Cunard Line Revises Dress Codes

Formal night on Queen Mary 2

When packing for your next cruise or crossing on a Cunard Line ship you, you may be able to pack a little lighter, but not much.

Cunard has renewed its commitment to the pleasure (or pain, depending on your style) of dressing up aboard “The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World” with an update to its dress codes, while at the same time encouraging the loosening of ties on its less formal nights. Research with existing passengers and luxury travelers in general has led them to strengthen their commitment to special occasion dressing three times a week on its Transatlantic Crossings and twice each week on sailings to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, and beyond.

However, in response to the grow trend toward more casual attire at home and while traveling, Cunard is adjusting its advice on dress codes for other nights. The result: along with two or three formal nights each week, there will be four or five “informal” evenings where jackets are required but ties will be optional, heightening the sense of anticipation for formal nights even more.

“The glamour of dressing to the nines is a hallmark of traveling with Cunard, and distinguishes us from the mass of cruise operators where dressing up has become a thing of the past,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line, who added, “Formal nights are a chance for the ladies to sparkle in cocktail dresses or full-on evening gowns, while for the gentlemen, dinner jackets–or tuxedos or dark suits–always bring a touch of sharp, 007-type style to the occasion.”

Passengers opting out of evening wear on formal nights are welcome in the ships’ main buffet restaurants and in the adjoining Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bars, but not in other areas of the ship, out of respect for their fellow guests. By day, smart casual remains the style of choice among Cunard’s passengers, as in a five-star hotel ashore.

This change from the previous evening dress codes of “formal,” “semi-formal” and “elegant casual” to just “formal” and “informal” will take effect before Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and flagship Queen Mary 2 set out on their main sailing seasons in April/May 2013.

All future passengers are being advised of the adjustment in good time before departure. For more information, visit Cunard.com.

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