"Optional" Gala Night ?

[Guppy99]

10 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

One can never be “overdressed” on Cunard.  
Consider a full round trip Crossing Voyage on QM, as there is an unofficial dress code (regardless of published) being “Formal” every evening except for the embarkation and pre disembarkation evenings.  Think one would love this.  Book onboard?

exactly how do you determine an unwritten rule?

[BklynBoy8]

11 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

One can never be “overdressed” on Cunard.  

 

Being “Formal” every evening except for the embarkation and pre disembarkation evenings. 

 

I agree the one can never be "overdressed" on Cunard. During our sailings some passengers even attempt to get into mood by dressing Semi not fully "Formal" on Embarkation Day after waiting so long to  sail. That is the excitement some passengers experience anticipating sailing on the QM2.

 

My DW and i would not mind additional Gala or Formal evenings when sailing. We too have awaited the trip during our preparation and packing since we don't sail as often as some do on these boards.

 

There is an air that one feels when on board particularly after 6PM especially when approaching the Queens Room in the evening. I think it's an individual feeling that I even notice on our Roll Call on our coming trip especially among new to cruising and/or on board the QM2.

 

We are even thinking on our sailing how to approach the undefined Gala evening with our dress/fashion. Maybe it will be labeled once on board.

 

Bon Voyage to All....

 

[MrsPeel55]

7 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Used to be in the mind of Cunard but Cunard is sliding standrards to please those gods in smart jeans that showed up on your last cruise. How did your hubbie react to your verbal drooling over these two passengers who I will bet were not of your leaning?

 

I don't think Cunard is sliding standards just to "please those.... whatever"

I think that (as @Victoria2 well pointed out) they are trying to make up of two years of a dreadful wide world pandemic that stopped people even going on an around the corner holiday, and a subsequent financial crisis which makes them try to survive and attract new (not necessarily younger) people. My daughter is 27, she doesn't wear jeans every day, but was happy to hear she can if she wants to.....

I do hope Cunard survives because, aside the dress code, it seems to be a fabulous cruising experience, what would disrupt my experience wouldn't be people under dressed, but other type of disruptions.... if the people under dressed aren't attacking or mistreating the crew, the fellow passengers or creating real disruptions.... I have no issues with them. I would pay more attention to errors in billing, or a sliding down on food standards, for example....

 

sorry Edit to Say: my daughter wont be wearing jeans at diner, I meant she was glad to hear she can during the day...just in case my phrasing left any doubts.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by MrsPeel55

[PORT ROYAL]

9 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

exactly how do you determine an unwritten rule?

First, one, along with others, are posting and exchanging on a code, not a rule.  
To assist, the best example one can give of a code is when a Lady arrives at, or leaves, a dining table where one is seated.  One stands or makes a positive action/gesture to stand.  This gesture is a code, not a rule.

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

First, one, along with others, are posting and exchanging on a code, not a rule.  
To assist, the best example one can give of a code is when a Lady arrives at, or leaves, a dining table where one is seated.  One stands or makes a positive action/gesture to stand.  This gesture is a code, not a rule.

That is neither a code nor a rule. It's been universal good manners for decades, as is allowing a lady to go first, apart from in some quarters where it's seen as insulting to presume a lady needs such gestures. 😄

 

Any so called Formal most nights unwritten rule is neither manners nor a rule, however unofficial. It's a desire by a individuals to dress in such a manner.  It has no bearing on the actual evening attire of others.

[exlondoner]

57 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

That is neither a code nor a rule. It's been universal good manners for decades, as is allowing a lady to go first, apart from in some quarters where it's seen as insulting to presume a lady needs such gestures. 😄

 

Any so called Formal most nights unwritten rule is neither manners nor a rule, however unofficial. It's a desire by a individuals to dress in such a manner.  It has no bearing on the actual evening attire of others.

 

I'm sure the bit about standing up for a woman has been written in many etiquette guides over the years. So whether code or rule, it is not unwritten. Interestingly, I think usually when someone of either sex arrives at a table everyone else tends to stand to greet them. As for every night being a formal night, that just seems what some people would like to believe.
 

I’m sure there are unwritten rules, usually to do with politeness. Smokers tend to try and keep their smoke away from those they are with, and, while there are signs on some escalators on the Underground saying stand on the right, Londoners do it anyway, wherever they are. Another unwritten rule seems to be that Cunard ships always leave Southampton a bit late. 🙂

Edited May 24, 2023 by exlondoner

[Rothko1]

[Guppy99]

On 5/24/2023 at 5:43 AM, exlondoner said:

 

I'm sure the bit about standing up for a woman has been written in many etiquette guides over the years. So whether code or rule, it is not unwritten. Interestingly, I think usually when someone of either sex arrives at a table everyone else tends to stand to greet them. As for every night being a formal night, that just seems what some people would like to believe.
 

I’m sure there are unwritten rules, usually to do with politeness. Smokers tend to try and keep their smoke away from those they are with, and, while there are signs on some escalators on the Underground saying stand on the right, Londoners do it anyway, wherever they are. Another unwritten rule seems to be that Cunard ships always leave Southampton a bit late. 🙂

Your example is not a not code, it's a custom. You chose to focus on the semantics. How is it that you have determined fomal dress in the evenings is a unofficial 'code'? I take Cunard's policy at face value. It's quite clear. To suggest otherwise does a disservice to those that attempt to follow the written policy in conjunction with what makes them comfortable.

[BklynBoy8]

24 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Your example is not a not code, it's a custom. You chose to focus on the semantics. How is it that you have determined fomal dress in the evenings is a unofficial 'code'? I take Cunard's policy at face value. It's quite clear. To suggest otherwise does a disservice to those that attempt to follow the written policy in conjunction with what makes them comfortable.

 

Ditto.....

 

We do fine it a pleasure to follow the suggested dress code of Smart, Formal and Gala Attire when sailing on the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2. It is one of the main attractions we look forward to  experience and feel very comfortable with all those others especially After 6.

 

Though it means extra work at home prepping with clothing but the benefit is the pleasure and memories we bring home and share with those others accompanying us. 

[NE John]

I don’t want Cunard to turn into a sea of khakis and polos after 6pm!

Everyone should make an effort and not drive down to the lowest common denominator of dress. 

[BklynBoy8]

10 minutes ago, NE John said:

I don’t want Cunard to turn into a sea of khakis and polos after 6pm!

Everyone should make an effort and not drive down to the lowest common denominator of dress. 

 

I agree. There are many others ships sailing and that others would feel comfortable as they wish.

 

We sail Cunard and like dining in BC at set dining room times. When we heard other ship have dinner time from 5:30 to 11. Unfortunately not for us. This also applies as you said to dressing challenge.

 

I still remember in the past and read recently someone being challenged at the Britannia Restaurant Door due to their dress.

Edited May 25, 2023 by BklynBoy8

[exlondoner]

12 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

Your example is not a not code, it's a custom. You chose to focus on the semantics. How is it that you have determined fomal dress in the evenings is a unofficial 'code'? I take Cunard's policy at face value. It's quite clear. To suggest otherwise does a disservice to those that attempt to follow the written policy in conjunction with what makes them comfortable.

I think you may be attributing statements to me that I did not make. It was someone else who mentioned an unofficial code of formal dress every night. I stick to what the programme says. But if you are focusing on semantics, the difference between code and custom is very narrow, to the extent that I think both Ancient Greek and Latin would use the same word for each concept.

[michalmaron]

Hello

Firstly, apologise for digging out this topic. I realise there is a few similar ones but I would like to focus on “Optional Gala” thing again. 
It’s a bit of time but I’ll be doing a 4-day cruise Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton in October where the following gala applies on both sea days.

I personally don't have any problem to jump into tuxedo or any other formal clothes (black tie etc) however I was just wondering if the following tweed suit could be accepted on that slightly different gala (not a formal one but not smart attire also)?

I don’t want to open the pandora box (like it happens quite often here 😏) so I would just like to hear super short opinion: YES or NO. I understand that your answer may be influenced by the style or habits or taste so first thought probably would be the best one.

Thank you

 

 

[Bell Boy]

20 minutes ago, michalmaron said:

Hello

Firstly, apologise for digging out this topic. I realise there is a few similar ones but I would like to focus on “Optional Gala” thing again. 
It’s a bit of time but I’ll be doing a 4-day cruise Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton in October where the following gala applies on both sea days.

I personally don't have any problem to jump into tuxedo or any other formal clothes (black tie etc) however I was just wondering if the following tweed suit could be accepted on that slightly different gala (not a formal one but not smart attire also)?

I don’t want to open the pandora box (like it happens quite often here 😏) so I would just like to hear super short opinion: YES or NO. I understand that your answer may be influenced by the style or habits or taste so first thought probably would be the best one.

Thank you

 

 

As this is a Guys thing - Tweed and a Waistcoat 'indoors in the Evening' , No not really 👎-  A dark navy blue suit - and perhaps a Tie yes . 

Sorry, but you did ask.  

[Victoria2]

57 minutes ago, michalmaron said:

Hello

Firstly, apologise for digging out this topic. I realise there is a few similar ones but I would like to focus on “Optional Gala” thing again. 
It’s a bit of time but I’ll be doing a 4-day cruise Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton in October where the following gala applies on both sea days.

I personally don't have any problem to jump into tuxedo or any other formal clothes (black tie etc) however I was just wondering if the following tweed suit could be accepted on that slightly different gala (not a formal one but not smart attire also)?

I don’t want to open the pandora box (like it happens quite often here 😏) so I would just like to hear super short opinion: YES or NO. I understand that your answer may be influenced by the style or habits or taste so first thought probably would be the best one.

Thank you

 

 

Very smart but no, not really to anything Formal/Gala'ish

Most definitely yes to any non Formal/non Gala evening.

Edited January 5 by Victoria2

[D&N]

1 hour ago, michalmaron said:

“Optional Gala”

Sorry this isn't YES or NO, but an explanation.

The theory behind the optional bit is that some passengers may be disembarking at Hamburg the morning after the first of your sea days. On the basis that they may have packed all their formal wear and left it outside their cabin for collection it is acknowledged that they may only have smart attire available. For those passengers it's accepted that they might not meet the dress code for that night. The same applies the night before you arrive at Southampton. Goodness knows how all venues know which passengers are disembarking the next day!

 

If we ever did four nights we'd have carry on luggage only and would have formal wear to put in our "carry off" luggage (we'd have hardly anything else). But there could be Germans or others disembarking at Hamburg who have been onboard for several weeks and they could have lots of cases.

[NE John]

I love the look but it would be slightly underdressed during Gala night. I believe a darker suit, white shirt, and use no vest/waistcoat to interfere with the white shirt. 
So I vote No but that look would be very nice for a professional office environment (if anyone at work dresses up these days…) 

[Pushpit]

2 hours ago, michalmaron said:

It’s a bit of time but I’ll be doing a 4-day cruise Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton in October where the following gala applies on both sea days.

I personally don't have any problem to jump into tuxedo or any other formal clothes (black tie etc) however I was just wondering if the following tweed suit could be accepted on that slightly different gala (not a formal one but not smart attire also)?

I don’t want to open the pandora box (like it happens quite often here 😏) so I would just like to hear super short opinion: YES or NO. I understand that your answer may be influenced by the style or habits or taste so first thought probably would be the best one.

Thank you

I would also mention that it's optional in that your formal wear could be packed and sent off for disembarkation therefore there is a bit of a get-out clause here. In my experience the majority do dress up for the night.

 

My short opinion is "DEFINITELY YES" to the Smart Attire night. And a "MMMM, maybe NO" for Gala Night. My personal view here.

 

If I'm allowed a few more words, it will look good on that first Smart Attire evening, perhaps top end of the scale (and why not?); whereas for the Gala Night - it's not a dark suit so it's outside the dress code, but if you were wearing that you would not in my opinion be too far off, and you wouldn't stand out badly since there will be a few people in a worse place than this.

[MelbTone]

On 5/24/2023 at 7:43 PM, exlondoner said:

Another unwritten rule seems to be that Cunard ships always leave Southampton a bit late.

Queen Elizabeth seems to make a habit of leaving Port Melbourne a bit early. Twice - inc yesterday - I've gone down to see her sail and been too late.

[Bejay219]

We will be on our first Cunard cruise, Transatlantic in June. I have a question about the attire for the Gala evening, we are staying in the Princess Grill. Would there be alternative options (for dinner) for a gentleman to wear a navy blue jacket and grey dress slacks? We are taking a Transatlantic over from Ft. Lauderdale (on Celebrity, booked a long time ago) the first week of May, we will be  on Viking Ocean for 30 days, then staying in London (9 days) until we board QM2. We will be gone 2 months and with 2 other cruises plus days on land, packing is going to be an issue. We will not be able to bring "Gala" style clothing. Any advise would be appreciated. 

We are spreading our wings and trying something new other than Celebrity (21 years in suites, highest level in loyalty program).  We are so looking forward to experiencing a sailing on the QM2. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

Navy blue jacket, grey dress trousers, tie and dress shoes... I cannot imagine anyone would object to that. 

 

Do also appreciate that if you have black dress shoes and bring a bow tie, you can also hire a complete dinner suit on Cunard (I think it's about $80 a night) except for those items.  United mislaid my luggage last May and I had no clothes save what I flew in (jacket and tie, of course!) and Cunard provided me with dinner clothes... they have a pretty decent range of sizes, too. 

[D&N]

6 hours ago, Bejay219 said:

We will be on our first Cunard cruise, Transatlantic in June. I have a question about the attire for the Gala evening, we are staying in the Princess Grill. Would there be alternative options (for dinner) for a gentleman to wear a navy blue jacket and grey dress slacks? We are taking a Transatlantic over from Ft. Lauderdale (on Celebrity, booked a long time ago) the first week of May, we will be  on Viking Ocean for 30 days, then staying in London (9 days) until we board QM2. We will be gone 2 months and with 2 other cruises plus days on land, packing is going to be an issue. We will not be able to bring "Gala" style clothing. Any advise would be appreciated. 

We are spreading our wings and trying something new other than Celebrity (21 years in suites, highest level in loyalty program).  We are so looking forward to experiencing a sailing on the QM2. 

I'm sure that would look smart, but doesn't comply with the dress code, which only suggests a "dark suit" as an alternative to formal wear:

 

What puzzles me is that in five or six weeks you won't get an opportunity to wear a dinner suit on Celebrity or Viking. I've never sailed with either but didn't realise they were quite that casual.

Perhaps you don't plan to see an evening show in London. It's a long time since we've been to one, but do folk not wear dinner suits to West End shows any more? And I wouldn't visit a decent London restaurant for dinner unless wearing a dark suit (I don't have any light coloured suits anyway).

 

There are alternative venues available on Gala Evenings if you don't wish to comply with the dress code:

 

 

 

[Pushpit]

6 hours ago, Bejay219 said:

We will be on our first Cunard cruise, Transatlantic in June. I have a question about the attire for the Gala evening, we are staying in the Princess Grill. Would there be alternative options (for dinner) for a gentleman to wear a navy blue jacket and grey dress slacks? We are taking a Transatlantic over from Ft. Lauderdale (on Celebrity, booked a long time ago) the first week of May, we will be  on Viking Ocean for 30 days, then staying in London (9 days) until we board QM2.

You will have 2 Gala evenings on the QM2 Crossing, with Red and Gold and then Masquerade themes. If you are going to be in London for 9 days, why not simply buy a dinner jacket whilst there? Marks and Spencer do some which are not expensive and can be ordered in advance for collection at the store via their website, so you can be sure the right size will be in stock. If put in a cover, it can be folded (rolling would be better) and takes very little space / weight.

 

Blue jacket and grey trousers is someway short of the dress code, he will stand out at that level, where 90% of men will be in something a lot more formal. Probably not the worse offender of the night but on a Crossing and in the Grills, that's going a bit too far in my view. For just those 2 nights you could of course just have room service meals or go to Kings Court instead. For the other 5 nights, that combination would be fine for Smart Attire nights, with a proper shirt.

 

By the looks of it you are trying quite specifically (and quite rightly) to do a QM2 Crossing, my personal view is that you would miss out quite seriously on 2 evenings if you didn't revise your plans, so it doesn't really make sense to me.

[rhiannon84]

If you thinking about avoiding the restaurant because of dress code - have room service! In the Grills you can get anything off the restaurant's menu delivered to your room (which is why you get the menus the night before). Then you can eat when you like, in what you like (pjs?!), which is a different kind of luxury 😄

[exlondoner]

17 minutes ago, rhiannon84 said:

If you thinking about avoiding the restaurant because of dress code - have room service! In the Grills you can get anything off the restaurant's menu delivered to your room (which is why you get the menus the night before). Then you can eat when you like, in what you like (pjs?!), which is a different kind of luxury 😄

Yes, but, unless you are in one of the really large suites, your room and everything in it smells of food all night. Or at least for quite a while. I suppose it would be all right if you stuck to salad.