Rhine River cruise - what to wear/pack

Taking a Viking cruise in 2 weeks on the Rhine. I’m getting frantic about what to wear/pack. I live in jeans, scrubs and a ponytail. I’m also short and chubby. Going with my sisters and their husbands. They are slender and always perfectly coiffed and attired. They never look out of place, but I often do.
What kind of clothes do I need to pack? I have a friend who went on one and said she wore pants and dressy tops for dinner. I don’t own a single dressy top. I’m not even sure what exactly one is! Help!

1 Like

If you are starting from scratch with cruise wear, take a look at the travelers collection at Chico’s. It’s all wrinkle free and mix and match. I don’t love their pants but the skirts, tops, and dresses all work really well and are very comfortable. https://www.chicos.com/store/category/travelers/cat40010/?sem=pmax&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx6aJ-bChhgMVDzgIBR25DwApEAAYASAAEgIJyvD_BwE

4 Likes

I haven’t been on a Rhine River cruise, but just have to say after reading your words, that you are you and your sisters are them and you should dress for you and your vibe not theirs!

Look at weather you need to prepare for and then the clothes that you like to wear. Take or purchase the better of the same. Your better jeans and tshirts and layers. Splurge on a pair of athletic shoes that are comfy but newer (break them in) so you’re comfortable but not the ratty old shoes. For “dress up” (how dressed up of occasions will there be?) I think you can also get away with some athleisure wear that is comfortable but presentable and nice. Maybe a nice pair of neutral leisure sandals that can be worn for the dress up times but also other times.
Something like this comes in petite and can be worn as is, with a pair of leggings, with a cardigan or additional top layer, with a pair of comfortable sandals or athletic shoes.

4 Likes

@coconuts I’m taking my first Rhine cruise in September and starting to think about similar issues…my lack of fashion sense combined with my “little teapot” body means I often feel grubby in social situations.

What do you have that you might wear to a decent restaurant for dinner? That’s probably fine. And the key is probably to exude confidence no matter what you’re wearing!

3 Likes

I also have a very casual wardrobe. Jeans, athletic pants, you won’t catch me in a dress. But I do travel and we cruise now and again. I’m always on the more casual side of any situation. So when someone says a “dressy top”, I call that just about anything but T-shirts. I wear a lot of fitted women’s tops, short sleeved, plain. You can get them just about anywhere. Or if you can find button down short sleeved tops, that’s dressy. Bring your newest pair of jeans and if you can, maybe a pair of pants that are not jeans.

I like to buy travel wear that doesn’t wrinkle. Do you think I’m ever going to iron something? No way! Good places to find this stuff: REI is awesome (if you can get their clothes before they sell out), Ann Taylor, even big stores like Macys, JC Penneys, Fred Meyer, women’s stores in malls. You don’t have to match the perfect dress of your sisters, just find something you like and are comfortable with.

I hate shopping so much! This reminds me that I need to go shopping for my trip to Europe this summer. Painful.

1 Like

I’ve been on a Rhine River cruise! It was in November.

We were on Viking, just to give context. Our friends went at the same time as you are.

It’s very casual. Not dressy.

I would expect warmer weather in June but as weather tends to be, it’s variable. Many, many places in Europe do not have air conditioning like the US but the ship will.

Are you doing any hotel stays in Switzerland or Amsterdam?

Be sure to be prepared for rain, the tours go on rain or shine.

I like Athleta clothing, they have some lightweight pants. I would purchase a couple of lightweight pants, they also sell them at Costco or Eddie Bauer and pair with a few tops.

As far as dinner attire, some of our dinner companions would change into a dressy top, I bought a few on Poshmark. But honestly usually wore what I wore all day. It was November and my clothing was stretchy athleta pants and a nice sweater.

Dress to be comfortable. For June I would find a few casual dresses.

But most importantly, wear comfortable shoes! You will walk miles and miles. A comfortable pair of sneakers! A comfort sandal!

6 Likes

We did Rhine Getaway Viking cruise in late Sept / early Oct week. Loved it! There was a variety of dress, more casual than I expected. A good resource that often talks about clothing (and many other topics) is FB group “Viking Rhine River Cruises”.

On the tours, anything goes for clothing. Lots of jeans. Europe is full of tourists and locals wearing sneakers and comfortable footwear. I purchased these zip of pants (in Petite size! dark grey) for the trip and wore them a lot. I probably wore them to dinner a few times when no chance to change. I also had a basic pair of black nicer pants and grey nicer pants and I think a black travel jumper.
https://www.rei.com/product/202518/rei-co-op-sahara-convertible-pants-womens

Often I’d shower before dinner, change to nicer clothes. Sometimes reused the shirt for a tour day. We did some hand wash in room. Hubby paid for 6 laundried polo shirts (we had part2 of trip in Italy afterward, each had a carry-on rollerbag a backpack) - I think $6.50 each.

Layers are important. Good to have a sweater that goes with most of your tops.

2 Likes

When I travel I like to add a blazer like this to an outfit which might be jeans, a skirt or dress or linen pants. I think the blazer makes me look more put together even when I am wearing a casual tshirt. I also wear white Taos leather sneakers since they look good with both pants or dresses.

5 Likes

You guys are my spirit animal. Please report back after your cruises. We plan on taking one in a couple of years and it’s the clothes that stress me out the most. I don’t even own anything dressy since Covid. I realize I’d rather make excuses to skip social events than shop.

3 Likes

We were on a Rhine plus Danube cruise last year on Viking. I would say it’s very casual but I wore black pants and nice tops for dinners in the dining room. Some people opted to dine on the deck outdoors where I would think clothes would be more casual. But if you are just going to be sitting with your sisters and family at dinners, will it matter? The dining tables vary in sizes but if you always choose a 6 person table, you will always be sitting with family.

3 Likes

The nice thing about a river cruise is small boat, easy walks everywhere. In theory it would be easy to wear high heels, but few people did. My feet are vulnerable to plantar fasciitis, so often back on the boat I wore Easy Spirit Traveltime (soft clogs). Mine are navy with dark soles. Also had flat sandals. I always wore grey sneakers (sprayed with waterproof spray from Walmart) on tours, but if it were rainy season I would have taken my low waterproof hiking boots instead.

1 Like

REI is having a sale right now, so if you are interested in their stuff, act quickly. They will sell out of some sizes.

2 Likes

showmom agree with the fact that a blazer while traveling really elevates the look - and it can be a comfortable blazer, too.

I wore one recently on a flight I’ve taken many times (was bringing suits and blazers to leave with my daughter as she starts her ‘work life’ stage and wore one to save space). I was surprised that it seemed I got a little better service and was treated generally a bit better with that look (might have been my imagination but it seemed that way).

There are a lot of light-weight, non-wrinkle, packable blazers out there …

4 Likes

Good suggestion of a blazer. Also, a basic outfit of a black tee and dark (non-ripped!) jeans can be easily elevated with a colorful scarf.

Jeans are fine in Europe, but I’d leave the scrubs at home. :slight_smile:

4 Likes

I have these sandals in two colors, they are as comfortable as athletic shoes. I can walk for miles without socks and you can rinse them in the sink if they get dirty. Everyone’s feet are different, so try before you pack.

2 Likes

Black pants, maybe plus a long dress for onboard evenings, and various tops, jewelry, scarves. Comfy clothes and shoes for excursions. There are no “formal” captains dinners. Have fun!!
P.S. JC Penneys has some fabulous “dressy” tops, perfect for this. Especially Liz Claiborne ones.

1 Like

OOh have fun! And maybe go check on the “other” cc (cruise critic) and see what they say there.

I have these Teva Tirra sandals that are fantastic for hiking and walking long distances. I hiked a ten mile hike in the crater in Maui with these, and have put many miles on them. No blisters, nothing pressing down on your toes. They even look kind of dressy if you have a pedicure.

https://www.teva.com/women-sandals/tirra-sandal/4266.html?dwvar_4266_color=BKBK

3 Likes

We went on a Rhine river cruise in June 2019, and I was not prepared for the amount of rain we encountered. I’d recommend a lightweight rain jacket or poncho (with hood), an umbrella and shoes that can get wet (not necessarily waterproof but at least ones that won’t be ruined by getting wet).

2 Likes

I’ve been a Teva Tirra fan for many years. Probability have owned them in every available color. Look great and soooo comfortable!

1 Like