Avalon - how dressy in the evenings?

[JerseyGem]

DH and I have only cruised on GCT and Vantage. A friend is going on her first river cruise soon- on Avalon- and asked me for packing advice. I've heard that Avalon is a more upscale line, so I don't know how to advise her about evening attire. Will basic black slacks with an assortment of nice tops be OK for dinners or do ladies dress up more. If it's warm, are capris OK for dinners? Are there special nights (like a Welcome Dinner or Farewell Dinner)? For her husband, will he be required to have a jacket and tie?

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks! Lynn

[Kenato]

Would not call it more upscale. Dress is casual for dinner with very few wearing jackets and ties or Fancy dresses for women. Shorts are not allowed but capris for women seemed to be ok. Not much additional effort for the "special dinners"

 

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

[amd1234]

We usually cruise with Uniworld but two years ago there was a last minute deal( three weeks before departure) we grabbed it. Itinerary Paris to Normandy on the Creativity. Absolutely wonderful.. Except for Captain's night and Farewell dinner its pretty casual for dinner. A few suit jackets but majority of gentlemen wore nice golf shirts or long sleeve dress shirts.We are leaving in two weeks Uniworld two weeks Rhine and Moselle. Black capris and black long slacks and i have a black dress that I can add different jewelry and a few scarfs. White slacks and a few tops also in my pile. Pack a pashmina shawl to wear in the dining room it gets cool... Have a wonderful time! :)

[Floridiana]

With the variable weather on your itinerary, you might need the scarves on land. From heat wave to cold rain, anything is possible.

[Got2Cruise]

On our Avalon cruises folks did get dressed up more than usual on the special occasion dinners. Maybe a long sleeved button down shirt for gents, ladies wore a nice top with slacks or skirt, or pretty but not fancy dress.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[JerseyGem]

Thanks for the quick responses! My friend doesn't want to pack a dress or skirts (too much hassle), so she'll be happy to hear that pants are OK. Plus her husband is casual- no jacket or ties like on ocean cruising!

 

Lynn

[Hoyaheel]

I didn't notice any difference on "special" evenings. We did a Christmas Markets cruise, so definitely no shorts or capris, but I did see some jeans in the evening. Mostly khakis or cords, shirt & sweater. I'm a dress wearer and I was literally the only person wearing a skirt/dress most of the time. Once I saw another woman wearing a skirt and got so excited - it was our local (German) tour guide :hearteyes:

[for evenings, I alternated black pants & top & scarf with a black merino dress & scarf - I packed fairly lightly that trip]

[joy2travel]

Did Basel to Amsterdam in June with Avalon and dress was quite casual even on the captains and farewell dinner. I took along a simple black dress but did not wear it. Most wore pants with a nice top or capris.

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Have done 2 on Avalon in fall. Dresses and "evening chic" were worn on both, definitely some very nicely dressed ladies and many sport coats on gents. I think it's a function of age group on board; many experienced, older travelers do change and dress for dinner. I typically pack black pencil skirt and pleated skirt in sheer wool, with a variety of tops and layers, since DR is usually cool. I have dressy flats. Daytime is just touring clothing. One of those things - the better acquainted everyone becomes, the more festive the evenings become, and I want to dress up!! When I feel anonymous, it's easier to go "incognito!" True story!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Rebel54]

On ours last year we had a mixture of pants, dresses, business casual and even one guy that only wore shorts and tshirts. Not once did I ever see him get sent away and no one cared what anyone else was wearing, as far as I knew.