Dinner attire on Avalon

Could some of you experienced Avalon cruisers tell a newbie how dressy dinners will be? Do woman wear dresses? Should my husband bring a sport coat?

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We are about to pack for a May 22nd Rhine cruise leaving from Basel.

Patty

We have been on 4 Avalon cruises and most folks do not dress up except for the last night and then some men wear a sports jacket (mine never did) and women may have dresses. I took 1 or 2 black skirts and on pair of dressy slacks and then wore nice tops with them. My husband wore nice slacks and a shirt. Some days when we got in late from touring, people just went in to the drining room in what they wore for touring.

Avalon has a very relaxed atmosphere. Have a wonderful trip!

We have been on 2 Avalon cruises and I agree with Pat.

We travel in late fall and winter so I pack dress slacks and turtlenecks as well as one knee length skirt to wear with boots. If I were traveling in May I would pack a dress or two as I like to wear dresses.

My husband wears nice slacks and shirts/sweaters. He packed a sport coat the first time and wore it once. Last year it stayed home.

We pack light as we travel independently pre and post and use public transport - the lighter the better for us.

We will be travelling Avalon later this month ending up in Vienna. Will DH be able to wear nice shirt and slacks to an optional concert? We like to travel light and hope to leave sportscoat home.

We will be travelling Avalon later this month ending up in Vienna. Will DH be able to wear nice shirt and slacks to an optional concert? We like to travel light and hope to leave sportscoat home.

Yes, a nice shirt and slacks are fine. Sportcoat NOT necessary.

I agree with all! Casual, and no need for a sportcoat, my husband was in heaven! We went in Oct/Nov so some nights he wore a sweater and slacks, others a long sleeve shirt with the slacks. I wore black slacks with different tops.

Casual, casual, casual. River cruising attire is not even close to Ocean cruises. Take comfortable, casual clothing and don't' get concerned about wearing the same clothing multiple times.

IMO, bring a sport coat (or a suit) for the final night Captain's Dinner is completely unnecessary. The 10%-15% of men who did dress up for the last night usually feel overdressed and out of place.

Currently on the Affinity. Multiple people wore T-shirts to the welcome dinner. Shorts appear to be okay too.

Are shorts for men appropriate in the cities such as Prague, Budapest etc, etc.

Thanks

FAU

Are shorts for men appropriate in the cities such as Prague, Budapest etc, etc.

 

Thanks

 

FAU

Plenty of tourists wear them but you will stand out as an American, Aussie, etc. Europeans usually wear jeans or trousers.

Thanks for your prompt reply.

FAU

This is our first ever cruise of any type. This is a female question...Do I need a pair of heels? We are on the Avalon Vista 28th May but we fly out in 9 days time, so we are currently in the middle of packing. Before the cruise we are doing a 2 week Cosmos Bus trip. We're trying not to over pack. Will we really look like tourists if we wear shorts? Would appreciate your advice. Thanks.

No, you do not have to take heels. I have a pair of wedge sandals that I wear to the 'fancy' dinners. Beware if you do wear heels and dance after dinner. Last year I had wedge sandals that were slip-on, fell and broke my foot. This year any shoes that I take will have straps.

Last year I wore knee-length shorts and didn't stand out. This year I am taking these 'shorts'.

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This is our first ever cruise of any type. This is a female question...Do I need a pair of heels? We are on the Avalon Vista 28th May but we fly out in 9 days time, so we are currently in the middle of packing. Before the cruise we are doing a 2 week Cosmos Bus trip. We're trying not to over pack. Will we really look like tourists if we wear shorts? Would appreciate your advice. Thanks.

Definitely no heels needed. I pack one pair of good walking sandals, and one pair of walking sneakers. Lots of walking on cobblestone streets.

No heels. I'm taking 2 pair of good Sketchers walking shoes and one pair of flat "Mary Janes" with a strap. That's about as dressy a shoe I'm taking. At my age, I'm all for comfort.

No heels! Be comfy....

Shoes are the critical item on river cruises. As everyone has said, the cobblestones are an uneven surface and good traction and support is crucial. Comfort and safety are what is important.

We wear one pair of sneakers on the plane and pack another old pair. If it is raining at a port we wear the old sneakers but one pair is always dry. At the end of the voyage the old sneakers are thrown away.

For dinner I wear black slacks that travel well and have a couple of long sleeve tops (think dressy tee shirt style) that can't be crushed. I wear a pair of black ballet flats. Maybe you'll want to purchase a scarf; I've worn mine as a shawl.

rest of my wardrobe is 2 cargo pants/capris and about 5-7 cotton tee shirts. Both of us use backpacks.

He takes 5-7 "travel" shirts that are long sleeved but can be rolled up. He saves a white one and a light blue one for dinners. He washes them when he showers, wrings them out, hangs them up and they are good to go the next day.

His pants are also travel pants, ie. REI or Columbia. His dinner shoes are top sider type. No suit coat or blazer ever needed on board. .

You're on vacation; pack lightly. Don't worry about your wardrobe! No one else notices what you're wearing.

Thank you for all the advice. I think I better go and repack my bag!!

One more question for my other half. Does he need dressy black shoes for dinner attire, or any of the fancy dinners? So, no blazer needed either?

Thanks again.

Thanks everyone as this could not be more timely, just taking a break from packing now. We leave on Thursday for our May 4th Avalon cruise and have found all your answers most helpful. Will delete some of the items out of my luggage :)

Ellen

One more question for my other half. Does he need dressy black shoes for dinner attire, or any of the fancy dinners? So, no blazer needed either?

Thanks again.

No, men dont need jacket of blazer on Avalon cruises, like others have said, smart casual is all you need for dinners. He shouldnt need dressy blck shoes either. I could count on one hand the amount of men that wore a jacket and even less a tie, even to the special dinners. The only thing that wasnt allowed was men eearing shorts into the dining room of an evening, we saw a couple of men having to go and change.

as i said in my previous post, he wears deck shoes (top siders type) without socks. They are safe to wear even if he climbs to the top deck after dinner.

One more question for my other half. Does he need dressy black shoes for dinner attire, or any of the fancy dinners? So, no blazer needed either?

Thanks again.

My hubby wears Ecco brand brown lace up walking shoes. They look fine with khakis. He also brings a pair of black shoes to wear when he wears black pants. Plus he brings running shoes because he works out in the workout room and runs when we get to port, but that is optional. Check out Ecco brand shoes, they are stylish, yet comfortable. I wear the ladies versions.

NO dressy black shoes or jacket required, my shoes for trip were 2 pair of track shoes (one smart , one rough for wet days), one pair of smart boat shoes, short sleeved shirts and polos. Couple of casual long pants for evening and long shorts for the rest of the time and daily tours. That was for July sailing. Packing same again for another Avalon sailing this July.

IMO, one's personal taste is the main consideration.

We dress nicely for dinner as that is our preference. For us, on vacation cocktail hour and a leisurely dinner is our time to enjoy each other's company and something we look forward to. No jeans, track shoes, etc. as that is simply not our style.

YMMV