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Gala nights


sandancer
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52 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

There many so called “Rebels”, one and DW included, who still dress for Dinner to an “Old Code” while embracing the new.

This being for the man:

Semi-Formal (a suit and tie) on the night before Formal

Smart tailored jacket/blazer with tie for the night after Formal

Formal is a Tux etc

Remaining casual nights with a rotation of casual jackets.  
All shirts to have long sleeves with cuff links except for casual jacket evenings.  

Shoes to match the evening.

Yes it’s old school, but it still works so why change?

 

 

 

You  forgot some important words after 'works', those being

 

'for me and a few others'

 

Yes it works for a few but if it was in the best interest of the  company, they wouldn’t be changing things.

 I hope you do continue with your dress schedule. My husband won’t be quite so rigid  as he gladly ditched the tie with more casual shirts. when wearing his jackets

Edited by Victoria2
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I think your assumption that what Cunard does is always in their best interest is a trifle optimistic, much as I love them. 😀 Can it possibly apply to their hideous changes to their IT system? Or the apparent ignorance of some (by no means all) of their shoreside staff over what goes on on their ships? I'm sure others could add to the list. 😀

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41 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think your assumption that what Cunard does is always in their best interest is a trifle optimistic, much as I love them. 😀 Can it possibly apply to their hideous changes to their IT system? Or the apparent ignorance of some (by no means all) of their shoreside staff over what goes on on their ships? I'm sure others could add to the list. 😀

The cynic in me thinks 'the best interests' are those which affect the bottom line and if changing the dress code, maybe as a trial,  might be in the company coffer's interest then yes, I assume it is in their best interest.

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I think one of the issues regarding the dumbing down of the dress code is the demographic of management at Cunard is possibly different from their customer base and there's alack of understanding of why the people that choose to sail with Cunard do so. All of the surveys I've received (and I've not had one for any of my recent cruises) are pretty vague in the questions they ask. For example Do you like to have a relaxed holiday ? Yes I do, but I'm very relaxed dining in a jacket at dinner. There's never been any that say "Do you want a free for all dress code at dinner?"

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6 hours ago, kassiopi said:

We are booked on the Caribbean cruise on 14th January which is 28 nights. I have just checked on My Cunard and it shows only 4 Gala nights (one per week). Surely this can't be right. I for one will be terribly disappointed if this is how Cunard are "progressing". Any thoughts anyone? 

 

Well, that does contradict what's posted on Cunard's "What to pack" page.

 

We've discussed elsewhere how that page has offered a hint for several months about the Smart Attire evenings becoming jacket optional for men when it states "Smart attire simply means a dress shirt and trousers, skirt and a top, or a cocktail dress."

 

That same "What to pack" page also states "At least twice on each seven-night voyage we’ll host a Gala Evening, where we do ask that you observe a black-tie dress code."

 

Is anyone else seeing examples of 2022 voyages of at least seven nights with only one Gala evening on the schedule per week? I know there have been examples in the past where they've stretched things a bit by doing only two Gala evenings on a 10-night cruise, but having only four Gala evenings scheduled on a 28-night cruise is a significant change.

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Another thought.  Every less Gala Dinner per ship/cruise equals a simpler menu, thereby saving many beans.  Multiply this by every ship in the fleet, over each sailing per year, equates to huge cost savings, therefore a contribution to increased profits and inflated director bonuses.

Money doesn’t talk, it swears.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

The cynic in me thinks 'the best interests' are those which affect the bottom line and if changing the dress code, maybe as a trial,  might be in the company coffer's interest then yes, I assume it is in their best interest.

I agree @Victoria2. I noticed a big difference in dress between Alaska and Mediterranean cruises. I also think the number of children impacts dress if for no other reason the impact on luggage. We just got back from Vegas, where we eat in really nice restaurants, and as usual the women wear nice dresses. There wasn’t a jacket on a man anywhere. The exception is Guy Savoy. I think styles have changed for men more than for women in the past 15 years. Our son could not afford to buy a tux and multiple jackets so he wouldn’t cruise Cunard, but he could afford Holland America in Alaska.  I want Cunard to survive.

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5 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

There many so called “Rebels”, one and DW included, who still dress for Dinner to an “Old Code” while embracing the new.

This being for the man:

Semi-Formal (a suit and tie) on the night before Formal

Smart tailored jacket/blazer with tie for the night after Formal

Formal is a Tux etc

Remaining casual nights with a rotation of casual jackets.  
All shirts to have long sleeves with cuff links except for casual jacket evenings.  

Shoes to match the evening.

Yes it’s old school, but it still works so why change?

 

Our dress code was original P&O formal nights, semi-formal was sea days, casual was port days we still try to stick to that dress code when we are onboard even though it has been done away with

we were all set to go on Cunard with only formal and semi formal but alas that seems to have changed going by all the conversations but since it will be 2 years in the waiting we are still going to get dressed up if people can dumb down we can dress up 

 

 

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We are on the 14th January 2022 voyage to the Caribbean - 28 days.  Only 4 formal nights when it is usually 2 per week except in the islands.   I would have exoected 6 - 7 Formal nights.

 

Oh well hope this is not a taster for a World Cruise. Last year around South America 78 nights and 19 formal nights as I recall. 

 

After all the time spent in lockdown - it will be a pleasure to dress for dinner.  

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2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Bizarrely, in view of this discussion, I have just had an email from Cunard extolling the wonders of Gala Nights. Goodness know why. I've been travelling with them for years.

Yes.  Offering a CHANCE to attend more than one Gala Evening when cruising seven nights or more.

So, when taking say 10/14/19/29 nights there’s a CHANCE you could have two (being more than 1) Gala Evenings.

Why Cunard are unable to confirm the actual number of Gala Evenings is known only to them.

 

 

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We’re doing the TA in December 2022. We have 2 Gala Nights, a Black and White and a Masquerade. What in the world am I going to do for the Masquerade night for my Very Traditional, don’t ask him to dance, husband? Suits are black, blue and in severe need black. Shirts are white or blue. Argh! Really, suggestions please.

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7 hours ago, Elephant1151 said:

We are on the 14th January 2022 voyage to the Caribbean - 28 days.  Only 4 formal nights when it is usually 2 per week except in the islands.   I would have exoected 6 - 7 Formal nights.

 

Oh well hope this is not a taster for a World Cruise. Last year around South America 78 nights and 19 formal nights as I recall. 

 

After all the time spent in lockdown - it will be a pleasure to dress for dinner.  

Odd that as few as 14 years ago people (men in particular) were able to find it in themselves to wear jacket and tie on port evenings and full formal fig on all sea nights while on the last QE2 world cruise and no one was whining about it. 

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2 hours ago, techteach said:

We’re doing the TA in December 2022. We have 2 Gala Nights, a Black and White and a Masquerade. What in the world am I going to do for the Masquerade night for my Very Traditional, don’t ask him to dance, husband? Suits are black, blue and in severe need black. Shirts are white or blue. Argh! Really, suggestions please.

We have never bothered with any specified Gala theme apart from complying with the black and white evening, by default! We treat them as a normal formal evening, as do the majority of passengers.

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4 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

We have never bothered with any specified Gala theme apart from complying with the black and white evening, by default! We treat them as a normal formal evening, as do the majority of passengers.

Maybe @techteach is interpreting "masquerade" as "costume". If I remember past CC post correctly, "masquerade" just means that some people wear a fancy mask in the Queen's Room (not dinner). So, just dress formally and wear a mask if you think that's fun. I can't imagine packing a costume. However, if I'm packing formal gear (and schlepping it around on trains to friends' homes in the UK) it's getting worn as much as possible!

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3 minutes ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Maybe @techteach is interpreting "masquerade" as "costume". If I remember past CC post correctly, "masquerade" just means that some people wear a fancy mask in the Queen's Room (not dinner). So, just dress formally and wear a mask if you think that's fun. I can't imagine packing a costume. However, if I'm packing formal gear (and schlepping it around on trains to friends' homes in the UK) it's getting worn as much as possible!

We packed  masks for our very first Cunard cruise, and never wore them. Didn't bother again.

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1 hour ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Maybe @techteach is interpreting "masquerade" as "costume". If I remember past CC post correctly, "masquerade" just means that some people wear a fancy mask in the Queen's Room (not dinner). So, just dress formally and wear a mask if you think that's fun. I can't imagine packing a costume. However, if I'm packing formal gear (and schlepping it around on trains to friends' homes in the UK) it's getting worn as much as possible!

Thanks for your reply. I interpreted it as wearing a mask. Love hearing that it is worn in the Queen’s Room and not dinner. That solves it for us!

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5 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

Next time we'll all be wearing masks. Of a sort.

@Victoria2I looked at dozens of pictures of masks and it didn’t occur to me that we’ll probably still be wearing our covid masks. Maybe they should choose a different gala night. Bet they haven’t thought of that. I hope they read this forum.

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