When Is A River Cruise Balcony Not A Balcony?!

River cruising is a fantastic way to cruise and so very different to the ocean cruises you are probably used to. A river cruise ship is not like a ocean cruise ship so if you are thinking of a balcony please do not forget it will be very different to a ocean cruise balcony. In fact there are a couple of choices you can make which I thought would be interesting for you if you are considering a river cruise.

My first comment though if you are thinking of taking your first river cruise is to go for a balcony (of which I will explain later). If you go for a “river view” cabin you would normally find the window is small and at head height, your not really gaining a lot, however they are cheaper – for obvious reasons.

So, here is my explanation on the balconies you can expect.

The first and probably most popular choice is a French balcony. Basically these have floor to ceiling windows which in most cases you can open to say waist height. You can not walk out on these. Some river cruise lines call them open-air balconies or full open balconies or a Juliet balcony – all the same concept.  This is the kind of balcony I had on my river cruise and I have to say it was fantastic.

Full balconies, these are probably the most expensive on a river ship. They are more like a ocean cruise balcony but with less space. The level of the balcony will be at the side of the ship, not protruding like a ocean one. Not all river cruise lines offer these, but the ones I can think of would be Viking on the long ships fleet and Scenic.

A twin balcony basically means you have a french balcony where you can sit and then you have a full walk on balcony adjacent. AMA Waterways feature these on quite a few of its ships as well as Emerald. I have seen this concept when I sailed with Emerald. The cabin was pretty big but in all honesty I do think what would you do with both? Again an expensive choice.

River cruising is not cheap and they do tend to get booked up very quickly. For a start the ships are smaller so not many cabins and the many different nationalities this kind of cruise appeals to. For example if you are thinking of booking a cruise down the Douro, you really need to book a year in advance to get the cabin and date you want!

I hope this helps, you know where I am if you would like any information on a river cruise!

Till next time x