might be one if you have a sea day, but there might not. Friends who have done those have had varying experience. One July 4 weekend, the documents said no formal nights, but on board it turned out there was one. On another, a friend wore his tux all 4 nights because, hey, it was Queen Mary 2 and he wanted to celebrate.

[maggiemou]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. It is just as I thought it would be and that is great.

 

Hi Sue's mom , Definitely a good excuse to go shopping for new clothes. ;) Not that we girls need an excuse.

I love to dress up to the nines, so Cunard is a good enough reason to do this. I wear long dresses for formal nights a short cocktail or dressy dress for other nights. I do not do casual at all other than during the daytime.

Long evening trousers with different glitzy tops are easy as you can ring the changes with the tops. A nice evening bag and don't forget the evening shoes or some special glamorous shoes for evening. Nothing is too over the top on Cunard so go for it and have fun.

I see you are UK based so plenty of places to shop for evening glitz glam clothes without breaking the bank. Enjoy your cruise, and BTW take a couple of nice pashminas for evening as it can be cool in the dining room when in hot climates. The weather in the Mediterranean will be lovely n October. Go and knock 'em dead! :D

[Pollypops]

We've only sailed on P&O before, first Cunard cruise coming up shortly. My husband wears a tuxedo on formal nights, but sometimes wears the white jacket as a change from the black. Is that OK on Cunard? I think it looks very smart. He usually has a bow tie to match my dress. He also has a selection of very smart waistcoats, as we love ballroom dancing and you just can't dance properly wearing a jacket and get far too hot.

[Host Hattie]

That sounds perfect, there is usually a mixture of black and white jackets on warm weather cruises.

Have a great trip.

[Sue's Mom]

Thank you Maggiemou. I appreciate your post and posting.

[kendon]

I've cruised on Princess once. I recall that their formal nights were more of a suggestion, and while people did make an effort to dress up a bit compared to other nights this might have been a nice shirt rather than formal wear. Definitely not what is expected on Cunard (where you'll note that even the informal nights expect men to wear a jacket).

 

Not that you asked, but I've also cruised on Carnival once. I recall their dress code said no sleeveless T-shirts for men on most nights and no T-shirts whatsoever for men on "formal" nights.

 

In all of my Princess cruises (20 plus), the overwhelming majority dressed appropriately on formal night. I can't say that for the other mainstreams we've been on. We enjoy it and are looking forward to our first

QM2 cruise.

 

How many formal nights are there on a 7 day cruise?

[Host Hattie]

The dress code calendar is here, they will also be shown on your voyage personaliser.

 

Dress code