Curious about the bus rides

[Hydrokitty]

The driver has to clean that bathroom, and requests that it be reserved for emergencies only.

 

And in some countries, especially eastern European ones, they... lock the door. We had a man with diabetes on one of our trips and he actually said to the local tour guide "I'm a diabetic and I need the bathroom frequently..you can either clean the bathroom or clean the bus"....he unlocked the door. I complained once to Vantage and they said they provide a bus with a bathroom and expect it to be available for emergencies.....it is not supposed to be locked.

[Shmoo here]

And in some countries, especially eastern European ones, they... lock the door. We had a man with diabetes on one of our trips and he actually said to the local tour guide "I'm a diabetic and I need the bathroom frequently..you can either clean the bathroom or clean the bus"....he unlocked the door. I complained once to Vantage and they said they provide a bus with a bathroom and expect it to be available for emergencies.....it is not supposed to be locked.

 

As I recall, all the busses we used had a restroom. BUT, I never tried to use it, so don't know if they were locked or not. Never saw anyone else using them, either.

 

I know one driver kept the extra bottles of water in there.

[Hydrokitty]

As I recall, all the busses we used had a restroom. BUT, I never tried to use it, so don't know if they were locked or not. Never saw anyone else using them, either.

 

I know one driver kept the extra bottles of water in there.

 

I wonder where he found room for bottles of water in there!!! I only used bathroom on the bus once and we were crossing the desert in Egypt and no way was that bus stopping anywhere. Most of the time no one uses it because it's so small and let's face it, it's not exactly convenient....but it's good to know it's there if the blood pressure meds kick in or if you're diabetic. They really shouldn't lock the door.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

I've used the bus bathrooms a couple of times. I drink a lot of coffee in the morning, take a bp pill AND have IBS. :eek:

 

Yes, I've encountered a locked door. At that point, I sit back down and start praying.

 

My bigger frustration (and I've voiced it greatly in the post-cruise surveys) are the tour guides who get everyone off and running on the walking tours and don't realize we've all had breakfast, beverages, a bus ride and now need a potty break before hiking hither and yon. I'm only 53. I can imagine some of my more senior travelers (especially the poor men with prostate issues) are dancing worse than I am. I'm not afraid to speak up and ask for directions.

 

I had to do a sprint back to the ship once in Durnstein. The only public WC was LOCKED for the season and the bakery shop that had a WC refused to let me use it even with a purchase. So I sprinted the mile or so back to the ship just to pee. Fun times. I lapped a few others doing the same on the way down the hill.

[jalves]

Just wondering about what you see on the long bus rides. Does the bus travel through towns or is it just highway traveling where all you see is just roads and trees? Does the bus stop at rest areas or does it just travel straight through until you get to their destintation?

 

The answer to this question is "it depends". There really isn't a blanket answer because it will vary by cruise line, bus service and destination. In some (most?) cases its generally highway, but that doesn't mean you just see roads and trees. In other cases you'll need to travel through towns and villages, some of which will be picturesque. Typically a bus will stop at a rest area if the trip is really long, but there is no particular length of time that is definitive.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

We just got our travel documents for our December Viking trip. In it, it describes the bus travel as "Viking requires buses to have bathrooms and rest stop breaks every 2 hours."

[Hydrokitty]

We just got our travel documents for our December Viking trip. In it, it describes the bus travel as "Viking requires buses to have bathrooms and rest stop breaks every 2 hours."

 

That's pretty much standard....now if only the bathrooms are unlocked....and if you're one of the first ones off the bus at the rest stop. I wonder if pp realized the double meaning of "it depends"..or am I just warped. :D

[pinotlover]

While traveling on bus in Spain, our bus guide told us we could use the bus's bathroom in emergency. We would make stops at about 2 hours. However, we were told that by Spanish law, if someone went into the bathroom, the bus would have to pull over and stop and wait for the traveler to exit, before the bus would begin travel again. One person utilized that option, and the driver pulled over on the side of the road and we waited.

 

Bus selection depends upon cruise company. For normal daily bus tours, Viking assigned passengers to specific buses. One's bus assignment changed daily, or even by the tour with two tour days. You always were touring with a different randomly picked (by Viking) bus full. They did allow groups/friends to register as such and they would always be assigned together, but that group would then still rotate around with different cruises. Uniworld allows you sit on any bus you want, as long as the bus groups stay relatively equal. For example if 40 people got on one bus, while only 25 go on another, they would ask for 6-8 to change buses. If it was 30 and 35, they wouldn't say a word and you sat as you please. If one requests a "slow" tour group, they most often will be placed on a bus for that group.

[Capt_BJ]

In our experience VIKING 'usually' has busses contracted for their use which are high end with bathroom which were TINY but not locked ...

 

 

{note ... that's a Mercedes bus}

 

Actually a similar setup to DCl in Canaveral where the DCL busses have unique paint jobs and are high end coaches, actually operated by MEARS transportation.

 

I was impressed that VIKING had their "own" busses at each of our stops . . .

 

the process of who sits where etc has been explained well ... I'd only add that if you friend up, it was easy to just stop at the desk the night b4 and ask ... can we be on the same bus please? We were always accommodated.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[Di Princess]

The driver has to clean that bathroom, and requests that it be reserved for emergencies only.

 

These Bus Drivers are highly paid to drive, be courteous & safe, AND Clean the Restroom. It's part of the job. The coaches in South America are very different, stunning, clean, and comfortable. ;)

[Got2Cruise]

They ask you to use restrooms only for emergencies because the bus will begin to smell if everyone started using it.

[Hydrokitty]

They ask you to use restrooms only for emergencies because the bus will begin to smell if everyone started using it.

 

I agree that's the reason...but it's no excuse for locking the door to prevent anyone from using it no matter how desperate they are. I'm not sure I agree with Princess Di though, the driver's are paid to drive the bus, I don't know if that includes cleaning it or not, BUT the cruise company is PAYING for a bus with a bathroom, which means they're also paying for someone to clean it after each use.

 

Pinotlover(me too)...I think that's a safety practice that may have resulted from an accident that happened here in New York if memory serves. A woman came out of the bathroom turned right and fell off the bus into traffic.

 

Capt. bj...I think most tour buses in Europe are built by Mercedes..and yes they are nice buses.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Hydrokitty

[Magnum60]

I realize that busing passengers to where the water is isn't the best description of what one looks for when choosing a 'River Cruise'. So much for the unpacking just once incentive touted for cruising :(.

Most of us are not fans of bus rides [especially after we thought we'd booked a cruise] but we should also understand that weather can be fickle and alter river levels during a drought or flood. I doubt the cruise lines are fans of busing their guest around either - but - they've been paid. Who says there is no gambling on river cruise ships :D.

Do the [riverboat] cruise lines do anything to compensate their guests, some who might have had to ride in buses for considerable time more than once during their 'bus' cruise before that final bus ride to the airport? Cancel for any reason travel insurance does start to justify its cost :rolleyes:.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Magnum60

[CPT Trips]

Do cruise companies compensate their pax if busing Instead of cruising? GCT does, see my posts on low water on the Elbe thread.

 

As far as locked toilets. We discovered today that the driver can unlock it remotely.

[Hydrokitty]

I realize that busing passengers to where the water is isn't the best description of what one looks for when choosing a 'River Cruise'. So much for the unpacking just once incentive touted for cruising :(.

Most of us are not fans of bus rides [especially after we thought we'd booked a cruise] but we should also understand that weather can be fickle and alter river levels during a drought or flood. I doubt the cruise lines are fans of busing their guest around either - but - they've been paid. Who says there is no gambling on river cruise ships :D.

Do the [riverboat] cruise lines do anything to compensate their guests, some who might have had to ride in buses for considerable time more than once during their 'bus' cruise before that final bus ride to the airport? Cancel for any reason travel insurance does start to justify its cost :rolleyes:.

 

Magnum you've got a great attitude for river cruising!! Of course the cruise companies would rather take you on the cruise you booked, than on a bus tour, which BTW, costs them double too because now they not only have to pay the boat crew, they have to hire buses, rent hotel rooms and pay for restaurant meals. As for compensation, it's never happened to me in 8 cruises, but from what I've read on CC, it would appear that most companies (some with considerable prodding unfortunately) do offer compensation ranging from sending you home with a voucher for another cruise or refunding a portion of the trip you're taking by bus. It's an unfortunate event that falls into the realm of nobody's fault.

[Hydrokitty]

[quote name='CPT Trips']Do cruise companies compensate their pax if busing Instead of cruising? GCT does, see my posts on low water on the Elbe thread.

As far as locked toilets. We discovered today that the driver can unlock it remotely.[/QUOTE]


Yes, but did he??? :D I've known since Egypt that the bathroom locks where remote controlled by the driver. (otherwise I'd still be sitting in a bus bathroom somewhere in Egypt). The problem seems to be most prevalent in the Eastern European countries and in Russia it was terrible. In Romania, one of our group, who is diabetic, told the TM "tell the driver he either cleans the bathroom or the bus".... and it worked. Edited November 7, 2015 by Hydrokitty