When is a balcony NOT a balcony? FYI

[remydiva]

When you pay for a balcony, you expect to get the use and enjoyment that a balcony offers , right? A view, lots of light, floor to ceiling vistas, fresh air, to be able to sit out on your balcony weather permitting, right?

 

Well wrongo if you are on a river cruise where there are more and more ships and either no more docks or companies just wanting to save money by double docking or piggy backing to one other vessel or more.

 

When this happens ,as it did throughout our recent week long danube cruise , we lost the use of our balcony. Lost our view, lost our privacy and lost our light 50% of the time as every second day the viking Njord would be on either the inside or the outside of its companion ship the viking Idin. When we were butted up next to a ship, we had no choice but to pull our drapes to get privacy but thus losing any daylight or view.

 

Just heads up to newbies or those going to splurge on a balcony...you may not get what you paid for. A least on an ocean cruise, my balcony is always available for me use to use or at least to enjoy the natural light and view it offers.

[WarEagle76]

Double docking is not a new phenomenon in the river cruise industry. On our first river cruise in Egypt in 2001, we usually had to walk through 5 or more boats to get to ours. Unfortunately many cities visited during river cruises do not have the infrastructure to handle multiple cruises, thus they dock next to each other. With the increase in the number of river cruises I think this scenario will only become more prevalent. The more recent twist is the addition of balconies on the port and starboard sides of the ship, which in these circumstances would be rendered unusable. Unfortunately you didn't see an earlier thread this year on the topic, in which case you would have been prepared for it.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34729058

[remydiva]

Double docking is not a new phenomenon in the river cruise industry. On our first river cruise in Egypt in 2001, we usually had to walk through 5 or more boats to get to ours. Unfortunately many cities visited during river cruises do not have the infrastructure to handle multiple cruises, thus they dock next to each other. With the increase in the number of river cruises I think this scenario will only become more prevalent. The more recent twist is the addition of balconies on the port and starboard sides of the ship, which in these circumstances would be rendered unusable. Unfortunately you didn't see an earlier thread this year on the topic, in which case you would have been prepared for it.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34729058

 

Thank you for this link and no i hadnt seen it before. But on my two previous river cruises on the Rhine and in Holland we had maybe only one day of double docking. My point was that on this cruise, the two viking ships did the identical itinerary thus we ran into,this situation EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

 

Even the Viking customer service uses the words " occasional" double docking in their post contained within your link

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassandra44

We loved our first river cruise on the Viking Sun from Basel to Amsterdam but having paid for a french balcony we were rather upset to discover that for 3 out of the 7 days we were docked beside another ship which basically made the balcony quite unusable. It made me think that I would take a cheaper option next time around.

Dear cassandra44,

 

We’re so happy to hear that you loved your first river cruise! We do understand how the occasional necessity to dock river ships together can come as a surprise—and we are sorry that this proved to be the one thing that detracted from your experience.

 

We’d very much like to speak with you about your experience and concerns and hope to hear from you soon at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

 

Sincerely,

Viking River Cruises

 

Point of my posting the topic was merely an FYI for someone in case they did not know before they spent the big bucks on a balcony. I expected maybe one day...not all seven of double docking.

[jacksonnh]

Double, triple +++ docking is here to stay due to the expansion of most cruise lines along with the possibility of some defunct lines getting back into cruising. Limited docking spaces and many more ships on the river.

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for the heads up. Fortunately, I was able to secure an aquarium class cabin for our Seine River cruise. We are not the "stay in your cabin by yourself" type of folks. If I recall correctly, the balcony cabin came to almost $1,000 per couple. That's a lot of souveniers for me.:D;)

[franski]

Thanks for the heads up. Fortunately, I was able to secure an aquarium class cabin for our Seine River cruise. We are not the "stay in your cabin by yourself" type of folks. If I recall correctly, the balcony cabin came to almost $1,000 per couple. That's a lot of souveniers for me.:D;)

 

We are big fans of Aquarium class... many balcony upgrades can be more than $1000/couple - and that is a deposit on the next cruise!!! :D

 

Fran

[4774Papa]

To me, paying thousands for an upper deck (with fake balcony) on a river boat is a waste. Go for the lowest deck and cheapest price. Most of the time we are in the bar or lounge or outside enjoying the river.

[Blondebomb]

When you pay for a balcony, you expect to get the use and enjoyment that a balcony offers , right? A view, lots of light, floor to ceiling vistas, fresh air, to be able to sit out on your balcony weather permitting, right?

 

Well wrongo if you are on a river cruise where there are more and more ships and either no more docks or companies just wanting to save money by double docking or piggy backing to one other vessel or more.

 

When this happens ,as it did throughout our recent week long danube cruise , we lost the use of our balcony. Lost our view, lost our privacy and lost our light 50% of the time as every second day the viking Njord would be on either the inside or the outside of its companion ship the viking Idin. When we were butted up next to a ship, we had no choice but to pull our drapes to get privacy but thus losing any daylight or view.

 

Just heads up to newbies or those going to splurge on a balcony...you may not get what you paid for. A least on an ocean cruise, my balcony is always available for me use to use or at least to enjoy the natural light and view it offers.

 

Today was the first day I thought of doing a river cruise. This was VERY helpful. Will need to read alot more on these boards before I start looking to book I guess. thanks

Susan from FREEZING Indiana

[huntersyaya]

We loved our Viking cruise on the Danube! We were in the aquarium class and could have cared less...we just slept there. Our friends had a balcony which was most enjoyable while the ship was moving..not when it was docked. We were usually off the ship when it was docked. We loved our first river cruise last May so much that we are going again this year. There is plenty of room on the ship to have lovely views.

[franski]

Today was the first day I thought of doing a river cruise. This was VERY helpful. Will need to read alot more on these boards before I start looking to book I guess. thanks

Susan from FREEZING Indiana

 

Hi -

 

It would be sad if you let the possibility of double-docking keep you from river cruising... We have been on 5 so far - and the incidents of double-docking have been rare.

 

Perhaps it is more common with Viking. They do have many boats on the same itinerary - and I have noticed they have their own docks along the way. Not sure - but will be on our 1st Viking cruise in 3 months... so can let you know.

 

Fran

[Riversedge]

I'm sure that was disappointing to have your view blocked. Not what you were expecting when you booked. We were on a 15 day and only had a ship block our view once. I would not pay extra for a balcony but the French Balcony was perfect. I would have been disappointed if we hadn't had it. I don't think everyone should be scared off from booking either a regular balcony or a french balcony if you can afford it. River cruising is wonderful and the more views you have going down the river are worth it. Yes, you can always go up to the lounge or sun deck but sometimes it's fun just to relax in your room and look out, especially if you're not going thru the most scenic area of the river.

[remydiva]

Today was the first day I thought of doing a river cruise. This was VERY helpful. Will need to read alot more on these boards before I start looking to book I guess. thanks

Susan from FREEZING Indiana

 

Franski has been lucky if she hasn't experienced many double docking days and maybe it is a Viking issue....she will be able to judge first hand as she mentioned in a later post.

 

I have done two Viking and one Uniworld cruises and this last Viking one was the worst.We had a companion Viking ship doing the same itinerary as us so every night we were double docked, alternating sides.

 

Check whatever company you choose for other ships from the same company doing the exact same cruise....especially in the busier months. Two ships, one itinerary...more likely to be double docking.

 

I never took a photo of the cabin we would've been looking into when double docked but you can see from the first three photos of the open view when cruising or not double docked vs how close the ships are when you ARE double docked. :eek:

 

The purpose of this post was just to give a heads up ...better to be aware BEFORE you cruise rather than have a rude awakening once on board...and judging by the number of complaints the Viking reception desk received (they told my hubby there were 3 people a day complaining), most people were not aware of the possibility of double docking.

[followyourheart]

We were on the Viking Idun Grand European Tour last October for 15 days. Out of the 15 day we can only recall double docking 3 times, with both Viking and non-Viking ships. Since we were out walking around and enjoying ourselves during these times, the double docking was a complete non-issue for us. In fact, it was nice to get to see what other ships looked like up close and experience the unique adventure that is river cruising.

 

We found that we used our balcony more than we ever used any balcony on an ocean cruise, as there was always something to see. There wasn't a day that we were not out on our balcony at some point enjoying the scenery from Amsterdam to Budapest. So nice to enjoy a morning coffee, an afternoon glass of wine, or a late night cup of tea on our own private veranda. We also spent time on the top deck and in the lounge watching the world go by. But, the balcony gave us an extra option that we enjoyed even more than we expected to.

 

We would not hesitate to cruise again with Viking as it was a great experience in every way. We would most certainly select a room with a balcony again.

[Ship's Wake]

This will become even more pronounced with the ever increasing number of ships on the rivers these days.

[Murray55]

Seems like it's not worth the extra money then, since you'd be on deck most of the time anyways.

[remydiva]

Seems like it's not worth the extra money then, since you'd be on deck most of the time anyways.

 

Yup....and the main reason i get a balcony where river or ocean cruise is so i can open the door for fresh air AND listen to the lapping noise of the water at night..makes for a great sleep.

 

BUT when crusiing this past Dec and jan it was too cold to open anything!

[franski]

Franski has been lucky if she hasn't experienced many double docking days and maybe it is a Viking issue....she will be able to judge first hand as she mentioned in a later post.

 

Hi -

 

We did not experience very many double docking days on our Viking cruise. Perhaps it was the itinerary (Bucharest to Budapest) - but there were other boats along the river... just not docked with us very often.

 

Back on the river in September... Budapest to Nuremberg. I will try to post again to see if there are more double docking days then there were the last time we travelled this route.

 

Fran

[Sylve1]

We were on the Viking Idun Grand European Tour last October for 15 days. Out of the 15 day we can only recall double docking 3 times, with both Viking and non-Viking ships. Since we were out walking around and enjoying ourselves during these times, the double docking was a complete non-issue for us. In fact, it was nice to get to see what other ships looked like up close and experience the unique adventure that is river cruising.

 

We found that we used our balcony more than we ever used any balcony on an ocean cruise, as there was always something to see. There wasn't a day that we were not out on our balcony at some point enjoying the scenery from Amsterdam to Budapest. So nice to enjoy a morning coffee, an afternoon glass of wine, or a late night cup of tea on our own private veranda. We also spent time on the top deck and in the lounge watching the world go by. But, the balcony gave us an extra option that we enjoyed even more than we expected to.

 

We would not hesitate to cruise again with Viking as it was a great experience in every way. We would most certainly select a room with a balcony again.

 

 

I agree. We enjoyed our French balcony ( I realise you had a proper balcony) and are glad we had it. I enjoyed sitting in front of the window while my husband had a shower or before dinner. It was also nice first thing in the morning to pull the curtains and watch the river go by from your comfy bed. It was our first cruise and we didn't know if would go on another ( so many places to visit and all that!) and I am glad we did. But saying that I would be happy with aquarium class, especially if I was travelling before and after the cruise and wanted to make our dollars take us further for longer. :) Lets face it. When you travel from Australia you tend to try and fit more in than a weeks river cruise.

[ShantanuThakur]

Thanks for the heads up regarding this issue. I think anyone would be annoyed in the same situation.

[Mark_T]

Thanks for the heads up regarding this issue. I think anyone would be annoyed in the same situation.

 

I sort of file this alongside complaints about there being noise from the anchor chain when you book a cabin in the bow of an ocean liner, or not being able to use the sun deck if you have a lot of low bridges to go under on a river cruise.

 

Yes, it is irritating, but it is a natural part of the mode of transport you have chosen.

 

As long as the boat is moving you don't get this issue, it is only when moored and at those times there are good reasons to be out of your cabin anyway.

 

So yes, agreed it is something to be very much aware of, but it rather goes with the territory.

[kathlee627]

We sailed from Nuremberg to Budapest the end of May and Viking keep piggybacking our ship to other Viking ships in almost every port. At least four times they were on our side for a seven day cruise. Even though we had a French Balcony we could not open the door because the people on the other ship were only a foot away. If we did open the door we could not tell what kind of weather we were having or even if it was sunny out. It felt like an inside cabin because we had to keep the curtains closed. As far as the view as you are actually cruising, many times we cruised through the night so we did not have a chance to "enjoy the view." This was a big disappointment for me as Viking advertises wonderful views from your room.

 

Also on one stop the other ship must have been emptying their waste and the smell on board our ship was bad.

 

We could tolerant one or two times of double docking but we felt this was excessive.

[2onboardagain]

Count us among those who enjoy having an honest to goodness balcony (not a french balcony) on a river cruise. Stepping out of the cabin any time we want is a treat that we enjoy. As to the issue of double docking, we actually thought it had its benefits as we were able to "meet the neighbors" on several occasions and had some marvelous conversations "over the fence" with folks that we would not have otherwise met since we were sailing on different ships. As to the issue of blocked views while docked I personally think it is a bigger problem on ocean cruises in the Caribbean where we have often been across a pier from one of those huge mega ships that cast their shadow across not only our balcony but so dwarfed our ship that there wasn't even a view from the upper deck.

[remydiva]

Here is a picture of our full veranda on Viking Njord..two chairs and a table size.

 

 

Here is the view we were able to enjoy in Vienna of the swans...only because it was our day to have the open side even tho we were piggybacked with the Idun the whole trip :)

 

 

This is how close the two ships are when you are piggybacked :eek:

 

[DesertPesce7751]

Which rivers are most likely and which are least likely to experience this? Any idea about Asia?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[jacksonnh]

River cruise lines are building new ships and adding to their fleet and you are likely to encounter this at some point on any river. I've been on seven cruises and have tied up next to a ship twice, both times for a day in Amsterdam and Budapest. Time of year might also play a part in that there tends to be less cruises offered in early spring, late fall and winter.