I was invited by Saga to join them on a Danube river cruise.

We cruised from Budapest to Bucharest onboard the Filia Rheni and had an amazing time.

Despite doing my research before the cruise I found very little information regarding dress codes. In this post, I will share some examples of what I wore during the cruise.

What Is The Dress Code On Saga River Cruises?

Most guests on Saga cruises dress in ‘smart casual’ attire for evenings.

This includes dresses, skirts or trouser/blouse combinations for women and usually a shirt and trousers for men.

There is no dress code during the day. Guests on excursions are encouraged to dress comfortably. 

Saga’s website has some information about dress codes, and none were explicitly mentioned to us during the cruise.

Despite this, most guests seemed to dress well. Some made a lot of effort with their outfits.

What is the Day Time Dress Code?

There is no specific dress code for Saga river cruises during the day, guests wore a variety of things.

We cruised on the Danube in August, and as a result, it was hot the majority of the time. Most guests were wearing shorts and T-shirts during the day.

Pool wear wouldn’t be appropriate inside the ship but on the top deck, this is totally fine.

The ship did have a pool, after all. We had long sailing days on the Danube, which meant that a lot of guests spent their time sunbathing on the top deck.

Guests have to wear shoes at all times; this isn’t exactly surprising, but any kind of shoes are fine.

Most guests on our cruise were wearing flip-flops or sandals.

What is the Dress Code for Dinner?

Saga river cruises don’t have ‘formal’ nights in the traditional sense.

Their evening dress code is quite relaxed, and I doubt that anybody would be challenged if they didn’t comply.

The dress code is the same every day. Saga has the following to say in regards to dress codes:

On board, you can also enjoy dressing up for formal evenings and intimate dining in our speciality restaurants, so make sure to pack smart eveningwear if you’d like to take part. This may include a collared shirt, matching two-piece, cocktail dresses, and an extra pashmina or scarf for enjoying a cocktail on deck in the evenings. 

Saga

As long as you are comfortable and smart, you’ll be appropriately dressed.

Captains Welcome and Farewell

If guests do want to dress up, the Captain hosts ‘welcome’ and ‘farewell’ drinks/dinners at the start and end of the cruise, where most guests wear their favourite outfits.

We attended both of these and enjoyed our free glass of bubbly!

The dinner was ‘extra special’ on Welcome and Farewell evenings and had about five courses. All of which are great.

Dress Code For Men

Most men onboard wore a shirt and trousers. Chino’s would be appropriate.

Some wore ‘traditional’ shirts and some wore polo shirts.

The shirts would often be checkered or have some sort of pattern or design. Don’t be afraid to express yourself through your shirt!

I don’t remember seeing any men wearing jackets or ties, although there may have been a few. You certainly wouldn’t look out of place if you wanted to do this, but it wasn’t expected.

The lack of jackets may have been due to us cruising on the Danube in August!

Dress Code For Women

Most women onboard wore a skirt, dress or trousers/blouse. The dress code really isn’t too strict, so as long as you are clean and presentable, you won’t have any problems.

On a few occasions, I wore maxi dresses, and on others, I wore dresses just above the knees. I wouldn’t wear anything particularly short, but apart from this, pretty much anything goes.

Some passengers really made an effort with their dresses and wore lovely outfits.

Others didn’t make as much effort but regardless of how much effort you had made, we were all made to feel special at dinner.

The relaxed atmosphere was one of my favourite things about my Saga cruise.

What Should I Wear On Excursions?

Clothes:

You don’t have to wear anything specific for excursions with Saga.

If an excursion requires a certain type of clothing, you will be told about this at the time of booking and reminded of the before the trip. Saga really do look after you!

Shoes:

We took an excursion on the Danube Delta, which involved getting into boats, and we were advised to wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing.

On some river cruises, you’ll find yourself walking a lot, so comfortable shoes are a must.

Exercise Wear

I didn’t pack any exercise clothes for my cruise with Saga. I have to admit, I didn’t think that they would have any exercise classes onboard -but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were.

A couple of times during the cruise we took part in a ‘light stretch’ and ‘light Zumba’ which was a lot of fun. We hadn’t bought any workout clothes so we just wore a pair of light shorts and a T-shirt.

The exercise classes sometimes happened on the top deck and sometimes in the main lounge. It was really warm during our cruise, so even light Zumba made me sweat!

All of the guests that took part had a great time and I’d definitely recommend doing so if you are taking a Saga river cruise.

There were guests of all fitness levels taking part, and exercises were modified for different levels of ability.

To learn more about my cruise make sure you check out my daily cruise diary, it details everything we did and everywhere we went:

Saga River Cruise Review, Danube.

Above is a photo of my Zumba outfit. We passed through a lock before our Zumba class which was really cool.

I’ve been through locks on river cruises before but never one quite like this. If you’d like to learn more about river cruising, check out the video below:

Splendours of The Danube

The river cruise that I took with Saga was called ‘Splendours of the Danube’.

You’ll be swept off your feet by the spectacular scenery on this relaxing cruise. Sailing aboard Filia Rheni II – which is chartered exclusively for Saga customers – your Danube journey takes in Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania as it wends its way towards the Black Sea.

Saga

I learnt a lot from my cruise with Saga. There were quite a few things that surprised me about the cruise, but overall, we had a positive week and really enjoyed our time onboard.

Watch the video below, to have a quick tour of the ship and experience embarkation day with me:

Before You Go

Find out all about the budget river cruise I took with Tui, it was great value for money:

I Took a Budget River Cruise and It Wasn’t What I Expected (TUI)

Find out what to pack for a winter European winter cruise here:

What I Packed For a European WINTER River Cruise (Essentials, Clothes and More)