It is the formal dinner dress that turns my husband and me off from crossings.

Formal wear is only on Gala nights. Otherwise, you dress as though you are going out to dinner at a nice restaurant. When I go, I won't be going to any of the formal night dinners. There's other places to eat on those nights. And besides that is only dinner, not breakfast or lunch on those days. You can even order room service. Lots of options. If there weren't any other options on those nights, I wouldn't go either.

The article has lots of details and says otherwise;) Formal dress is no longer required in many parts of the ship.

Here's some info I received today for my upcoming cruise, that describes the places you can eat throughout the day at no additional charge. And on Gala night if you don't want to dress up you can visit the alternative places listed other than the main dining room.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7253485637.png

....I also forgot to mention that the Carinthia Lounge and Sir Samuels have complimentary food during the day. The Carinthia Lounge is rated very high by many passengers.

This may be a very redundant question, but "formal"??? It leave much to interpretation - will a dress suit + tie. (i.e. what one would wear to a wedding/funeral or very important business event) do the work, or is it really the über American "prom for adults" black tuxedos (what we call a smoking jacket) and bowtie? Not to be blunt, but as a gay European male who has lived in seven countries, I look more put together on an average stressed Tuesday noon than most UK/US straight men achieve when their wives demand elegance on one of these formal things [cue cynical tone].
My better half is having a birthday-with-a-zero and has always wanted to do the Atlantic crossing, and as love conquers all, we are returning from Italy via Southampton in September in one of the club suites. I have to admit, I loathe cruises out of different reasons, but ... ci sono cose che vanno fatte per l'amore. This was for both of us a large worry, although they say to have dialed back the silly pseudo formalisms of things. Any thoughts (and I suppose efforts to convince me about cruise holidays) will be welcome.
On a different tack, as a GLBT couple, will we be in the frightful minority among the tedious suburbanite set? I can hold my own and don't care that much what others think, but it's also nice to know one isn't in hostile territory. It is a holiday, after all, and it just gets old to be the sore thumb on the hand.

From my understanding, men can wear a dark suit with a tie/bow tie. There are different "theme"gala nights too where you can add some color according to the the specific night. But the White and Black gala night is easy to do. Black suit or black dress, or white suit coat and black pants or whatever. Examples below:

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/the-cun...e/what-to-pack

Just remember, these only happen about 2 nights out of 7. The other nights are smart casual, where "some" people still dress up.

On my one Crossing, I saw many plain suits at Gala Night. (Also many tuxedos, but certainly someone in a plain suit was not in a small minority.) Even at themed nights, there were many plain suits or tuxes, without theme-based add-ons.

I did not notice any GLBT couple, but I don't think I would have, unless the couple chose to be ostentatious. Certainly I saw nothing that I would have interpreted as threatening or challenging toward an alternative lifestyle (but again, I might have just missed it). On the other hand, I suppose I'm in the tedious suburbanite set, although I had never realized it before I read your post.

There's a LOT of GLBT couples/solos that cruise on Cunard/QM2. I noticed that by all the videos that they post on youtube. Most of them appear to be from the UK. However, for the most part they don't make it obvious.

Cunard QM2
 

Exploring the possibility of a trans-Atlantic crossing. The general description of the Queen's Grill suite says

> Complimentary mini-bar stocked with your choice of beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks

but then a further information page says

> A complimentary mini-bar, stocked with two bottles of wine or spirits of your choice, and soft drinks.

Two bottles?!? Are these the standard mini-bar 35-40 ml bottles or full size? Are they provided once, at the beginning, or are they restocked daily (or more often, upon requst)? TIA

While you're waiting to receive an answer to your question, when you decide to book the Queen Grills look for the sale price that. Includes complimentary drinks, or you will have to pay for drinks around the ship. I don't know exactly what's in the mini fridge for grills passengers, but from videos I've watched, it didn't appear to much in my opinion, so make sure you book the selection that includes complimentary drinks. Regular cabins get one small bottle of wine/champagne and two glasses.

Remember, you can bring your own wine/champagne/spirits/soft drinks on QM2. More than 2 full bottles. I plan on bringing spirits. But you can only drink them in your cabin or public areas like around the pool. Not in any restaurant or lounge that sells and serves soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

They're "full bottles" and only stocked once on the crossing. You'll be billed for any others that you request. Mixers are complimentary and in small bottes/cans. We requested fresh squeezed orange and (when I could drink it) grapefruit juice for mimosas and salty dogs which were brought in glass carafes.

I would add that The Queen's Grille is one of the best dining venues at sea. Feel free to order "off menu" anytime. Just put in your request at lunch time the day before. If it's on the ship, they can make it. One of our favorites that we order at least once is Escoffier's filet mignons lili with pommes Anna. It's decadent. A filet mignon sauted in clarified butter and served with artichoke hearts and features a sauce made with four different wines and garnished with truffles and fois gras. I take a copy of the recipe from the book, "The Last Dinner on the Titanic" to give to the chef.

Could you explain the difference between the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill? I have a few cruises coming up and I'm considering putting in for an upgrade.

They're both pretty close. PG has all their suites on the same deck and they are all the same size. PG and QG share the same galley and menus and feature a couple of items on the dinner menus. QG offers table side dining preparation and offers items for two like chateaubriand and rack of lamb, both carved table side. QG also offers some flambed desserts. They also offer the off menu option I mentioned before. There are six types of suites that done in the QG. I forget the size of the lowest level, maybe around 500 square. The largest are the bilevel suites that are at the aft of the ship. Note that the balconies of these suites are NOT private. They can be seen from the open two decks below. These suites are around 2300 square. PG and QG share a private lounge with concierge, and a small private deck.

Note that the aforementioned applies to Queen Mary 2. The other three offer both grilles, but the suites are different.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, allow me another thought or two about your particular situation, i.e. putting in for upgrades. Princess Grille is a perfectly lovely experience. You are unlikely to be disappointed sailing in that class. As previously stated, on QM2, all PG suites are on the same deck and are the same size. Queen's Grille suites are usually occupied by people who can afford throwing money at Cunard or are booking them as a special treat. They easily run $750-$1000, per person, per day. Price differential in PG is due to the fact that some suites are aft and some suites are forward and might feel movement in rough seas. Don't be discouraged, however. Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner, not a cruise liner. The difference is, she was built to take what the Atlantic can throw at her. That isn't to say you won't see a ripple or two in your martini glass in the middle of a Force 8 gale, but it's nothing like what her same named predecessor (a slow roller), or a cruise ship would be like in a similar storm. I've heard some passengers book a January crossing in hopes of hitting a storm just to experience it.

Bottom line, I suggest trying the Princess Grille first and then try a Queen's Grille after--if you're okay with the fare. You'll enjoy a delightful and classic experience in both classes.