Viking Attire

Good Afternoon,

My Parents are taking their first River Cruise with Viking for an April sailing for the Windmills and Tulips. We have read that during the day it is more of a comfortable site seeing attire. What about for Dinner in the dining room is it more of polo and slacks? jeans and polo? slacks with shirt? tie? suits?

I frequent other boards on CC and have noticed that the River Cruises get very little movement is there another board or site I can search for additional information?

Evenings are usually very casual also - although many people change after being out all day. I'd say its more polo and slacks - rarely a jacket or tie. First Viking RC, DH wore a jacket to dinner the first night and that was the one and only time!! This past Christmas Markets cruise he didn't even take a dress jacket!

Many men wear button down shirts and the women often a slightly fancier top. A scarf and some jewelry often help "dress-up" a plain top that can be used 2 or 3 or more evenings!

Hope this helps!! And hope your parents enjoy their cruise!!!

I sure hope that jeans (not the ratty or torn type) worn with a nice shirt for men or pretty top for women, are also acceptable for dinner, or I am going to have a real problem with my DH!:eek:

I was concerned over the proper attire for dinner on our first Vking cruise this past Nov. We attended a Viking meeting one day before we cruised, held by a Viking representative and she said that jeans are most certainly accepted. I then read on here that they were not accepted. I brought dress slacks just in case. I ended up in jeans for most dinners and so did my husband. Many guests did the same. I think just a nicer top and jeans is all that is required. There are a couple of nights where dressier attire is appropriate.

My husband and I were on the Viking Danube cruise last year, and we're doing another Viking cruise this year. On our cruise last year, during the day (for breakfast, lunch, and tours and hanging around the ship), I'd say that people dressed pretty casually but not scruffily. Shorts, capris for women, khakis, and jeans would all be fine, but it was so hot, I'm not sure that many people wore jeans.

I don't remember seeing any shorts or jeans at dinner, but maybe someone did wear them. For dinner, I remember men wearing nice non-jean pants and a woven shirt, though there might have been some polo shirts. I worn nice non-jean pants and a little cotton sweater, but there were probably some women in skirts or casual dresses, too. At the Captain's dinner, many men wore blazers, but on other nights, I saw very few blazers. I never saw any suits on any nights. For the Captain's dinner, women dressed up a bit, but no one wore formal clothes. I wore a casual dress.

Sorry - I should have added that many for dinner wore jeans - including me!!! Our last cruise was the beginning of December and chilly so jeans, sweaters, turtlenecks were the "uniform of the day" with perhaps just a slight step up in the evening.

A few pair of jeans and a pair or two of nice slacks for each of us it will be!!

Perfect! Thank you all so much!

Please no jeans. Blazers are not necessary. The dress is 'Country Club Casual' Nice shirt, sweater, dress slacks. IN april my wife and I will be on our 6th RiverCruise. We will be on The Forseti for the Chateaux, River & Wines cruise. It has been my experience both with Viking & Grand Circle that I very rarely seen jeans being worn for dinner. jeans are okay for the day touring but dinner it is not my recommendation. Not being stuffy just advising from my past experiences.

Please no jeans. Blazers are not necessary. The dress is 'Country Club Casual' ...

I can't find that description anywhere on the Viking website, what I can find is the following:

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What clothes should I bring?

We recommend you bring comfortable walking shoes and modest, casual clothing for exploring ashore. Dinner attire is casual, open-necked shirts, dresses; no suits or ties are required. Captain’s Welcome Dinners and Farewell Nights are dressier but not formal.

A comprehensive list of Packing Tips is available in the On the Ship section.

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'Casual' would seem to include jeans as far as I know?

Please no jeans. Blazers are not necessary. The dress is 'Country Club Casual' Nice shirt, sweater, dress slacks. IN april my wife and I will be on our 6th RiverCruise. We will be on The Forseti for the Chateaux, River & Wines cruise. It has been my experience both with Viking & Grand Circle that I very rarely seen jeans being worn for dinner. jeans are okay for the day touring but dinner it is not my recommendation. Not being stuffy just advising from my past experiences.

WOW!…..we leave for our first river cruise in 2 weeks and are very excited...let me apologize in advance for wearing jeans (i will make sure they are pressed neatly).

I think a lot has to do with your definition of "jeans"!! Let's face it, the word covers a wide range of pants from loose fitting work clothes to high-styled event clothes!!

A few years ago, on a Celebrity formal night, I saw a very stylish young woman - late 20s/early 30s with a great figure - in "depressed" jeans with "ripped" holes but with great high heels and a fab top - I'm sure her whole outfit cost zillions!! Her partner was in a white dinner jacket so they knew it was a formal night! Anyway, I'm sure she wasn't turned away from any place regardless of the "dress code"

Viking RC 2 years ago, a great couple we spent lots of time with admitted their TA had booked them sort of last minute and they hadn't done any research - thought it was more a barge cruise and only brought very casual jeans and T-Shirts. They ate dinner every evening at our table but never a problem from the staff!

Its the reason I suggested that the women might want to bring a scarf or some jewelry or even a shawl or a sweater or a thin "poncho" to dress up a basic top - and wear almost anything on the bottom - maybe not shorts - but on a Med cruise I - along with many women - did wear dress Capris to a casual OC dinner!

Just go - dress according to your style - and have a great time!!!!

This reply might make me seem "stuffy" or priggish but that is not my intention at all. As a young at heart and VERY active 64 year old, no one would ever consider me even remotely stuffy! Instead, I am trying to help the average Viking traveler better fit with their new surroundings by dressing with the respect that European and Asian destinations and their people absolutely deserve.

Why Americans feel that they can dress in such a casual manner when out in public has always bewildered really me. I lived in Europe for 6 years n the 1970's and have vacationed there untold times since then, including one Viking cruise and a booking on another to come in October. What I have found is that people in other parts of the world, and especially those in the Viking age groups, pride themselves on a neat and polished appearance. That does not include jeans at dinner or really at any time except the most casual. They are only commonly worn by teens and University students. Men wear nice pants (no shorts except at the beach), collared or polo shirts and sweaters. Women wear nice skirts, slacks (no capris or shorts except at the beach), blouses, sweaters and scarves as accessories. Often a blazer is casually tossed on as a jacket. Workout wear is for the gym or jogging ONLY.

In addition, jeans are the heaviest pants there are, and in these days of careful weighing of luggage and easily charged overage fees, why take heavy pants when Dockers type slacks are so much lighter and far more suitable? Jeans don't keep anyone warm when it is cold or cool when it is hot, either.

My final note concerns something that happened on my Viking cruise last year. Please, please, please don't come to the coffee/tea station in the morning or at any time without a shirt and wearing pants (in his case jeans) drooping below the belly. A man on our cruise in May did that EVERY morning, and it was so incredibly offensive. A Viking ship is not a place to wander about shirtless, unless you have abs like Matthew McConaghey!!

It is really all a matter of respect for yourselves and for your fellow man/woman. Dress with pride and respect, and you will be treated the same.

Thanks for reading, and if you are interested, I would be delighted to share my packing list. My husband and I were able to get everything needed for our cruise in a 21" rolling carry-on bag each. A large purse for me and a backpack for him completed our luggage. We looked neat and fashionable all week, too, with nary a pair of jeans in sight.

WOW!…..we leave for our first river cruise in 2 weeks and are very excited...let me apologize in advance for wearing jeans (i will make sure they are pressed neatly).

Don't bother with pressing, they will only wrinkle when packed. ;)

We've taken 4 river cruises and the clothing is very casual on board, and getting more so with each cruise. Few changed clothes for dinner, and attire was often jeans, slacks, capris., at the most a casual skirt. Even for the Captains dinner any and all was worn and fitted in.

I'm not sure where Ski Mama travels or what groups. But in our tours of Europe we've seen more European women dressing up in skinny jeans than Americans. The only difference is they wear high heels with them, and scarves are the main accent. Dresses are extremely few and far between in the cities we toured, including Rome and Paris. Perhaps it varies more with the season, we toured mainly Spring and Fall.

Also don't be afraid to pack / wear tennis shoes..they are also commonly worn by all. For us not accustomed to cobble-stone streets, flat soles are a must. Frankly 80% of those around us were in tennis or sport shoes during day touring.

I agree Milling. We were definitely not out of place wearing blue jeans in the ports that we visited on the Grand European Tour last fall. I don't believe the locals were any more dressed up than us Americans. I felt so bad for an older woman on our cruise. She was tiny and oh so dainty. She wore HEELS in every port and in the rain. She looked so uncomfortable and a couple of times I saw her twist her ankle wearing them on the cobblestones. She ended up walking so slow to watch her step. I felt so bad for her.

Thanks for reading, and if you are interested, I would be delighted to share my packing list. My husband and I were able to get everything needed for our cruise in a 21" rolling carry-on bag each. A large purse for me and a backpack for him completed our luggage. We looked neat and fashionable all week, too, with nary a pair of jeans in sight.

I would love to see your packing list. We travel light but never light enough. We're on the Viking Grand European (15 days) in August. Thanks

Why Americans feel that they can dress in such a casual manner when out in public has always bewildered really me.

I imagine they would do it to fit in with the rest of us over here in Europe ... :)

It has been a very long time since I was a teenager or a student, but jeans remain a very often worn part of my wardrobe as is the case for a huge percentage of my contemporaries.

I'm struggling to fit your description with the reality I experience every day over here in the UK and the rest of Europe.

We need to distinguish between simply being 'out in public' vs eating in a more upscale hotel/restaurant.

I travel between Texas and Europe every month and yes, most people would not dress for a higher end restaurant in Europe in the way they would for the same venue in Texas, but if you are simply out exploring the town there is nothing wrong with jeans anywhere in Europe.

The problem seems to be the desire to extend the 'upscale dining' style to the on-board dining with Viking.

Viking positions its dress-code as 'casual', it does not list 'smart casual' or 'country club casual', merely 'casual'.

As long as that is the case I fail to see a problem with people electing to wear jeans at dinner, that would seem to be the very essence of 'casual'.

Some may wish that the code was 'country club casual' but it isn't.

I do blame Viking to some extent though as they try to sell the cruises as a 'luxury' experience, but with a casual dress code. This has to be causing problems with people's expectation levels.

Gee...

When I first saw the thread heading "Viking Attire", my first thought was....

Fur tunic, one of those tin helmets with the horns out the sides, shield and sword, maybe a large battle axe or mace...

Seriously, though...

I am heading out in about three months on the "Imperial Jewels of China" trip...

...and I have been mulling over "what to pack"...

It will be June/July, so very hot and muggy...and the river cruise portion is really only 5 nights out of 17...

I had heard that this one was VERY casual--even to the point of wearing my cargo shorts to dinner...

So...I have been planning on taking only one pair of long slacks--for perhaps the night of the Opera and the night of the Peking Duck Dinner...but, the rest of the time to wear cargo shorts and golf shirts...

We also have the issue of being limited to 44 pounds of luggage due to the internal Chinese flights, so, the less clothes and lighter clothes packed, the better.

I have heard that this would be okay...

So, I am assuming that the dress standards on these China cruises are different than on, say, Europe river cruises...I cannot picture anyone would pack sports coats and long sleve shirts for China in the summer...

This reply might make me seem "stuffy" or priggish but that is not my intention at all. As a young at heart and VERY active 64 year old, no one would ever consider me even remotely stuffy! Instead, I am trying to help the average Viking traveler better fit with their new surroundings by dressing with the respect that European and Asian destinations and their people absolutely deserve.

Why Americans feel that they can dress in such a casual manner when out in public has always bewildered really me. I lived in Europe for 6 years n the 1970's and have vacationed there untold times since then, including one Viking cruise and a booking on another to come in October. What I have found is that people in other parts of the world, and especially those in the Viking age groups, pride themselves on a neat and polished appearance. That does not include jeans at dinner or really at any time except the most casual. They are only commonly worn by teens and University students. Men wear nice pants (no shorts except at the beach), collared or polo shirts and sweaters. Women wear nice skirts, slacks (no capris or shorts except at the beach), blouses, sweaters and scarves as accessories. Often a blazer is casually tossed on as a jacket. Workout wear is for the gym or jogging ONLY.

In addition, jeans are the heaviest pants there are, and in these days of careful weighing of luggage and easily charged overage fees, why take heavy pants when Dockers type slacks are so much lighter and far more suitable? Jeans don't keep anyone warm when it is cold or cool when it is hot, either.

My final note concerns something that happened on my Viking cruise last year. Please, please, please don't come to the coffee/tea station in the morning or at any time without a shirt and wearing pants (in his case jeans) drooping below the belly. A man on our cruise in May did that EVERY morning, and it was so incredibly offensive. A Viking ship is not a place to wander about shirtless, unless you have abs like Matthew McConaghey!!

It is really all a matter of respect for yourselves and for your fellow man/woman. Dress with pride and respect, and you will be treated the same.

Thanks for reading, and if you are interested, I would be delighted to share my packing list. My husband and I were able to get everything needed for our cruise in a 21" rolling carry-on bag each. A large purse for me and a backpack for him completed our luggage. We looked neat and fashionable all week, too, with nary a pair of jeans in sight.

We have been on over a dozen 3 week vacations to Europe in the last several years, and NEVER have jeans been looked down upon, in fact, they are usually

worn by a large number of stylish Europeans.

Especially if one is on the younger-looking side, with a slim physique, jeans are the style preferred by many. With an attractive top or sweater, and maybe a pretty scarf (although I often prefer a stylish turtleneck with a pretty piece of costume jewelry for myself), it can be an attractive style statement.

I plan on wearing dressier slax for most of the dinners on board, but I would certainly never give it a thought if someone at my table wore jeans, and I may in fact wear them for a few nights, as I am only bringing 2 pair of slax due to luggage limitations.

Some people on this board need to lighten up a bit!This is a dream vacation for many, and worrying about what others on the ship are wearing should not diminish your enjoyment. I am assuming that given the price of these cruises,and,,hopefully, some level of sophistication of its cruisers, people won't show up in dirty ot tattered jeans or shirts. But even if they did, I would not let it ruin my night.

I do agree, however, that the shirtless man at the coffee station was a buffoon.

Robin

So, I am assuming that the dress standards on these China cruises are different than on, say, Europe river cruises...I cannot picture anyone would pack sports coats and long sleve shirts for China in the summer...

Don't give it a second thought, the posts in the China thread are very clear on the point of keeping it causal.

To be honest though, even if you were going on a European river cruise with Viking the answer would still be the same, jackets definitely not required :)

Gee...

When I first saw the thread heading "Viking Attire", my first thought was....

 

Fur tunic, one of those tin helmets with the horns out the sides, shield and sword, maybe a large battle axe or mace...

Thank you Steve. I have been biting my tongue every time I see this tread with the same thought! "What's in your wallet?"

Well said Robin. A poster on another thread said that she remembers the people she has met on cruises but NOT what they wore. I agree.....well, except for the shirtless man at the coffee station!

We just cruised on the Rhine Getaway for Christmas, and jeans were by far the majority dress of the day and night. I never saw anyone dressed inappropriately, but jeans were worn more than any other article of clothing. Of course, the weather in December was much more "jeans" type of weather.

We are going to be on the Portraits of Southern France cruise in May, when I expect the weather to be much warmer than it was in December. I am a shorts kind of guy, so I will probably be wearing shorts to dinner at least once, depending on what my wife says.

We are going to be on the Portraits of Southern France cruise in May, when I expect the weather to be much warmer than it was in December. I am a shorts kind of guy, so I will probably be wearing shorts to dinner at least once, depending on what my wife says.

My DH always has shorts with him, but I "gently encourage" him to change into long pants for dinner. (His legs are pretty good, and I don't like the competition!!! :D )

The dining room on a river boat is usually air conditioned - so you might find it a bit cool in shorts.

Fran