No dress code on Viking River

[Hoyaheel]

12 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Why do some PAXs think wearing jeans to dinner is OK?   

Because on many cruise lines, they are.

 

As with many on this thread, I wear what I want (I always meet the dress code) and try not to judge what others are wearing. I notice, of course, because I'm an avid people watcher 🙂 I certainly prefer people meet the dress code minimum and most of the cruises I've been on have not had flagrant violations...

 

Also, JazzBeau - my husband is bald, shaves his head every day - and wears a hat each time he steps outside BECAUSE he's bald 🙂 Never indoors, of course, but....When you see him, there's no doubt he has no hair - he's not trying to hide anything. And it's been that way since he was in his early 30s - he started shaving his head because it's easier to apply sunscreen!

[KatieMcKay]

One of the reasons my husband and I like Viking Cruises is because of the more casual dress code. Having said that, I make it a point NOT to take jeans on either the river cruises or the ocean cruises, although I don’t take dresses either. I have always heard that Europeans dress up a little more, especially in the big cities. So instead of jeans, I wear khaki trousers for day and black slacks for evening with dressier tops. I only take 2 pairs of shoes—walking shoes and dressier ones for dinner. Remember that Viking and some of the hotels provide terry cloth robes. (We used to find them in our closet. Now you have to ask your room steward for them.) Luggage isn’t a problem as on international flights, you can check through one bag for free. One more tip: on our last springtime river cruise in Europe, I took a new coat—a knee length water resistant “puffy coat” with a hood. It was perfect for cooler weather and sometimes rain showers. Also very lightweight to carry around or wear when on walking tours.

Happy Cruising!

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, KatieMcKay said:

Luggage isn’t a problem as on international flights, you can check through one bag for free.

 

Not always true. For instance, Icelandic Airlines charges $95 for the first checked bag -- and on a Bergen to Iceland cruise, we might not be able to avoid using Icelandic for our flights.

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Not always true. For instance, Icelandic Airlines charges $95 for the first checked bag -- and on a Bergen to Iceland cruise, we might not be able to avoid using Icelandic for our flights.

 

I always get a chuckle out of posts like this. If you can afford the cost of the cruise in the first place, you can afford the cost of the checked bag. If that cost is such a hardship, then maybe you should not be going on the cruise in the first place!!!

[Peregrina651]

12 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

I always get a chuckle out of posts like this. If you can afford the cost of the cruise in the first place, you can afford the cost of the checked bag. If that cost is such a hardship, then maybe you should not be going on the cruise in the first place!!!

 

Excuse me, but how I--or anyone else on these boards-- run my finances or make my financial decisions is none of your damned business and it is crass for you to comment.

 

I simply pointed out that what was said was not completely true. Perhaps there are other people for who this bit of information will be helpful.

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Peregrina651

[DaisyRose]

Well, yes, if I can afford a cruise, I can afford the cost of checking a bag.  But, I choose not to pay a checked bag fee, because I disagree with airlines charging you to check a bag.  I will make every possible effort to fit what I need in a carry on bag.  If I can't, I might just look for a different airline that does not charge you to check a bag.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Not always true. For instance, Icelandic Airlines charges $95 for the first checked bag -- and on a Bergen to Iceland cruise, we might not be able to avoid using Icelandic for our flights.

 

You might enlarge your choice of airlines by flying to Oslo and taking the wonderfully scenic train to Bergen.

[Peregrina651]

24 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

You might enlarge your choice of airlines by flying to Oslo and taking the wonderfully scenic train to Bergen.

 

That's the plan. 😉

 

 

[Peregrina651]

54 minutes ago, DaisyRose said:

Well, yes, if I can afford a cruise, I can afford the cost of checking a bag.  But, I choose not to pay a checked bag fee, because I disagree with airlines charging you to check a bag.  I will make every possible effort to fit what I need in a carry on bag.  If I can't, I might just look for a different airline that does not charge you to check a bag.  

 

Exactly!

[kentchris]

8 hours ago, DaisyRose said:

But, I choose not to pay a checked bag fee, because I disagree with airlines charging you to check a bag.  ...

If I can't, I might just look for a different airline that does not charge you to check a bag.  

Unless US airlines have invented a magical new business model, checked baggage handling is a cost which will be passed on to you regardless of whether the airline explicitly charges you for it or bundles it into the flight charge.

Edited June 19, 2019 by kentchris

[philw1776]

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Not always true. For instance, Icelandic Airlines charges $95 for the first checked bag -- and on a Bergen to Iceland cruise, we might not be able to avoid using Icelandic for our flights.

Maybe it's just me but I found my Icelandic flight, Boston to Bergen thru Iceland, to have the hardest, least cushioning seat backs I can remember.  
On my Do Not Fly list.
Flying to Oslo and taking train to Bergen next year.

Edited June 19, 2019 by philw1776

[mozfoz]

One of the joys of doing a off season, cool weather cruise is that there are no tee shirts, shorts, flip flops or sandals.

[Hoyaheel]

40 minutes ago, mozfoz said:

One of the joys of doing a off season, cool weather cruise is that there are no tee shirts, shorts, flip flops or sandals.

But, gasp, then you might see JEANS 😜

 

[I personally don't travel with jeans - they're heavy, they take too much time to dry if they get wet in the rain or when I want to do laundry; I prefer slim black pants, can dress up or down as desired and I have some nice options for travel that dry pretty quickly] But if/when they meet the dress code, I'm not bothered when others wear them!

Edited June 19, 2019 by Hoyaheel

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, philw1776 said:

Maybe it's just me but I found my Icelandic flight, Boston to Bergen thru Iceland, to have the hardest, least cushioning seat backs I can remember.  
On my Do Not Fly list.
Flying to Oslo and taking train to Bergen next year.

 

4 hours ago, kentchris said:

checked baggage handling is a cost which will be passed on to you regardless of whether the airline explicitly charges you for it or bundles it into the flight charge.

 

A much as I would like to continue this discussion of airlines, I think we should agree to end this hijacking and let the conversation return to its stated topic: dress-code.

[DaisyRose]

Yes, I agree, we got off topic a bit here because of discussing the cost of checking bags to include fancier clothes.  We should stay on topic, which of course is dress code.  Speaking of which, we primarily bring slacks, skirts, blouses, and button down shirts which can be mixed and matched to get the most use out of the fewest items.  We did book tickets to an opera, so I'm thinking my husband will need to pack a jacket.  It makes us feel good to get dressed up a bit.  

[sumiandkage]

We were on the Ulur from Basel to Amsterdam earlier this month. For the most part, it was  khakis and polo shirts or equivalent for dinner. 

 

The exception was Day One when it was 30C in Basel, Viking was spectacularly unhelpful in telling you how to get to the ship if you didn't have one of their cruise-provided transfer options and a lot of people just seemed to kind of give up and not bother changing for dinner. 

 

As for baggage, if you're extending a holiday and using more than just plane and cruise-provided transfers, there can be good reasons to not overpack. Before our cruise, our travel included a decent amount of travel within Switzerland by train and I will tell you that discovering you're trying to get from Zurich airport to the Bernese Oberland area on a public holiday (Ascension Day) with a larger suitcase is really Not Fun and I found myself wishing I'd crammed everything into smaller bags. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, sumiandkage said:

We were on the Ulur from Basel to Amsterdam earlier this month. For the most part, it was  khakis and polo shirts or equivalent for dinner. 

 

The exception was Day One when it was 30C in Basel, Viking was spectacularly unhelpful in telling you how to get to the ship if you didn't have one of their cruise-provided transfer options and a lot of people just seemed to kind of give up and not bother changing for dinner. 

 

As for baggage, if you're extending a holiday and using more than just plane and cruise-provided transfers, there can be good reasons to not overpack. Before our cruise, our travel included a decent amount of travel within Switzerland by train and I will tell you that discovering you're trying to get from Zurich airport to the Bernese Oberland area on a public holiday (Ascension Day) with a larger suitcase is really Not Fun and I found myself wishing I'd crammed everything into smaller bags. 

 

I have fought the internal struggle between being raised 'cheap' and getting older.  Old won out.  We pack everything we think we need, and take taxis to deal with the schlepping.  

[sumiandkage]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

I have fought the internal struggle between being raised 'cheap' and getting older.  Old won out.  We pack everything we think we need, and take taxis to deal with the schlepping.  

 

And I've got a tendency to want to explore places where the train may be the best (and in some cases the only) way to get to some places that seem really cool. 

[pully8]

Love train travel in Europe and agree about being practical and realistic with packing and transport.

Not sure if this is others opinion but when in Europe especially in cooler weather many of the locals and some visitors dress quite elegantly?

Perhaps its the climate as well as culture but we enjoy window shopping too and looking at the wonderful clothing displays.

Mind you some of the prices are eye watering but still a joy to look at.

We have seen all manner of dress on board and to each there own.

Some seem to find the interior areas too warm and we have seen shorts/t shirts in all seasons in the dining areas. 

The promotional material for cruises often shows cliental that are far from the actual people on board but that's  advertising.

Nevertheless enjoy cruising.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

I have fought the internal struggle between being raised 'cheap' and getting older.  Old won out.  We pack everything we think we need, and take taxis to deal with the schlepping.  

 

Yes, but I still have to navigate stairs and escalators with my bags, so with age, I seem to pack less and less.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Yes, but I still have to navigate stairs and escalators with my bags, so with age, I seem to pack less and less.

 

This hasn't been a problem since the [much earlier] trip when I stupidly tried to take the Barcelona subway to our hotel while we juggled two big suitcases and two carry-ons.  That was the epiphany in favor of taxis.  Pre-arranging a driver is even better, because they meet you at the earliest possible point and take your luggage immediately.  Compared to the cost of the trip, these extras are a very small indulgence.

[Daisi]

For our cruise last year, we each had a carry on & small knapsack for sundry stuff.  We had 3 days in Amsterdam pre cruise, and a day of sight-seeing from Basel to Amsterdam on the train post-cruise.  By the time we got to Frankfort, we picked up 4 younger female travellers that each had a huge (I don't travel much other than by car, so we aren't up on luggage, but I didn't know they made suitcases *that* big) suitcase, carry on, and hand luggage.  Watching them and trying to be patient while they held everyone up trying to get off the trains was rather interesting.  We got off the train at the airport (free shuttle to the hotel from there), they stayed on the train to Amsterdam Centraal.  Thought we had seen the last of them until we completed our check in...only to turn around and see them come through the door demanding someone help them with their luggage!  Turned out, they were booked in for the next night and just wanted to store everything while they went out and partied.  Never stuck around to see how successful they were, but we were so glad we had packed light!

[Canal archive]

I once had one of my Girl Guides turn up to camp with an almost full length mirror she also managed to get to an indoor event at least three muddy fields away in an all white outfit without a mark on her. An awesome achievement, superb girl and she managed to live down the comments. Needless to say she went on to Archive great things and I was so pleased to have been her guider. CA in the US Girl Scout

Edited June 20, 2019 by Canal archive

[gnome12]

24 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

Needless to say she went on to Archive great things 

 

Was she really putting things away for posterity? 

[Canal archive]

Whoops should have been achieve, frodian slip. CA