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Riverboat Cruise Travel Wardrobe-Part 1

I’m home and going through pictures from our holiday last week. I need to break my riverboat cruise travel wardrobe into several posts…or this will never go out. Wifi aboard the ships is slow to non-existent which is probably a good thing, but also frustrating because I wanted to share my trip with you.

The dress code on these ships is ultra casual. Outfits range from shorts with flipflops to chinos with athletic shoes. My wardrobe was black, white and gray with pink accents and fit into one small carryon and one personal handheld.

Day 1- Traveling

I shared what I wore to travel here. Once we arrived,  I changed my shoes and jewelry for a quick dinner out. My hair was unsalvagable so I pulled it back with a banana clip and called it an updo:)

Jennifer Conneatting at the Caviar and Bull restaurant in Budapestolly of A Well Styled Life
white no-iron shirt | pink knit jacket | earrings similar

Day 2- Budapest

The weather was iffy so we dodged downpours on our bus tour of the city. I wore the same white shirt as above, open like a jacket over a black tank top, black jeans and black sneakers. I added a pink silk scarf for color and long silver earrings. No-iron white shirts played a huge roll in my wardrobe and will get an entire post of their own.

Day 3 – Budapest

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing black on the grand staircase of the Corinthia Hotel in Bucharest
tee | black knit pants | Arcopedico shoes | tote similar

The following day I wore comfy shoes with a simple black tee and black knit pants, topped with a pink trench coat. I often travel with New York Cafe in Budapest

We wandered the city snapping pictures and marveling at the architecture. When it started to pour, we ducked into the Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life at the New York Cafe in Budapest

My hair does not perform well in humidity or rain so this is the first of many flat hair days 😉 Late that day we boarded our ship.

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing Talbots pink trench coat on a Viking Cruise ship in Budapest pink trench from Talbot with black jeans on a Viking River boat in Bucarest
pink trench coat | gray crossbody/shoulder/belt bag

That evening, a Viking Ship that was upriver from us had a collision with a smaller ship and our crew was able to rescue three people out of the water. The river is very high because of all the rain this year, the water is turbulent and the current is really swift.

Day 4 – Budapest and Sailing

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing white jacket and blue jeans boarding a Viking ship in Bucharest
white jacket on sale | gray crossbody/belt/shoulder bag | pull-on jeans | sneakers

By day four it was raining cats and dogs so I was glad I brought my umbrella. I wore a cashmere sweater and this Jennifer Connolly wearing Lo and Sons crossbody bag in Budapest parliment building in bucharest We sailed out of Budapest just after dinner. The top decks on these Viking Riverboats have sun awnings which get lowered to get under the very low bridges.low bridge in budapest

A tall person could have reached up and touched the bottom of this bridge as we passed under it. The captain’s wheelhouse also gets lowered when needed which was often during our trip.

I hope to get the rest of the wardrobe update finished this week but we are in high gear to move this month so things are crazy around here.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

49 Comments

  1. Love your blog! What time of year did you travel the Danube River Cruise? We are having trouble deciding so looking for advice.

    1. We went in the summer. I was worried about the water levels but we got lucky. I guess those are issues all the time.

  2. Thanks so much for this. We will be taking a Viking cruise in October. Very similar locations. I’m trying to decide what to take. Such a help!

  3. Karen Blagg says:

    I plan on packing in two carry on pieces too on our 2 week river cruise next year. I love your pictures, and I love black with splashes of color. Keep writing!
    Really enjoy your posts.

    1. Have a wonderful trip!

  4. don’t excuse about your wardrobe You look so happy …and happy women are the prettiest. When you found out
    how to combine colours you can easy pack and enjoy an untroubled trip to everywhere. A hairband and banana
    is always the best situation for a bad hair day and when it gets hot and sunny I always wear a hat. Important is
    that you brought back the best memories from your yourney

  5. I’m loving your site, thank you for sharing Jennifer! I have been eyeing the Waverly purse for some time now, your sharing about it helps my clarity if it will work for me. One question please, what made you select the Staffiano leather over the Nappa?

    1. I chose the Saffiano leather because it’s treated and slightly textured so less likely to scratch. I love it so much I want another color.

  6. Love seeing the pictures and your outfits. Traveling lightly makes it so much more fun, it’s kind of amazing how little we can get by on! I’m interested in buying the Waverly purse, it looks great. Are you happy with the large size? Not sure which size I like best – advantages to both?

    1. I love the size. I’m not sure the small would hold what I need to carry, The large is not too large to wear on my waist, which is what concerned me most.

      1. Thanks Jennifer, that’s really helpful.

  7. LOVE your pictures — of the beautiful scenery AND your wardrobe! Thank you for sharing what you packed. It is inspiring to know you took so little luggage but look great. And hey, that little bag is perfect! It’s going on my wish-list.

  8. Janet Williams says:

    What a fabulous trip! I appreciate the clothing/packing tips. I don’t travel enough to be skilled at it. I especially like the shoes and white jacket. Can I ask what size your white jacket is?

  9. Great post and your trip looked so fun. If you could only take one coat/jacket, which would you choose? I do like the white one. It mentions a lining, did that keep you warm enough, or did you layer? Thanks and look forward to part 2!

    1. The white one was my favorite and plenty warm because it broke the wind.

  10. Please give me name of your carry on. I have a 4 day cousin reunion and don’t want to check my bag which will be a first. Enjoying reading about your recent trip!

  11. You can always count on it raining in Europe.

  12. I was concerned when I heard about the terrible incident in the river in Budapest. I am glad your ship was not involved. We are leaving this Sunday for our fourth river cruise. This time it is in France. I can’t wait to see the rest of your photos.

  13. Thank you for sharing your travel wardrobe and good luck with the move! Is there anything you didn’t wear or conversely anything you wore over and over?

    1. Tomorrow will show the many things I wore over and over. I wore everything except my pantyhose. It was too hot and casual to need it.

  14. I am a long- time reader of Jennifer’s blog and I love it! It’s so refreshing to see a woman who looks about like me, lives about like me, and dresses about like me. Makes all your ideas really useful, Jennifer. Thank you.

    On the subject of cruises, in September I will be taking a Viking cruise of the Baltic – Berlin, Norway to St Petersburg, and back to Stockholm, with stops along the way. Jennifer’s experience on the river cruise, and all of the other comments about cruises, are really helpful. My question is about the weather. What is it likely to be in September, on sea and on land? Any wardrobe tips?

    1. Go to weatherundeground.com. Search for Berlin weather and scroll down to where they feature an ‘almanac’. You can search previous year’s weather history for just about anywhere.
      Take a raincoat for Europe. Weather there is just like here-variable. Even looking a week ahead the weather can be nothing like the forecast . Dress in layers and remember they have great stores there too!
      We’ve boiled in Italy in October and basked in sun in Paris. You just never know! Part of the fun is adapting!

    2. Thank you so much, Barbara! We cruised the Baltic two years ago and LOVED it. The weather was cool in the summer so take layers and be prepared for chilly days.

      1. Have you done the Christmas Market Cruise, anyone? Please advise on packing for this cruise. Thanks.

  15. Love the versatility of the bag and white jacket. I’ll consider at the latter in the olive. Is the jacket water repellent or water resistant? Will the white show soul easily or was it a wipe off material?
    We did that cruise with Gate 1 Travel last October and enjoyed so much. We stay at the same pre cruise hotel and met the same group on most tours but at less cost. This October we go to Japan to cruise and most of the same clothes will work. I have the same shoes in the slip on which I use for my evening shoes. Take little space.

    1. The white jacket is water resistant. It didn’t get dirty but could be easily wiped clean. Have fun in Japan!! It’s a fabulous place to visit.

  16. Hope your cruise was not involved in that terrible crash in Budapest where so many were killed and the captain was arrested. Looking forward to hearing about your (positive) experience.

  17. Linda Lennon says:

    We’ve done several trips overseas with 2 on Viking and I just love river cruises! Love your outfit choices. A rain coat/jacket is a must because weather is so iffy. Don’t you love the informalities of travel these days? To be able to spend a week in Europe with a carry on is great. Can’t wait to see your dinner dress! I know they don’t do formal (thank goodness!) anymore but it is fun to dress for dinner. On a side note, congratulations on your new home. The California desert is hitting 115 today! However, it is bone dry, no humidity & hairdo friendly!

    1. It hit 105 today here and was dry as dust. I’m not happy our new back yard faces southwest but it is what it is and we will just invest in umbrellas.

  18. Rose Brock says:

    So good to find out what works with your wardrobe while traveling. You looked great and the trip sounds wonderful.

  19. I’m delighted to read about your trip! We have looked at Viking cruises but worried that it was too formal for our style. We also had concerns about rivers being too high or too low to actually travel. Can’t wait to read more!

    1. Linda Lennon says:

      I have done several Viking cruises and they are not formal at all! Sure you dress for dinner but that means a nice top and slacks; men do not wear jackets & ties. The river ships adjust for water levels; in Europe this is all regulated by law. One trip the river was too high &we had to stop before our final destination. Viking brought in buses to transport us. Another trip the river was so low that the news reported WW II dynamite strapped to a bridge was discovered. That is part of the excitement when traveling but I can assure you that Viking does a top notch job in accommodating the passengers. I won’t river cruise with anyone else!

    2. There’s little if any formality on Viking. People do not dress for dinner- I saw maybe one lady with a dress on. Mostly just nice pants and tops, maybe a piece of jewelry. Sometimes dark or black jeans that were nice fitting, no rips or tears! I took one sweater dress only because we were staying in Paris a week after, and it was casual enough to wear with tights and boots. (It was October.). Don’t worry about fitting in- they are much more casual than they used to be too. We do another France cruise this November and it will be many layers for that.

    3. There is nothing formal about Viking. Everyone dresses for comfort and you can also dress up as much or little as you like.

  20. Gail Schwartz says:

    Just ordered the white jacket you showed for my summer Baltic cruise. I don’t have one with a hood, so your suggestion is a good one. Good luck in your new home. We’re still moving things around even though we moved in September.

  21. Marilyn Ckark says:

    We did that cruise several years ago and loved it. That year the rivers were very low due to lack of rain. Budapest is beautiful at night , isn’t it?

  22. Sue L. Petersen says:

    I am so glad you are posting about your trip! We are going on a Danube cruise in September, so I am very interested in what you packed. I am going to look into the raincoats. Looks like you had a fun time!

    1. Tensil Clayton says:

      I am going in September too. Enjoying your blog and love your clothes!
      What about bus passes, ect. Did you go to the bank in Budapest and exchange Euros for local money?

  23. Thanks for sharing your trip and wardrobe! Looking comfortable and attractive.

  24. You are one busy beaver Jennifer!!!! I will enjoy your trip (through photos) of you cruise, we love cruising.
    That’s a great idea having a color palate and then a Pop of color to add. Can’t wait to see your new house and what you do with it (decorating)!!
    All the best

  25. Margot Cunningham says:

    Don’t you mean Budapest (in Hungary), not Bucharest (in Romania)? Your pics show the former. I really enjoy your blog and find it very inspiring.

    1. LOL, that’s how exhausted I am. Yes, it is definitely Budapest. Thanks for catching that…I wish I had;)

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