Did dressing for dinner turn Aussies off Cunard?

Increasing costs, poor exchange rates, a limited supply of passengers suited to its prestigious style of cruising – even dressing for dinner – have been some of the reasons floated for Cunard’s withdrawal from homeporting the Queen Elizabeth in Australia from 2026 onwards.

While the line has given no official reason for the withdrawal, the ship will now only operate year-round from North America, spending the northern summer in Alaska and the winter in the Caribbean.

While she will complete her scheduled 2023/24 and 2024/25 southern hemisphere seasons, Queen Elizabeth will only visit down under on those world cruise segments from 2026 onwards.

“Whilst this news means that from 2026 there will be no locally based program, Australia and Asia will remain important destinations on our round-the-world voyages and we look forward to welcoming guests from these regions wherever they chose to sail with us,” Matt Gleaves, Commercial Vice President of North America & Australasia, said in a statement.

Does white glove service suit Aussies?

More formal dinner attire with white glove service and limited itineraries were some of the  reasons passengers gave not to cruise Cunard.    

“I don’t want to dress for dinner,” posted one former Cunard cruiser. “Cunard’s proposed withdrawal may be due to the fact that the local customer base is limited and those of us who have ‘done’ the forever same loop Sydney/Melbourne to NZL and the limited stops there and back, are tired of the destination options.”

Another said of Cunard’s dinner attire: “The British gentleman we dined with on QE pre covid still wore his tie when gardening! A bloke from Broken Hill suggested formal dress for him was long socks and clean shorts but was howled down when he enquired whether this was acceptable dining room attire on Cunard.”

Facebook Old Shops Australia edited
Long socks and shorts are not enough.

From another post: “With higher service levels, they are a more expensive offering. This past year they have been discounting itineraries here, which used to be a rarity. Princess & Royal each have one less ship next season. There are lots more cruises in the bargain bin than ever before. No money, no ship.”

“The only Cunard itinerary (apart from the short themed cruises) which would now entice us is the Australian circumnavigation, or legs of it,” posted another Cunard cruiser. “We have this year enjoyed the NZ and Tas legs, and were actually looking forward to the circumnavigation, but not yet, as we have two cruises in Europe booked for next year. I really like the idea of the repositioning cruises, but if Cunard will no longer be home berthing here, that will be out as well.  We loved the Cunard experience, and the food (admittedly in Queens Grill) was superb. So glad now that we bit the bullet and tried it.”

New Cunard program set to launch in January

Cunard launched its 110 voyage international program in May last year, including Queen Elizabeth’s homeport season in Australia, plus the maiden voyages of the new Queen Anne, its first new ship in 12 years. Other ships in the Cunard fleet include Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. 

Queen Elizabeth starts her Australian summer residency with a 6-night voyage from Fremantle on November 27, before embarking on a series of short breaks and roundtrips from Melbourne and Sydney, with 47 ports of call. Highlights include 10 nights exploring the Queensland coast and Queen Elizabeth’s inaugural 14-night roundtrip calls into the South Pacific, plus Cunard’s after Christmas and New Year voyages to New Zealand.

Queen Elizabeth finishes her 105-day homeport season in Australia when she departs Sydney en-route to Japan on March 10, 2024.

Cunard is set to announce its future international programming in January. 

Pack For a Cruise
Dressing for dinner is required for some Cunard dining experiences.

47 thoughts on “Did dressing for dinner turn Aussies off Cunard?”

  1. My wife and I have sailed on the QM2 and the Q.E. We didn’t mind the dressing up, if we didn’t feel like it, we went up to the other dining options. The staff were amazing, I think those that complain about any of the staff need to take a hard look at themselves! We were always warmly welcomed into the MDR’s and found the staff amazing. The only downside was on the way back one time from N.Z. in the Q.E when the ship was hit by a weather front and heeled over so much that the captain had to come on to P.A to guarantee that it was quite safe, and we were changing direction so the ship could right itself. So much for flat bottomed cruise ships!

  2. At least one party has stated what I originally thought, namely that Cunard was a British shipping line.

    Having been on ships where:
    1. Americanisation in many ways,including non-inclusive pricing.
    1. Only US $ accepted
    2. and the top officers frequently refer to Miami when referring to vital decisions, I then looked up the relevant websites.
    These clearly state:

    “At Cunard, as part of Carnival Corporation, we …………
    Carnival Corporation headquarters are located at: 3655 NW 87th Avenue. Miami, FL. 33178 U.S.A.”

  3. Maybe Australians don’t tip like the Americans do! Last trip to Tasmania, we could not even get the waiters to replenish glasses of water for us whilst dancing in the Queens room.
    Loved dressing up for all the formal nights and will take opportunities to get onboard during the next 2 summers.(will bring our own water bottles)

  4. Wow, Americans having a go at Aussies about lack of culture and class, great example of kettle calling the pot black.

  5. Love Cunard, it’s special, tried P & O, total desaster, only bogans go on them because they are cheap.
    Done royal Caribbean, good but too many people.
    Love up-market every time.

  6. I agree the NZ circle that just about every line does can get a bit boring. A few more to the Pacific islands would be nice. But I love the Cunard formality. Sailing Queens Grill again in two months and can’t wait. Don’t get me wrong. We’re doing Carnival and Virgin Voyages before Cunard so we’re not cruise snobs. Happy to dress less formal on a less formal line but still love the dressing up in Cunard.

  7. We weren’t bothered by the dress code at all except for our last night on board Queen Vic in the Med…as it was the final dinner and our bags were packed to disembark the following morning and were informed that dress code for the dining room was semi formal, with the gents not needing to wear a jacket, but on arrival at the dining room my husband was made to wear a jacket taken from a cupboard nearby, the steward followed him to our table and took the jacket from him once he was seated!! Just ridiculous! We found the ship to be very over rated and desperately in need of a refurb,also, as others ha
    ve mentioned, the staff were lack lustre in their attitude and the drinks were over priced. All in all a disappointing experience.

  8. Oh ! Dear
    Cunard finally discovered
    There is more culture in yogert than
    Australians
    Lov you Cunard
    See you in New York

  9. Love sailing on Cunard.
    So disappointed that there no Cunard ships operating in Australian waters soon.
    Love the life on board. Food has always been fantastic. Staff are beautifully trained. Will be travelling further afield from 2026.

  10. I’m not surprised to see Cunard yanking up the anchor down here. Other US based ships (NCL, CELEBRITY, ASAMARA, DISNEY, HOLLAND AMERICA, VIRGIN, PRINCESS ETC) will probably be next. Our poor Aussie dollar just doesn’t fill their coffers. We’ll be left with P&O Australia and its old hand-me-down ships with pared down service and quality with anything vaguely resembling a decent cruise being an on-board extra.
    As for Cunard they are out of step with what the majority of us Antipodeans want on a cruise. Too formal for most nights. It might suit the class concious Brits and Americans who thrive on that. We’d really rather be relaxed on a cruise ship than trying to compete with Cunards onboard ancient dress codes and strictly seperate amenities for those with the dosh. Cunard never was and never will be a one-class cruise line.
    Their gamble on an Antipodean windfall just hasn’t worked.
    Toot toot. Bon Voyage Cunard.

  11. We were able to get a Queens Grill suite on the QE last January. Just a 5 night cruise from Sydney. Absolute luxury!

    I was concerned about the dress code. As others have said it’s only the gala nights where this is enforced IN SOME PLACES. I don’t have a tux and don’t need one. I just wore a suit and bow tie with a white shirt. That was fine.

    The rest of the trip I was in smart casual clothes incl good jeans. Jeans not allowed in public areas after 6pm. Slacks are fine.

    I absolutely loved the white gloves used by waiters. What a classy approach. I felt important.

    If you don’t like the dress requirement, that’s fine but allow others to enjoy that.

    There are other cruises where you can wear shorts and tee shirt and eat in what I call the “nosh pit” or “over eaters club”. Push and shove around a buffet – then try to find a seat!

    One criticism is that on Australian cruises, all transactions are in US currency. This allows the banks to charge excessive fees and use poor exchange rates when paying by cash or card at the end of your trip.

  12. Was ready to book a Cunard from Sydney to Singapore in ‘24 but then walked away after investigating the formality required on Cunard. It was just Main Dining Room requirements but the whole style of the clientele throughout the day. I don’t want to be walking around with shoes, tailored shorts and polo or collared shirts each day.
    I go cruising for a relaxing time and I don’t think Cunard would have provided that.
    I’ll be sticking to Royal Caribbean and Celebrity a few times each year.

  13. To travel solo is out of reach as they want to charge a 75 % supplement,even being a gold member apparently makes no difference,or the fact i am traveling with 2 other couples.

  14. I am an Aussie , but I believe Aussies are lowering the standard on Cunard.Like they do in Bali.When I am travelling a lot of Aussies are just embarassing. Lift yourfo⁰r game Aussies .
    Dressing up has and I hope always been part of Cunard.
    If you don’t like that , you know beforehand thats part of travelling on Cunard, so choose a lesser standard ship.
    Its not rocket science.

  15. The whole idea of Cunard is elegance, formality and the Golden Age of travel…. The dress code is in the brochure, on the website, and in reviews. For goodness sake, people shouldn’t book a cruise on Cunard then try to ignore the dress standards that are required, as those high dress standards are what the whole cruise line us about! I don’t want to go to all the effort to dress up and have others wearing their thongs and those people then complaining when the ship rightly upholds its well-publicised high standards.

  16. We had issues years ago in 2007 on the Q Mary with staff having very bad attitude, and again on the the Q Elizabeth in 2018.

    Not sure what their problem is, but we feel they are not happy, or not happy sailing with Australians in Australian waters.

    We enjoy the formal evenings and dressing up, and as I don’t wish to fly overseas for health reasons, we have decided to give Cunard one more go in February, although I have a feeling from previous comments that things haven’t changed much ‍♀️

  17. We have cruised with Cunard for years and started on Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1992. The dress standards were very strict back then, i have seen people refused entry to the dining room for not wearing a jacket, now the standards have changed, and a jacket and tie are only required for formal nights. We both have enjoyed cruising on Queen Elizabeth every year since she was homeported in Australia and will miss her not being here in the future. When she does the world cruise it is not the same as having the ship full of Aussies. The attitude of the staff since covid has not been as good as it was pre covid. overall, have enjoyed cruising on Queen Elizabeth

  18. My wife & I have cruised on my lines to date.
    However I am looking forward to the surprised look on my wife’s face when we board Queen Victoria on the 4th March next year to Celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary on board.
    I have only informed her that we will be doing a 7 night Pacific Island cruise. I can’t wait to see the surprised look on her face, which I think will be priceless.

  19. I did the 3 Queens in 2018 and loved dressing for dinner. It’s only black tie and evening gowns on their gala nights, smart casual on the other nights in the dining room. There are other casual dining options available. I found the service impeccable in all areas including the cabin. The last leg crossing the Atlantic was a little bit boring without any ports of call. The food was fantastic and most of the dance hosts were great too for someone travelling without a partner.
    If you want casual all the time cruise P & O, which I have too and also enjoyed.

  20. We cruised on Queen Mary 2 Sydney to Southampton 15 years ago and found it all spin, and we don’t mind dressing for dinner, but all the formal nights ie St Patrick’s day all the ladies in the green gowns but what for no Irish food no Irish dancing, all spin.
    Six weeks and we couldn’t wait to get off, last year we decided to give them another go so booked Queen E down to Tassie, nothing had improved waiters in the dinning room untrained and very rude, again all spin.
    We have completed 75 cruises with all different companies Cunard is the bottom of the pile.

  21. I am supporting Cunard in having an essence of luxury , Cunard well done some people just love being able to dress up and if you don’t you have three options , you can embrace style and luxury and come looking your best enjoy the feel of luxury and get out of your normal , if you still want to experience luxury but don’t want to dress up then stay in areas that don’t require you to be more formal , third choice if you want to hang out in your things and shorts that you would wear at home or somewhere it doesn’t matter then you will find a cruise line who doesn’t provide the fine experience there are plenty of cruises that are just not into the finer things of life.I know there are Aussie’s who love to experience the fine experience of Cunard and I am one of many who would not go any other way , just can’t do it so Cunard will continue to attract so many who love what Cunard is all about

  22. My wife and I were disappointed to hear that Cunard is abandoning having an annual Queen Elizabeth season in Oz……but we’re not surprised. I think by now we’ve all done the islands and NZ. We thoroughly enjoy cruising with Cunard. It’s an excuse to get dressed up although, we have to admit, the cruise line has dropped its dress code standard. We will never forget our 2019 Three Queens cruise which we will repeat in 2025 with Queen Anne replacing Queen Elizabeth in the programme. My wife is keen to cruise on Queen Anne as she is an Ann but without the ‘e’. Her twin sister is Mary. For those that don’t like formality, Cunard is not for you.

  23. Having just sailed on the Queen Elizabeth it wasn’t so much the dressing up, although that was irritating, as the unbelievably poor ability to run the ships restaurant that ruined Cunard for me. Compared to the other lines the food was subpar and they never managed to get the restaurant functioning on time. If this was a restaurant in your town they would not be in business. It was hugely disappointing
    Their famous high tea was like a bun fight in the mall given that seating was inadequate for the number of people.

  24. My husband and I love sailing with Cunard we started sailing in 2007 and travelled every year until covid hit we are currently on the Queen Elizabeth sailing from Barcelona to Fremantle 35 nights 3 days before we boarded we got off the Queen Mary 2 sailing from Southampton to Southampton 28 nights via New York and Quebec Canada Fantastic experience doing the translantic.9 weeks in all We love the dressing up its special if people don’t want to dress formal then go on another cruise line

  25. We travelled Cunard Queen Elizabeth last year on a repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Sydney it was great and service was very good. However in January this year my girlfriend’s and I travelled to Burnie and Melbourne on their Culinary Cruise again on the Queen Elizabeth I could not believe I was on the same ship the service was atrocious it was as if Cunard had hired random people to staff their ship I was horrified and embarrassed as I had organised my girlfriend’s cruise. The service was so bad it became laughable. The dining room was the worse wait ing to get served you could wait almost an hour for the wine to be delivered and if you required more cutlery after you had placed your order it was quite literally thrown on the table. This was my 5th Cunard cruise and my last. Never again.

  26. We sailed on QE last January to Tasmania on the culinary cruise we love Cunard but the attitude and service by the staff left us disappointed with the experience however we are on the Queensland QE in January we hope it’s better.

  27. We have travelled with Cunard three times and loved every bit of it As others have said you don’t have to go to the main dining room you can even have room service at no extra cost We couldn’t fault the staff or the organised activities,port stops ecti suppose sometimes it’s people’s attitudes We just felt so lucky to have the opportunity of cruising

  28. I don’t feel that there is a significant problem with the present dress code. We have been on several Cunard cruises & I haven’t been knocked back while wearing what I wear in Australia, which includes a Reefer jacket.
    BUT we get very annoyed with the decisions & guideleines issued from “Miami”. They seem to be run by America, pretending to operate an old fashioned very class conscious British establishment. The dining areas are quite class distinctive & you have to pay extra to choose your own area to dine. Wine prices are ridiculous. They used American dollars in Australia with their ++. They even continue the auto tipping which other ships have dropped.
    With limited unimaginative itinerary, we are not surprised popularity has dropped.

  29. On our cruise in 2013 or 2014, sailing from San Francisco to Sydney, we expected more than holes in napkins, water pouring from airconditioning ducts in the area where you could get a coffee/tea late at night, but worse of all was being stranded in a lifeboat for 1 hour when the engine broke down. The ship did go in for service after that voyage but we didn’t get a refund for their failings. Having a staff member looking you up and down to make sure you were appropriately dressed became a matter of amusement. This ship is om the bottom of our list of cruise boats experiences!

  30. I was on the QE last January. I had a Royal Suite… The Charles Suite. Though a luxury ship with white gloves service and my restaurant was the exclusive Queen’s Grill… I never dressed up. I wore my jeans, my cowboy hat, my leather jackets and bike riding boots. No one ever said anything. I was never questioned. The crew and fellow diners had no issues. You don’t need to dress up. The choice is entirely up to you.

  31. If people don’t want to dress up then they are able to eat in the Pub or the Bistro areas. It’s only on Gala nights where men wear their formal suits and women wear cocktail or formal dresses in the main dining rooms. On other nights smart attire is the requirement in the main dining rooms. Wearing ties and coats are optional for the men. Smart slacks and blouses, dresses etc for the women. No jeans, board shorts and thongs in the main dining rooms.
    Personally, it was the dress code that made me like Cunard. I’m a jeans and t shirt type person and don’t get the opportunity to dress up in normal life. I’ve been disappointed in the lessening of the dress code but I still embrace Gala nights and still dress smartly for dinner.
    I will be on Queen Victoria in February, embarking in San Fransisco and disembarking in Sydney. A total of 25 nights and from what I am led to believe there will be 4 Gala nights. Would it hurt people that much to dress up on those nights?
    I’m really disappointed to learn that Cunard won’t have a home port ship from 2026.

  32. We sailed on Queen Mary about 5 years ago – never again. Hopelessly disorganised, all passengers stood in Queens Room for 3.5 hours one morning waiting for a tender to Bali then left in hot sun with no shade for nearly an hour on return to ship. Service from room staff was atrocious, food was mostly good, and room only rates as fair. Much better ships and better cruises with other lines, especially Holland America who could teach Cunard a lot about customer service.

  33. I am a kiwi and going for the formality as princess cruising, which I have used for 15nyears is now so ho hum and nothing special anymore.

  34. I do about 3 cruises from Sydney annually and I have looked at Cunard offerings from Sydney BUT when I looked at the conditions of travel regarding dressing formally to Dine I don’t consider Cunard in my cruise selection process.

  35. Wasn’t the dress code. It was the staff attitudes (on board in Europe and Australian Admin) that put QM2 on our ‘never again’ list. RCL best for consumer complaints & entertainment. NCL best for food and haven’t needed to test their complaint response.

  36. This Aussie enjoys the formal nights. The ladies look forward to it and the least us men can do is to look the part. If you don’t enjoy the experience, don’t cruise with Cunard – simple.
    Regarding the itineraries, the last cruise I did on Q Eliz to Tassie from Sydney was nice, but the stop in Burnie was a waste of time. the ship just dawdled along to and from Hobart to fill in time, then almost becalmed after Burnie to Sydney. It would have been much better to go to Melbourne from Hobart. The Sydney/NZ itineraries have all been done-to-death with the same old ports.

  37. My husband would have loved dressing for dinner. We would have taken Cunard cruise if afford able. He didn’t like the ‘casual style’ on P&O

  38. The state of the AUD against the USD & the lack of all inclusive fares have put me off. I enjoyed the Cunard experience but don’t want to stress about paying AUD $35 for a cocktail. As such I’m sampling Princess this season.

  39. We would not sail on cunard again for that same reason. We were both refused entry to the dining room due to supposed dress regulation breaches.

  40. I went on the Queen Elizabeth Melbourne/Tasmania/Melbourne and I didn’t think the dress code was over the top in fact my sister and I really enjoyed the formal nights and the twenties theme night. Boohoo to those who can’t be bothered smartening themselves up and there are other options for dining on the ship anyway. Many people will be sad to learn the Queen Elizabeth ship is pulling stumps on Australia cruising. Maybe Cunard are at fault for not addressing the myth that the ship is only for a certain class of people.

  41. Cunard is fantastic
    So what! You have to be dressed up for dinner
    Enjoy the experience.

    If you dont want to wear a suit travel with
    P&O and stop complaining.

  42. We normally cruise Princess but tried Cunard last December because I love dressing for dinner and we’re yearning for a bit more formality than current cruises offer in Australia.

    The ship was beautiful but soleless.

    We were so disappointed in the staff attitude- too many too hard moments!!!!

    I don’t understand what went wrong on board but my conclusion was never again!!!

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