River Cruising not all its made up to be

[coastcashier]

We purchased a Panoramic View Suite on the Sovereign Deck on Avalon Magnificent Europe Amsterdam to Budapest. For seven of the 15 days we received a dungeon, blocked in by double parked other River Cruise Ships. We couldn't even see if the weather was fine or cloudy & had to have the blinds closed for all of this time for privacy as the ship along side had cabins looking straight at us. I might as well have saved $4000 & purchased a bottom floor window only cabin for all the good the balcony was. This is an overpriced and falsely advertised journey. Give me Ocean cruising any day as you don't get blocked in views. You get what you pay for.

[nana541]

We purchased a Panoramic View Suite on the Sovereign Deck on Avalon Magnificent Europe Amsterdam to Budapest. For seven of the 15 days we received a dungeon, blocked in by double parked other River Cruise Ships. We couldn't even see if the weather was fine or cloudy & had to have the blinds closed for all of this time for privacy as the ship along side had cabins looking straight at us. I might as well have saved $4000 & purchased a bottom floor window only cabin for all the good the balcony was. This is an overpriced and falsely advertised journey. Give me Ocean cruising any day as you don't get blocked in views. You get what you pay for.

 

 

Scheduled to take this same cruise on Avalon next year and this makes me very nervous! Paid big bucks for the the same type cabin....I know about rafting and that it is a common practice and even experienced this in China.....but at $8000 per person and am sure reconsidering my cabin choice....of course my sailing was sold out last time I checked ;)

 

Hoping to hear from more Avalon cruisers.

 

 

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[purduemom1]

Our first river cruise is still ahead but isn't rafting part of river cruising and really not avoidable? Is there a way to determine the number of ships that will be docked in a port along with the number of docks available I Know this info is available for ocean cruises but don't know about river cruises. Could be that it this info isn't available far in advance?

[nana541]

Yes rafting is a part of the docking on the river... Many many river boats and very limited places to dock. The captains are told where to dock their boats and they have to park where they are told. So the boats raft together. I don't believe the river traffic is sophisticated enough to know who will be in port and when.

 

I believe it's first come first serve and you are at the mercy of the port authority. So whether it's AMA, Viking, Avalon, etc they have no choice. The rivers are getting very crowded.

 

It is very interesting to walk thru other companies boat in order to reach land. Maybe sharing a glass of wine or a beer with your new best friends in the cabin just outside your French Balcony :)

 

 

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Edited July 21, 2014 by nana541

[Stratheden]

Yes rafting is a part of the docking on the river... Many many river boats and very limited places to dock. The captains are told where to dock their boats and they have to park where they are told. So the boats raft together. I don't believe the river traffic is sophisticated enough to know who will be in port and when.

 

I believe it's first come first serve and you are at the mercy of the port authority. So whether it's AMA, Viking, Avalon, etc they have no choice. The rivers are getting very crowded.

 

It is very interesting to walk thru other companies boat in order to reach land. Maybe sharing a glass of wine or a beer with your new best friends in the cabin just outside your French Balcony :)

 

 

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Nana541 I do hope we are rafted next to you. We will have our curtains open (unless we are not decent). We shall have Happy Hour together.

 

I cannot understand why everyone is so paranoid about people being rafted next to them. Why not sit on your balcony and have a chat. You never know who you may meet.

[Daffodil 3852]

We just completed Uniworld's European Jewels cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. It was fantastic! We were on the upper deck with a French balcony. There were only a few times we were parked alongside another ship and it wasn't very long. I never felt my view or access to sites were inhibited by being parked next to another ship.

[nana541]

Nana541 I do hope we are rafted next to you. We will have our curtains open (unless we are not decent). We shall have Happy Hour together.

 

 

 

I cannot understand why everyone is so paranoid about people being rafted next to them. Why not sit on your balcony and have a chat. You never know who you may meet.

 

 

I'm going to hold onto this thought! Rafting is an opportunity to meet new neighbors! (I will remind DH of this too). And also an opportunity to check out different companies boats!

 

 

 

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[steamboats]

"Rafting" is a common thing on European rivers and unfortunately due to the fact of the rising numbers of river cruise ships it becomes more necessary than ever. The river towns can´t increase their docking space which of course is limited.

 

steamboats

[caviargal]

If one travels in the busiest months, then rafting is definitely an issue. Research would have made the OP aware of this situation.

 

However, the boat is cruising a lot of the time as well and then you can enjoy the views.

 

We thought the Panorama cabins on Avalon were lovely; spacious and well designed. We traveled in the off season and were only rafted once, for a few hours.

 

It happens.

 

Apparently the OP found nothing else to like about river cruising. Unfortunate. It is not for everyone.

[fred111]

We have taken numerous river cruises and actually like it when we raft up. It gives us a chance to walk through other ships and see what they are like. We have met folks at one town and rafted with them farther down the river.

 

All in all, it is part of the river cruising experience.

[sippican]

We purchased a Panoramic View Suite on the Sovereign Deck on Avalon Magnificent Europe Amsterdam to Budapest. For seven of the 15 days we received a dungeon, blocked in by double parked other River Cruise Ships. We couldn't even see if the weather was fine or cloudy & had to have the blinds closed for all of this time for privacy as the ship along side had cabins looking straight at us. I might as well have saved $4000 & purchased a bottom floor window only cabin for all the good the balcony was. This is an overpriced and falsely advertised journey. Give me Ocean cruising any day as you don't get blocked in views. You get what you pay for.

 

I am sorry you based your judgement of river cruising solely on the times you were rafted next to another ship. Unfortunately, you found this site after you had invested all of that time and money. Had you investigated prior to your trip, you would have found that this is not unique to any particular line or cabin class. We found that the times we were rafted made up only a small percentage of the trip. Even at those times, we were out exploring ports, getting ready for dinner or sleeping. The most enjoyable times to look out were when we were sailing and we preferred the sun deck.

You are correct that river cruising is not for everyone. Even with ocean cruises some of the ugliest scenery we've seen is while docked. I hope you will find your next vacation experience more enjoyable.

[KirkNC]

If one travels in the busiest months, then rafting is definitely an issue. Research would have made the OP aware of this situation.

 

However, the boat is cruising a lot of the time as well and then you can enjoy the views.

 

We thought the Panorama cabins on Avalon were lovely; spacious and well designed. We traveled in the off season and were only rafted once, for a few hours.

 

It happens.

 

Apparently the OP found nothing else to like about river cruising. Unfortunate. It is not for everyone.

 

That was my thought exactley!

[rudeman]

We were on Avalon Impression and were rafted maybe 20% of docking time. Wasn't much of an issue as we were off ship majority of those times. One time we communicated with a Swiss woman on the next ship using the iTranslate app. Pretty cool.

 

 

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[G.M.T.]

The popularitate of river cruise has exploded beyond all imagination. In the case of Passau, numbers have seen a TEN fold increase between 1992 and 2014. In 1992 there were 181 boat visits with 17000 passengers, 2014 it is expected over 2000 boat visits with in excess of 250,000 passengers.

 

There just isn't enough landing places to accomodate individual boats, even without rafting it could be with low water levels that one side of the boat would look out onto the quay wall. Another alternative (that is happening) is the boat will dock at some out of the way place and passengers are "bused" to see the sights.

 

Three years ago Passau completed four new berths, 2.5 Km downstream, mainly for embarcation/disembarcation, to free up the berths in the middle of the town for cruises that are already in progress. Even these new berths are often doubled rafted. Last week in Passau I saw 4 boats rafted in Passau, the first time but surely not the last.

 

Here is a link (in German only) that will show the boats that are due to berth in Passau on a specific day, take a typical day 24th. July when 18 boats are expected. "Liegestelle" (berth) in the last column "A" indicates berthing in the town and "L" (Lindau - not Lake Constance) is 2.5 Km downstream.

 

https://www.stadtwerke-passau.de/hafen/liegeplatzeinteilung.html

 

Maybe that could be a new source of income for the river cruise companies, "Rafting down the Danube". ;)

[Got2Cruise]

The issue is the "shock". I wish everyone was required to read Cruise Critic forum concerning River Cruise issues, not only drafting, but the possible low/high river issues. I had no clue.

[Cary Cruiser]

How much time do you spend in the cabin when you are in port anyway?

 

In port most of the time you are out and about, seeing and doing.

 

We only had a French balcony room, but I don't remember the lack of view being much of a problem in port - we just weren't in the room that much.

[Hoyaheel]

I know it's my OCD personality and my love of research that includes travel planning, but I simply CANNOT imagine taking a trip - especially an expensive trip- and not doing as much research as possible ahead of time, getting input from as many sources as possible (eg not relying on the words of a single TA or company brochure.....)

 

I am not entirely sure I will enjoy river cruising but at least I have a decent idea what to expect -what I am afraid I won't like has nothing to do with rafting or river water levels though.....

 

Too bad OP wasn't prepared and had such a bad time. It really does suck coming back from a vacation that wasn't all you hoped it would be:cool:

[rjscott]

As Caviargal has said, it does depend on the time of year. We have not had an issue with rafting on our cruises, but we have gone in late spring or early summer. We did, however, have an interesting docking situation in Vienne. We had a balcony cabin and I awoke to hear street noises. I looked out and saw we were docked right at the sidewalk in the heart of town. I warned my hubby not to open the drape w/o getting dressed first. :D

 

Becki

[seabreezer]

Not sure if the OP would really have been happier in an aquarium class room but when selecting a cabin whether on an ocean or river cruise it's good to consider how much time one will spend in the cabin. As the view is limited anyway and the schedule is so busy on river cruises I would think most of the viewing of scenery is done in a panorama lounge or on the top deck. I have my first river cruise coming up so I shall learn this first hand but even on ocean cruises we spend very little time in the cabin.

[Hydrokitty]

I'm going to hold onto this thought! Rafting is an opportunity to meet new neighbors! (I will remind DH of this too). And also an opportunity to check out different companies boats!

 

 

 

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That's the spirit!!! Rafting and river cruising go together and I wouldn't trade my french balcony for anything! In Egypt we were rafted to a ship going the opposite way, I opened my drapes and Hello, there was a couple sitting at their table next to their french balcony. We each waved and smiled, then I opened my balcony door and they did the same. They were having tea and I was drinking coffee so we shared a few cookies from each of us and talked about where we had been and what we had seen.. they were from London and turned out lived a few blocks from where we lived when we lived in London! Second time we were rafted in Passau and met a couple rafted to us under the same circumstances only neither of us spoke the other's language so we settled on French and shared glasses of wine! Go with it.....you never know what will happen and these were trip highlights I got for free and will never forget!!!

[ganski]

Not made up to be ? We have been on 3 river cruises , another this December and one next August. Very seldom were are boats ever rafted, and who cares when docked in port. Most passengers are out and about. I purchase my cruises 2 years in advance, we buy the most inexpensive room available because we just generally just bath and sleep in the room. When we are traveling we sit in the lounge or on the upper deck and take in the scenery. Most cruises, i generally take over 1000 pictures, many from the upper deck. I find wether you have a 10K suite or a bottom level room, you get the same tours, drink the same wine and eat the same food. Would a bigger room be better ? Probably, but I would rather socialize on the upper deck, make new friends and be thrilled by traveling on the river than being upset by my boat rafted next to another.

 

 

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[notamermaid]

I did not know about the rafting of river ships before I embarked the ship last year. However, this was due to the fact that I did not read much of the small print, as I was really rushed with getting things organized before my trip.

 

Viking, for example, clearly states the situations that can arise at docking in ports. This can be read in the booklets published online under the heading "my trip".

 

I found the rafting situation akward in Vienna as it involved three ships. But this way I got to see the interior of other ships. Overall, it was a minor negative detail on my river cruise. I was happy to accept it as part of the overall great experience.

 

notamermaid

[Stratheden]

Scenic also mention the possibility of rafting in the T&C.

[CPT Trips]

Our first river boat trip was with 6 days notice . . . Had no clue about rafting. Or anything else. I think I opened the curtain, saw another cabin and closed the curtain again. No problem.

 

Now I kind of enjoy rafting. We get to see other ships up close and talk to their pax while on the upper deck. After all is said and done, including my web check of pricing, our choice of value for the cruise is reinforced. But, if it's someone else paying the fare I do have a list of lines. ;)

[kbella]

We were on Avalon Impression and were rafted maybe 20% of docking time. Wasn't much of an issue as we were off ship majority of those times. One time we communicated with a Swiss woman on the next ship using the iTranslate app. Pretty cool.

 

 

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Thanks for the heads-up for another use for iTranslate while rafting!