Cunard Line, operator of the royal fleet of "Queens" on which the mood tends toward British formality, has announced a arenewed commitment to the joy of dressing up aboard “The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World."
Cunard now specifies 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 growing travel trends, the line is adjusting its advice on dress codes for other nights. The result is along with two or three formal nights each week, there will be four or five “informal” evenings where jackets are required but ties will now become 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.
“In a world where everything seems to tend towards the casual, Cunard is proud to give passengers the opportunity to put on their best bib and tucker and really shine. Dressing up heightens anticipation and brings an extra special sense of occasion to an evening at sea. Our passengers tell us it makes all the difference to their enjoyment of a big night out on board.”
Shanks 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.”
You can opt out of evening wear on formal nights but you will only be welcome in the ships’ main buffet restaurants and in the adjoining Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bars, and not in other areas of the ship. 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 flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria 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 and to book a voyage aboard Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth, consult your Travel Agent, call Cunard Line at (800) 728-6273, or visit www.cunard.com.
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