Formality

[sneffles]

[quote name='lannp']I love Formal evenings on the QM2, it is my only chance to dress up since I rarely attend functions at home that require formality.
I would appreciate seeing the code adhered to in the dining room meaning staff should be able to approach passengers and not be lambasted for doing their job.[/quote]

On the QM and QE in the 1950s, we wore coats/ties all day and in the evening. I don't miss it at all! Trying to pack clothes in one suitcase for a 12 to 24 day cruise is hard enough without having to pack formal clothing/shoes. A bit easier for my wife...nice dresses take up less space.

[Peter Shanks]

Our Maitre D's will enforce the dress codes in the restaurants - that makes it a fair experience for all - and we realy do have very few problems in this area. In fact I wish I was dining on one of the ships tonight no matter what the dress code......... Peter

[Camgirl]

Really glad to see the number of formal nights will not be reduced. They make Cunard cruises so special and unique. We love the dressing up. Also, I am glad the Maitre D's will enforce the dress code. Thank you.

[DreamflightPat]

[quote name='Peter Shanks']Formality is part of our DNA - but not all we do is Formal. I can certainly reassure you that Cunard will not give up our Formal Evenings - they are very special and a chance for Ladies, Gentelmen and their children too to have a very special night. Some luxury cruise lines have moved to Formal/Optional which I would just find confusing - it's either a formal night or not. The ambience in the dining rooms and bars on a formal night is terrfic - it is similar to a special night out at home - and there are fewer and fewer of those opportunities these days. At the same tme - many people want to relax on holiday - and whilst we have 2 or 3 formal nights on a voyage - guests can also relax with our 'Elegant Casual' evenings. I sense as we go forward , whilst maintaining the Formal nights then we may see the Elegant Casual approach becoming more popular and a chance to relax as we would going out with friends at home. But for us - the Formal night is something very important and we do it properly - a rarity in today's growing cruise market. Peter[/QUOTE]
Thank goodness you are keeping the formal nights. The reason why so many people cruise with Cunard. I do not agree with another posters' comment about youngsters not wanting to dress up. A lot do, and for those that do not, there are lots of other cruise lines out there.

I have cruised Regent a few times and they have disappointed me with relaxing their dress codes. Impressed with Cunard and yesterday booked FLL to Sydney next year.

I spent 39 years as cabin crew and am so enjoying cruising now. Keep up the good work

Regards Pat

[balf]

There is so little difference between semi formal and elegant casual that I wonder why the latter could not be dropped or allowed to be a little more relaxed.

Personally I see no reason why, particularly in hot areas of the world, a smart, collard open neck shirt could not be allowed, but if we must retain the jacket let's also keep the tie as well and drop elegant casual.

David.

[keithm]

[quote name='waldorf']We would love to try Cunard, but until the dress code is relaxed, we will have to sail elsewhere.

I would think this is something Cunard will have to consider at some point, the younger market generally wish for a more relaxed cruise.

Just my view :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
There are those of us who are younger that like the formality of the past. I'd suggest giving Oceania a try. It's what they call country club casual..polo shirts & nice khakis. Their food is among the best at sea.

[dencruise80]

[quote name='keithm']There are those of us who are younger that like the formality of the past. I'd suggest giving Oceania a try. It's what they call country club casual..polo shirts & nice khakis. Their food is among the best at sea.[/QUOTE]

I am booked on an Oceania cruise to avoid the formality. Previously all of my cruises have been on Cunard.

I see no reason to put on airs that I am of the landed gentry. :eek:

[figgy1978]

[quote name='dencruise80']I am booked on an Oceania cruise to avoid the formality. Previously all of my cruises have been on Cunard.

I see no reason to put on airs that I am of the landed gentry. :eek:[/QUOTE]

We like dressing up for dinner. You don't get to dress up often so it is nice when we do.

[keithm]

[quote name='dencruise80']I am booked on an Oceania cruise to avoid the formality. Previously all of my cruises have been on Cunard.

I see no reason to put on airs that I am of the landed gentry. :eek:[/QUOTE]
The "country club casual" remark belongs to "Berlitz Guide" not me. The food, however is superior to nealy all the lines.

[RobertGraves]

[quote name='balf'] if we must retain the jacket let's also keep the tie as well and drop elegant casual.

David.[/quote]

Nice remark! Actually some of us already wear a tie even at (some, at least…) elegant casual nights.:)

Mr Shanks spoke much about formal nights, but Cunard's aura of formality is also enhanced by the semi-formal nights and by requiring a jacket even at elegant casual nights.

The dress code overall (formal, semiformal, elegant casual with jacket) is perhaps Cunard's strongest distinguishing point, followed by the beautiful interior decor of the
ships, which it complements nicely (similar food, service, entertainment etc can be found for less on other companies).

It is virtually an essential requirement of Cunard's nostalgic 'golden-age of ocean-liners' profile. It makes nights on board like nowhere else at sea, making Cunard one of the kind.

So, Mr Shanks, thank you so much for this special kind of vacation! Please continue the good work with this Cunard trademark, the beautiful formality of the dress code!

[RobertGraves]

[quote name='sneffles']On the QM and QE in the 1950s, we wore coats/ties all day and in the evening. I don't miss it at all! Trying to pack clothes in one suitcase for a 12 to 24 day cruise is hard enough without having to pack formal clothing/shoes. A bit easier for my wife...nice dresses take up less space.[/quote]

I respect your view, but speaking of packing and convenience, [FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][FONT=Verdana][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I think Cunard has the most convenient dress code for gentlemen in all cruise industry.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]One needs virtually only a dark suit. You wear it with a tie during semi-formal nights, without a tie during elegant casual. Add a tuxedo for formal nights, if you wish.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]My DP is always grateful for finding additional space in my suitcase, allowing her to take more dresses.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]When travelling with other cruise lines, I hate having to reckon what to pack, especially for long cruises, and I always miss the simplicity and convenience of Cunard's dress code.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=2]PS. How much I would like to have travelled on the QM and QE back then! :)[/SIZE]
[/FONT]
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[QM1]

[quote name='Peter Shanks']Formality is part of our DNA - but not all we do is Formal. I can certainly reassure you that Cunard will not give up our Formal Evenings - they are very special and a chance for Ladies, Gentelmen and their children too to have a very special night. Some luxury cruise lines have moved to Formal/Optional which I would just find confusing - it's either a formal night or not. The ambience in the dining rooms and bars on a formal night is terrfic - it is similar to a special night out at home - and there are fewer and fewer of those opportunities these days. At the same tme - many people want to relax on holiday - and whilst we have 2 or 3 formal nights on a voyage - guests can also relax with our 'Elegant Casual' evenings. I sense as we go forward , whilst maintaining the Formal nights then we may see the Elegant Casual approach becoming more popular and a chance to relax as we would going out with friends at home. But for us - the Formal night is something very important and we do it properly - a rarity in today's growing cruise market. Peter[/QUOTE]

Fine to hear the formal nights wont be reduced or its code relaxed.

But I find the "we may see the Elegant Casual approach becoming more popular and a chance to relax as we would going out with friends at home" suspicious and for me it doesnt sound positive. Why should I be dressed on a Cunard cruise like I dress 300something days of the year anyway? I do go out with friends a lot, fine, but why on earth shouldnt I do so on a Cunarder in finer clothes than on an average day at home? Relax? Sure I want to relax on a holiday, and before 6 in the evening there is plenty of time to do so. I am happy to throw the sandals and Poloshirt away at 6! I can also relax in elegant attire for some hours.

[quote name='avalon1025']As one of the younger set, who wears jeans to work everyday, I love dressing up on Cunard. There are plenty of lines that you can wear whatever you want. There are so few that still require one to dress well at dinner. Its the only competitive advantage left![/QUOTE]

I wouldnt say its the only advantage left, the ships itself also do set Cunard ahead of the competition in my opinion. I am of the mid-aged set, but working from a home office I also rarely wear suit and tie.
We love to dress up on a cruise, and its one of the key reasons for choosing Cunard.
If you loosen the dress code, it´ll slowly turn into a bad taste party with "funny" Shirts in the restaurant and flip-flops at tea-time. If I want that, I just as well could l save some money and go Costa or Royal Caribbean instead of Cunard.
I agree if thats slowly going to be lost, it would indeed be sad. That so many people are negligently dressed nowadays cant be a reason to change anything, so please dont follow bad examples (never before was the world so rich and so badly dressed).
The current code (1/3 formal, 1/3 semi-formal, 1/3 elegant casual) is perfect.

[billyvegas]

After recent announcements,
Obviously regular loyal Cunarders are not what the company wants anymore. Please turn out the light if you are last to leave!

[bazzaw]

[quote name='dencruise80']

I see no reason to put on airs that I am of the landed gentry. :eek:[/QUOTE]

perhaps you mean a Middle Class who yearn to be landed Gentry??

Barry

[billyvegas]

[quote name='waldorf']We would love to try Cunard, but until the dress code is relaxed, we will have to sail elsewhere.

I would think this is something Cunard will have to consider at some point, the younger market generally wish for a more relaxed cruise.

Just my view :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

The main difference about Cunard that makes it what it is and keeps people coming back for more, is the Formality,dress codes, atmosphere ambiance and style. Why would someone "love to try Cunard" if they don't like Formality? There are loads of Cruise lines that offer a more relaxed cruise, why should Cunard change?

[Francophile]

If only QM2 weren't the only true oceanliner carrying passengers between Europe and North America (among other things) I would have no problem with its nostalgic '30's formality. I had always thought of her as a cut above a cruise ship: a true contemporary passenger liner. It appears that most people on CC and her regular passengers however, view her as just another, but more formal, cruise ship on her Transatlantic route. Well, OK, she's a profit-making venture, So long as the "formalist" cruisers are willing to fill her rooms, those of us who'd prefer a more "elegant casual" approach to ocean passenger travel from point A to point B will be out of luck. Fair enough, I guess.

I suppose the only real solution would be for the French to get back into the oceanliner business and give Carnaval/Cunard a run for their money. Speaking for myself, I'd be thrilled to sail on a socially, culturally, and sartorially contemporary "SS Nouvelle Normandie" between New York and Le Havre!

[BlueRiband]

[quote name='Francophile']...I suppose the only real solution would be for the French to get back into the oceanliner business and give Carnaval/Cunard a run for their money. Speaking for myself, I'd be thrilled to sail on a socially, culturally, and sartorially contemporary "SS Nouvelle Normandie" between New York and Le Havre![/quote]

If you ever have the money to build this [I]Novelle Normandie[/I] ring up Stephen Payne. After designing [I]Nouveau Rotterdam[/I] and [I]Nouvelle Reine Mary[/I] he's up to the task.

[Oceans&Rivers]

[quote name='billyvegas']The main difference about Cunard that makes it what it is and keeps people coming back for more, is the Formality,dress codes, atmosphere ambiance and style. Why would someone "love to try Cunard" if they don't like Formality? There are loads of Cruise lines that offer a more relaxed cruise, why should Cunard change?[/QUOTE]

There are lots of us who want to do Cunard's crossings, but the stiff formality combined with permissable smoking in suites or on balconies (don't know if that has been done away with yet), preclude us from booking.

We want to dine in the best restaurants onboard in elegant casual wear ([B][I]not[/I][/B] sloppy casual, not Polo shirts, no hairy toes in sandals, etc.) in the evenings, and have access to all entertainment onboard without having to bring tuxedos, gowns, cocktail dresses, etc.

I have no objection to keeping the other Cunard ships formal, but the crossings on QM2 are where we want to see much less formality.

[BlueRiband]

[quote name='Oceans&Rivers']There are lots of us who want to do Cunard's crossings, but the stiff formality combined with permissable smoking in suites or on balconies (don't know if that has been done away with yet), preclude us from booking.

We want to dine in the best restaurants onboard in elegant casual wear ([B][I]not[/I][/B] sloppy casual, not Polo shirts, no hairy toes in sandals, etc.) in the evenings, and have access to all entertainment onboard without having to bring tuxedos, gowns, cocktail dresses, etc.

I have no objection to keeping the other Cunard ships formal, but the crossings on QM2 are where we want to see much less formality.[/quote]

By staying away from Cunard you've made the best decision for your preferred style. I stay away from Carnival because I don't like the loose "anything goes" atmosphere and from NCL because I don't like their freestyle dining setup. To each his/her own.

BTW, Peter Shanks was in this sub-forum only for one day and has not returned. Since he is one the way out at Cunard it is highly unlikely he will see this.

[Whitemarsh]

[quote name='Oceans&Rivers']There are lots of us who want to do Cunard's crossings, but the stiff formality combined with permissable smoking in suites or on balconies (don't know if that has been done away with yet), preclude us from booking.

We want to dine in the best restaurants onboard in elegant casual wear ([B][I]not[/I][/B] sloppy casual, not Polo shirts, no hairy toes in sandals, etc.) in the evenings, and have access to all entertainment onboard without having to bring tuxedos, gowns, cocktail dresses, etc.

I have no objection to keeping the other Cunard ships formal, but the crossings on QM2 are where we want to see much less formality.[/QUOTE]

I know how you feel, there are lots of us who want to do Carnival cruises to the Caribbean, but the lax informality combined with restrictions on smoking in suites, or on balconies, preclude us from booking.

We want to dine in the best restaurants on board in formal wear (tuxedoes and gowns, not elegant casual wear) in the evenings, and have access to all entertainment on board without having to bring our gardening clothes so that we don't feel out of place.

I have no objection to keeping the other Carnival ships casual, but the Caribbean cruises are where we want to see much more formality.

[eatsallinsects]

[quote name='Whitemarsh']I know how you feel, there are lots of us who want to do Carnival cruises to the Caribbean, but the lax informality combined with restrictions on smoking in suites, or on balconies, preclude us from booking.

We want to dine in the best restaurants on board in formal wear (tuxedoes and gowns, not elegant casual wear) in the evenings, and have access to all entertainment on board without having to bring our gardening clothes so that we don't feel out of place.

I have no objection to keeping the other Carnival ships casual, but the Caribbean cruises are where we want to see much more formality.[/QUOTE]
************************************
You have read my mind!

[Oceans&Rivers]

To the snobby replies to my previous post, let me add a snobby one of my own:

We haven't ever taken a Carnival cruise (or NCL or Royal Caribbean) and don't plan to do so in the future. We started as a young couple cruising on Sitmar. We like nice ships. We do not feel we need to dress like waiters in order to be served in the main dining room.

Our most recent cruises have been on Oceania and Crystal.

QM2, while not as zippy as in earlier years across the pond, is still faster than other ships and we would like to experience that. We would like to do a crossing to and later from Europe on QM2, and there are many others like us who will be happy to do so when the dress code does not absolutely [I]require[/I] us to pretend we are members of the cast of Downton Abbey (first season).

I would love it if Cunard would at least offer some cruises (in the summer) where we could enjoy the entire ship without having to don glittery-but-cheaply-made-in-China duds, as all the formal wear seems to be these days (even at some of our finer department stores).

[BlueRiband]

[quote name='Oceans&Rivers']To the snobby replies to my previous post, let me add a snobby one of my own:

We haven't ever taken a Carnival cruise (or NCL or Royal Caribbean) and don't plan to do so in the future. We started as a young couple cruising on Sitmar. We like nice ships. We do not feel we need to dress like waiters in order to be served in the main dining room.

Our most recent cruises have been on Oceania and Crystal.

QM2, while not as zippy as in earlier years across the pond, is still faster than other ships and we would like to experience that. We would like to do a crossing to and later from Europe on QM2, and there are many others like us who will be happy to do so when the dress code does not absolutely [I]require[/I] us to pretend we are members of the cast of Downton Abbey (first season).

I would love it if Cunard would at least offer some cruises (in the summer) where we could enjoy the entire ship without having to don glittery-but-cheaply-made-in-China duds, as all the formal wear seems to be these days (even at some of our finer department stores).[/quote]

I would love to try Crystal if the dress code did not require "Country Club Casual" as if we were all on a photo shoot for a Brooks Brothers catalogue. I can do without the designer labels which only go to pay for Tom Ford or Calvin Klein's latest toy and certainly not into garment quality. (How you checked where these are made?)

[Oceans&Rivers]

[quote name='BlueRiband']I would love to try Crystal if the dress code did not require "Country Club Casual" as if we were all on a photo shoot for a Brooks Brothers catalogue. I can do without the designer labels which only go to pay for Tom Ford or Calvin Klein's latest toy and certainly not into garment quality. (How you checked where these are made?)[/QUOTE]

You will still see plenty of formal wear on Crystal. All they have done is to drop the word "required" and made it "optional". Crystal continues to display the same formal clothing images as they did before, yet the word "optional" has been added. I am sure it is helping Crystal's financial bottom line, and would do the same for Cunard, because most people like options.

I don't pay any attention at all to designer labels, except for looking for "country of origin" as I do with everything else I buy.

I recall a suggestion from someone in Crystal some time ago about some "lovely washable silks", so I called a nice store (Nordstrom) to inquire if they sold the brand or type. They did, and I said, "find me one not made in China" and the department manager went around to each and every frock in the department (great service at Nordstrom), and was shocked to discover that every item in her entire department was made in China, even the most expensive items. It was disheartening.

At this point, when I can't find something made in the U.S. or other countries I wish to support, I at least find something made in a [I]less[/I] objectionable country.

I wonder, are you in Britain facing this same difficulty (to find local apparel, for example) when shopping?

[cunardalltheway]

We are avid cunard fans and always choose to sail the queens. Having said that our last (very last minute) adventure was on ruby princess, the first time we've sailed outside of cunard.
We are of the opinion that we will never again sail princess and amongst other reasons, mainly because of the arrogant Americans refusing point blank to adhere to any dress codes, choosing to stay in their staterooms on the formal nights because they don't want to get dressed for dinner.

Please please please cunard (Peter shanks) don't give in to the americanised carnival group and keep cunard as it is!