Do we need to change for Afternoon Tea or dance lessons?

[Lakesregion]

7 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

In what possible way is this like a rugby scrum? 

There is no grass.

There is no mud. 

Almost everyone is sitting calmly at a table.

No-one has their arms locked round each other's shoulders.

Only one person appears to be wearing a striped shirt.

Nobody looks sweaty. 

The most energetic activity appears to be conversation.

Persons are of varied sexes.

And, on the whole, people look rather too old for rugby.

 

I have rarely seen anything less like a rugby scrum, though I don't know the game very well.

I was simply trying to be polite and amusing rather than providing my honest opinion of the formal afternoon tea attire. You do know the waiters are in full tack with white gloves. That means formal not short sleeved shirts.

[Host Hattie]

53 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

I was simply trying to be polite and amusing rather than providing my honest opinion of the formal afternoon tea attire. You do know the waiters are in full tack with white gloves. That means formal not short sleeved shirts.

There is no "formal" dress code during the day or for afternoon tea.

Thanks for posting the photograph Jack, it looks like a typical day on board ship to me.

[exlondoner]

As you imply, if Cunard cared, they would certainly publish the required standards of dress. They don't, indeed they more or less say 'Wear what you like within reason'.

[Lakesregion]

6 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

There is no "formal" dress code during the day or for afternoon tea.

Thanks for posting the photograph Jack, it looks like a typical day on board ship to me.

Fully understood. What I find most amusing is that people for the most part book a sailing on Cunard for the very purpose of the experience of sailing in the style and manner of days gone by, yet take ever available excuse not to participate in that experience and in fact degrade it by not trying to enhance or at least maintain the ambiance offered by Cunard.

 

For those who find attending a formal afternoon tea in an elegant setting served by properly uniformed staff wearing white gloves to be above their skill-set. the buffet offers exactly the same tea, sandwiches and sweets in a more comfortable atmosphere for those folks.

 

Just my opinion of which, While on a slippery slope, one hopes one still has the right to express.

[Lakesregion]

7 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

As you imply, if Cunard cared, they would certainly publish the required standards of dress. They don't, indeed they more or less say 'Wear what you like within reason'.

Cunard is owned by Carnival and while still trying to cling to the difference that makes them Cunard and not just another cruise line cares 100% about filling ships to capacity 365 days a years. If lowering standards is what it takes that is what they will do.

[exlondoner]

12 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

Cunard is owned by Carnival and while still trying to cling to the difference that makes them Cunard and not just another cruise line cares 100% about filling ships to capacity 365 days a years. If lowering standards is what it takes that is what they will do.

 

Well, I travelled on Cunard before it was owned by Carnival, and the only dress code for tea I remember was a slight aversion to men wearing shorts, which seemed to be ignored if it was a hot day. Obviously why the ship was full even then.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Lakesregion said:

Fully understood. What I find most amusing is that people for the most part book a sailing on Cunard for the very purpose of the experience of sailing in the style and manner of days gone by, yet take ever available excuse not to participate in that experience and in fact degrade it by not trying to enhance or at least maintain the ambiance offered by Cunard.

 

For those who find attending a formal afternoon tea in an elegant setting served by properly uniformed staff wearing white gloves to be above their skill-set. the buffet offers exactly the same tea, sandwiches and sweets in a more comfortable atmosphere for those folks.

 

Just my opinion of which, While on a slippery slope, one hopes one still has the right to express.

Not quite sure which slippery slope you're on so sorry, can't help you there but I think you'll find most if not all Cunard passengers have the required skill set to appreciate the ambiance whilst taking afternoon tea be it Queens Room, Lido or Princess Grill restaurant.

 

As Cunard obviously doesn't meet your standards, I do hope you find a cruise line which epitomises the Era which you seek to perpetuate. I'll stick with modern day Cunard and for me that means  informal denim capris during the day and beautiful cocktail wear of an evening. 

[lissie]

10 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

In what possible way is this like a rugby scrum? 

There is no grass.

There is no mud. 

Persons are of varied sexes.

And, on the whole, people look rather too old for rugby.

 

I have rarely seen anything less like a rugby scrum, though I don't know the game very well.

Most of your points I totally agree with - except.... Rubgy is usually on artificial turf these days - so no -mud. And women's rugby is the fastest growing part of the game in NZ anyways  

 

 

[lissie]

2 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Fully understood. What I find most amusing is that people for the most part book a sailing on Cunard for the very purpose of the experience of sailing in the style and manner of days gone by, yet take ever available excuse not to participate in that experience and in fact degrade it by not trying to enhance or at least maintain the ambiance offered by Cunard.

 

For those who find attending a formal afternoon tea in an elegant setting served by properly uniformed staff wearing white gloves to be above their skill-set. the buffet offers exactly the same tea, sandwiches and sweets in a more comfortable atmosphere for those folks.

 

Just my opinion of which, While on a slippery slope, one hopes one still has the right to express.

 I think you opinion is way of the mark.   We had a choice - we could have booked Princess or Cunard on a very similar itinerary and price.  We narrowed it down that far based on the itineray and time of year. 

 

We have friends who have done both and we researched it. In the end we chose Cunard because we are ex competitive ballroom dancers and we are hoping to get back into dancing after my partners illness- we are attracted to free classes and the chance to dance every night. Also suspect there will be fewer children (though thats not a big issue) . 

 

I like afternoon tea - I have fond childhood memories of having it - in Scotland on a Sunday- because dinner was late on a Sunday with the friends we often stayed with. Over the years I've had afternoon tea in places as varied as Shanghai, Singapore and London. So I'm pretty darn sure I can mimic the locals and fit right it LOL.  There is no skill set involved in social situations you are unfamiliar with -you just mimic the people around you. I think having English as the first  language on Cunard  will just make it easier LOL 

[exlondoner]

46 minutes ago, lissie said:

Most of your points I totally agree with - except.... Rubgy is usually on artificial turf these days - so no -mud. And women's rugby is the fastest growing part of the game in NZ anyways  

 

 

I know women’s rugby is growing in popularity, but mixed sex? Not yet I think.😀

[Aspidestra99]

I must admit I never gave a thought to what to wear for afternoon tea. I'm not sure anyone else worried too much either.

We learned that if you are on the Grills terrace around 4pm the waiters bring the remnants of afternoon tea to you and you get a decent sized cup of tea to boot.

This allows the consumption of afternoon tea goods while wearing shorts or even...swimwear (gasp)

Stick to the evening dress code and you can't go wrong. Outside of that I'd say don't worry.

[Bigmike911]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:06 PM, lissie said:

 

I don't think Luggage Forward extends to NZ - and "reasonable" NEVER applies to courier companies around here LOL.  We  normally travel carry on only (7kg each) - but that won't work for this - so one airline allows 23kg one bag each - another has a max of 30kg each - unlimited bags. I just can't even imagine lugging that amount of stuff from airport to hotel (we're be in Sydney for a few nights before cruising) and then walking them to the cruise terminal (hotel is close and traffic makes taxis impractical ) 

The way Luggage Forward works is that you schedule a pick up a week or so before your cruise, and they ***** up the bag and deliver it to the ship, so you have no hotel involved. They do in fact serve New Zealand, so I would recommend looking them up at luggageforward.com and see what is possible for you. I looked and they didn't have pricing in NZ$ but they do in GBP and USD among others. You could see what the currrent conversion rates are from one of these currencies to NZ$. I have used them and they are great, and well worth the expense. 

[lissie]

37 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

The way Luggage Forward works is that you schedule a pick up a week or so before your cruise, and they ***** up the bag and deliver it to the ship, so you have no hotel involved. They do in fact serve New Zealand, so I would recommend looking them up at luggageforward.com and see what is possible for you. I looked and they didn't have pricing in NZ$ but they do in GBP and USD among others. You could see what the currrent conversion rates are from one of these currencies to NZ$. I have used them and they are great, and well worth the expense. 

I'm impressed  - yes they do offer the service for US$324  for a standard bag!  That's actually  more than we've just paid for the return flight to Sydney from Wellington (per person including luggage) 

 

I'm pretty sure that I can get our luggage down to one bag between us and still cover the  dress requirements.  From what I'm hearing above my clothes list is something like this: 

 

HIM: 

1 tux or dark suit 

tie or bow tie as appropriate

waistcoat  

1 jacket 

2 pairs of chinos 

2 pairs of shorts 

1 white shirt (for tux) 

3 other shirts (for other evenings) 

4 other t-shirts/ tops for day (its the tropics) 

1 pair of dance shoes (formal) 

1 pair of causal shoes 

1 pair of sandals 

1 pair of reef shoes 

togs and underwear /sox 

sunhat 

 

ME: 

1 long evening dress which looks like a skirt if I put a top over it 

3 evening tops to go with above for the formal nights 

2   dressier skirts for evenings 

another 3-4 tops   dressy to go with the above 

1 day skirt 

2 pairs shorts 

4-5  singlets/t-shirts for day time 

a long-sleeved light jacket  if I need another layer in the day time 

1 pair of formal sandals

1 pair dance shoes 

1 pair of casual  sandals 

1 pair of walking sandals - Tevas 

reef shoes 

togs and underwear 

sunhat 

 

My stuff is all very lightweight and  will roll into very small area - his stuff is more bulky and heavier. I haven't tried yet - but I'm pretty sure this will all fit into a 30kg weight limit and a mid-sized suitcase. 

 

Its a helluva lot more than I would normally travel with - but less than some I expect 

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 11/30/2019 at 7:27 PM, Lakesregion said:

Nice picture but has the appearance of a rugby scrum not a fancy afternoon tea as it was supposed to be before the standards were reduced to fill the ships. Afternoon tea was begun by one of the royalty to tide the lady over until dinner which was served at a proper 8 - 9 pm. As it progressed in popularity it retained its royal flavor and up until recently did so on the Queens with ladies to be found in afternoon tea dresses with an occasional hat. Gentlemen to not embarrass their well dressed ladies made the effort to don a blazer over their casual shirts. But never ever shorts for afternoon tea.

 

However, that is a personal taste and opinion and to date there have been zero reports of any passenger being off loaded at the next port for violating the ambiance of afternoon tea.

 

Tea dresses and hats? Men in blazers? I've been sailing on Cunard going back to QE2 in the 1980s, and I don't recall afternoon tea ever being that dressy. A few passengers, perhaps for a tea dance, but certainly not the majority. 

 

[pully8]

Another marvellous thread about dress codes.

All for behaving and dressing appropriately.

Difficult/confusing at times  given our increasingly changing world and social norms.

We have had beautiful afternoon teas served in the traditional style on other cruises.

A favourite was on Oceania Cruises, yet to try Cunard but its planned.

We are looking forward to the experience and will do our best to be compliant.

We loved the comedy show Keeping up Appearances, tiny shades of the narrative are present, and wonder if Mrs Bucket/ Boo kaye, or her relatives will be on board?  .

 

[Wombat706]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

My stuff is all very lightweight and  will roll into very small area - his stuff is more bulky and heavier. I haven't tried yet - but I'm pretty sure this will all fit into a 30kg weight limit and a mid-sized suitcase. 

 

 

The E-tickets for our upcoming Queen Elizabeth cruise out of Melbourne states that maximum luggage weight is 20kg per bag which I have never seen before from Cunard.

[lissie]

3 minutes ago, Wombat706 said:

 

The E-tickets for our upcoming Queen Elizabeth cruise out of Melbourne states that maximum luggage weight is 20kg per bag which I have never seen before from Cunard.

That's interesting - we can't get our etickets yet. I'm wondering if its health&safety for the baggage handlers - like the airlines? 

[Wombat706]

I'm pretty sure it's a H&S issue, with anything over 23kg getting a "Heavy" tag attached.  I try and keep to a personal limit of 16kg for our checked bags.  The 7kg carry on is a struggle for us (especially on a 6-8 week trip) with meds, small laptop and a change of clothes.

[babs135]

Just to clarify the day wear.  Denim jeans and a jacket are perfectly fine.  

[BigMac1953]

Bare feet? In restaurants, even? Apart from anything else, aren't they worried about what they might step on/in?

 

One of the late Ronnie Barker's comments about Charlie Farley - "Has he trod on more than he can chew?"

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, Aspidestra99 said:

I must admit I never gave a thought to what to wear for afternoon tea. I'm not sure anyone else worried too much either.

We learned that if you are on the Grills terrace around 4pm the waiters bring the remnants of afternoon tea to you and you get a decent sized cup of tea to boot.

This allows the consumption of afternoon tea goods while wearing shorts or even...swimwear (gasp)

Stick to the evening dress code and you can't go wrong. Outside of that I'd say don't worry.

 

Actually it's not usually the remnants, at least on the Vistas. I have seen the laden trolley being manoeuvred in to the lift to go up to the terrace, while still waiting to be served in the restaurant.

[BigMac1953]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

 

Actually it's not usually the remnants, at least on the Vistas. I have seen the laden trolley being manoeuvred in to the lift to go up to the terrace, while still waiting to be served in the restaurant.

 

Providing the weather is fine, afternoon tea is served on Deck 12 every day, on both QV and QE.

[exlondoner]

24 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

 

Providing the weather is fine, afternoon tea is served on Deck 12 every day, on both QV and QE.

 

Precisely my point - and it's not remnants.

Edited December 2, 2019 by exlondoner
Misspelling

[BigMac1953]

34 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Precisely my point - and it's not remnants.

 

No it's definitely not!

 

In October, there were three waiters with the fully laden trolley.

 

There is also chilled water and chilled orange juice beside the lifts, replenished daily.

 

 

[exlondoner]

And ice creams at about 3pm.😀😀