Cruise

True, Viking is a great value and they never attempt to up-sell.

I recommend Viking. It is great value for money as loads is included and there is no pressure selling of extras.
Dress is whatever you are comfortable in and food is everything from a simple salad buffet to a local tasting platter. All are catered for. There were even tours at a leisurely pace for the less energetic or a chance to cycle between two stops for the athletic!

Nora and Moobox thanks for your comments they were really helpful.

Most cruises I have been on, have had 'Gala nights' when some people do dress up more. I have been on river cruises where some of the passengers 'dress up' every night and on others where people have worn clean jeans and t shirts as smart casual. The great thing is that it is left to person preference without being judged.

Found smart casual was perfectly fine.
Can always take one dressy outfit, but generally notneeded.

I love a smart dress, but not formal, for dinner whereas my sister is a t-shirt girl- we both feel relaxed at dinner on our river cruises- so suggest you wear whatever you feel most comfortable in- enjoy yourself.

All this talk of 'casual' or 'jeans and t-shirts' has turned me off river cruises. What's wrong with dressing up for dinner?

Just returned from a cruise on the Danube with Saga. It was excellent and we can't wait to go again. Dress for evenings was smart casual and 5 course meals at lunch and dinner so plenty of choice and you didn't have to have every course! DH likes simple English fare and he loved it. We felt Saga really looked after us and especially those who came on their own. Roll on next year!

If anything is not correct, the staff does assess and fix quite quickly. Once we had a small problem with the telly remote, the staff came right round and sorted. The telly always has old bits of "Downton Abbey" and a lovely music channel.

Waterwings and effective contraception
What a wonderful holiday souvenir, MinniesMum !

I always fancied a river cruise. Rather them than an ocean liner.
Interesting reading about the type of clothes to take casual and smart casual, appeals to me thanks for bringing that up.

Smithy, We cruise often on the continental rivers, Viking is our first choice.

Lindylo, the food is lovely, usually 3 choices at lunch and dinner, and steak, fish, vegetarian choices as standard. My DH opts most dinners for the steaks. Full English breakfast plus a lot of other choices. I love the omelettes as I don't have to prepare them myself.

Smart casual mix and match clothes for day and non formal evening wear. Good walking shoes/trainers. If you are interested in formal events onboard pack mix and match 2 "evening" trousers and 2 "evening" tops or a couple of dresses. Neutral "evening" shoes that will go with all outfits, flats or heels. To be honest nobody looks at you on cruises whether ocean or river. Most people mix and match. So don't worry too much. I use a laundry service onboard when I need to. Have a nice time!

Cangran, I think local providers of tourism products will benefit from the fact that cruises have a high proportion of Americans, who seem to spend loads!

If anyone is considering a first Viking cruise, only ever book when there is £1000 off per person, so usually a year or more in advance. After the first cruise you then get extra discounts by various means - past customer, on board deal, and others. We have usually had a discount by booking with our local cruise specialist travel agent too. It ends up being a cost effective holiday, what with the free excursions, free booze and local airport departure included.

Definitely over MinniesMum but glad to hear how good that cruise was for you!

devongirl - even though I'm going on a river cruise (my sister's idea!), I too am concerned about the environmental impact of cruises (hopefully not so great with the smaller river cruise ships) and also am aware of local people in places visited likely benefiting very little from cruise passengers who have meals & accommodation already paid for.

Love river cruising. Done the Nile twice. Loved the table seating of ten at a table. They were good friends thanks to on board entertainment by the end of the cruise that requires groups of ten!! Dress smart but casual,food was varied & most enjoyable. Apart from spotting a sheep on board which disappeared the day before lamb was on the menu.......

MinniesMum that's a really heartwarming post

We have been on lots of Viking cruises. Lindylo, I love the varied menus each evening, but Viking always have a choice of plain chicken salmon or steak mains every night, and maybe a simple Caesar salad for starters. Not that I have ever chosen from that side of the menu, but OH usually seems to. Lunch has loads of choice too, so picky eaters can always find a nice meal to have. Bonnie 1953, pack a t shirt for every day, a light jacket, a cardigan, hat, comfy shoes, and a change of clothes to feel fresh in the evening (anything goes).

Cangran
I do hope your childrearing days are behind you. I was told that I couldn't have children so decided on a winetasting cruise on the Rhine and Moselle to cheer ourselves up. During that cruise I managed the impossible and we had a healthy bouncing baby boy 9 months later! Must have been the wine!

I really don't want to be negative (ducks!) but does anyone know whether river cruising has an environmental impact like ocean cruises, and if so, whether there is a partcular operator to book with to miminise the impact? Thanks in advance.

We have been thinking of a river cruise for a long time but never got around to it. The main reason we are holding back is that my other half is a fussy eater and prefers good old English fayre. Can anyone let me know what the food is like on these cruises please? Thanks in advance.

We went with Rivera, they are great. The dress was smart casual. I liked the evening arrangement where you could sit anywhere on tables of 10. This meant that you could get to know the other people thoughout the holiday.

Their guides are very knowledgeble, they give clear instructions about meeting places, toilets, good eating places.

Thanks for raising this Vonnie1953 as I am going on my first river cruise too and was wondering the exact same thing! Thanks everyone for your replies and reassurance that my usual casual/smart casual clothes will be fine. Our cruise is mid-Sept on the Rhine/Moselle rivers (Riviera Travel). I guess I'll just have to think 'layers' at that time of year when you never know what the weather will be like.

Reports of river cruises sound great and the wear-what-you-please appeals greatly!
Can anyone recommend a company operating these cruises please?