Dress standards lowered for Queen Elizabeth Alaska cruises?

[david,Mississauga]

The voyage personaliser for our cruise in June has been updated to show the dress code for each night. I am disappointed to see Cunard  has further "dumbed down" their dress standards. There are only two gala (formal) nights out of 10.  When we were on the Queen Elizabeth a few years ago (a cruise to Norway) there were three formal nights out of seven. From my more recent experience the current standard is two nights out of seven on a cruise and three on a seven-day Atlantic crossing.

 

Also, the first night is showing as “jacket optional.”  I have never seen this before on any Cunard voyage I have been on, although I have read that it happens occasionally in the tropics. 

Admittedly the advance information about dress codes and themed nights is sometimes changed by the time the ship departs. Day 7 of this cruise is a non-port day. Traditionally that should be a gala night.  But I am concerned about what other standards Cunard may be lowering.

 

Can anyone who has recently been on a 10-day cruise advise the number of gala nights they had?

[Host Hattie]

Number of gala/formal nights normally depends on number of sea days, we had 3 on our last 10 night, port intensive cruise.

The first night of Mediterranean fly cruises has been Jacket optional for the last couple of years.

[bluemarble]

FYI, here are updated links to the dress code schedules for each ship through June.

 

QE: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/QE_dresscode_Q904_Q919.pdf
QM2: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_M904_M919.pdf
QV: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_V906_V917.pdf

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by bluemarble

[AussieVoyager]

4 hours ago, bluemarble said:

FYI, here are updated links to the dress code schedules for each ship through June.

 

QE: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/QE_dresscode_Q904_Q919.pdf
QM2: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_M904_M919.pdf
QV: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_V906_V917.pdf

 

It's interesting that the list above is slightly different to what's shown on my voyage personaliser.  I am doing Tokyo-Vancouver on QE, departing 5 May 2019.

 

The list above shows 3 formal nights for that voyage; they are:

6  May  Madam Butterfly Ball

9  May  Black and White Ball

19 May Elizabeth Ball

 

My VP has all of those but in addition shows

12 May Masquerade Ball

 

Interestingly, 12 May is "Groundhog Day" where we cross the date line and thus have the day twice.  So, according to the VP we have 4 or 5 formal nights (depending on whether we repeat the formal night on the repeat day) but according to the list we have only 3.

 

Any thoughts on which one is more likely to be correct (and if the VP would we do it twice?)

 

Eugene

Edited February 21, 2019 by AussieVoyager

[bluemarble]

It's hard to know for sure since I've seen cases where the voyage personaliser was more accurate than the pdf documents and vice versa.

 

In this case, where your voyage will have two 12th of Mays because of crossing the International Date Line (ala Phileas Fogg), my guess is one of those days will have the Masquerade Ball and the other will not. That could explain the difference where your voyage personaliser is showing the 12th of May with the ball while the pdf document is showing the other 12th of May without that ball. But that's just a hunch on my part.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Wow, I expected three gala nights. So black and white and roaring 20's. I'm disappointed, but my packing just got easier. 

K

[david,Mississauga]

20 hours ago, bluemarble said:

FYI, here are updated links to the dress code schedules for each ship through June.

 

QE: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/QE_dresscode_Q904_Q919.pdf
QM2: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_M904_M919.pdf
QV: https://carnivaluk.metafaq.com/resources/carnivaluk/before-you-sail/dresscode_V906_V917.pdf

 

 

Thanks for giving us the links. That information used to be readily available on the previous Cunard Website.  From my experience, new sites are rarely better than the one they replace - and I don't mean just Cunard.

 

In any event, dress codes are minimum standards.  As one of our travelling companions said: "My standards do not have to fall just because Cunard's have."

[alibabacruisers]

18 hours ago, AussieVoyager said:

It's interesting that the list above is slightly different to what's shown on my voyage personaliser.  I am doing Tokyo-Vancouver on QE, departing 5 May 2019.

 

The list above shows 3 formal nights for that voyage; they are:

6  May  Madam Butterfly Ball

9  May  Black and White Ball

19 May Elizabeth Ball

 

My VP has all of those but in addition shows

12 May Masquerade Ball

 

Interestingly, 12 May is "Groundhog Day" where we cross the date line and thus have the day twice.  So, according to the VP we have 4 or 5 formal nights (depending on whether we repeat the formal night on the repeat day) but according to the list we have only 3.

 

Any thoughts on which one is more likely to be correct (and if the VP would we do it twice?)

 

Eugene

Yes on my VP for the 5-31 May cruise, I have 6 listed:

 

6 May Madam Butterfly

9 May B & W

12 May Masquerade (not showing on the link/list provided above)

19 May Elizabethan

22 May Roaring Twenties

29 May Royal Cunard

 

Hi Eugene, are you doing the 17 or 27 nights?  

Edited February 21, 2019 by alibabacruisers

[AussieVoyager]

25 minutes ago, alibabacruisers said:

Yes on my VP for the 5-31 May cruise, I have 6 listed:

 

6 May Madam Butterfly

9 May B & W

12 May Masquerade (not showing on the link/list provided above)

19 May Elizabethan

22 May Roaring Twenties

29 May Royal Cunard

 

Hi Eugene, are you doing the 17 or 27 nights?  

I’m on the 17 nights

[John Cruise]

Does anyone know if there will be bridge games?

JC

[Solent Richard]

On 2/20/2019 at 7:46 PM, david,Mississauga said:

The voyage personaliser for our cruise in June has been updated to show the dress code for each night. I am disappointed to see Cunard  has further "dumbed down" their dress standards. There are only two gala (formal) nights out of 10. 

 

 

Good morning David.

 

The standards you refer to are definitely being 'dumbed down'.

 

19 nights with 7 ports including the departure port and only 4 Gala nights.

 

Didn't we see this coming?

[wripro]

You should have seen it coming. Things have been changing ever since Lord Grantham was shocked to see men turn up for dinner in a tuxedo instead of white tie and tails. And they'll only change more in the future.

[mahasamatman]

Cunard is throwing away its big differentiator. I was planning to book Cunard for my retirement cruise, but if it's just turning into Carnival with a British accent, I have to reconsider.

[maggiemou]

I have cruised in Alaska and I can see why the dress code is dumbed down. 

The long hours of daylight when it doesn't go dark until after 1-0am in the morning, means people are more often out on deck watching the stunning scenery. 

I am sure people will still dress in formal wear but I would guess there will be far more people in jeans and Anoraks, and casual wear wandering around outdoors.

I love formal nights and personally, I would dress up and ignore those that don't want to do so. Just enjoy as Alaska is stunningly beautiful.

[sogne]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 8:27 AM, Solent Richard said:

 

 

3 hours ago, maggiemou said:

I have cruised in Alaska and I can see why the dress code is dumbed down. 

The long hours of daylight when it doesn't go dark until after 1-0am in the morning, means people are more often out on deck watching the stunning scenery. 

I am sure people will still dress in formal wear but I would guess there will be far more people in jeans and Anoraks, and casual wear wandering around outdoors.

I love formal nights and personally, I would dress up and ignore those that don't want to do so. Just enjoy as Alaska is stunningly beautiful.

 I think you are right I did an Alaska cruise in June some years ago and stayed on deck well past dinner time going to the buffet  for a quick snack and hot drink

[wripro]

On 2/26/2019 at 5:46 PM, mahasamatman said:

Cunard is throwing away its big differentiator. I was planning to book Cunard for my retirement cruise, but if it's just turning into Carnival with a British accent, I have to reconsider.

I'm curious which cruise line you would consider that has a stricter dress code.

[Solent Richard]

19 hours ago, wripro said:

I'm curious which cruise line you would consider that has a stricter dress code.

 

Certainly P&O now have a higher ratio of 'Black Tie' nights per days at sea than are currently being offered on Cunard.

 

 

[sogne]

17 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Certainly P&O now have a higher ratio of 'Black Tie' nights per days at sea than are currently being offered on Cunard.

 

 

but apart from P & O black tie nights a jacket is not compulsory

[AnnieC]

12 minutes ago, sogne said:

but apart from P & O black tie nights a jacket is not compulsory

And the dress code only applies to a handful of public rooms.

 

 

[AnnieC]

32 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Certainly P&O now have a higher ratio of 'Black Tie' nights per days at sea than are currently being offered on Cunard.

 

 

My experience of P&O and Cunard is that they both usually have two formal nights per week.

[Solent Richard]

31 minutes ago, AnnieC said:

My experience of P&O and Cunard is that they both usually have two formal nights per week.

 

Hi Annie and good afternoon from a cloudy Solent.

 

I can assure you that on two future cruises I have booked their respective cruise personalisers are showing:-

 

P&O       - 24 nights and 7 Black Tie

 

Cunard - 19 nights and 4 Gala.

[exlondoner]

It seems to vary somewhat. We have three Gala nights on a nine night QM2 cruise, including the night before we disembark.

[AnnieC]

2 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Hi Annie and good afternoon from a cloudy Solent.

 

I can assure you that on two future cruises I have booked their respective cruise personalisers are showing:-

 

P&O       - 24 nights and 7 Black Tie

 

Cunard - 19 nights and 4 Gala.

As ex-Londoner says, these vary (and may change again once we board, as I'm sure you know). Last year, on Cunard, we had four Gala/formal nights on a 17 night cruise.This year we have five on a 16 nighter. As the cousins say, go figure.

[Bell Boy]

On 3/6/2019 at 3:40 PM, Solent Richard said:

 

Hi Annie and good afternoon from a cloudy Solent.

 

I can assure you that on two future cruises I have booked their respective cruise personalisers are showing:-

 

P&O       - 24 nights and 7 Black Tie

 

Cunard - 19 nights and 4 Gala.

Ah ! SR my friend, We have always understood  that Gala/Formal evenings on Cunard have always been paired with ' sea days' . Out of interest, what is the ratio of port days & clear sea days on your upcoming  19 nights.😉  

[Solent Richard]

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

Ah ! SR my friend, We have always understood  that Gala/Formal evenings on Cunard have always been paired with ' sea days' . Out of interest, what is the ratio of port days & clear sea days on your upcoming  19 nights.😉  

 

Good afternoon Bell Boy and I trust you are well.

6:13

Edited March 7, 2019 by Solent Richard