How much rafting to expect as well as crowds

[KathyK13]

7 minutes ago, KathyK13 said:

I think my DH took pictures, will ask him to look it up!  It was a cute little town and we were the only ones there. Several people walked around town after the concert and checked out a pub!

It was in Engers, looked it up in my notes!  I think the concert took place in a castle there.  Avalon does list Engers as a stop on the 2022 cruise although it doesn't show the concert as an excursion.  

[notamermaid]

21 hours ago, KathyK13 said:

I think the concert took place in a castle there. 

Ahh, Engers! Yes, that is a chamber music college where talents can get grants and can work on their skills.  Beautiful Rococo palace overlooking the river. Avalon Waterways was instrumental in establishing a modern landing stage there, together with a company and the local council, a few years ago. Not much to see beyond the palace and the adjacent street but certainly a nice place for evening docking and concert. I have enjoyed a concert there - and a couple of ice-creams next door.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Gourmet Gal]

Being rafted or not is such a non-issue for me that I cannot even remember how many times we were rafted on our recent Rhône cruise.  Maybe twice.  It certainly wouldn’t impact my choice of cabin but if one has mobility issues then I can see where it could be problematic. 

[sharkster77]

Since our room was basically used for changing up and sleeping, being rafted for us never really became an issue.  Only once (in Cologne) did we have to cross over the top deck of another ship to get to ours.

[gnome12]

49 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

Only once (in Cologne) did we have to cross over the top deck of another ship to get to ours.

That is less likely to happen with Viking because all of their longships are virtually the same and so the lobbies line up. It happens more with ships of different sizes. 

[CILCIANRQTS]

3 hours ago, gnome12 said:

That is less likely to happen with Viking because all of their longships are virtually the same and so the lobbies line up. It happens more with ships of different sizes. 

But rafting is not always with ships from the same cruise line, so it is an ongoing issue. Our last rafting had Viking folks climbing to thevtop deck to cross over, and the elevator on Viking longboats does not go up to the sun deck.

[Canal archive]

As I’ve said before on this thread different ships built by different yards just don’t necessarily line up, luckily now Viking has quite a few of their own mooring sites but this only helps a little because there are so many of them.
How many river cruise ships lifts/elevators go up to the sun deck?

What does sometimes happen is your ship arrives at its next mooring which entails breasting up/rafting but when you return from your excursion your ship is now on its own I’ve known this happen when excursions for the ship already there has been late or a delivery has been held up. 
We have had a pre dinner drink with a Canadian couple opposite our balcony on the boat next to us and then actually met them on our cruise three years later.