"Optional" Gala Night ?

[WantedOnVoyage]

Comply with the dress code? Like inflatable plastic machine guns and plastic derbys?  

 

You could and people did wear precisely what was suggested (dark jacket and trousers) in First Class on FRANCE and RAFFAELLO which, I might suggest, threw QM2 into a cocked hat on every level. It was not common but it was certainly accepted.

 

What a strange sartorial world Cunard is now: one night it's dinner jackets and silly dress up "themes" and the rest of the evenings, it's dress like the 19th hole.  I'd much rather they go back to the c. 1974 code where there was no code at all except jacket and tie at dinner. Every night.  

 

 

[D&N]

41 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Comply with the dress code? Like inflatable plastic machine guns and plastic derbys? 

Not sure if I was the only one to use the "Comply with the dress code" phrase.

Obviously toy guns and hats don't. That's just an example of folk not reading or understanding what is suggested.

 

The guidance on the daily programme is clear; "embellish their Gala Evening attire". Gents don't need to do anything other than wear a dinner suit to fit a Roaring 20s theme. Ladies at most should wear a tastefully discreet headband and/or a cocktail dress or gown that resembles "flapper" style dresses. The first part of the guidance still applies.

 

Of course Cunard's website and brochure guidance may not be as clear, which is helpful to those that would like it to be Halloween every night.

 

My personal preference would be for the guidance to be dark jacket and tie every night with encouragement to dress formally as often as possible.  And we'd be quite happy without the themes. Meanwhile we'll not be getting ourselves worked up about what others wear. But we will continue to amuse ourselves in private conversation about some of the more unusual sights we observe 🙂.

 

[Bejay219]

I thank you for your responses, we want to enjoy our time on the QM2 and also respect the dress code. Celebrity used to be years ago tux and gown/cocktail dress, but have in the recent years moved to "Evening Chic" which is almost anything goes, including jeans.  As the dress code loosened, so did the behavior of some of the guests. Viking Ocean he will wear the jacket at the two restaurants, collared shirt is required, most guests are well seasoned travelers and behave as such. 

Maybe in a future Cunard cruise we will not be traveling for so long before and be able to bring all the proper attire.  As to ordering clothes via Cunard or a store in London, my husband is very tall, we would have to see if they would carry his size. 

We will  just decide to eat at other venues or room service on those special nights and be able to get a better idea for future cruises. 

[D&N]

29 minutes ago, Bejay219 said:

As to ordering clothes via Cunard or a store in London, my husband is very tall, we would have to see if they would carry his size.

Marks and Spencers have been mentioned.

They do some jackets up to "extra long". And supposedly some trousers up to XX long, although I've not seen any with that option. Extra long is shown for some lines.

Here's their size chart.

 

 

 

[Bejay219]

10 minutes ago, D&N said:

Marks and Spencers have been mentioned.

They do some jackets up to "extra long". And supposedly some trousers up to XX long, although I've not seen any with that option. Extra long is shown for some lines.

Here's their size chart.

 

 

 

Thank you for the information, that is very helpful. 

[Winifred 22]

You can have items delivered to The Westquay  Marks and Spencer branch which is close to either Ocean and Mayflower Terminals. They have fitting rooms so after you have picked up your prepaid order, you could try the items on , anything you didn’t want can be instantly refunded. 

[D&N]

As Bejay219 are spending 9 days in London it might be best to use 173 Oxford St or 458 Oxford St (Marble Arch). Both have quite large gents departments and if an ordered item doesn't fit there is probably more chance of those two stores having a suitable size in stock.

And as we often do if one doesn't have a size or colour we want, it's an easy walk to the other store.

Edited January 7 by D&N

[jessica3152]

The rules for both Gala Nights and Smart Casual nights are pretty clear. As long as people comply with the standard as clearly shown 9n the Cunard website, why would anyone else care?  Everyone wants something different from their holiday.
 

If you want to dress up every night, fine; if you want to comply with the allowed minimum, fine; and , if you want to go casual and eat in the pub or buffet, that is cool too. 

[LittleFish1976]

@Bejay219 I think it would be a shame to miss out on the pleasure of dressing up and dining in the Princess Grill dining room on the gala nights you mention. My favoured option when under packing stress on the sort of lengthy European journey you've planned is to send a suitcase to or fro to enable you to have the correct attire and equipment. I've used Luggage Forward in the past. It would be easy for you to send a suitcase containing your husband's dinner suit and accessories and your dresses and shoes to meet you at the ship when you are boarding in Southampton. If you needed to, for timing issues, you could have the case picked up from a friend or family member if you're leaving home too far in advance to organise from your own address.

 

You can feel very comfortable wearing that level of dress every night on board so the extra clothing wouldn't be just for those two nights.

[Bejay219]

Thank you for all the information and suggestions!  Our Transatlantic Cruise is only 6 nights in June, would there be one or two gala nights? 

[Host Hattie]

3 minutes ago, Bejay219 said:

Thank you for all the information and suggestions!  Our Transatlantic Cruise is only 6 nights in June, would there be one or two gala nights? 

Dress codes should be available on My Cunard but there's a list here if you're sailing this year. 

 

 

[Pushpit]

10 minutes ago, Bejay219 said:

Thank you for all the information and suggestions!  Our Transatlantic Cruise is only 6 nights in June, would there be one or two gala nights? 

It's usually 2 nights on Crossings, including M416 in June for example which is a 6 night sailing. At least one will have a theme, maybe both. But if you can't find it in MyCunard or in the link above, by all means give the details.

Edited January 21 by Pushpit

[bluemarble]

3 minutes ago, Bejay219 said:

Thank you for all the information and suggestions!  Our Transatlantic Cruise is only 6 nights in June, would there be one or two gala nights? 

 

There will be two gala evenings on your 6-night crossing. On the usual 7-night crossings, the gala evenings are scheduled on the 2nd and 6th evenings. For the 6-night crossings this year, the gala evenings will be scheduled on the 2nd and 5th evenings.

 

@Host Hattie has kindly posted the link to the thread for the dress code and theme schedules I've compiled for 2024. The themes I have for both of the 6-night crossings in June 2024 are Red and Gold on the 2nd evening and Masquerade on the 5th evening. You can confirm that information in the daily calendar section of your booking when you log in to My Cunard.

[david,Mississauga]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:28 AM, WantedOnVoyage said:

...

 

What a strange sartorial world Cunard is now: one night it's dinner jackets and silly dress up "themes" and the rest of the evenings, it's dress like the 19th hole.  I'd much rather they go back to the c. 1974 code where there was no code at all except jacket and tie at dinner. Every night.  

 

 

 

Our last crossing on the QE2 was in 2008 and the dress code in all "classes" was jacket and tie on the first and last nights and formal on the other four nights.  The next year was our first voyage on the QM2 and that's when we noticed the unfortunate (in my opinion) changes to the dress code began. 

[NE John]

Our first time on Cunard was a 2008 Crossing and DC was either semi or formal nights with the same dress code set-up for our first time on QE a few years later. I believe the “grayness” of the dress code happened around five years ago.