Shoes for Europe river cruise

[Kristelle]

Hope this is right place to post this, even though it is about a river cruise. Have not been on one before (nor an ocean cruise for that matter)

 

No formal nights on river cruises. (although going to Moulin Rouge in Paris first) Going in September so weather at our destination will be around 20 celcius average.

I am not taking any skirts or dresses. Just 3/4 pants and long pants/jeans

 

 I thought one pair of good walking shoes, probably the black laceups I wear to work - so lace ups but not sneaker looking, 1 pair of ankle boots with medium heel - can wear with skinny jeans or dressy pants, 1 pair of ballet flats in case it is too warm for shoes/socks in day time,

Maybe 1 pair of dressy mid heel sandals??

 

so 2 or 3 pairs have to fit in suitcase and wearing 1 on flight

 

does that seem about right, too little, too much, any occasions not covered?

 

thanks for your advice.

 

[Lois R]

4 hours ago, Kristelle said:

Hope this is right place to post this, even though it is about a river cruise. Have not been on one before (nor an ocean cruise for that matter)

 

No formal nights on river cruises. (although going to Moulin Rouge in Paris first) Going in September so weather at our destination will be around 20 celcius average.

I am not taking any skirts or dresses. Just 3/4 pants and long pants/jeans

 

 I thought one pair of good walking shoes, probably the black laceups I wear to work - so lace ups but not sneaker looking, 1 pair of ankle boots with medium heel - can wear with skinny jeans or dressy pants, 1 pair of ballet flats in case it is too warm for shoes/socks in day time,

Maybe 1 pair of dressy mid heel sandals??

 

so 2 or 3 pairs have to fit in suitcase and wearing 1 on flight

 

does that seem about right, too little, too much, any occasions not covered?

 

thanks for your advice.

 

Hi,🙂 river cruises are quite casual and your clothing attire sounds like mine. I am not a dress gal so they never go with me. And your shoes sound good to me too. I don't bring ankle boots but that is your choice. 3 pairs of shoes sounds great. I know others may say to bring more LOL.....everyone has their own opinions about how much to pack.  Just to make you aware, River cruises have ALOT of walking tours so make sure those walking shoes are good for you.🙂

Have a great cruise!

[dd57]

And there are a lot of cobblestones so you want walking shoes that have a thicker sole.  Everyone has different tolerances, but ballet flats might not be a good idea on some of the walking tours.  They can tell you on board what to expect for the following day.  I brought some no-show kind of socks to go with my walking shoes for when I was wearing 3/4 pants.

[Kristelle]

I do wear dresses sometimes in summer - but I dont think the weather will be warm enough for them

my work shoes are good quality black leather lace ups but I think they would look a bit silly with 3/4 pants.....the flats I have in mind are not the dainty ballet flat type shoes, they have a firm sole and a strap across the front - similar to these...

I'm thinking now the dressy heeled sandals can be omitted as all day times will need strong walking shoes and evenings will be too cool for anything but long pants of some sort with either of the day shoes or the ankle boots?

 

[Lois R]

20 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

I do wear dresses sometimes in summer - but I dont think the weather will be warm enough for them

my work shoes are good quality black leather lace ups but I think they would look a bit silly with 3/4 pants.....the flats I have in mind are not the dainty ballet flat type shoes, they have a firm sole and a strap across the front - similar to these...

I'm thinking now the dressy heeled sandals can be omitted as all day times will need strong walking shoes and evenings will be too cool for anything but long pants of some sort with either of the day shoes or the ankle boots?

 

Oh, I like these. And they go with slacks too. 

[jsn55]

Good input here.  I do black long pants only when I travel.  I take two pairs of shoes that I can walk all day in on rough surfaces (I can't wear the same shoes 2 days in a row).  Both shoes take the same kind of 'fat sock'.  I think your ballet flats will have a tough time standing up to cobblestones, broken concrete, stairs and hours of walking.  I take some velvet slippers (weightless) to wear around the ship.  I like to dress up for dinner a bit and enjoy wearing lightweight dressy sandals, at hotels as well.  I just know that if someday I decide not to bother with the sandals, the Captain will invite me to dinner!  BTW, you can almost be guaranteed a great cruise ... river cruises are just magic.  Enjoy!

[dd57]

I may have looked silly with my lace up hiking shoes and 3/4 pants, but my feet didn't hurt after hours of walking on cobblestones, I didn't slip on the rain-soaked wet rocks in Marksburg Castle, and I enjoyed every minute of all of my excursions.  But everyone's feet are different, and you know what works for you.  If it were me, I  would bring those cute shoes you showed, which would be fine in the evenings and on easier excursions, and a second pair of lace up shoes for the more strenuous days.

 

Could you post a link to those shoes? They are really cute.

[Kristelle]

 I just found them on google images - they aren't my exact shoes but something similar to show people sort of thing  I meant - as 'ballet flats' tends to imply those  dainty flimsy sort of shoes - which I agree wouldnt be suitable for outside walking in.

 

 I agree comfort is more important than looks and definitely sore feet wouldnt help one enjoy anything at all.

 

I do wear the flats like that to work in summer when I wear 3/4 pants to work - not walking on cobblestones or wet rocks, of course - but  I do know I can comfortably wear them all day.. am on my feet quite a bit working.

Worst case scenario - if I did find they dont work for me then its lace up shoes and socks with every day outfit and too bad about how it looks. ☺️

 

 

[jsn55]

Ugly shoes ... when I got my first pair of 'orthopedic shoes" after a knee replacement, I thought "OMG, I'll never wear these in public".  They're huge, they're heavy, they're ... well I wouldn't want to say ugly and hurt their feelings. 

 

Hah!  Total comfort all day long.  When my new knee was 6 months old, I toured Marksburg Schloss, one of the toughest walks there is.    I lost all vanity about shoes after that trip.  

[irvington]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:37 AM, jsn55 said:

Good input here.  I do black long pants only when I travel.  I take two pairs of shoes that I can walk all day in on rough surfaces (I can't wear the same shoes 2 days in a row).  Both shoes take the same kind of 'fat sock'.  I think your ballet flats will have a tough time standing up to cobblestones, broken concrete, stairs and hours of walking.  I take some velvet slippers (weightless) to wear around the ship.  I like to dress up for dinner a bit and enjoy wearing lightweight dressy sandals, at hotels as well.  I just know that if someday I decide not to bother with the sandals, the Captain will invite me to dinner!  BTW, you can almost be guaranteed a great cruise ... river cruises are just magic.  Enjoy!

Do you have an example of the velvet slippers? I love the idea of something that doesn’t add much to the suitcase, but I’m more comfortable not wearing the same thing constantly. Thank you!

[jsn55]

4 hours ago, irvington said:

Do you have an example of the velvet slippers? I love the idea of something that doesn’t add much to the suitcase, but I’m more comfortable not wearing the same thing constantly. Thank you!

No idea where I got them ... probably some discount store like Marshall's.  Probably meant to be slippers, since they're weightless, but not flimsy. They're black velvet, so no point trying to take a photo.  They have closed-toes, open back, pancake heel ... the style called slides or mules I think.  They have a little spray of jet beading across the vamp.  Since I spend most of my time on a cruiseship barefoot, they've lasted a good long time just being worn to dinner.  Visit the slipper section of every discount store you encounter and you will eventually find something similar.  The other solution is ballet flats from Isotoner, also weightless and tuckable into your bag.    On cruises, I like to 'change for dinner' even if we're just doing the buffet, so the slippers make a nice transition into evening.

Edited May 18, 2023 by jsn55
grammar

[Mum2Mercury]

On 5/15/2023 at 6:53 PM, Kristelle said:

I do wear dresses sometimes in summer - but I dont think the weather will be warm enough for them

my work shoes are good quality black leather lace ups but I think they would look a bit silly with 3/4 pants.....the flats I have in mind are not the dainty ballet flat type shoes, they have a firm sole and a strap across the front - similar to these...

I'm thinking now the dressy heeled sandals can be omitted as all day times will need strong walking shoes and evenings will be too cool for anything but long pants of some sort with either of the day shoes or the ankle boots?

 

I like those ... are they Sketchers?  

You might also consider Vans.  They're cute enough to wear with a very casual dress (like a tee dress), but they have good, thick soles and are comfortable for walking.  

On 5/15/2023 at 9:37 PM, jsn55 said:

Good input here.  I do black long pants only when I travel.  I take two pairs of shoes that I can walk all day in on rough surfaces (I can't wear the same shoes 2 days in a row) ... 

Though you and I don't have the same foot problems, I definitely understand the need to change out your shoes.  Even just changing shoes for dinner /wearing a different shoe in the evening is "enough" to help my feet after a long day of walking.  

[jsn55]

Yeah!  And spending 15 minutes supine with your feet propped up higher than your heart really helps too.

[Kristelle]

Mum2Mercury, I dont know whether the shoes are sketchers- they were just an example found on google to show people sort of thing I meant, not my actual shoes.

 

I probably wont take any dresses on this trip - will be autumn and around 20 deg c in the day time according to my friend Google so wont be warm enough for my light summer dresses.

 

My plan now is 3 pairs of shoes: mid heel ankle boots for evening/ dressy outings, lace ups for walking in day time with jeans/long pants, shoes similar to photo for walking/casual with 3/4 pants if we get days warm enough for them.

 

ETA - there is a little tag on the shoe in photo, not sure if anyone who is familiar with shoe brands can identify by that.

Edited June 15, 2023 by Kristelle

[crystalspin]

The shoes are Merrell Women's Inde Lave Mj Mary Jane Flat (found with a Google Image search). Not shown on Merrell's website. Available on Amazon and eBay, with reviews on AMZ almost perfectly balanced from 1* to 5*. Apparently run small but wide?