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Dress for river cruise
We have been on many ocean cruises, but this is our first river cruise. What is the dress like? We are on the Budapest to Prague trip next month. And the nighttime activities, which we usually skip on ocean cruises--are they nice or kind of contrived? Just asking! We usually do dinner and skip all entertainment activities in the evening.
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Enjoy this was a great trip.
We have also been on many ocean cruises and this is our 1st river cruise. What date is your cruise? We are on the sept. 26th cruise and are staying an extra day in Prague. We are looking for another couple or 2 to share a private tour on Oct. 7th in Prague.
Dress, as crackers54 said, is casual.
We're on the Sept 19 cruise, what departure are you on?
I just completed the French Waterways river cruise. Most of the men wore a sport coat, some with ties as well, for the first night dinner in Paris, the Captain's welcome dinner and the Captain's farewell dinner. If you choose not to, you will not be alone or uncomfortable. All other nights, dressy casual is appropriate.
Some comments have said clothing is casual except for the beginning and ending dinners and the one at the palace. Then someone else states that dressy casual is appropriate for dinner. I'm finding it very difficult to plan what to pack. I can manage one nice pair of slacks and a couple of dressier tops for the special dinners, but won't have many options for dinner on the boat. I'm really looking for advice based on experience. We will be on the May cruise from Budapest to Prague.
Go with your heart and common sense. If you don't dress up for a dinner at your local restaurant then why do it on a holiday river cruise. I'm sure you and your hubby will look just fine no matter what you decide to wear to dinner.
My opinion is that ladies and gentlemen, and well-mannered kids, dress to the occasion. That give a great deal of scope for self expression and sartorial elegance … surely!;)) I don't think you need to pack a tux or formal evening gown. But you are travelling to Europe, where dining is considered an event, not just an fuelling opportunity! Sure, you can get away with things as freelance travellers, but this is a little different. It's a different way of travelling. This is what Tauck says in the before you go section:
Of course, you may not choose to dine at an elegant, off-boat restaurant while you are away, so Tauck's suggestion of a coat & tie would be irrelevant.
Cheers,
Jan
Rod
Cheers,
Jan
Really the most important thing to take notice of is what to wear on your feet on trips. But even when your Tour Director says 'Tomorrow we need to wear closed toe shoes' I watch in amazement when I see people weariNg flip flops and we are walking on jagged volcanic rocks, yes seen this over and over, in appropriate footwear that as a consequence might affect everyone if there is a falling accident.
As I mentioned earlier I have done the Brussels to Amsterdam riverboat with Tauck. First, everyone on the riverboat is part of the Tauck tour. During the day you split into smaller groups for sightseeing however everyone is with Tauck and not like on other cruises where some people might be with your tour group and others are traveling individually.
Secondly, you do not need to bring dressy clothes. For the "dressier" evenings, I had a nice pair of black or navy slacks and a blouse. Many evenings we went to dinner in the same clothes that we had worn during the day because you could go to dinner at anytime. The friends who I met on the tour and I might come in from the day of sightseeing, sit in the lounge talking and then go straight to dinner.
I have learned that Casual Resort Wear is just what I described - nice pair of slacks and a dressier blouse. I do notice that there are people who prefer to get dressed up for meals, but I never wanted to pack more than I really need. Bringing dresses or fancy clothes would require more care to see that they do not wrinkle in the suitcase. I also like to travel light with the smallest suitcase possible and a backpack.
Enjoy your tour in what you feel comfortable doing and wearing. It is the sights, adventures and people that you meet which are the most important things to remember. No one will remember how you were dressed for dinner!
We are also on the May trip from Budapest to Prague. We are arriving a day early to spend a bit more time in Budapest. We live on Cape Cod and this will be our fifth Tauck trip. We are not usually "cruise folks" but it sounds like this is a very good way to see this area and those cities.