Forward cabin issues- rough seas, noise from anchor chain

Greetings, we are first time Viking cruisers, traveling on the Sky, Iceland to Bergen June 2019. We currently have a DV cabin midships right at the stairs. I want more space, especially storage, and am considering upgrade to PV. The lowest price is a cabin very far forward, deck 5. Is this a bad idea for a switch? I have scoured the forum to read that heavy seas cause the anchor chain to clang and the bow of the ship to be smacked & tossed by waves. No predicting the weather, but we have never had a cabin on any ship (6 cruises) that far forward. I am a light sleeper, have gotten seasick, but a very rare occurrence in a small closed space. I really want more space/storage, but is this a potential problem. TIA

Have you read this blog about cabins to avoid?

5005 and 5003 are listed. I would assume the port side ones (5002, 5004) have the same issue (directly under the bridge).

https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/p/cabins-to-avioid.html

Have you read this blog about cabins to avoid?

5005 and 5003 are listed. I would assume the port side ones (5002, 5004) have the same issue (directly under the bridge).

https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/p/cabins-to-avioid.html

Thanks for posting this blog site--some very useful info!

Yes, thanks for that posting of cabins to avoid. I had noticed the ones with overhang. We are looking specifically at 5009, a few cabins behind the bridge overhang. Just wondering about the motion of the ship in high seas and the clanging of the anchor chain. BTW, I have noticed that some PV cabins have a slider door and others have a hinged door and fixed window with a wall between, breaking up the view. Also, in our opinion, the slider is better as it can be opened to different amounts and not have to be "propped" open. 5009 is slider, 5011 is hinged, at least it looks that way!

I can tell you how it was for us in a DV forward of midships on 4 deck. On the World Cruise we were fortunate in the weather in that there were only two roughish days in the Tasman Sea but in 120 days there were lots of bow thruster use and anchoring. Not a peep. We heard nothing at all. The only way you knew the bow thruster was being used was to see the water flow from the veranda. By contrast, we recently sailed Seabourn's Sojourn. On 5 deck the anchor/bow thruster noise was ridiculous. Even on 8 deck of Sojourn passengers complained of the noise. I have to say Viking Sun is the quietest ship we have ever sailed. I would not worry about anchor/bow thruster noise in the PV at all. Nice cabin.:cool:

Yes, thanks for that posting of cabins to avoid. I had noticed the ones with overhang. We are looking specifically at 5009, a few cabins behind the bridge overhang. Just wondering about the motion of the ship in high seas and the clanging of the anchor chain. BTW, I have noticed that some PV cabins have a slider door and others have a hinged door and fixed window with a wall between, breaking up the view. Also, in our opinion, the slider is better as it can be opened to different amounts and not have to be "propped" open. 5009 is slider, 5011 is hinged, at least it looks that way!

We have been on deck six in PV cabins between the front elevator bank and the bridge on three cruises. We have never experienced any noise related to the handling of the ship. During rough seas we would occasionally feel a minor rhythmic “bumping” but it was almost imperceptible and was by no means an issue. We like being in the front of the ship because there seems to be less foot traffic and the elevators are generally less busy, even on a full cruise. Plus, it provides some needed exercise when walking to and from the World Cafe or restaurants downstairs!:) As for sliders vs fixed doors, we’ve been in both and greatly prefer the slider. It provides easier access to the veranda, especially if you’re carrying anything out there (like food on a room service tray). (You mentioned propping the door open but keep in mind that the heating and air conditioning system will not work if the door is not completely closed and latched.) The fixed door and window option also puts a blank wall right in the middle of your view. Hope this helps. I think you’ll be happy with 5009.

Thank you so much, Jim Avery and cocopico for your input. It sounds like a done deal. I'm so excited, I want to leave tomorrow, but alas, 10 months to wait. I didn't know about the slider needing to be closed... and latched, wow, oh well, minor inconvenience. I totally understand the climate control issue, drives me batty when folks have the a/c on and the door open!

Thank you so much, Jim Avery and cocopico for your input. It sounds like a done deal. I'm so excited, I want to leave tomorrow, but alas, 10 months to wait. I didn't know about the slider needing to be closed... and latched, wow, oh well, minor inconvenience. I totally understand the climate control issue, drives me batty when folks have the a/c on and the door open!

Having the outside door open doesn't just effect your cabin but it also effects the cabins around you. Someone on another thread explained that it has do with air pressure and other scientific concepts of HVAC that I kind of understand and certainly can't explain. It also explains why our cabin doors slam shut even when we try not to let them.

There is quite a bit of vacuum, for lack of a better word, when you open the balcony door then open the cabin door. Quite the wind flow out into the hall. Sure puts fresh air in the cabin though.:cool: As far as sliders/swingers doors, we much prefer sliders as on Viking in most categories. Recently on Seabourn Sojourn we were first impressed that the balcony is about 18" deeper than our DV we had on Viking Sun. Then it dawned on us that the large outward swing door made that 18" unusable. You had to be careful where you placed the furniture.

There is quite a bit of vacuum, for lack of a better word, when you open the balcony door then open the cabin door. Quite the wind flow out into the hall. Sure puts fresh air in the cabin though.:cool: As far as sliders/swingers doors, we much prefer sliders as on Viking in most categories. Recently on Seabourn Sojourn we were first impressed that the balcony is about 18" deeper than our DV we had on Viking Sun. Then it dawned on us that the large outward swing door made that 18" unusable. You had to be careful where you placed the furniture.

The cabins are designed to have positive air pressure in HVAC terms. It's a safety feature that deters smoke from spreading from cabin to cabin. Keeping the balcony door open compromises the system.

Well, dang! We're booked into two PV2 cabins (5011 and 5032) on upcoming cruises. The rooms with the dang fixed window and hinged door look horrible!!

Well, dang! We're booked into two PV2 cabins (5011 and 5032) on upcoming cruises. The rooms with the dang fixed window and hinged door look horrible!!

I’ve been in both and the fixed window with the hinged door is not horrible at all.

The plus for this cabin that you could seat on the sofa and looked at the sea. You have a wall next to the sofa with the slider door ;)

We liked both for different reasons.

You’ll be happy with yours. Trust me :)

I’ve been in both and the fixed window with the hinged door is not horrible at all.

The plus for this cabin that you could seat on the sofa and looked at the sea. You have a wall next to the sofa with the slider door ;)

We liked both for different reasons.

You’ll be happy with yours. Trust me :)

Okay, I'll try and calm down now.

editorial comment:

I've done a BUNCH of cruises since the mid 80's ... old ships and new ships

AND was a ship captain so am a bit attuned to ship noises .... I always wake up to the sound of bow thrusters, anchor chains or just general engine speed changes. Except on or recent VIKING SKY trip ..... sound NEVER woke me up ...... we were midship on deck 3 adjacent to the lifts and never heard a sound day, night, or mooring.

Our trip WAS flat calm but I did wake feeling the change in motion from open water to protected ... but never to anchor chains or the like. I even mentioned to DW that it was hard to believe we'd anchored as I never heard or felt the drop ......

thanks for all the feedback. We just like fresh air, sleep with the window open 365 here in OR. We would never just leave the door open while not in the cabin and are aware of the vacuum effect. We turn off the thermostat when the door is open. Glad to hear the cabins are so soundproof. In interesting perspective on the view from the couch, hope that helps those with the split glass. Just can't wait for our Iceland/Norway cruise next June. Now if some others will just join the roll call!

How can you determine prior to the cruise if your cabin has a sliding door or fixed with window? We are on the Orion in PV 6007 for the Nov. 4 sailing. Thanks!

How can you determine prior to the cruise if your cabin has a sliding door or fixed with window? We are on the Orion in PV 6007 for the Nov. 4 sailing. Thanks!

I emailed Viking at tellus@viking.com and found out that both of our PV cabins on upcoming cruises have the hinged door and not the sliding one. The very helpful rep who has responded to me many times said that this arrangement actually lets in more light. However, I think I prefer the sliding door arrangement for several reasons. Our traveling companions are next door, and I think they will have a slider, so we can compare both arrangements. We cruise October 6, so I will write about it here on CC as soon as I settle down.

Thanks for the info! Have emailed them to see which we have. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts - amount of light, impacted views, etc. - on the cabin comparisons. Why do you prefer the sliders? Think I would too. Have a great sail!

How can you determine prior to the cruise if your cabin has a sliding door or fixed with window? We are on the Orion in PV 6007 for the Nov. 4 sailing. Thanks!

When we enquired about this prior to booking a future cruise, we were told that of the forward Deck 6 PV cabins, the following have slider doors: 6000, 6001, 6006, 6007, 6008, 6009, 6014 and 60015. We’ve been in both slider and fixed door cabins on deck 6 and prefer the ones with sliders for reasons I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. That’s not to say, though, that there is anything wrong with the fixed-door option — we are back in one of those on our next cruise because there were no sliders available and we wanted to be on deck 6 forward.

I looked at a picture of the exterior of the ship and counted verandas to figure out if we had a slider or hinged door. Having little success with getting details from phone reps, I didn't consider calling, same with email. Glad to read of success for others.

I looked at a picture of the exterior of the ship and counted verandas to figure out if we had a slider or hinged door. Having little success with getting details from phone reps, I didn't consider calling, same with email. Glad to read of success for others.

Yes, I tried counting verandas too, but it just made me dizzy! Send an email to "tellus@viking.com". The reps there are great and very helpful with all kinds of questions/concerns.

Does it make any sense that if 6008 has a slider than 5008 will have one as well.

That is our cabin on our upcoming cruise.

Never assume!! Email Viking and ask them.

As the bow of the ship slants backwards, I believe the cabin numbers are not the same above and below any certain cabin. So, yes, find out from Viking or find a photo, compare deck plans and count verandas as I did. Apparently, contacting Viking is the best choice, LOL

I forgot to say that after I emailed Viking, the rep also sent photos showing each of the PV rooms---so you can look more closely at sliding door rooms and the hinged door ones. I still prefer the slider.