First time on Cunard

[nimiq]

Hello all,

 

I am so happy and nervous at the same time as we are book for a Med 7 days cruise on Queen Elizabeth.

 

We are 2 couples age ranging from 38 to 50 and have been on other lines a few time but never on such a prestigious line like Cunard.

 

Here are a few inquiries I got for you Cunard fans.

 

1-I want to plan my days on the ports we visit but have not been able to get the times of arrival or departure of the ship. Why or when will I get to know that ?

 

2-How is the entertainment and does the ship go dead early ?

 

3-Is it true men have to wear a jacket at ever dinner or is it ok to have a nice pair of pants and stylish shirt ?

 

4-How is the dress code on these Med cruise with Cunard as I have done with more mainstream lines and found that people no not dress to fancy. Maybe its because with all this overcharging with the airlines.

 

5-Any secret you know about Cunard that the line doesn't really tell us ?

 

Thanks in advance

Sea Ya

 

Eric

 

Golden Princess & Grand Princess Sep2014

Cunard Queen Elisabeth Jun2014

Golden Princess May2014

Royal Princess Jan 2014

Caribbean Princess Feb 2013

Carnival Liberty Nov2012

Hal Westerdam March2012

Ruby Princess Nov2010

Sapphire Princess Sep2010

Rccl Adventure Of The Seas April 2010

Carnival Miracle Feb2010

Rccl Oassis of the Seas Feb2010

Rccl Majesty of the Seas Nov2009

Rccl Navigator of Seas Sep2009

Hal Westerdam Nov&Dec2008

Caribbean Princess Nov2007

Sea Princess Nov&Dec 2006

Diamond Princess Apr2005

Rccl Navigator Dec2004

NCL SUN Nov2004

Visit of QM2 Oct2004

Carnival Victory Nov2003

Golden Princess Apr2003

Celebrity Mercury Nov2002

Carnival Elation Nov2001

NCL SKY Nov2000

[Ray66]

Question 1:

Click on Queen Elizabeth Voyages on the link below and it will show you the ship's arrival and departure times as well as the dress codes:

 

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

 

Question 3:

Yes it's true you will need to wear a jacket in the main restaurants each evening no matter what the dress code.

[Pennbank]

Hello all,

 

I am so happy and nervous at the same time as we are book for a Med 7 days cruise on Queen Elizabeth.

 

We are 2 couples age ranging from 38 to 50 and have been on other lines a few time but never on such a prestigious line like Cunard.

 

Here are a few inquiries I got for you Cunard fans.

 

1-I want to plan my days on the ports we visit but have not been able to get the times of arrival or departure of the ship. Why or when will I get to know that ?

 

2-How is the entertainment and does the ship go dead early ?

 

3-Is it true men have to wear a jacket at ever dinner or is it ok to have a nice pair of pants and stylish shirt ?

 

4-How is the dress code on these Med cruise with Cunard as I have done with more mainstream lines and found that people no not dress to fancy. Maybe its because with all this overcharging with the airlines.

 

5-Any secret you know about Cunard that the line doesn't really tell us ?

 

Thanks in advance

Sea Ya

 

Eric

 

Golden Princess & Grand Princess Sep2014

Cunard Queen Elisabeth Jun2014

Golden Princess May2014

Royal Princess Jan 2014

Caribbean Princess Feb 2013

Carnival Liberty Nov2012

Hal Westerdam March2012

Ruby Princess Nov2010

Sapphire Princess Sep2010

Rccl Adventure Of The Seas April 2010

Carnival Miracle Feb2010

Rccl Oassis of the Seas Feb2010

Rccl Majesty of the Seas Nov2009

Rccl Navigator of Seas Sep2009

Hal Westerdam Nov&Dec2008

Caribbean Princess Nov2007

Sea Princess Nov&Dec 2006

Diamond Princess Apr2005

Rccl Navigator Dec2004

NCL SUN Nov2004

Visit of QM2 Oct2004

Carnival Victory Nov2003

Golden Princess Apr2003

Celebrity Mercury Nov2002

Carnival Elation Nov2001

NCL SKY Nov2000

 

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

 

If you select the link above and select QE and scroll down for Q409 I believe your sailing, you should find dress codes and timings, However exact timings will not be known until you visit your Cunard personaliser

https://vp.cunard.com/login

 

Cunard have Formal or informal dress codes after 6pm

Formal is Dinner Jacket or Dark Suit, Tie or Bow Tie : Informal is smart Trousers or chinos , Jacket, sleeved shirt but no tie required.

If you wish to dress less formal/Informal you may eat in The Lido Self Service.

 

You may become addicted to the Cunard experience

Edited May 15, 2014 by Pennbank

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for this information, I too will be cruising Cunard (QM2) for the first time next year.:D

[Ray66]

 

Cunard have Formal or informal dress codes after 6pm

Formal is Dinner Jacket or Dark Suit, Tie or Bow Tie : Informal is smart Trousers or chinos , Jacket, sleeved shirt but no tie required.

If you wish to dress less formal/Informal you may eat in The Lido Self Service.

 

I'm not sure where you've the idea of chinos from. I've never seen anyone in the Britannia restaurant dressed that casually in the evenings.

 

[caber]

If you had a jacket on it wouldn`t really matter if the shirt sleeves were short or long (unless you like to "show a little cuff")

 

What about breakfast and lunch in the dining room, would a polo shirt be acceptable for men or does it have to be a shirt?

[BlueRiband]

Cunard ships are much more formal than any of the other ships you have sailed. What is acceptable for informal dinner on board there would be inappropriately casual here. So you cannot use your past sailing experience as a guideline. The only way to avoid wearing a jacket at dinner is to bypass the dining room and go to the Lido or use room service. Many Cunard regulars take the dress codes seriously as they do indeed set the tone and atmosphere of the ship.

 

For breakfast or lunch however, a polo is fine.

 

As for time in ports, your voyage itinerary should have ship arrival and departure times. The "all aboard" time is also posted at the exits when you leave to go ashore. This is the closest search result found regarding time in port: https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/search?nlpq=how+long+is+the+ship+in+port&kb=on-shore&x=0&y=0

Edited May 15, 2014 by BlueRiband

[MicCanberra]

Cunard ships are much more formal than any of the other ships you have sailed. What is acceptable for informal dinner on board there would be inappropriately casual here. So you cannot use your past sailing experience as a guideline. The only way to avoid wearing a jacket at dinner is to bypass the dining room and go to the Lido or use room service. Many Cunard regulars take the dress codes seriously as they do indeed set the tone and atmosphere of the ship.

 

For breakfast or lunch however, a polo is fine.

 

As for time in ports, your voyage itinerary should have ship arrival and departure times. The "all aboard" time is also posted at the exits when you leave to go ashore. This is the closest search result found regarding time in port: https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/search?nlpq=how+long+is+the+ship+in+port&kb=on-shore&x=0&y=0

Thank you for calrification on the dress code. Much appreciated.:D

[Pennbank]

 

I'm not sure where you've the idea of chinos from. I've never seen anyone in the Britannia restaurant dressed that casually in the evenings.

 

 

I have many Times, Chinos, Jacket and Tie/ no tie with smart shoes, No problem in the evenings

Tailored shorts with belt also acceptable for Breakfast and Lunch in the Britannia Restaurant on warm summer days.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Pennbank
added photo

[Pennbank]

a11a

Edited May 16, 2014 by Pennbank

[MicCanberra]

[ATTACH]312847[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]312849[/ATTACH][ATTACH]312847[/ATTACH]

 

I have many Times, Chinos, Jacket and Tie/ no tie with smart shoes, No problem in the evenings

Tailored shorts with belt also acceptable for Breakfast and Lunch in the Britannia Restaurant on warm summer days.

Casual yet still looks smart .:D

[rhkennerly]

Did qe med last fall. We were off the boat by 0730 every morning.

 

Aboard the qm2 now waiting to disembark. Too much is made of the men's dress code. I wore a dark suit, as did about half the men at early seating. I just slipped into kakhi dockers & wore my suit jacket on in formal nights. One guy wore searsucker. Just from casual observation, the mania for formal wear seem to be wearing off, even at late seating. Airline weight penalties has something to do with this, i think.

 

On the med cruise, if you're doing it right, you'll be running hard most days. People are too tired to worry much about dress code. We saw a lot of people napping over dinner. I made do with a blue blazer & dockers, as did most men.

 

In the med, touring wear is the order of the day aboard ship before evening. Shorts & t-shirts mostly. Dockers in the evening.

[BlueRiband]

....Aboard the qm2 now waiting to disembark. Too much is made of the men's dress code. I wore a dark suit, as did about half the men at early seating. I just slipped into kakhi dockers & wore my suit jacket on in formal nights. One guy wore searsucker. Just from casual observation, the mania for formal wear seem to be wearing off, even at late seating. Airline weight penalties has something to do with this, i think...

 

If that's what your observed on the WB crossing I don't know what is really happening on formal nights anymore. Some posters have said it's observed with just a few miscreants here and there but your observation seems to suggest only half the passengers are observing formal dress on formal nights.

Sic transit gloria mundi.:(

[Underwatr]

A dark suit on formal night isn't really flouting the dress code, is it? It's not like we're discussing a houndstooth jacket and khaki trousers...

 

Or an NRA T-Shirt (observed on another line)...

[wangy26]

We are taking 14 day Med cruise on QE in about a month and am frustrated with Cunard not posting the schedule of arriving and departure time for the port day on their website. This schedule is important for planning purpose.

 

So I called Cunard yesterday and ask them about it. The woman just gave me the schedule over the phone and explained that they don't want to post exact time on the website because it may change. I just think it is nonsense.

 

So if you want to know the schedule for the port day you need to call them to get it. I hope enough people call them will make them to post it on the website.

[Ray66]

It's on the FAQ part of Cunard's website.

 

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

 

Click on the link for the QE and all the times are there along with the dress codes.

[wangy26]

Thanks very much for the info. I am really puzzled why they can't put that info in my personalized cruise itinerary on the website. Even the rep I talked to won't direct me to that webpage. They can definitely do a better job.

[MicCanberra]

It's on the FAQ part of Cunard's website.

 

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

 

Click on the link for the QE and all the times are there along with the dress codes.

 

Thanks, it will come in handy.:D

[rhkennerly]

If that's what your observed on the WB crossing I don't know what is really happening on formal nights anymore. Some posters have said it's observed with just a few miscreants here and there but your observation seems to suggest only half the passengers are observing formal dress on formal nights.

Sic transit gloria mundi.:(

 

I think the Titanic Re-enactment crowd (they're like civil war re-enactors, but they eat better) tends to eats at 830 and seem to travel only for the crossing.

 

However, as a practical matter, airline fees means that a tux and shoes squeezes out an outfit or two for the wife.

 

Whoever cracks the nut for ship and hold baggage at a reasonable price might bring back more formalwear. Right now it's just too hard to travel "Rick Steves" light on the continent, hopping on and off the trains with minimal baggage, AND have full regalia for shipboard travel. Frankly, dragging all the extra baggage around Europe for a week was a pain anyway.

 

I've got lots of pix and video that I'll post later. You can count compare the tux/suit ratio yourself. An interesting take on the dark suit was a dressy bowtie, saw that some.

[MicCanberra]

I think the Titanic Re-enactment crowd (they're like civil war re-enactors, but they eat better) tends to eats at 830 and seem to travel only for the crossing.

 

However, as a practical matter, airline fees means that a tux and shoes squeezes out an outfit or two for the wife.

 

Whoever cracks the nut for ship and hold baggage at a reasonable price might bring back more formalwear. Right now it's just too hard to travel "Rick Steves" light on the continent, hopping on and off the trains with minimal baggage, AND have full regalia for shipboard travel. Frankly, dragging all the extra baggage around Europe for a week was a pain anyway.

 

I've got lots of pix and video that I'll post later. You can count compare the tux/suit ratio yourself. An interesting take on the dark suit was a dressy bowtie, saw that some.

 

My wife already takes 3/4 of the wardrobe at home and now you are suggesting she gets more than 50% of the luggage as well. That is taking it too far.:eek:

[keithm]

If you had a jacket on it wouldn`t really matter if the shirt sleeves were short or long (unless you like to "show a little cuff")

 

What about breakfast and lunch in the dining room, would a polo shirt be acceptable for men or does it have to be a shirt?

Yes & yes. Breakfast & lunch are usually pretty casual. I've often worn nice shorts at breakfast & lunch, but proper dress always at dinner.

[rhkennerly]

My wife already takes 3/4 of the wardrobe at home and now you are suggesting she gets more than 50% of the luggage as well. That is taking it too far.:eek:

 

As near as I can tell, it's all about women dressing up. Men are expected to be like a potted palm, something for the women to stand next to and pour an occasional drink into. Our job is to not distract from the woman's outfit and to nod agreeably, like a palm frond near an air vent.

[BlueRiband]

As near as I can tell, it's all about women dressing up. Men are expected to be like a potted palm, something for the women to stand next to and pour an occasional drink into. Our job is to not distract from the woman's outfit and to nod agreeably, like a palm frond near an air vent.

 

It's unfortunate you see it that way. Black tie is the most ingenious ensemble ever designed for men. All men, regardless of age or physical build, look great when wearing it.

[keithm]

As near as I can tell, it's all about women dressing up. Men are expected to be like a potted palm, something for the women to stand next to and pour an occasional drink into. Our job is to not distract from the woman's outfit and to nod agreeably, like a palm frond near an air vent.

Wow! Someone really "knows" his place!

[rhkennerly]

It's unfortunate you see it that way. Black tie is the most ingenious ensemble ever designed for men. All men, regardless of age or physical build, look great when wearing it.

 

And, in the scheme of touring before or after the cruise, the most useless dead weight in a suitcase.