New to Cunard

[Charlene1985]

My husband and I are loyal Holland America cruisers.  We enjoy the smaller ships, the quiet, laid back onboard atmosphere, and the food.  We both work full time so we can't take advantage of the longer itineraries just yet.  

 

But for our 15th anniversary, we would like to take Cunard on a Transatlantic crossing.  Our price point would put us in a Princess Grill Suite, and that's similar to the Holland America accommodations we normally book (Vista or Signature Suites).  We enjoy dressing up and wearing a suit and tie or tux for him, and long gowns for me will not be an issue.  

 

My question pertains to how many evenings of each attire should one bring for a 7 night cruise.  We certainly don't want to wear the bare minimum.  We are typically overdressed on HAL but we both wear ugly uniforms to work so dressing up is something we both look forward to.  Do women wear long gowns every night?  Or just on gala nights with cocktail dresses the other nights?  What is the typical daytime attire for a North Atlantic crossing?  

 

For those of you who have sailed both HAL and Cunard before, can you tell me some of the similarities and differences?  

 

Thank you. 

[ozbrian]

G'day,

 

From the Cunard site.

"At least twice on each seven-night voyage we'll host a Gala Evening, where we do ask that you observe an elevated dress code"

 

These are held on sea days and may involve a theme, e.g. Black & White, Masked Ball, 1920's, favourite Start Trek character, etc.

I may have made up that last one 🙂

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, Charlene1985 said:

My husband and I are loyal Holland America cruisers.  We enjoy the smaller ships, the quiet, laid back onboard atmosphere, and the food.  We both work full time so we can't take advantage of the longer itineraries just yet.  

 

But for our 15th anniversary, we would like to take Cunard on a Transatlantic crossing.  Our price point would put us in a Princess Grill Suite, and that's similar to the Holland America accommodations we normally book (Vista or Signature Suites).  We enjoy dressing up and wearing a suit and tie or tux for him, and long gowns for me will not be an issue.  

 

My question pertains to how many evenings of each attire should one bring for a 7 night cruise.  We certainly don't want to wear the bare minimum.  We are typically overdressed on HAL but we both wear ugly uniforms to work so dressing up is something we both look forward to.  Do women wear long gowns every night?  Or just on gala nights with cocktail dresses the other nights?  What is the typical daytime attire for a North Atlantic crossing?  

 

For those of you who have sailed both HAL and Cunard before, can you tell me some of the similarities and differences?  

 

Thank you. 

 

On a 7-night crossing, there will be two "Gala Evenings". Those will be scheduled on the second and sixth evenings. The other five evenings will be the "Smart Attire" dress code. The pattern this year for the themes is for the first Gala Evening to be either Black and White or Red and Gold while the second Gala Evening will be either Roaring Twenties or Masquerade. Participation in the themes is entirely optional, but if you feel inclined to dress to those themes then by all means do so.

 

You may see some long gowns on Smart Attire evenings but those are mostly confined to the Gala Evenings. And just so you know, evening dresses, cocktail dresses, smart trouser suits and formal separates are all acceptable for ladies on Gala Evenings.

 

There is no dress code during the day. About the only stipulation during the day is no swimwear at the indoor venues. You will see a wide range of casual attire during the day.

 

Also, there are designated casual venues during the evening. On QM2, those who don't wish to follow the evening dress code are invited to visit the Kings Court Buffet, Carinthia Lounge, Golden Lion Pub, G32 Nightclub and Casino.

[NE John]

First, you’ll really like the PG suite squarish layout on QM2. Good use of space, a great bathroom, and walk-in closet with a door. Much different from the HAL Vista’s. 
Just be prepared and enjoy getting lost on the lower decks finding the Queen’s Room, G32, and Illuminations.

Edited February 5 by NE John

[Queenvee]

I sail on HAL and Cunard and like both. In general, these are some similarities: fellow passengers are generally well traveled and enjoy the arts; the lines' focus on their maritime history; understated yet elegant decor; and wide promenade decks (on the smaller HAL ships).  Differences: more international mix of passengers on Cunard; in general, passengers dress better on Cunard both during the day and evenings (on HAL, there's a lot of more casual "outdoor" style clothing worn during the days, and sometimes at night); on Cunard's non-Formal/Gala evenings, a sizeable percentage of women are dressed up - not in long gowns but what I would call cocktail dresses and many men wear a sports jacket/blazer, often with an open-necked shirt (no tie).  Daytime attire for a north Atlantic TA is usually slacks for women (sometimes nice jeans) and a tailored top - not a sweatshirt or flannel shirt.  If you're walking the decks, you wear warmer clothes!  When reading in a lounge, attending a lecture or playing trivia, slacks and a nice top (when I say nice, I mean a bit fashionable, decent condition (no rips or pilling) and something that shows a bit of effort has been taken.). I often wear a sweater with a scarf, along w black pants.  When I walk on the decks, I wear EMS wind-resistant pants and a fleece jacket.  Formal evenings I wear long gowns and dressy/cocktail dresses each night.  But, that's me.  It sounds like you enjoy dressing up so I say go for it! On Cunard, you won't be overdressed. (Whereas on HAL, I was often one of about only 10 women in total wearing a long gown.)

[BklynBoy8]

Welcome to Cunard !

 

You will  enjoy the experience of being a Cunarder and on board the QM2.

 

We too enjoyed the Princess Grill and hope to be in it again in  2025.

 

We have been sailing Cunard since the last 80's and continue to look forward to each voyage.

 

Do not be worried about adapting to your sailing, make it as comfortable as you wish.  

 

We enjoy each crew member we meet each time and appreciate their care and concern of our needs.

 

 

 

[ozbrian]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

On a 7-night crossing, there will be two "Gala Evenings". Those will be scheduled on the second and sixth evenings.

I don't know if it's different 'down under' but the formal nights are held on sea days. I guess if the second and sixth days were port days, the formal nights would be moved. 

If you log in to My Cunard and check your calendar you will find the Formal nights listed.

 

Regards

Brian

[Host Hattie]

32 minutes ago, ozbrian said:

I don't know if it's different 'down under' but the formal nights are held on sea days. I guess if the second and sixth days were port days, the formal nights would be moved. 

If you log in to My Cunard and check your calendar you will find the Formal nights listed.

 

Regards

Brian

The OP was asking about a Transatlantic crossing, @bluemarble's answer was to that question. 

[D&N]

8 hours ago, Charlene1985 said:

We certainly don't want to wear the bare minimum.  We are typically overdressed on HAL but we both wear ugly uniforms to work so dressing up is something we both look forward to.

Your post is a welcome change from the usual "how little dressing up can we get away with?" question that is often asked here.

 

It depends how far you want to take that, and what luggage limitations you have.......

 

Last time for 14 nights, westbound and return eastbound I wore dark suits with shirt and tie most nights. When we booked, the trip scheduled 6 gala nights. By time of travel that had been reduced to 4. I still wore dinner/tux suits on all 6. My wife dressed for lunch and dinner every day, usually separates at lunch and dresses/gowns at night.

I wore smart trousers or tailored shorts during the day, but on reviewing the hundreds of photos we took I was disappointed at how scruffy I think I look in comparison to my wife.

Next time I plan to wear dark suits or blazer with shirt and tie from around our elevenses coffee break until early evening, then tux suit for every evening. My wife will be taking more long gowns than last time so some will be worn on smart attire nights.

 

I certainly didn't feel out of place on the 2 smart attire nights that I wore a tux, and won't next time either.

 

We need to fly from Nice to Heathrow and back and are subject to similar luggage restrictions to most standard economy transatlantic flights other than the very basic that don't allow checked luggage.

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Have been blessed to sail HAL and Cunard countless times since the 1970s. Both lines and their respective ships are magical voyages which I believe you will enjoy Cunard. Sailed various categories with both and for at least 20 years PG and QG with Cunard and Neptune with HAL. That said we prefer and enjoy tuxes and suits versus casual but are very open to the when in Rome approach.  A transatlantic is unlike any other and is a special treat. Enjoy!

[ExArkie]

Not specifically mentioned as your question, but sort of implied in "...similarities and differences...", Cunard's PG cabins come with more benefits than do the Vista and Signature suites on HAL.

 

For example,

(1) Cunard's Grills Lounge is available for both PG and QG, while the Neptune Lounge on HAL is only for higher level suites, not for Vista and Signature.

(2) Cunard grills also receive priority embarkation and disembarkation, which is not offered for Vista and Signature Suites on HAL, only the higher levels (or Club Orange, purchased separately).

(3) The QG and PG restaurants are reserved for suite guests dedicated use, whereas HAL's Club Orange or suites-exclusive breakfast restaurants are only for the higher suites (unless you purchase Club Orange).

(4) There is a concierge dedicated to the Cunard grills passengers, located in an interior space on QM2 with no natural light, but still accessible by all in PG and QG and not limited to upper suites as on HAL.

 

 

Basically, HAL Vista and Signature suites are essentially larger cabins with few, if any, additional suite perks. All Grills suites on Cunard receive some level of additional benefits for being in a suite. Refer to the summary on Cunard's Web site:

 https://www.cunard.com/en-us/the-cunard-experience/staterooms-and-suites/grills-experience/grills-amenities

 

We have a transpacific Signature Suite booked on a HAL Vista class ship for next spring, so I have been reading up on them. 

 

 

[NE John]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

We have a transpacific Signature Suite booked on a HAL Vista class ship for next spring, so I have been reading up on them. 

Great info.
How do see the prices compare between PG on Cunard and comparative suite level on HAL? It looks like you have to book a more expensive HAL suite to match benefits of PG. I have also heard from those who sailed on HAL (Alaska) that the food was underwhelming. 
90% of the food in PG on QM2 was 4 and five stars with old-school tableside service. 

[ozbrian]

12 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

The OP was asking about a Transatlantic crossing, @bluemarble's answer was to that question. 

Sorry about that, I missed the TA bit!

[jpcello]

This is so helpful. I just made final payment on our first Cunard sailing, which is also the British theatre at sea crossing. We’re in a PG suite and this thread is great. One question about PG with regard to wine. I know we get two bottles on embankment but what else without having to purchase a beverage package. Should we bring our own? We live in NY so getting to the port will be easy. TIA

[NE John]

13 minutes ago, jpcello said:

This is so helpful. I just made final payment on our first Cunard sailing, which is also the British theatre at sea crossing. We’re in a PG suite and this thread is great. One question about PG with regard to wine. I know we get two bottles on embankment but what else without having to purchase a beverage package. Should we bring our own? We live in NY so getting to the port will be easy. TIA

In PG, you get a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation. QG gives you two bottles of booze, not PG.

 More importantly, if you booked in the US, you get a Grills Drinks promo covering drinks up to $12 and gratuities paid. Check the details of your booking. You probably don’t need to purchase a drinks package, even though drink prices increased. Hopefully Cunard will adjust the Grills Drinks promo to cover the higher prices. The recent increase gratuities were covered by the Cunard promo.

[jpcello]

3 minutes ago, NE John said:

In PG, you get a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation. QG gives you two bottles of booze, not PG.

 More importantly, if you booked in the US, you get a Grills Drinks promo covering drinks up to $12 and gratuities paid. Check the details of your booking. You probably don’t need to purchase a drinks package, even though drink prices increased. Hopefully Cunard will adjust the Grills Drinks promo to cover the higher prices. The recent increase gratuities were covered by the Cunard promo.

Thanks for the quick reply. Will dive into my booking in the next few days and explore. 

[NE John]

27 minutes ago, jpcello said:

Thanks for the quick reply. Will dive into my booking in the next few days and explore. 

Contact your travel agent or Cunard and ask Cunard to increase the $12 limit for the Grills Drinks package to match the beverage increase. More calls the better. 

[ClipperinSFO]

Congrats on a great choice - you and your husband will have a wonderful time.

 

We have crossed several times in the Grills, and also enjoying dressing up.  Being big ocean liner enthusiasts, we approach a crossing on QM2 like @D&N seems to: in the old school, classic way of dress (for men): jacket and tie for first and last nights (the fictional assumption being that our formal wear is either being unpacked and pressed or already packed in the steamer trunks for offloading in the morning) and then black tie for every night in between. We go more traditional in terms of strict black tie for the two official gala nights, and then have fun and play with formal wear on the 3 mid-voyage nights where we are not required to be in back tie. This would include (for guys) things like smoking jackets, colored/patterned bow ties and cummerbunds, and kilts for my husband, who Scottish.

 

As for daytime, we don't wear denim to the dining room (although we do around the ship) and we tend to wear jackets, but no ties to lunch, since, again the dining rooms are so great.  In between meals, anything goes, although we stick to business casual (we do cold weather crossing as a rule, and even in summer the NA can get breezy and a bit chilly, especially when well away from land. 

 

While we are overdressed, especially on the three mid voyage non-gala nights, we never feel uncomfortable, and in both Grills feel appropriately attired giving the elegance of the room, the service, and the presentation of the food. In the evening the whole ship feels like a beautiful hotel, so dressing up helps one blend right into the setting.  It's not at all snobby, just really civilized.  

 

Is this all OTT? Perhaps. But then again, a crossing on QM2 is a rare chance to participate in an age old way of crossing the Atlantic.

 

PS: I would highly recommend a winter crossing where the drama is at its highest: seas, skies and holiday decorations. Absolutely sublime (and, shhh, they tend to be less expensive).  Not to mention its a great time of year to be in New York or London.

[ExArkie]

On 2/5/2024 at 11:09 AM, NE John said:

Great info.
How do see the prices compare between PG on Cunard and comparative suite level on HAL? It looks like you have to book a more expensive HAL suite to match benefits of PG. I have also heard from those who sailed on HAL (Alaska) that the food was underwhelming. 
90% of the food in PG on QM2 was 4 and five stars with old-school tableside service. 

Sorry to not respond, but the last couple of weeks has been…well, don’t get me started. 
 

For what we were looking at, specifically sailing from Japan back to the US or Canada, Cunard didn’t offer an itinerary that matched our needs. Or at least not in the approximate time frame we wanted. So, no direct comparison of costs.

 

For a transatlantic that I did compare, the HAL Signature Suite was about half the per night price of PG on QM2, but the Neptune Suite where HAL starts to offer suite benefits comparable to Cunard was more than 50% higher than PG…which is usually pretty expensive in itself. 
 

We have done one HAL trip before, Alaska in the days before Cunard went there. We were also severely underwhelmed by the food quality, but people I have talked to assure me it has improved and will be better on a ocean crossing than on the first week of the Alaska season, which is what we did before. Food quality is the main area of trepidation I have for our trip. 

[astronomy55]

On 2/14/2024 at 9:57 AM, NE John said:

In PG, you get a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation. QG gives you two bottles of booze, not PG.

 More importantly, if you booked in the US, you get a Grills Drinks promo covering drinks up to $12 and gratuities paid. Check the details of your booking. You probably don’t need to purchase a drinks package, even though drink prices increased. Hopefully Cunard will adjust the Grills Drinks promo to cover the higher prices. The recent increase gratuities were covered by the Cunard promo.

Hi, Just been upgraded to QG on QE2. Regarding the two bottles of booze in the minibar, are they replenished throughout the voyage? If so, do they charge to replenish or is it included in the the fare? We are on an 18 night voyage and although we are not big drinkers I don't think two bottles of wine would last us two and a half weeks!

Thanks

[Victoria2]

3 hours ago, astronomy55 said:

Hi, Just been upgraded to QG on QE2. Regarding the two bottles of booze in the minibar, are they replenished throughout the voyage? If so, do they charge to replenish or is it included in the the fare? We are on an 18 night voyage and although we are not big drinkers I don't think two bottles of wine would last us two and a half weeks!

Thanks

Usually the bottles are replenished very promptly. I say usually as there have been mention over the years of this not happening very quickly. We have found the butler replenishes when the bottle is nearly empty which means our bottles never run out.

Magic! 😀

[seasickphil]

8 hours ago, astronomy55 said:

Hi, Just been upgraded to QG on QE2. Regarding the two bottles of booze in the minibar, are they replenished throughout the voyage? If so, do they charge to replenish or is it included in the the fare? We are on an 18 night voyage and although we are not big drinkers I don't think two bottles of wine would last us two and a half weeks!

Thanks

Last October on QE our butler left us another drinks form when our bottles were about 2/3rds empty, this was handy for us as we did chop and change our choices. Don’t forget if you can’t see your desired choice of drink on the form then write what you would like and if they can they will willingly oblige, ours did anyway.

[NE John]

9 hours ago, astronomy55 said:

Hi, Just been upgraded to QG on QE2. Regarding the two bottles of booze in the minibar, are they replenished throughout the voyage? If so, do they charge to replenish or is it included in the the fare? We are on an 18 night voyage and although we are not big drinkers I don't think two bottles of wine would last us two and a half weeks!

Thanks

Nice upgrade on QM2 (not QE2…) congrats!  I have yet to sail in QG, only PG and Britannia, so someone else may chime in with QG experience. I understand that the bottles get replaced as needed. 
I highly recommend that you ask the Grills Concierge on Deck 9 to explain to you all your QG perks or ask your TA or call Cunard. Ask lots of questions if you have them.  The Concierge is great. 

[Victoria2]

30 minutes ago, NE John said:

Nice upgrade on QM2 (not QE2…) congrats!  I have yet to sail in QG, only PG and Britannia, so someone else may chime in with QG experience. I understand that the bottles get replaced as needed. 
I highly recommend that you ask the Grills Concierge on Deck 9 to explain to you all your QG perks or ask your TA or call Cunard. Ask lots of questions if you have them.  The Concierge is great. 

Excellent advice, and also ask the butler. No question is too trivial.

 

I am assuming the ship will be QE rather than QM2, in which case, the Grills Concierge will be in the lounge on deck eleven.

 

If you, astronomy55 , are new to QG, there are many little niceties to do with QG dining, such as  choosing off menu if nothing tickles your taste-buds. Ask on this board and don't be backwards in asking your Head Waiter if there's a dish you fancy. If the ingredients are on the ship, the  Grill's galley will make it for you. 🙂

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, NE John said:

Nice upgrade on QM2 (not QE2…) congrats!  I have yet to sail in QG, only PG and Britannia, so someone else may chime in with QG experience. I understand that the bottles get replaced as needed. 
I highly recommend that you ask the Grills Concierge on Deck 9 to explain to you all your QG perks or ask your TA or call Cunard. Ask lots of questions if you have them.  The Concierge is great. 

From Australia it is possible QE,  to QM2. 
Agree the Concierge is usually both efficient and lovely.