Dress Code and Themes

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, NE John said:

Maybe because I went to an all boys school where we had to wear jackets and ties everyday but I agree that Gala/Formal nights should have a degree of uniformity in dress to create the right atmosphere. Too much variation with costumes and fancy dress takes away from that environment. 

Many schools of various sexes in the UK are still like that. Perhaps less with ties. But one of the major points of school uniform is to give children something to rebel over. It is much better if stroppy teenage girls roll the tops of their skirts over so that they are ludicrously short than that they throw things at the teacher. One would hope, perhaps wrongly, that Cunard passengers are mature enough not to feel the need to rebel in the same way.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Sorry, I’m a complete moron. Interestingly, I have seen a couple of people over the years make a splash by wearing red on black and white night.

 

I remember when photos were taken as you met the captain, and then printed and displayed. One time, I saw a woman wearing a red cocktail dress on black & white night. My first thought was that she would have no difficulty finding her photo the next day. 

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Many schools of various sexes in the UK are still like that. Perhaps less with ties. But one of the major points of school uniform is to give children something to rebel over. It is much better if stroppy teenage girls roll the tops of their skirts over so that they are ludicrously short than that they throw things at the teacher. One would hope, perhaps wrongly, that Cunard passengers are mature enough not to feel the need to rebel in the same way.

Another aspect is a school uniform [and all the secondary schools around here, public and private have one, with ties] creates equality and those with the ability to 'dress designer' do not 'outshine' those without that ability.

 

Same could be said for getting rid of all themes.

[NE John]

9 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Same could be said for getting rid of all themes

There could still be uniformity for Theme Nights but Al Capone fake guns or Phantom of the Opera capes during Masquerade nights are just weird and draw too much attention to that person.  The Gala nights are about trying to create an atmosphere, not showing off how different you can be from others. 

[Purdey16]

We have 5 different themed evenings on our QE cruise in May which includes a ice white night and I’m a bit confused with what to wear for this , hopefully someone can help me out here , is it a formal night or casual? Wearing just white is very hard especially a dress, my husband would not wear white trousers at all , so would it be ok just wearing our smart clothes to dinner that evening? 
Also the masquerade night !! is that just mask and then normal formal wear? 
Any help and advice is much welcome as we dress up all nights for dinner but we are not into costumes and themed nights really but still want to eat in the mdr . Thank you for any advice, it’s our first Cunard cruise 

[Host Hattie]

Ice White is a formal night but don't let the theme worry you too much. Your husband will be fine in a dark suit and you could wear white/silver/blue. It can just be accessories if you don't want to wear those colours. 

Alternatively ignore it, the themes are just suggestions. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

12 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

We have 5 different themed evenings on our QE cruise in May which includes a ice white night and I’m a bit confused with what to wear for this , hopefully someone can help me out here , is it a formal night or casual? Wearing just white is very hard especially a dress, my husband would not wear white trousers at all , so would it be ok just wearing our smart clothes to dinner that evening? 
Also the masquerade night !! is that just mask and then normal formal wear? 
Any help and advice is much welcome as we dress up all nights for dinner but we are not into costumes and themed nights really but still want to eat in the mdr . Thank you for any advice, it’s our first Cunard cruise 

 

Masquerade is easy. It's a gala night, so wear whatever gala outfit you like. The masquerade part is mainly for dancing at the "Masquerade Ball" in the Queens Room.   People wear Venetian/Mardis Gras masks, not costumes.

 

Ice white is confusing. The first time I heard it, I thought it was stupid. Glaciers are blue not white! So in an act of defiance, I took a long turquoise skirt and a white beaded top. Like a glacier, blue underneath and white on top. On the ship, the description is blue, white, or silver. So wear something with any of that and you're fine. Or ignore it--themes are not compulsory. For your husband, a blue or aqua tie would be fine. Maybe a pocket square to match. 

Edited January 7 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Purdey16]

Thank you both for responding quickly you have eased my anxiety now so I can chill out about it now , we have silvers and blues so il just buy some masquerade mask now to put ready in my bag if I need to put one one if need be .

[Victoria2]

but we are not into costumes and themed nights really

 

A Gala night, themed or not is a Formal evening.You will be in the majority if you ignore the themes although some themes are easier to join in with than others.

 

The Black and White Gala evening is pretty easy to follow and quite a few ladies add a string of pearls and a feather fascinator etc as their 'nod' to the '20's evening if they don't want to go 'flapper'ish'.  A mask for the Masquerade Gala evening is fairly easy to facilitate,  but the vast majority of passengers [including us as we ignore any themes] dress for a Gala dinner in a Formal way so please don't let the lack of a white dress floor you.  Dress for the Formal evening and enjoy whatever colour of dress [assuming you're going to wear  a dress and not beautiful separates] you pick to wear that night. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

[NE John]

1 hour ago, Purdey16 said:

I can chill out

I like the idea of chilling out on Ice White Night! I’ll be doing the same in June on QE. 
Quick question - How many nights is your May cruise? Five theme nights is a fair amount of theme nights for a cruise. 

[Purdey16]

22 minutes ago, NE John said:

I like the idea of chilling out on Ice White Night! I’ll be doing the same in June on QE. 
Quick question - How many nights is your May cruise? Five theme nights is a fair amount of theme nights for a cruise. 

It is may 24th to June 11th so 19 nights , Japan to Alaska.

[silkworms]

17 hours ago, Purdey16 said:

Thank you both for responding quickly you have eased my anxiety now so I can chill out about it now , we have silvers and blues so il just buy some masquerade mask now to put ready in my bag if I need to put one one if need be .

Hi Purdey

 

Bill and Terri here (from Arcadia Oct 2022} We too are on our first Cunard on Queen Anne

for Xmas 2024 and have been slightly perplexed with dress code, we have red and gold for Xmas Day and Masquerade for NYE.  Am disappointed we have no roaring 20s, was looking forward to that!

 

Whatever, we will enjoy a new ship on a different cruise line although we are on Arcadia in June of this year for Baltic.

 

Best wishes, hope you enjoy.
 

 

[D&N]

27 minutes ago, silkworms said:

Am disappointed we have no roaring 20s, was looking forward to that!

On the assumption that you mean that you had a dress/gown suitable for a Roaring 20s theme. Perhaps with beading and tassels. Then why not choose to wear that on any night you like? It won't look out of place.

We wore masks for photos on one of two Roaring 20s nights as the first one had originally been designated masquerade but Cunard changed it because they didn't think folk wanted masquerade while wearing Covid19 masks was still being advised.

 

I'm hoping you weren't making the mistake of thinking that the theme refers to gangster outfits!

 

[silkworms]

47 minutes ago, D&N said:

On the assumption that you mean that you had a dress/gown suitable for a Roaring 20s theme. Perhaps with beading and tassels. Then why not choose to wear that on any night you like? It won't look out of place.

We wore masks for photos on one of two Roaring 20s nights as the first one had originally been designated masquerade but Cunard changed it because they didn't think folk wanted masquerade while wearing Covid19 masks was still being advised.

 

I'm hoping you weren't making the mistake of thinking that the theme refers to gangster outfits!

 

I just love the short tasselled dresses with pearls and feathery headdress and no, never

even entered my mind to think of gangsters! Will do what you suggest and wear for formal night.

[Judyrem]

I am not getting the red and gold theme, that seems quite precise.  I can't really see it together unless it's a red dress with gold jewelry.

 

I have two very dressy navy attire and I don't want to buy a red or gold /dressy pants.

[LittleFish1976]

4 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

I am not getting the red and gold theme, that seems quite precise.  I can't really see it together unless it's a red dress with gold jewelry.

 

I have two very dressy navy attire and I don't want to buy a red or gold /dressy pants.

These themes are just suggestions and no-one has to comply to the letter with them. For red and gold you could wear something red, or gold (or not follow the suggested theme at all and wear something totally different). In the past I've worn a red dress which has some crystal details on the sleeves. Simple enough.

Edited January 9 by LittleFish1976

[Pushpit]

10 hours ago, Judyrem said:

I am not getting the red and gold theme, that seems quite precise.  I can't really see it together unless it's a red dress with gold jewelry.

 

I have two very dressy navy attire and I don't want to buy a red or gold /dressy pants.

I wouldn't overthink it. Most passengers stick to the core Gala dress code. If you are male and happen to have a gold and yellow bow tie, or similar, then bring it along. For ladies, if you have say a brooch or jewellery which is gold and/or red, that will do fine. Or a throw or scarf. If you don't, that's also fine.

[Judyrem]

5 hours ago, Pushpit said:

I wouldn't overthink it. Most passengers stick to the core Gala dress code. If you are male and happen to have a gold and yellow bow tie, or similar, then bring it along. For ladies, if you have say a brooch or jewellery which is gold and/or red, that will do fine. Or a throw or scarf. If you don't, that's also fine.

Thanks, makes sense.

[BklynBoy8]

We enjoy participating in the Dress Code and Theme which is also the Main Attraction to booking on Cunard.

 

Escaping the Everyday tasks at home, we look forward to the atmosphere we enjoy participating with all those others on board to during the After 6.

 

We very much enjoy the Gala theme evening even those when not named.. Gives you the opportunity to name the evening yourself and dress as you wish.

 

During our sailing in 2025 we only up to now have two but hoping for more being added. 

 

As mentioned in the past, it gives us that James Bondish feeling strolling thru the hallways or sitting in the Casino. 

[Ciadan]

21 hours ago, Judyrem said:

I am not getting the red and gold theme, that seems quite precise.  I can't really see it together unless it's a red dress with gold jewelry.

 

I have two very dressy navy attire and I don't want to buy a red or gold /dressy pants.

For our R&G night I plan to wear either a green or wine velvet dress with a gold wrap, handbag & hair accessory. My husband will wear a black suit with a gold bow tie & pocket square. For the masquerade night I hope to wear a navy velvet dress with silver accessories. My husband will wear a black suit with navy paisley bow tie and pocket square. We have black & silver masks which we’re not sure about yet - we’ll see how popular the masks are on the night.

[Judyrem]

1 hour ago, Ciadan said:

For our R&G night I plan to wear either a green or wine velvet dress with a gold wrap, handbag & hair accessory. My husband will wear a black suit with a gold bow tie & pocket square. For the masquerade night I hope to wear a navy velvet dress with silver accessories. My husband will wear a black suit with navy paisley bow tie and pocket square. We have black & silver masks which we’re not sure about yet - we’ll see how popular the masks are on the night.

I will do an ensemble but no masks!

 

[NE John]

25 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

I will do an ensemble but no masks!

 

We bought masks on Amazon for $4 each and took a picture onboard during Masquerade Night. Then we put them away and moved on. The picture was fun though!

[Judyrem]

29 minutes ago, NE John said:

We bought masks on Amazon for $4 each and took a picture onboard during Masquerade Night. Then we put them away and moved on. The picture was fun though!

Sounds fun but I will be solo, it could be cringey for me.

[Winifred 22]

5 hours ago, Judyrem said:

Sounds fun but I will be solo, it could be cringey for me.

I always travel solo. I have a small black lace one also an Amazon buy for a couple of pounds. I just wear it to dinner then take it off. That way I fell I have engaged with the occasion. I wouldn’t wear anything elaborate. 

[Ciadan]

10 hours ago, NE John said:

We bought masks on Amazon for $4 each and took a picture onboard during Masquerade Night. Then we put them away and moved on. The picture was fun though!

This is what I think we'll do too. 🙂