Viking River Cruise on Skirnir - Grand European Tour. What to wear for dinner?

My husband and I are going on our first ever Viking River Cruise in June - The Grand European Tour. We'll be cruising on the ship Skirnir. Since this is our first time we have questions. For example:

• What do most passengers wear for dinner? Can you wear jeans and t-shirts? Or is it best to wear dressy attire?
  
• How did you cope with the vast time difference? Our departure is from Minneapolis.
  
• Since we are flying and can only take so much clothing, is it expensive to have the ships crew do your laundry? Did you wash some of your own clothing then hung to dry?
  
• How was the food?
  
• Anyone sail on the ship Skirnir?
  
• When you were touring off the ship, did you get sick from eating in any of the restaurants?
  

Sorry for all of the questions. Just trying to avoid any pitfalls.

 

 

I didn't see any roll calls for any of the Viking River Cruises on this website. If there is one, can you please let us know.

 

 

Thanks!

Videolady

Moved to main River Cruising forum as questions apply to most Viking river cruises.

For dinner, most passengers dress somewhere between dressy and jeans. There were a few times that we had a long afternoon of touring with not much time between getting back on the ship and time for dinner. On those evenings, a lot of people wore whatever they had on during the day. Sometimes I'd see a few men in shorts at dinner, but I don't recall ever seeing a woman in shorts then, except for a teenager.

 

Everyone has their favorite way of coping with jet lag. I left from St. Louis through Detroit to Amsterdam. I start touring the day I arrive without taking a nap, then I have an early dinner and go to bed early. It's the return to the U.S. that gets to me.

 

I washed some of my own clothes and hung them in the bathroom. There was a clothes line in the shower that could be pulled out. I also wore some things more than once, especially jeans. I thought it was kind of expensive to have laundry done, but you might think differently. Here is a link to Viking's charges for laundry in Europe:

http://wpc.475d.edgecastcdn.net/00475D/PDF/Europe_440202019.pdf

 

I thought the food was good, but I'm not a foodie.

 

You don't have to worry about getting sick from the food in European restaurants any more than you would have to worry about it in the U.S.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on your trip.

Thank you so much for your input! We are so looking forward to our river cruise. If you don't mind, have one more question. Do most female passengers carry a purse with them on the tours? Now days you hear so much about thief that you can't help wonder what is best for security.

sitting around after dinner on a Viking Longship in typical dinner attire - 'cept the one in shorts, he changed - jeans would be on the more casual side but nice jeans you could get away with ... and nice shorts were even seen occasionally but for the most part women in capris/slacks a few skirts and men in dockers w/ polo or 'fishing' shirt (collared) was the norm

 

 

 

dw used a sort of mini backpack for the tours but purses were not unusual.

 

 

She carried no cash, just 'boat card' and a picture ID usually, camera sunscreen tissues sunglasses etc .... I had the cash and credit cards in pockets of cargo shorts on most tours ....

I would advise you to wear resort attire on the river cruise and even bring 1 fancy top to wear on a special night for Captain's dinner. Personally, I prefer to wear a sundress with a lightweight jacket if it is warm out - it's more comfortable and cooler than jeans or shorts. As to purses - heck no. Not only for security, but just because they are a pain in the butt to carry around. Put your stuff in a hidden pocket in your lightweight jacket such as this one:

https://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Maddie_Cardigan.shtml

or even

https://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Deborah_Dress.shtml

or

https://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Chloe-Hoodie.shtml

even a trench coat can be useful on the Rhine:

https://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Womens-Trench.shtml

 

Leave all good jewelry at home and only wear obviously fake stuff.

 

If you carry a purse you take the risk of being dragged, plus the weight of it will get very wearing during the day. You are far better off with concealed pocket garments. Thieves can't immediately figure out where you stuff is, so they move on to easier prey. Also, if you look like you might be a business person, they usually skip over you because they think tourists carry a lot of cash, whereas a business person wouldn't.

We took the Grand European Tour on Viking last June and had a wonderful time.

 

Dinner is very casual. If you dress Business Casual, you'll be on the best dressed list. I wore a polo shirt and slacks or jeans almost everyday with a good pair of walking shoes or deck shoes.

 

Laundry is on the expensive side. A good rule of thumb is to rotate your outfits and wear a pair of slacks/jeans 3 times and tops twice. Maximize your luggage with clothes and forget the extra stuff. Make sure you bring a lightweight waterproof rain jacket. My wife did a lot of research and we bought Marmet brand rain jackets. You can roll them up and place them in a bag or purse. You can expect rain in the lowlands and Germany can be unpredictable. We did luck out and had almost all sunny days after we sailed out of The Netherlands. The rain jackets came in very handy in Kinderdijk. It was drizzle the entire time we were there.

 

I found the food to be excellent. I'm no foodie and can be a fussy eater, but there was always something on the menu that I really enjoyed. BTW If you can't make up your mind on the dessert menu, the staff is more than happy to offer you more than one. Just ask.

 

Food in European restaurants is as safe as the US.

 

One suggestion; make sure to take the optional tour in Cologne of the Bruhl UNESCO Palaces. The tile work at the Falconry Hunting Lodge was amazing and the rococo architecture of the Grand Staircase at Augustusburg Castle rivals the Wurzburg Bishop's Residenz.

 

Also, some people on the trip took the Munich and Salzburg optional tours and were disappointed because it involves an all day coach ride and the amount of time at the destinations was too short. You are better off with the included tours, or optional tours closer to the ship on those days

 

Have a great adventure.

Edited April 27, 2017 by OneSixtyToOne
Spelling correction

My husband and I did Vikings Tulips and Windmills on the Skirnir the first two weeks in May 2016. Everything about it was fabulous. We had a veranda room which was well worth it.

I would think jeans would be too warm in June and no one wore them at all on our first river cruise in Sept 2015 in Germany.Last May, some men and women wore jeans and tee shirts at lunch but not dinner nor was dinner really dressy. Men wore slacks and a nice shirt, ladies "dressed up "outfits with a nice scarf and jewelry.

A crossbody bag is a must for daily excursions. I highly recommend Travelon's quilted polyester RFID crossbody with wire in shoulder strap. I took mine on last two river cruuses and will again in Sept on Viking's Paris to the Swiss Alps with Glacier Express extension. We each took a carryon with one checked bag for both. But our friends going this time and on first cruise take ONLY a carryon each. We could not survive 18 days like that but they make it work.

Do not nap when you arrive. Explore the city and get to bed early. We weren't tired at all coming from Boston On our first trip we arrived in Prague late so just had dinner and went to bed. Food was delicious both on and off the ship.Have a great time!

quote=videolady;52908268]My husband and I are going on our first ever Viking River Cruise in June - The Grand European Tour. We'll be cruising on the ship Skirnir. Since this is our first time we have questions. For example:

• What do most passengers wear for dinner? Can you wear jeans and t-shirts? Or is it best to wear dressy attire?
  
• How did you cope with the vast time difference? Our departure is from Minneapolis.
  
• Since we are flying and can only take so much clothing, is it expensive to have the ships crew do your laundry? Did you wash some of your own clothing then hung to dry?
  
• How was the food?
  
• Anyone sail on the ship Skirnir?
  
• When you were touring off the ship, did you get sick from eating in any of the restaurants?
  

Sorry for all of the questions. Just trying to avoid any pitfalls.

 

 

I didn't see any roll calls for any of the Viking River Cruises on this website. If there is one, can you please let us know.

 

 

Thanks!

Videolady

My husband and I did Vikings's Tulips and Windmills river cruise in Holland and Belgium the first 2 weeks in May 2016 aboard the Skirnir. Everything about the trip was fantastic. We had a veranda room and it was worth the extra. Our friends have done the standard rooms and also been happy with them. All new longships have the same most comfy queen beds and great bathrooms

We had also done the Elegant Elbe the previous Sept 2015. I did not see anyone with jeans on that trip. But on the Skirnir. which accommodated more,jeans and tees were worn on excursions by some men and women who then wore them to lunch. But no one wore them to dinner. Dinner on a river cruise is more casual than an ocean cruise. Men wear slacks and a nice shirt and women " dress up" with scarves and jewelry and better shoes than sneakers.

I highly recommend using Travelons's quilted polyester RFID crossbody bag with wire in strap for excursions I used mine on both trips and will also this Sept on Viking's Paris to the Swiss Alps with Glacier Express extension in Switzerland. At dinner on board I use a small handbag and lock the other in the room safe as your room gets tidyed up twice daily. Never heard of any thefts but best to be safe than sorry. Our friends carry hidden wallets on neck cords under their clothing.

They also only bring carryons while we also check 1 bag for both of us esp for an 18 day trip. Laundry service is fairly reasonable if needed. So far we have not.

Upon arrival do not nap. Rick Steves, the well known traveler, recommends going out to check out the town. That's what we did in Amsterdam when arrived on board at 10 am. On the first trip we didn't arrive at Prague hotel until 7 pm so went out to dinner then to bed for the night. In either case we did not have jet lag.

Viking has always been wonderful so we have not tried any other cruise line. Have a fantastic trip!

..Dinner on a river cruise is more casual than an ocean cruise. Men wear slacks and a nice shirt and women " dress up" with scarves and jewelry and better shoes than sneakers...

I agree with your clothing description, with some exceptions when an afternoon tour ran late. I'm not sure what ocean lines you cruise, but on mass market lines (eg RCI, Celebrity, etc) I see a lot more sloppy dress than I see on river boats. But there is never a need for anything approaching formal on river boats.

River cruise roll calls are the second subforum under roll calls "All River Cruise Roll Calls".

The OP asked about jet lag. We live in the Pacific time zone so have a 9 hr time diff for most of the places we go to in Europe. Also, I sometimes travel to the UAE on business with an 11 or 12 hour diff depending on the time of year so I have to deal with significant time changes fairly often.

 

I do several things to deal with jet lag and the combo really works for me:

 

- What I think is most important is that I take a homeopathic product called No Jet Lag - a little pill I chew every 2 hrs when I am awake (tastes fine). Why this works is a mystery to me and if it is all a placebo I don't care since it does benefit me.

- On the plane I use 0.5 of a Benadryl to get some sleep. Much better than sleeping pills for me.

- When I arrive I try to stay up as close to the local bedtime as I can and try to arrange for a good sleep in the next AM ( not always possible on business trips but when you can leave the alarm off and wake naturally it seems to work better).

- At bedtime in the new time zone I take one whole Benadryl and 3 mg of Melatonin. I have another 3 mg of Melatonin next to the bed and take that if I wake up before 3:30 am local time (if I take it later than that I am groggy in the AM). I repeat this for 3 nights in the new time zone.

 

I realize this is a lot of steps and products but I rarely experience jet lag. Several others who have tried it have had similar results.

 

But a caveat: You must check with your Naturopath or MD before you try this to ensure these options are ok for you. I have no medical background so can only share what I have learned based on what works for me.

The OP asked about jet lag. We live in the Pacific time zone so have a 9 hr time diff for most of the places we go to in Europe. Also, I sometimes travel to the UAE on business with an 11 or 12 hour diff depending on the time of year so I have to deal with significant time changes fairly often.

 

I do several things to deal with jet lag and the combo really works for me:

 

- What I think is most important is that I take a homeopathic product called No Jet Lag - a little pill I chew every 2 hrs when I am awake (tastes fine). Why this works is a mystery to me and if it is all a placebo I don't care since it does benefit me.

- On the plane I use 0.5 of a Benadryl to get some sleep. Much better than sleeping pills for me.

- When I arrive I try to stay up as close to the local bedtime as I can and try to arrange for a good sleep in the next AM ( not always possible on business trips but when you can leave the alarm off and wake naturally it seems to work better).

- At bedtime in the new time zone I take one whole Benadryl and 3 mg of Melatonin. I have another 3 mg of Melatonin next to the bed and take that if I wake up before 3:30 am local time (if I take it later than that I am groggy in the AM). I repeat this for 3 nights in the new time zone.

 

I realize this is a lot of steps and products but I rarely experience jet lag. Several others who have tried it have had similar results.

 

But a caveat: You must check with your Naturopath or MD before you try this to ensure these options are ok for you. I have no medical background so can only share what I have learned based on what works for me.

 

Thank you for your input regarding jet lag. Hopefully it won't stop us from having the time of our lives!

- What I think is most important is that I take a homeopathic product called No Jet Lag - a little pill I chew every 2 hrs when I am awake (tastes fine). Why this works is a mystery to me and if it is all a placebo I don't care since it does benefit me

.

 

 

I have to also recommend this product. I took it on our cruise last August and felt no jet lag. I normally feel groggy for a couple of days.

 

I also went to bed earlier than usual and got up earlier for a week or so before.

 

We landed in Amsterdam at 7:45am after an overnight flight. We did a nearby museum while waiting for our hotel room to be ready.

 

When it was we settled in and rested a bit without sleeping. We headed out for dinner and had tickets for a concert that night. We walked to the Concertgebouw. After it we took a cab back and went to bed - around 11:30pm Netherlands time.

 

We got up about 8:30am the next morning. I also followed advice to drink lots of water and stay hydrated. I had with me rosemary oil, peppermint oil and lavender oil. The rosemary And peppermint will wake you up and the lavender will help you sleep. I would just dab a bit under my nose. Seemed to work great.

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

My husband and I are going on our first ever Viking River Cruise in June - The Grand European Tour. We'll be cruising on the ship Skirnir. Since this is our first time we have questions. For example:

 

• 
   
  
• What do most passengers wear for dinner? Can you wear jeans and t-shirts? Or is it best to wear dressy attire?
   
  
• How did you cope with the vast time difference? Our departure is from Minneapolis.
   
  
• Since we are flying and can only take so much clothing, is it expensive to have the ships crew do your laundry? Did you wash some of your own clothing then hung to dry?
   
  
• How was the food?
   
  
• Anyone sail on the ship Skirnir?
   
  
• When you were touring off the ship, did you get sick from eating in any of the restaurants?
   
  

Sorry for all of the questions. Just trying to avoid any pitfalls.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't see any roll calls for any of the Viking River Cruises on this website. If there is one, can you please let us know.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Videolady

 

 

On our Rhine Getaway last August it was HOT. At dinner men mostly wore polo/golf or short sleeved woven shirts and Dockers. Women wore skirts, pants or capris with light knit tops. Some wore casual dresses.

 

I brought LL Bean tee shirts and a couple of even lighter weight ones. I had black Bermuda shorts for day and black pants for dinner. I also had a black light weight knit skirt from Toad & Co that I brought in case I needed a skirt for the cathedrals (I didn't). I got a lot of wear out of it because it was cooler than the shorts. Keep it in mind [emoji2]

 

I wore a tee shirt with a scarf or a necklace for dinner with the pants, then I wore it again with shorts for excursions. I was able to rinse out the lighter weight ones in the sink and I got 3 wearings out of those.

 

The food was great. We did the buffet for breakfast and lunch and enjoyed all the options.

 

We were on the Mani but the longships are all similar.

 

We ate several times off the ship and pre and post cruise with no issue and found great food!

 

Because there are only 190 passengers on each it's not easy to find people on your same cruise. We had general roll calls for the itinerary - Rhine Getaway 2016.

 

Hope you have as wonderful a time as we had!

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

I just returned from this same trip.

 

My jet lag idea is to get out in the daylight as much as possible when you arrive; stay awake until as close to bedtime as you can manage that first night. I find I do fine -- fueled by excitement and adrenaline. That first morning you will likely wake up very early -- take advantage of it and get out for some dawn photos.

 

I was surprised how casual the dinner dress was, especially as the days ticked by and the temps rose. There were a few men that were *very* casual (plain Ts with logos on the back; shorts); most wore khakis and polo shirts. Women wore everything to dinner -- skirts, dresses, capris, slacks. No "bling" or anything terribly fancy.

 

I thought the food was presented beautifully; prepared well; tasted good with an occasional home run; and an occasional bust. They are so accommodating. I always asked for a small Caeser salad; and mashed potatoes instead of various options (french fries or rice). One person at our table always asked for a double portion of meat. I never heard of them not accommodating a reasonable request. My fave meal was breakfast (the yogurt!).

 

I had some laundry done because of the unexpected warm weather -- I think pants were $6. I washed out some small things in the sink and hung them on the line in the shower. (Tip: if your items aren't drying fast enough, leave on the bathroom lights, crank up the floor heat, and shut the door for a bit).

 

It's an awesome trip -- I was a rookie and had no idea what to expect.

Jet lag wise, everyone is different. I rarely have a problem flying to Europe from the US, but I'm in the minority. I just do as dogsarepeopletoo suggested - get out in the sun and do some walking! I have found that taking a short nap of an hour mid day helps as well - but no more than that! Being on a schedule will help as well to get you out of bed in the morning. Plus, in the summer time, its so light out early that its easy to get up and going.

 

I have found that I've had the worst time sleeping on the second night - I just accept it, and eventually nod off.

 

I have a horrible time flying back to US, and usually end up with brain fog for a good two to three days.

I have a horrible time flying back to US, and usually end up with brain fog for a good two to three days.

 

Me, too. It's Friday; we got home Monday and I still feel like I have lead boots on. I am on the west coast so it is a 9-hour time difference. We traveled with another couple; two of us came down with whopper coughs and general ickiness so that could be part of our sloggy feeling.

Me, too. It's Friday; we got home Monday and I still feel like I have lead boots on. I am on the west coast so it is a 9-hour time difference. We traveled with another couple; two of us came down with whopper coughs and general ickiness so that could be part of our sloggy feeling.

 

Ugh. I only have to fly to Chicago. I did do a quick four day trip to Denver and back (I'm based in Düsseldorf for work) for a family event, and it was pretty torturous while I was there, and took me a bit longer to adjust when I got back than normal.

 

I have found that either direction, my stomach always knows what time it is in my home time zone, and behaves accordingly. There's a lot of late night snacking :)

To your pickpocket question:

Pickpockets concentrate on large cities with crowded tourist places and train stations. They usually work in teams with one person asking a question to distract you while a second person picks your pockets. A third may walk off with the loot. Sometimes tourists take pictures and pay no attention to their surroundings. Small towns in Germany rarely have a pick pocket problem.

I always travel with a cross body bag, not reinforced and no steel mesh or anything that makes it heavier than necessary. If we are in between hotels, I have all valuables in the bag and have never lost anything from Buenos Aires to Berlin. The bag has a zipper that is covered with a large flap.

Thank you so much for your input! We are so looking forward to our river cruise. If you don't mind, have one more question. Do most female passengers carry a purse with them on the tours? Now days you hear so much about thief that you can't help wonder what is best for security.

 

Most women do carry purses on tours but not all.

 

We have done 6 Viking cruises and so far as I know no one was pickpocketed on them. But I am sure it happens.

 

I have friends who did a Viking trip to Russia and two guests were pickpocketed in the same way. They were on the subway and had small backpacks.

 

The thieves unzipped them and got their wallets out.

My husband and I are going on our first ever Viking River Cruise in June - The Grand European Tour. We'll be cruising on the ship Skirnir. Since this is our first time we have questions. For example:

• What do most passengers wear for dinner? Can you wear jeans and t-shirts? Or is it best to wear dressy attire?
  
• How did you cope with the vast time difference? Our departure is from Minneapolis.
  
• Since we are flying and can only take so much clothing, is it expensive to have the ships crew do your laundry? Did you wash some of your own clothing then hung to dry?
  
• How was the food?
  
• Anyone sail on the ship Skirnir?
  
• When you were touring off the ship, did you get sick from eating in any of the restaurants?
  

Sorry for all of the questions. Just trying to avoid any pitfalls.

 

 

I didn't see any roll calls for any of the Viking River Cruises on this website. If there is one, can you please let us know.

 

 

Thanks!

Videolady

 

The laundry prices are somewhere on the Viking website. We used them before and found them reasonable but not cheap. Can't remember prices. Usually wash things out and dry them in room.

 

Should you be in a suite of any type, the laundry is free unless you request same day service.

Thank you so much for your input! We are so looking forward to our river cruise. If you don't mind, have one more question. Do most female passengers carry a purse with them on the tours? Now days you hear so much about thief that you can't help wonder what is best for security.

 

It seems like most women carried a backpack purse or a small cross-body bag. I carried a backpack purse for sunscreen, lip balm, hairbrush, etc. but carried my wallet in my large camera bag which buckles closed.

 

I didn't see many handbags carried by their handles or slung over a shoulder.

What do most passengers wear for dinner? Can you wear jeans and t-shirts? Or is it best to wear dressy attire

It might depend on the time of year, but on our Viking cruise (November), most people seemed to change after tours before dinner. I don't remember seeing anyone in jeans, but I'm sure some folks wore them. My husband wore khaki pants or slacks w/polo shirt or long sleeve button down shirt. I wore slacks w/nice-ish top, skirt w/nice-ish top (you get the picture). It was what most folks wore on our cruise. Viking is NOT super dressy, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. My husband and I are both in our 40's...we aren't fans of shorts, so even if it was warm out, we wouldn't have worn them to dinner - just our personal preference though.

 

How did you cope with the vast time difference? Our departure is from Minneapolis.

My husband adapts seamlessly with any time differences when we travel - I don't know how he does it! I really, REALLY try to sleep on the flight across and when we arrive, I make every attempt to STAY awake and get in sync with the current time. It can be hard, but I find keeping hydrated and getting outside and walking around to help a lot.

 

Since we are flying and can only take so much clothing, is it expensive to have the ships crew do your laundry? Did you wash some of your own clothing then hung to dry?

It isn't cheap to have Viking do your laundry...the price list should be on the Viking website. That didn't surprise me though - I'm the queen of packing light, and I don't mind hand washing a few items when I travel. I did wash a few things in the sink on our Viking cruise, and they dried on a hanger in a short period of time.

 

How was the food?

We thought the food was good...but it's one of those things, where everyone is different.

 

When you were touring off the ship, did you get sick from eating in any of the restaurants?

Nope. Never. Aside from our cruise, we've traveled extensively all over Europe and South America and we've never gotten sick.

 

Do most female passengers carry a purse with them on the tours?

No...nobody seemed to carry their purse with them on the tours. My husband would take his wallet, but I typically didn't take anything. And again, in our experience with traveling in Europe and South America...maybe we are lucky, but we've never been pickpocketed. Just our experience though.

It seems like most women carried a backpack purse or a small cross-body bag. I carried a backpack purse for sunscreen, lip balm, hairbrush, etc. but carried my wallet in my large camera bag which buckles closed.

 

I didn't see many handbags carried by their handles or slung over a shoulder.

 

I tried to remember but wasn't sure, so I went to our pictures of the most recent trip in Europe, Viking to Portugal in September of the last year. I found a group photo as we were touring Porto. Every single woman (about 15) in the picture was carrying a handbag. About half crossed across their body and about half slung over one shoulder. This matches my memory, but memory is a tricky thing.