Cruise lines

Cunard updates

its dress code

Cunard Line is loosening up a bit — a bit, mind you — on the dress code aboard its Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth ocean liners beginning in April. While Cunard stressed its commitment to formal wear two or three evenings each week, there will be four or five “informal” evenings where jackets are required but ties will now become optional.

“The glamour of dressing to the nines is a hallmark of travelling 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.

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.”

By day, smart casual remains the style of choice among Cunard’s passengers, as in a five-star hotel.

Passengers opting out of evening wear on formal nights can dine in the ships’ main buffet restaurants and in the adjoining Winter Garden or Garden Lounge bars, but not in other areas of the ship, “out of respect for their fellow guests.”

New York

Subway stations to get travel kiosks

Touch-screen kiosks called “On the Go! Travel Stations” will soon be arriving at New York subway stations.

For locals, the high-tech devices will provide service advisories, step-by-step transit and street directions and information about escalator and elevator outages.

For visitors, they also will offer information on local landmarks, nearby restaurants and neighborhood maps.

Museums

Renovation at National Gallery

The National Gallery of Art in Washington plans to close its modern art galleries for three years to complete a $68 million renovation, adding new galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden.

Federal funds will pay for renovations to the East Building’s infrastructure, totaling $38.4 million. Private donors are contributing $30 million to create 12,260 feet of new exhibition space and a sculpture garden overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.

National Gallery President Victoria Sant and her husband, Roger, are contributing $10 million, along with board member Mitchell Rales and his wife, Emily, and David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group.

Galleries will close between July and December, with construction set to begin in January.

Airlines

New service

Norwegian Air has announced it will begin service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Copenhagen and Stockholm this fall. The Copenhagen service is scheduled to begin Nov. 29, followed by Stockholm on Dec. 1. Both routes will operate four days a week.

Miami Herald

wire services