What Does Cunard do Differently on a World Cruise

[WantedOnVoyage]

It's spelled respect... you respect the occasion and the venue and indeed those who work to achieve it, too.  Maybe we need the staff to wear shorts and tees on "formal nights" to make the point. And in a community which is what a ship at sea is, it is not just "your" vacation, either... it's ours.  

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I am booked on the Queen Anne's 2025 World Cruise cruise (98 days from New York to Southampton). I am then taking the QM2 from Southampton to New York so that I will completely circumnavigate the world by Cunard Queen. Even though I have done short world cruise segments on the QM2 and Queen Victoria (which I greatly enjoyed), this will be my first very long cruise.

 

I am very excited about this cruise! As a long-time Cunard fan (first sailed on the QE2 in 1984), I will be following the dress code.

 

Chuck

[TouchstoneFeste]

1 hour ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

It's spelled respect... you respect the occasion and the venue and indeed those who work to achieve it, too.  Maybe we need the staff to wear shorts and tees on "formal nights" to make the point. And in a community which is what a ship at sea is, it is not just "your" vacation, either... it's ours.  

I now have a picture of Osman in shorts and a tee in my head, and I'll never un-see it.

[Wordzz]

20 hours ago, ChrisMV said:

I think it’s Cunard not even trying to enforce the dress code.  The other evening on QM2, when it was Red & Gold gala night, one younger gentleman went to the theater in a t-shirt and gym pants, while many many older gentlemen had shorts and Hawaiian style vacation shirts on.  Apparently not a problem for Cunard at all, they just walked in and took some nice seats.  And this was at 8:00pm in the Royal Court Theatre on a gala evening!

The same thing is happening on the QV World voyage - zero enforcement. On a hopeful note, many passengers are unhappy about it, so perhaps all is not yet lost. 

[roscoe39]

On 3/28/2024 at 3:19 PM, Wordzz said:

The same thing is happening on the QV World voyage - zero enforcement. On a hopeful note, many passengers are unhappy about it, so perhaps all is not yet lost. 

 

I thought last nights Gala evening looked really good, the ship positively sparkled and shone, at least last night there seemed to be a good uptake of the dress requirements.

 

[Patria21]

I can’t say I’m thrilled to see people in the theater here on the QM2 on a Gala Night in shorts and t-shirts, but I do think the majority of the passengers follow the dress suggestions - though the size of that majority seems to have shrunk since Singapore. It’s true there is no enforcement, but then again as a maitre d explained to me, there is no dress code to enforce. Look at how it is now worded in the daily program: It’s a suggestion, not a requirement. You’re encouraged, but not ordered. I can’t say I like it, but that is the reason offered if you ask why the staff doesn’t intervene - though I’d bet the real reason is with the current state of cruise line economics they’re loathe to confront any paying customer if they don’t have to.

 

“What to Wear: Gala Evening

From 6.00 pm, we encourage you to join in the sense of occasion.”

 

[exlondoner]

3 hours ago, Patria21 said:

I can’t say I’m thrilled to see people in the theater here on the QM2 on a Gala Night in shorts and t-shirts, but I do think the majority of the passengers follow the dress suggestions - though the size of that majority seems to have shrunk since Singapore. It’s true there is no enforcement, but then again as a maitre d explained to me, there is no dress code to enforce. Look at how it is now worded in the daily program: It’s a suggestion, not a requirement. You’re encouraged, but not ordered. I can’t say I like it, but that is the reason offered if you ask why the staff doesn’t intervene - though I’d bet the real reason is with the current state of cruise line economics they’re loathe to confront any paying customer if they don’t have to.

 

“What to Wear: Gala Evening

From 6.00 pm, we encourage you to join in the sense of occasion.”

 

Surely that wording is reasonable. They should only order people where it is a matter of safety. Ordering people to dress a certain way for dinner trivialises really important commands such as wearing life jackets etc when taking to the boats, etc.
That said, I think people who ignore the suggestions are very silly.

[NE John]

There is also a negative comment on the CC Cunard reviews site about the lack of dress code adherence during a world cruise segment. However, I read about the same frustrations about the watering down of the DC on Celebrity, HAL, and other competing lines of Cunard. 

[rmsEtruria]

7 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Surely that wording is reasonable. They should only order people where it is a matter of safety. Ordering people to dress a certain way for dinner trivialises really important commands such as wearing life jackets etc when taking to the boats, etc.
That said, I think people who ignore the suggestions are very silly.

As a distinction from orders regarding essential safety, “encouraged” is reasonable but unnecessarily weak. “Expected” would still be distinct from an order, but carry more force than a mere suggestion, invitation, or encouragement.  Neither, of course, solves the fundamental problem that if the ‘Dress Code’ is not a real dress code—a “must”—it cannot be enforced.

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, rmsEtruria said:

As a distinction from orders regarding essential safety, “encouraged” is reasonable but unnecessarily weak. “Expected” would still be distinct from an order, but carry more force than a mere suggestion, invitation, or encouragement.  Neither, of course, solves the fundamental problem that if the ‘Dress Code’ is not a real dress code—a “must”—it cannot be enforced.

Expected is good.

[ChrisMV]

The Daily Programmes at least say Dress Code “applies.”  Something has to exist for it to apply.

 

 

[Wordzz]

On 3/29/2024 at 7:07 AM, roscoe39 said:

 

I thought last nights Gala evening looked really good, the ship positively sparkled and shone, at least last night there seemed to be a good uptake of the dress requirements.

 

I agree, lots of people makecthe effort on gala nights. It's been a different story on the 'smart attire' nights from what we've seen. Football shirt worn to dinner in Britannia, ditto jogging pants, flat caps, and last night a man in shorts and t-shirt in the Commodore Club....Such a shame on such a beautiful ship.

[D&N]

10 hours ago, ChrisMV said:

The Daily Programmes at least say Dress Code “applies.”  Something has to exist for it to apply.

 

 

You will find the dress code stated on page one of that publication to the right hand side opposite the day and date.

You'll probably then see it again in the heading of page four, assuming it's a six page programme. Then on page five in the "For your information" section it will appear again with a full description of what it means.

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, D&N said:

You will find the dress code stated on page one of that publication to the right hand side opposite the day and date.

You'll probably then see it again in the heading of page four, assuming it's a six page programme. Then on page five in the "For your information" section it will appear again with a full description of what it means.

You can lead a horse…

 

Or perhaps Cunard has an unlikely number of passengers who can’t actually read?

[NE John]

13 hours ago, ChrisMV said:

The Daily Programmes at least say Dress Code “applies.”  Something has to exist for it to apply.

 

 

Thanks for your heads up with dress code updates. Many appreciate these updates. 

[ChrisMV]

16 hours ago, NE John said:

Thanks for your heads up with dress code updates. Many appreciate these updates. 

Also stated, very clearly, are the locations that have been designated as casual on gala evenings, for those who do not care to attend a spot where the “dress code applies.”

 

 

[NE John]

I’ve read on the small ship line Silverseas CC site that they have relaxed their Cunard-like formal dress code. Some are rejoicing that about no more tuxes/DJ but there are reports of shorts after six in the MDR and pax dressing to the lowest common denominator. And there are also complaints of no enforcement on SS. This is a luxury line whose fares can easily exceed Q1’s on Cunard. 
On a separate note, we spent Easter in NYC and stayed in a high-end hotel and had breakfast there. I dressed in “smart attire” and was totally in the minority. Quite a few people showed up dressed in hoodies, T-shirts, and even a few in pajamas (adults) - -  for Easter breakfast. This was not a Motel 6 one stays overnight on the way to Florida. And, again, don’t get me started on the embarrassing state of NYC office attire…
Sometimes I feel that we are losing the dress code battle.