On our Queen Elizabeth cruises all the Gala nights were themed which are explained below, however on Queen Mary 2, we had two gala nights that were just called ‘Gala Nights’.

Gala Night is just like any other formal night on any cruise line, and any style or colour goes. If you want to go full ball gown you would not look out of place, or a a simple black dress would do too. For men a suit and tie, or tuxedo and bow tie is appropriate.

The theme for the Black and White night is exactly that, a monochrome outfit of your choice. It states this in the Daily Programme – ‘Dinner Jacket, tuxedo or dark suit with regular tie or bow tie for gentlemen. Evening or cocktail dress, smart trouser suit or formal separates for ladies. *Guests are welcome to embellish their Gala Evening attire to fit the applicable theme of the evening, for Black and White night, by dressing in simple, monochrome finery.’

As mentioned above it is not compulsory to join in with these Gala evenings and the daily programme also says ‘Relax – Feel free to dress casually as you visit any of the following venues: Lido Restaurant, Golden Lion, Casino, Cafe Corinthia, Garden Lounge and The Yacht Club.’

However the Gala nights are amazing to be part of and we would definitely recommend packing a simple outfit so you can join in. Every cruise I pack a knee length black dress and this was perfect for the black and white gala night. Paul packed his tuxedo and bow tie which worked well too. As long as your outfit is black, white or both then that will be fine.

Here are some ideas to look at (Amazon affiliate links) – Black and White Bow Tie    Black and White Glitter Dress   Long Black Dress

The formal Red and Gold Gala night is a celebration of Cunard’s rich heritage. Putting on a red dress or a red suit jacket, a red or gold waist coat would work but also a simple flash of red in a scarf or tie does the trick. For the Red and Gold night on our cruise, Paul wore a red shirt, I wore a red top and we both wore black trousers which worked well.

Here are some ideas (Amazon affiliate links) – Red Bow Tie   Red Waistcoat and Tie   Short Red Dress  Long Red Dress  Red Sparkly Top

For the Roaring 20’s Gala Night the Cunard daily programme just states ‘For Roaring 20’s night, go all out glamour or adorn a flourish which embraces the spirit of the decade.’ A simple hint towards the theme such as braces or a black and white fedora hat for the men and a feathered boa or slide for the ladies would work. We wore similar outfits to the black and white night and others did too. However, some of the passengers went full gangster and flapper mode and it was fabulous to see. We have now purchased some flapper gear as you can see above!

Look at some of our accessories here (Amazon affiliate links) –

Black and White Gangster Fedora   1920’s Vintage Accessories Set   1920 Gatsby Set   Adjustable Braces

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Masquerade night is so unique and great fun. We tend to wear what we would wear on a Black and White night with Masquerade masks. We have really enjoyed our Masquerade nights on board, hope you do too!

There is normally a sale of masks onboard during the day before the Masquerade night but if you want to get prepared, check out some accessories here (Amazon affiliate links) – Black Masquerade Couple Pack   Jester Mask   Masquerade Mask on a stick

When it wasn’t Gala Night the dress code for the evenings is smart attire. On the daily programme it states ‘Gentlemen we request that you wear trousers with a collared shirt, jacket and tie is optional. Ladies, blouses and skirts or stylish trousers and dresses are welcome.’

Men just need to wear a shirt or polo with a collar and ladies a simple smart outfit that could be trousers/skirt with a simple top/cardigan or jumper. If you are used to cruising then this is the same as you would wear on any smart dress evenings.

Any thing goes in the day and the evening themes as explained above come in place at 1800.

We put off cruising with Cunard for to long as we thought that we would have to dress formally all the time and this is definitely not the case. We hope this post has been useful so you can now understand what you can wear on a Cunard cruise.

If you would like to ask us any questions then please do follow us on our social media links below. We also have a vlog series and some videos from our time on Queen Elizabeth which shows you what cruising with Cunard is really like and you can watch them below.