Cunard Dress Code change: Formal and Informal

[Summergee]

I am pleased to see that some ladies will still be wearing their cocktail dresses on informal nights. I will be dressing up each night as well. I never mind being over dressed, only under dressed.

[3rdGenCunarder]

It will be my first cruise for Q309 in a month and I was annoyed at only reading about this in the Telegraph on Thursday as I would have appreciated an email...and certainly a lot earlier as I've spent hours online searching for suitable clothing as I'm not the most formal woman normally. However, not going to let the changes stop me and I'll be enjoying wearing assorted frocks all trip long! My only slight variance will be that at least one of my cocktail dresses may be a little tight by the end :)

 

Enjoy dressing up in your new frocks. And here's a tip that experienced cruisers have learned--if anything is a bit tight, wear it first. Save something loose for the end. Sea air shrinks clothing something fierce! ;)

[north east girl]

I am sorry but the reason I choose to cruise with Cunard is their dress code and the formality. I will continue to dress with cocktail dresses on the non-formal nights. It is my holiday and I am not going to lower my own standards. Hope some other people will feel the same.

Totally agree, I will continue to take all my usual attire for any trips I take on Cunard. I love the dressing up on an evening and seeing everybody else doing the same.

 

Catherine

[david,Mississauga]

No u, as it's a holday in the US. It's always the first Monday in September, providing one last long weekend before the summer vacation season is officially over. ...

 

Labour Day is also a holiday in Canada. We have two official languages, one of which is English, and it is definitely spelled "Labour."

[Ray66]

Well that can't work. If you wear them then they must be worn. :D

 

J

 

I look forward to the day I see someone enter the Britannia restaurant wearing boxer shorts and carrying their jeans over their arm and say:

 

"I believe jeans are allowed in the restaurant but they are not to be worn". :)

.

[Salacia]

I look forward to the day I see someone enter the Britannia restaurant wearing boxer shorts and carrying their jeans over their arm and say:

 

"I believe jeans are allowed in the restaurant but they are not to be worn". :)

.

 

[laughing]

He'd have to be wearing briefs since shorts are not permitted in the MDR after 6pm.:D

[Pushka]

The Britannia is such a beautiful restaurant I couldnt even consider wearing anything less than a nice cocktail outfit to dinner.

 

In Australia anything to do with our political party and the U is omitted.

[Salacia]

partial quote

The Britannia is such a beautiful restaurant I couldnt even consider wearing anything less than a nice cocktail outfit to dinner...

 

quote]

 

Even on first or last night?

[Pushka]

Even on first or last night?

 

I knew I should have been more specific. But I tend to wear nice dresses when dining anyway, assuming the luggage is there.

[Whitemarsh]

I knew I should have been more specific. But I tend to wear nice dresses when dining anyway, assuming the luggage is there.

 

I knew what you meant. :)

[EGG]

I told my husband and he laughed. We can't see where it will make a difference in what we will wear.

 

From Wikpedia

 

 

Informal attire, also called international business attire or Western business attire is a dress code, typified by a suit and necktie. On the scale of formality, informal attire is more formal than casual but less formal than semi-formal. It is more presentational than semi-casual, but offers more room for personal expression than semi-formal dress. Informal should not be confused with casual, not even smart casual — in loose common usage, many people refer to informal dress as semi-formal or formal and formal dress (in the technical sense — that is, white tie, black tie, and similar) as very formal; fashion writer Andrew Gilchrist doesn't accept this usage.[1] The technical definition of informal is used in this article.

 

Formal attire consists of, for men, a suit, the main components of which are a pair of trousers with a matching jacket. The suit is typically dark-coloured (with or without a pattern), grey, dark blue, brown, or black. The suit is worn with a long-sleeved shirt and a tie or a polo shirt with dress pants.

 

Informal attire for women in its strictest interpretation is patterned after the male standard — a suit consisting of a jacket with matching skirt or trousers, plus a blouse. This interpretation of informal attire is not quite so commonly worn by women as by men, as there are other forms of female attire acceptable in informal settings.

Informal attire is today considered a conservative form of dress, appropriate for nearly all formal settings that do not require white tie or black tie. For instance, it is commonly worn in religious services, funerals, government, schools, and other contexts where casual attire is not accepted but formal attire would be considered excessive. At present, informal attire is the typical dress at daytime weddings in the United States, where it is a replacement for the increasingly rare morning dress.

Informal attire is also known as international standard business attire or business formal due to its strong association with business.

[maz48]

The only good point I can find in this dumbing down of things is that we should be able to cut down on the amount of clothing we pack. Got to find a bright side as I am really disappointed. We have only just experienced Cunard and loved that more formal feel which pervaded every night and not just on formal nights. It was special and I thought something Cunard could be proud of. It will just keep being relaxed now.

 

Now, do we leave behind my husband's suit or sports jacket and trousers?

[balf]

Can't see what the fuss is about. Virtually everyone here has voted for continued elegance, so there should be no difference to dress whatever the code is called. Ladies can wear what they did before, and most gents will still sport a tie.

 

Or do you think the un...class will invade Cunard, encouraged by the new despised regime?

 

Calm down dears, all the factors that make Cunard what it is will ensure they remain with "other cruise lines".

 

The revolution is someway off.

 

David.

[Salacia]

Can't see what the fuss is about. Virtually everyone here has voted for continued elegance, so there should be no difference to dress whatever the code is called. Ladies can wear what they did before, and most gents will still sport a tie.

 

Or do you think the un...class will invade Cunard, encouraged by the new despised regime?

 

Calm down dears, all the factors that make Cunard what it is will ensure they remain with "other cruise lines".

 

The revolution is someway off.

 

David.

 

Hi Balf. Yes, I've also noticed that the majority of posts here indicate a vote for continued elegance, as you so aptly phrased it. But as others have often reminded us, members of this forum represent a miniscule percentage of Cunard passengers.

 

Peter Shanks has been quoted in several reports as saying that the change in dress code will attract new passengers. They won't have any frame of reference for what the ambiance at night was like under the 3-tier system -- obviously, that's not their fault nor does it reflect in any way on their character or their 'classiness'.

 

As I see it, the new Informal dress code is highly variable and open to personal interpretation, especially for women. So for the majority of evenings on board, there is apt to be a cacophony of style which eventually will level out.

 

Frankly, own reaction to the change in code has suprised me. It's only after sailing on other cruiselines in the past two years after sailing exclusively with Cunard, that I really appreciated the difference in ambiance between Cunard and those other lines. But all good things...

[Louise D]

Actually, on QE2, semi-formal was known as "informal" so that when I see the word "informal" I still think it has the same meaning as in the days of QE2.

 

I am just intending to keep thinking that - "informal" for me on Cunard will mean "semi-formal" from now on, particularly on the world cruise which is always much dressier than a shorter cruise anyway.

 

Louise

[Scrapnana]

\

 

I am just intending to keep thinking that - "informal" for me on Cunard will mean "semi-formal" from now on, particularly on the world cruise which is always much dressier than a shorter cruise anyway.

 

Louise

 

I'm counting on it being dressy with all I have bought!

[Salacia]

I told my husband and he laughed. We can't see where it will make a difference in what we will wear.

 

From Wikpedia

 

 

Informal attire, also called international business attire or Western business attire is a dress code, typified by a suit and necktie. On the scale of formality, informal attire is more formal than casual but less formal than semi-formal. It is more presentational than semi-casual, but offers more room for personal expression than semi-formal dress. Informal should not be confused with casual, not even smart casual — in loose common usage, many people refer to informal dress as semi-formal or formal and formal dress (in the technical sense — that is, white tie, black tie, and similar) as very formal; fashion writer Andrew Gilchrist doesn't accept this usage.[1] The technical definition of informal is used in this article.

 

Formal attire consists of, for men, a suit, the main components of which are a pair of trousers with a matching jacket. The suit is typically dark-coloured (with or without a pattern), grey, dark blue, brown, or black. The suit is worn with a long-sleeved shirt and a tie or a polo shirt with dress pants.

 

Informal attire for women in its strictest interpretation is patterned after the male standard — a suit consisting of a jacket with matching skirt or trousers, plus a blouse. This interpretation of informal attire is not quite so commonly worn by women as by men, as there are other forms of female attire acceptable in informal settings.

Informal attire is today considered a conservative form of dress, appropriate for nearly all formal settings that do not require white tie or black tie. For instance, it is commonly worn in religious services, funerals, government, schools, and other contexts where casual attire is not accepted but formal attire would be considered excessive. At present, informal attire is the typical dress at daytime weddings in the United States, where it is a replacement for the increasingly rare morning dress.

Informal attire is also known as international standard business attire or business formal due to its strong association with business.

 

:confused:A polo shirt with dress pants as formal attire?

 

 

Very interesting, thanks. But as much as I appreciate Wikipedia, it is the host/ess that defines the dress code. And since we're sailing on a Cunard ship, here once again is how Cunard defines the new 2-tier dress code:

 

EVENING DRESS CODES

1. Formal

Dinner jacket, tuxedo or dark suit with tie for gentlemen. A range of gentlemen's formal wear is available to hire on board ship.

Evening or cocktail dress for ladies

2. Informal

Jacket required, tie optional for gentlemen

Cocktail dress, stylish separates or equivalent for ladies

 

copied from https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/latest_news/cunard_dress

 

At least two-thirds of the evenings on Cunard ships will be "Informal".

[Pushka]

Six nights out of 23 in the Circumnavigation will be formal.

[Salacia]

Six nights out of 23 in the Circumnavigation will be formal.

 

When is that voyage?

[Pushka]

When is that voyage?

 

It starts Feb 2014, as a sector of the World Voyage. I have this *feeling* it may be the last for a while. Not sure why?:confused:

[Salacia]

It starts Feb 2014, as a sector of the World Voyage. I have this *feeling* it may be the last for a while. Not sure why?:confused:

 

Based on what I've read, I thought the plan was for 3 Formal nights on Crossings, and twice a week on other voyages.* :confused: So perhaps 6 Formal nights on a 23 night voyage is what would be expected?

 

 

 

* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9937320/Cunard-relaxes-cruise-ship-dress-code.html

[Pushka]

Based on what I've read, I thought the plan was for 3 Formal nights on Crossings, and twice a week on other voyages.* :confused: So perhaps 6 Formal nights on a 23 night voyage is what would be expected?

 

 

 

* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9937320/Cunard-relaxes-cruise-ship-dress-code.html

 

Yes. Whitemarsh said a few posts ago he thought there would be six. I'm happy with that.

[Norfolk Brit]

They just seem to add an extra formal if a cruise is a day or so over the exact 7 or 14 nights - our 17 nighter has five.

 

If you skim-read the new informal code, the first suggestion for informal lady's clothing is cocktail dress and that's all that many would notice - those new to Cunard, and disinclined towards formality, would presumably run a mile. Exactly which new passengers are they trying to attract?

 

Mary

[Cruachan]

They just seem to add an extra formal if a cruise is a day or so over the exact 7 or 14 nights - our 17 nighter has five.

 

If you skim-read the new informal code, the first suggestion for informal lady's clothing is cocktail dress and that's all that many would notice - those new to Cunard, and disinclined towards formality, would presumably run a mile. Exactly which new passengers are they trying to attract?

 

Mary

 

Our 17 nighter in September also has five formal nights, which (unless my highly flawed memory is underperforming more than usually) is the same as the 21 nighter that we did last year.

 

I also completely agree the new dress code, as currently stated, is unlikely to attract anyone who does not like dressing up. I don't think the ships are likely to be overrun by the shell-suited, hoody wearing, trainer shod hordes quite yet.

 

J

[glojo]

It starts Feb 2014, as a sector of the World Voyage. I have this *feeling* it may be the last for a while. Not sure why?:confused:

Interesting as the Queen Elizabeth will I believe have EIGHT formal evenings in February 2014 and I believe EIGHTEEN sea days.

 

The Queen Victoria which this year is on a similar type cruise (not as long) will have TEN formal evenings during the month of February.