Double Docking

[JVilleGal]

Going on the Viking Nurenberg to Budapest river cruise in Oct. Any advice?

 

Take a smile, good humor and a sense of adventure, be prepared to make lemonade from lemons as or if needed!

 

Otherwise bring good walking shoes, a rain coat & fleece jacket! Be prepared to be amazed :)

[dabear]

From Passau on to Melk and Durenstein, there are a lot of cruise ships and a lot of rafting at the ports.

[funkygran]

What exactly is rafting? My first river cruise after many ocean cruises. Looking forward to a new adventure!

[Cyber Kat]

What exactly is rafting? My first river cruise after many ocean cruises. Looking forward to a new adventure!

 

Docking space is often limited in many river ports, so they tie the boats up next to one another - RIGHT next to one another. If you are on the outside ship, you have to walk through the inside ship to get to the dock. If you're on the inside ship, people from the other ship will be passing through the lobby or over the sun deck.

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Me too and if I have to walk through another ship or 2 in order to be that close to the "downtown" area, I'm ok with that. Keep in mind, when you're under way you're not tied up to another ship and when you are rafted, it's usually over-night, early morning or late afternoon....and the only time the view will be obstructed is if you're in the dining room or in your cabin. If you go to the top deck, you'll be able to see out both sides...yes, you might have people crossing your ship on the sun deck (as opposed to walking through the lobby) but even that is only really disturbing in the morning when they're all leaving and in the afternoon when they're all returning....the rest of the time you can still enjoy the view.

 

We had the Sun Deck closed for 7 days on our recent Viking Gefjon cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. When rafted this left the Aquavit Terrace as the "open air" space. We were in port some nights until 10-11 or even 3am so it did impact our enjoyment of our balcony.

[Got2Cruise]

What exactly is rafting? My first river cruise after many ocean cruises. Looking forward to a new adventure!

 

 

 

[Hydrokitty]

 

WOW..that's some shot!!!! You can see why it's easy to open your shades and share a drink or a snack with someone on the other ship...you can meet some very interesting people that way. We've been rafted several times and to be honest, I look on it as an opportunity not an inconvenience....although I don't like having to go up to the sun deck on my ship, walk across to the other side and then down to the main deck on the next ship.....I prefer it when we can walk through the lobby from one to the other but that only works if the ships match up in size.

[JVilleGal]

Yes exactly! Rafting was a unique opportunity to meet people and see someone else's boat. Sadly not all of my neighbors had the same opinion... Not the make Lemonaide type of people.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Capt_BJ]

two scenarios:

 

1. I have not researched much, booked a balcony and am pissed when we raft up ..... I demand satisfaction for lost enjoyment

 

2. I have researched and know that rafting is common so I book an aquarium room and use the extra bucks for something else . . .

 

I did/do #2 ......

 

next question?

[JVilleGal]

Yep I always felt sorry for those balconies as I know how expensive they are and how useless! :(

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Got2Cruise]

Yep I always felt sorry for those balconies as I know how expensive they are and how useless! :(

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I wouldn't say useless, we were able to use the balcony, but not all of the time. I think another thing to consider about rafting is if you are mobility impaired it makes life difficult sometimes. No big deal when you simply have to walk across one ship onto your own. But we had an occasion where we had to go up to the sundeck, then across, then down. There was another occasion we were rafted to a company popular in Europe but not really mentioned here on CC, anyway one had to go up a marble spiral staircase, then go outside.

 

There are folks worried about cobblestones, they need to be aware of what rafting entails.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear suzyluvs2cruise,

 

Welcome home!

 

We’ve enjoyed reading about your recent cruise and are happy to hear that you enjoyed your overall experience aboard Viking Gefjon.

 

Your concerns about double docking and sun deck closures have been noted, however, we are interested in discussing the details of your experience further. Should you wish review your comments with a Viking representative, please email us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Best regards,

Viking Cruises

 

We had the Sun Deck closed for 7 days on our recent Viking Gefjon cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. When rafted this left the Aquavit Terrace as the "open air" space. We were in port some nights until 10-11 or even 3am so it did impact our enjoyment of our balcony.

[Hydrokitty]

That's fine unless you get claustrophobic....I could not survive one day in aquarium.:D

[Cyber Kat]

That's fine unless you get claustrophobic....I could not survive one day in aquarium.:D

 

 

That's pretty much how I feel. We were considering the French balcony rooms but then I read that people couldn't open the windows because of bugs. Never fun :)

 

We went with the balcony. I figured we were spending so much - may as well up it a bit and get what we want. I told my husband about the rafting and he didn't care either. We just figure it will give us a bit more space. We looked at the videos of the rooms and the balcony rooms have a chair next to the bed, but in the French door rooms, the little night stand is right next to the doors.

 

On the Viking Long Ships the hallway is not in the center. It's off set so the balcony space doesn't take away from the room size. The French door rooms are smaller.

 

I'm looking forward to chatting with the neighbors. I've already warned DH to keep the curtains closed :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hydrokitty]

That's pretty much how I feel. We were considering the French balcony rooms but then I read that people couldn't open the windows because of bugs. Never fun :)

 

Only place we had a problem with bugs was Egypt and they were more than a problem....sometimes the room would get dark because the window was covered with them.

 

 

I'm looking forward to chatting with the neighbors. I've already warned DH to keep the curtains closed :)

 

 

Never mind the curtains....tell him to keep his pants on!!! :D

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited August 1, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[caviargal]

We cruise in the off season much of the time and have had balconies on 70% of our cruises. We have been fortunate to have rarely been rafted and if we have, it was for a very brief period.

 

We cherish our private outdoor space and will continue to book true balcony cabins whenever possible.

 

I could survive in Aquarium class but not DH.

[KathyK13]

We've done two river cruises, starting late August and mid September. We only rafted a few times on the August cruise and once on the September cruise. Wasn't a real issue for us. We enjoy the French Balcony staterooms because I tend to feel claustrophobic and we actually do spend some time in our rooms watching the river go by. We never had any problems with bugs; maybe it was the time of year.

[Hydrokitty]

We've done two river cruises, starting late August and mid September. We only rafted a few times on the August cruise and once on the September cruise. Wasn't a real issue for us. We enjoy the French Balcony staterooms because I tend to feel claustrophobic and we actually do spend some time in our rooms watching the river go by. We never had any problems with bugs; maybe it was the time of year.

 

Kathy: A kindred soul....we've done several river cruises starting in late Aug and ending mid-Sept...it's our favorite time to travel...the weather is fabulous and it's not as crowded. Like you I NEED that french balcony so I can open the door and feel fresh air...and I do enjoy watching the river go by while I sit in blissful silence with a glass of wine and my bare feet on the balcony. It's also great for taking pictures...nobody standing in front of you...of course it only works on one side but it's still worth it to us. Only place we had a problem with bugs was on the Nile....European Rivers have never given us a bug problem.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We had bugs on our recent Viking Cruise. They were especially bad one night. We enjoy having the balcony door open at times but doing so turns of the A/C so we weren't able to do it very often. We had a few warm/humid days.

 

DH and I also couldn't do an Aquarium Room. Especially on our recent cruise when the Sun Deck was closed for 7 days.

[KathyK13]

Kathy: A kindred soul....we've done several river cruises starting in late Aug and ending mid-Sept...it's our favorite time to travel...the weather is fabulous and it's not as crowded. Like you I NEED that french balcony so I can open the door and feel fresh air...and I do enjoy watching the river go by while I sit in blissful silence with a glass of wine and my bare feet on the balcony. It's also great for taking pictures...nobody standing in front of you...of course it only works on one side but it's still worth it to us. Only place we had a problem with bugs was on the Nile....European Rivers have never given us a bug problem.

 

We chose to take our first cruise at the end of August due to work schedules, then found it such a good time to cruise that we booked our second in September. I wilt in hot weather and hate crowds and an added bonus was both cruises were on sale! We will probably book any future cruises for the same time period, although we have no cruises booked due to other planned trips in the US.

 

I received some fliers in June from Vantage with incredible discounts on cruises in August through October 2016, and was bummed that we couldn't fit one in. I'm hoping that they will make similar offers next year that can take advantage of! I know that you're a Vantage fan and I think we would be happy with them.

[KathyK13]

We had bugs on our recent Viking Cruise. They were especially bad one night. We enjoy having the balcony door open at times but doing so turns of the A/C so we weren't able to do it very often. We had a few warm/humid days.

 

DH and I also couldn't do an Aquarium Room. Especially on our recent cruise when the Sun Deck was closed for 7 days.

 

We kept our windows closed during the night mostly because my DH is a light sleeper. We only opened them during the day to air out the room or to look out as we were cruising, so we may have had bugs if we left them open for a longer period.

 

We didn't have water level issues on either of our cruises, and it never occurred to me the sun deck would be closed. That would have been a real disappointment to those in Aquarium class!

[Mark_T]

... and it never occurred to me the sun deck would be closed. That would have been a real disappointment to those in Aquarium class!

 

Can happen if there are a lot of low bridges on a particular day, or if for example the water level has risen to the point where bridges that are not normally low, become so...

[Hydrokitty]

We chose to take our first cruise at the end of August due to work schedules, then found it such a good time to cruise that we booked our second in September. I wilt in hot weather and hate crowds and an added bonus was both cruises were on sale! We will probably book any future cruises for the same time period, although we have no cruises booked due to other planned trips in the US.

 

I received some fliers in June from Vantage with incredible discounts on cruises in August through October 2016, and was bummed that we couldn't fit one in. I'm hoping that they will make similar offers next year that can take advantage of! I know that you're a Vantage fan and I think we would be happy with them.

 

Don't worry Vantage will NEVER forget you and there will be great offers every year!!! D Again like you, I wilt in heat so late Aug. into Sept. and even early Oct. is our favorite time of year to travel for all the reasons you mentioned, plus airfare is often cheaper. One tip you might find helpful: before you book anything make sure you compare the prices on line with the catalog...sometimes one is cheaper than the other and if you point it out to them, they'll honor the lower price.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[KathyK13]

Don't worry Vantage will NEVER forget you and there will be great offers every year!!! D Again like you, I wilt in heat so late Aug. into Sept. and even early Oct. is our favorite time of year to travel for all the reasons you mentioned, plus airfare is often cheaper. One tip you might find helpful: before you book anything make sure you compare the prices on line with the catalog...sometimes one is cheaper than the other and if you point it out to them, they'll honor the lower price.

Although I have never sailed with them, I receive the glossy brochures at least once a week, way more than any other line! I received a mailing from them in June that was different from their catalogs. It gave highly discounted (by half or more) prices for quite a few cruises for this year, along with a code for each to find the cruise on the website. I tried to find the cruises' sale prices on the website without the code and couldn't find them, so I assume the offers were only made available to those on their mailing list. So I hope to stay on their list in case similar offers are made next year!

[Hydrokitty]

Although I have never sailed with them, I receive the glossy brochures at least once a week, way more than any other line! I received a mailing from them in June that was different from their catalogs. It gave highly discounted (by half or more) prices for quite a few cruises for this year, along with a code for each to find the cruise on the website. I tried to find the cruises' sale prices on the website without the code and couldn't find them, so I assume the offers were only made available to those on their mailing list. So I hope to stay on their list in case similar offers are made next year!

 

You will be on their mailing list till the end of time! :D