The Cruise Director: the Queen Mary 2

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This was published 10 years ago

The Cruise Director: the Queen Mary 2

By SALLY MACMILLAN
Regal service onboard.

Regal service onboard.

Are you a casual cruiser or do you enjoy putting on the glad rags and bling for a formal night? Years ago rules were very rigid but these days you can pick a ship with a dress code to suit your personal preferences and wardrobe.

Dressing up is de rigueur for formal nights on such high-end cruise lines as Cunard, Crystal Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn and Silversea, although each has slightly different guidelines for what to wear on "informal" evenings.

On Cunard's Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, there are three formal nights on the seven-night transatlantic crossings (QM2) and two a week on cruises in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and beyond.

Grandeur: Queen Mary 2.

Grandeur: Queen Mary 2.

To further complicate matters, Cunard holds themed balls that involve full-on fancy dress: the Egyptian Ball, for example, requires gentlemen to don Pharaoh or Tutankhamen costume and ladies to appear as Egyptian empresses or in Cleopatra kit. As someone who still has to learn how to pack light, the idea of bringing my own Egyptian-style outfits presents a massive challenge - dresses and accessories for formal nights are almost a cinch in comparison.

Formal wear for women generally means full-length or "cocktail" dresses and a tuxedo or dark suit for men. Men tend to whinge about wearing black tie, but it's so much easier for them - just one outfit to think about - and on most ships they can hire it all on board. Cunard's black tuxedo package includes a dinner jacket, trousers, shirt, bow tie and a handkerchief and costs just $US90 a night. (If you want to wear a cummerbund you'll pay $US16 extra for the privilege.)

Perhaps there's a business opportunity here for hiring women's formal wear on board? Or maybe we could take to wearing men's tuxedos, a la Marlene Dietrich ... how liberating not to stress about carrying a handbag, and just think of the space saved in your luggage!

The Queen Mary 2's plush interior.

The Queen Mary 2's plush interior.

What's appropriate for informal or "smart casual" evenings? Generally for women it means a dress, or stylish top and skirt or pants; and for men it's jacket and trousers, and usually no tie is required.

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Of course, if you don't wish to do the whole formal thing, nobody is going to force you but please don't spoil everyone else's fun and turn up on a formal night wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

The writer travelled on QM2 courtesy of Cunard.

sally.macmillan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

SHIPSHAPE

CUNARD LINE: QUEEN MARY 2

LAUNCHED: In 2004. The Queen Mary 2 (pictured left) is the largest of Cunard's three "queens" and the line's flagship.

PASSENGERS AND CREW: Passenger capacity 2620 (double occupancy); crew 1253.

ACCOMMODATION: Of 1310 cabins, 955 have private balconies; there are 171 junior suites, suites and penthouses plus two 209-square-metre apartments.

REGULAR HAUNTS: UK, Northern Europe, transatlantic and yearly world cruises.

PERFECT FOR: Retirees, couples and singles 60-plus.

DINING: QM2 has 10 restaurants and cafes, including the two-tier Britannia Restaurant, Golden Lion pub, Boardwalk Cafe, King's Court buffet, and extra-charge Todd English restaurant.

PARTYING: QM2 passengers are more likely to take the dance floor of the Queens Room (the biggest ballroom at sea) for a well-executed waltz or quickstep than rage for hours in the nightclub - although there is one, G32.

DOING: Cunard Insights is a superb enrichment program that attracts world-class speakers on topics as diverse as literature, history and politics. Other diversions include trivia, bingo, bridge, dancing lessons and computer courses (book early).

DID YOU KNOW?: The two-deck spa comprises the salon, fitness centre (free to use) and aqua therapy centre. A spa pass (US$40 for one day, $US75 for three days) gives you access to the hydrotherapy pool, aromatic steam room, sauna and more.

THE DETAILS: A balcony cabin on the 10th anniversary westbound transatlantic crossing, departing Southampton May 9 and arriving New York May 16, is $2529. Phone 13 24 41, see cunardline.com.au.

DEALS

OFFER OF THE WEEK

Book any holiday of nine to 21 days from the new Travelmarvel India, Sri Lanka and Nepal brochure before June 30 and your companion will fly for free, saving up to $1955 a couple. The 15-day Colours of India from New Delhi to Kolkata via Agra and Jaipur includes an eight-day river cruise from Kolkata to Murshidabad on board a new river ship. Package from $5495; phone 1300 196 420, see travelmarvel.com.au.

MORE DEALS

MSC CRUISES has a two-for-one deal on a seven-night Caribbean cruise aboard MSC Divina, departing May 3. Offer valid until March 31 or when sold out; from $1049 a couple twin share. Phone 1300 028 502, see msccruises.com.au.

SILVERSEA guests on cruises starting or ending in Seward, Alaska will receive a complimentary 4.5-hour scenic train ride between Seward and Anchorage. From $3750 for the seven-day Seward-Vancouver cruise; departures from May 15 to August 28. Phone 1300 306 872, see silversea.com.

These days, the word "superliner" is often used to describe any large cruise ship, so what is the official difference between a cruise ship and an ocean liner?

I met maritime historian Chris Frame on our recent cruise on QM2 and he explained it in simple terms.

"Liners were traditionally built to transport passengers on 'line voyages', from one point to another, over a large expanse of ocean, rather than on coastal pleasure voyages," he said. "They had reinforced plating in their hulls to withstand rough ocean conditions and are usually much faster to maintain the line voyage schedules."

While QM2 is a liner that does cruises as well as the classic trans-Atlantic route, other contemporary passenger ships are not liners.

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