Cunard Dress Code change: Formal and Informal

[Wordzz]

This is just the beginning. More and more people will push the envelope

YOU WILL SEE. When this happens, we are out of here.

 

I hope you're wrong, but I fear you may be right. I watched a not dissimilar discussion evolve a couple of years ago over on the Celebrity board. We had chosen Celebrity because it was billed as more formal than Princess, which we'd done previously. The discussion centred mainly on non-enforcement of dress codes and dilution of the atmosphere on formal nights. They were right: formal nights were a joke, and the ambience was zero. We haven't sailed X (or Princess) since, and have no plans to do so. We thought we'd found our niche with Cunard. Time will tell if we're going to lose that, too.

[Norfolk Brit]

if for no other reason that some of us have already purchased new clothes to wear on our upcoming voyages to reflect the dress code as published on Voyage Personalizer and on the Cunard website --which is now obsolete.

-Salacia

 

I shall be donating the staff's cocktail dresses to Sir Peter's favourite charity, or perhaps the Great Man himself would like them (the purple beaded job looks particularly fetching, though not when worn by the staff).

 

No need for thanks - generosity, as I always say, is its own reward.

 

Sir Martin

 

NB - Sir Peter, I believe your computer is broken; mysteriously, my personaliser is not showing my Q1, Queen Victoria, 15 May.

[Summergee]

I have checked our voyage personaliser and we still have all 3 dress codes listed with the same requirements. We travel in July.

[Salacia]

I have checked our voyage personaliser and we still have all 3 dress codes listed with the same requirements. We travel in July.

 

Cunard's webstite hasn't changed either.

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

[Underwatr]

The personalizer is inaccurate??

[MCC retired]

Appears that the old Elegant Casual has

been renamed Informal ? Hooray! No tie

required !

That simplifies things for me .

That 3rd level of dress was a nuisance

for me .

[turquoise 6]

Is this what you envisage? :):)

 

[ATTACH]264831[/ATTACH]

Heath Ledger, He was good!

[turquoise 6]

On cruises ,with many ports,many people feel its an inconvenience to dress formally ,but on transatlantic voyages formal nights ,the more the better, are appropriate .

[keithm]

Is this what you envisage? :):)

 

[ATTACH]264831[/ATTACH]

For me,yes!

[lucky white heather]

I hope you're wrong, but I fear you may be right. I watched a not dissimilar discussion evolve a couple of years ago over on the Celebrity board. We had chosen Celebrity because it was billed as more formal than Princess, which we'd done previously. The discussion centred mainly on non-enforcement of dress codes and dilution of the atmosphere on formal nights. They were right: formal nights were a joke, and the ambience was zero. We haven't sailed X (or Princess) since, and have no plans to do so. We thought we'd found our niche with Cunard. Time will tell if we're going to lose that, too.

 

Celebrity was our former cruiseline of choice too ( almost 30 cruises) and the change down of dress codes drove us to Cunard..which we have enjoyed so far but perhaps not for much longer with these changes afoot..

If Cunard think dumbing down the dress code will make Australians or other nationalities or whoever flock to Cunard even if they keep their special afternoon tea and all the other things they claim to be so worthy of booking with them...I'm afraid they need to travel on other cruiselines (incognito if necessary) to find out what the bulk of " those -who -don't -cruise- Cunard " cruisers want from their cruise ... a dumbed down dress code isn't going to be enough.

They want lots of discos, they want lots of bars, they want children to be totally entertained and accommodated far more than Cunard offers ( from what we've seen anyway) , a choice of anytime dining, lots and lots of alternative restaurants offering more expensive food, free drink bars ( 5pm till 7 pm) for guests who qualify, and those who don't really need or want a nice ambiance aboard ... the Butlins- at- sea variety of cruise will do as long as it is as cheap as possible.

Cunard's current age group of guests is perhaps another factor why any new cruisers would perhaps try Cunard once.... even if a dumbed down dress code is operated ....... and not bother again.The age group booking on Cunard is more contained to upper 40's , pensioners and up .....from what we've seen .....so they might feel as if they were holidaying in a nursing home atmosphere..

The age groups on other cruiselines range from fairly young guests with young families to an older age group ......but not as old as we see regularly on Cunard.

So why would they choose Cunard in preference to these other cruiselines offering everything else they demand/ prefer ????

 

Cunard IMO appeals only to certain age groups and preferences and that is why they have stayed in business and been kept busy. They serve one specific area of the modern ,very choosy, cruiseline guest population.Now they are risking a loss of their virtually guaranteed regular customers !

[new to cuising]

Half the fun in my opinion of a Cunard Cruise is the dressing up - very rarely get the chance to do it anywhere else. And for those ladies concerned about being over dressed on informal nights wasn't there a quotation on the wall of the Chart Room in the QE2 by Zandra Rhodes along the lines of "It's always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed".

[balf]

Is this what you envisage? :):)

 

[ATTACH]264831[/ATTACH]

 

Err, the top one or the bottom one?

 

David.

[bazzaw]

I can't really see much of a change -- men have to wear jackets on all "non-Formal" nights, except that basically a tie will now be optional. If I were to go on a cruise under this new regime, my packing would not change at all (Tuxedo, business suit plus two jackets) - as I would still take some ties for certain occasions and some long sleeved shirts that do not suit wearing with ties for other occasions. A Rose is still a Rose -- by any other name !

 

For me, I would have liked to see the 3 codes Formal, semi-formal and casual remain -- but no jacket for the casual nights. Men can still be nicely/elegantly dressed without wearing a jacket - and in some climes, it is too hot to be wearing jackets every night! :mad:

 

Barry

[NomDePlume]

I can't really see much of a change -- men have to wear jackets on all "non-Formal" nights, except that basically a tie will now be optional. If I were to go on a cruise under this new regime, my packing would not change at all (Tuxedo, business suit plus two jackets) - as I would still take some ties for certain occasions and some long sleeved shirts that do not suit wearing with ties for other occasions. A Rose is still a Rose -- by any other name !

 

For me, I would have liked to see the 3 codes Formal, semi-formal and casual remain -- but no jacket for the casual nights. Men can still be nicely/elegantly dressed without wearing a jacket - and in some climes, it is too hot to be wearing jackets every night! :mad:

 

Barry

 

Strange--I put on a jacket because the temperature in the dining room leaves me shivering in those same hot climes...:confused:

[Wordzz]

Celebrity was our former cruiseline of choice too ( almost 30 cruises) and the change down of dress codes drove us to Cunard..which we have enjoyed so far but perhaps not for much longer with these changes afoot..

If Cunard think dumbing down the dress code will make Australians or other nationalities or whoever flock to Cunard even if they keep their special afternoon tea and all the other things they claim to be so worthy of booking with them...I'm afraid they need to travel on other cruiselines (incognito if necessary) to find out what the bulk of " those -who -don't -cruise- Cunard " cruisers want from their cruise ... a dumbed down dress code isn't going to be enough.

They want lots of discos, they want lots of bars, they want children to be totally entertained and accommodated far more than Cunard offers ( from what we've seen anyway) , a choice of anytime dining, lots and lots of alternative restaurants offering more expensive food, free drink bars ( 5pm till 7 pm) for guests who qualify, and those who don't really need or want a nice ambiance aboard ... the Butlins- at- sea variety of cruise will do as long as it is as cheap as possible.

Cunard's current age group of guests is perhaps another factor why any new cruisers would perhaps try Cunard once.... even if a dumbed down dress code is operated ....... and not bother again.The age group booking on Cunard is more contained to upper 40's , pensioners and up .....from what we've seen .....so they might feel as if they were holidaying in a nursing home atmosphere..

The age groups on other cruiselines range from fairly young guests with young families to an older age group ......but not as old as we see regularly on Cunard.

So why would they choose Cunard in preference to these other cruiselines offering everything else they demand/ prefer ????

 

Cunard IMO appeals only to certain age groups and preferences and that is why they have stayed in business and been kept busy. They serve one specific area of the modern ,very choosy, cruiseline guest population.Now they are risking a loss of their virtually guaranteed regular customers !

 

Again, I can only agree with you 100%. Celebrity used to market itself as an upmarket experience. I now see that the homepage of their website promotes free balcony upgrades and reduced cost flights, so it would seem it's become about price. Cunard can choose to join that market, but then I suspect they will need to drop the pretence of being a line that stands for tradition, style and elegance.

 

It just seems odd to me - we are in an age when companies are desperately searching for something that makes them stand out from the competition rather than being lost in the morass of mass market offerings. Cunard already has that distinctive edge, with its formality and tradition. Why on earth would they choose to give that up voluntarily? We've only done one Cunard trip - a TA last year - but that was sold out. Are the rest of their sailings selling so poorly that they perceive a need to change?

 

Of course wearing a tie or not wearing a tie (for men) is arguably not that big a deal, but once the message put out by the line changes, there's a likelihood that passengers' attitudes will too and that the whole ambience and atmosphere will change. That may be what Cunard wants, but it doesn't seem a very sensible business decision to me.

 

Time will tell what happens, but I wonder whether Peter Shanks will go down as the man who took Cunard to new heights or as the architect of its downward slide.

[BORDER REIVER]

We have spent the last few months buying new clothes for a 3 tier dress code. When are Cunard going to bother to tell us officially?

[fishywood]

How one chooses to react to this ersatz "change" is a matter of personal taste. Just look at the totally different tone of language used by the authors of the two articles Salacia was kind enough to link to:

 

Travelweekly:

Cunard is making an adjustment to its advice on dress codes

 

Telegraph:

Formal dress requirements will now be limited to...

 

Travelweekly:

Passengers opting out of evening wear in formal nights will be welcome in the ships’ main buffet restaurants and in the adjoining Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bars, but not in other areas of the ship, out of respect for their fellow guests

 

Telegraph:

Travellers wishing to opt out of dressing formally will be allowed to access the ships’ main buffet restaurants as well as the Winter Garden and Garden Lounge bars, but restricted from entering other areas of the ships.

 

So is the glass half-empty or half-full? Mine will still be overflowing as I plan to dress each evening as the schedule read at the time of booking--which I suspect many of my fellow passengers will do. I will not allow the inevitable (or at least hoped for by Mr. Shanks) increase in bookings by those who view "informal" as a ceiling rather than a floor to bother me at all...

 

...UNLESS the "kindly confine oneself to Kings Court/Lido if opting out of the evening's dress" no longer applies every night but only on "formal" evenings as implied in both articles. Will "informal" be as on every other line where those who choose to remain in jeans and t-shirts will be welcome in all lounges and showrooms, just not the dining room? Already there are reports of an emboldened minority who don track suits or windbreakers and call that a jacket; let us pray that is not the "growing travel trend" that caught the Corporate eye. (Cue the anti-"fashion police" protesters...)

[PennyAgain]

I began sailing on Cunard long ago back in the 1970's when a crossing meant dressing for dinner most nights. I bought a spectacular emerald green gown (yes a long gown) and the women in my family spent much time hemming and fitting it to perfection.

 

I hauled that dress all over the UK before returning home on the QE2. It was worth doing. I don't recall baggage weight limits back then.

 

Cunard has advised that the full dress code is still 'on' for the grills, but as I am not in the financial league for the grills, I'll be managing my age and the new dress code as necessary. The most dressed up I get these days is a skirted admiralty blue suit with a nice selection of tasteful jewerly. I won't be wearing trousers to dinner on any evening.

[Germancruiser]

Well thats not at all bad news. The elegance is still kept- no tie - great- I would have taken some ties with me in October- but now it is much easier- Jackets I have a lot around! So all is fine - at least with me! Three formal nights- very nice- almost the same dress code now as Celebrity- besides that Celebrity does not require Jackets on elegant casual or for Cunard Informal nights!

I don´t see Cunard on the road down for that.

[Salacia]

We have spent the last few months buying new clothes for a 3 tier dress code. When are Cunard going to bother to tell us officially?

 

Hi Border Reiver. I don't know. Here's what the Cunard website says

 

"Please note, that this information [https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/life-on-board/dress_code_] all is subject to change and final details will be confirmed on board"

 

I can tell you with certainty that you are not alone in buying new clothes for the 3 tier dress code. -S.

[turquoise 6]

I shall be donating the staff's cocktail dresses to Sir Peter's favourite charity, or perhaps the Great Man himself would like them (the purple beaded job looks particularly fetching, though not when worn by the staff).

 

No need for thanks - generosity, as I always say, is its own reward.

 

Sir Martin

 

NB - Sir Peter, I believe your computer is broken; mysteriously, my personaliser is not showing my Q1, Queen Victoria, 15 May.

Please pardon me,Sir Martin,most honorable Lord of the Kingdom.I do have an idea: Auction! Auction those cocktail dresses on board!!! I think the Duchess or her Estate had an Auction on board ,which included cocktail dresses.

Just an idea

T

[Scrapnana]

If there are not going to be semi-formal nights I will designate my own. I've bought the clothes and I'm going to wear them. I was having a problem deciding whether some of my outfits were more SF or EC, now I don't have to worry about it.

[mheslop]

According to this report http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9937320/Cunard-relaxes-cruise-ship-dress-code.html Cunard has changed the dress code from Formal, Semi-formal and Elegant Casual to Formal and Informal, effective on all ships after the world cruise season ends in April and May of this year.

 

Partial quote:

"...Peter Shanks, Cunard's President and Managing Director, said the decision was in response to growing travel trends, “where everything seems to tend towards the casual”. Formal dress requirements will now be limited to three times a week on Transatlantic Crossings and twice a week on sailings to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and beyond.

The formal nights will be accompanied by four or five informal evenings, where ties are now optional but jackets will still be required..."

 

 

I know we've been speculating on other threads about possible changes to the dress code, but this appears to be the official word. -S.

 

Additional source: http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2013/03/18/43497/cunard-updates-formal-dress-codes.html

 

It will be Butlins at sea before you know it. I saw some rare sights on the recents QE Pearls of the Pacific. Dress Codes are not enforced but Cunard is still the most formal. I will not change my habits. I even distinguish between formal and semi-formal. Many women do not. And, yes, this means an extra bag on the airline. Free on some, $40 or so on others. A tiny percent of the total cost. If I want casual, I'll book another cruise line....well, anything but Carnival!

[Pushka]

Perhaps now there is such a distinction between formal and non formal, and the statement that guests choosing not to dress formal are able to access other areas for dining, might just mean they will enforce the dress of the day in Britannia?

 

I've just been having fun working out some formal wear and more casual/ cocktail wear for my next trip and had them sorted into the 3 groups. Not sure what to do with the middle group now but at least that was my smallest group.

 

On a 23 day voyage with many sea days, how many formals would people anticipate?

[Josy1953]

This is just the beginning. More and more people will push the envelope

YOU WILL SEE. When this happens, we are out of here.

 

You are so right, look at what happened on Princess when they relaxed the dress code :

Informal means that you often now see shorts, teeshirts and flip-flops in the restaurant in the evening. The staff do not enforce the dress code because they have been told not to upset the passengers.

 

We moved to Cunard because we hate what has happened on Princess and we thought that Cunard was a better fit for us because we like to dress nicely and more formally. I don't know where we will go now because this trend seems to be so widespread. I suppose we will have to accept that we are getting older and the cruise lines are looking to the future where todays younger generation (MacDonalds supporters) will be the future and they do not like the formality.