China riverboat cruise, do we care which deck we are on?

[Relaxationspecialist]

Both of the cruise lines we are considering (Avalon and Viking) have balconies on all cabins. If we can get a lower cabin for a lower price, is that a good deal or is there something I should know? We will be travelling with our two grown kids and would be happy to save a few bucks. It will be June or July (only times that work for us) and my husband is very prone to sunburn and would not want to be on the top deck.

[LuAnn]

because you are on a river not the "high seas"..so "mid ships" is not an issue. You would want to look at the deck plans to be sure your cabin selection with not under the dining room and/or bar/lounge area because of a possible noise factor. Higher up might be better from a "view" factor...My understanding is that it will be quite hot in China at that time of year..are any of the balconies "covered"..that might help solve the problem..also port and starboard might come into play..you might want to try and pick a side that would have AM sun rather than PM...good luck! (we are going in 10/10 on Uniworld) LuAnn

[CincyAL]

I am a very satisfied veteran of the Viking Century Sun. Also traveled in July. Please do not send extra money to be higher on ship. All cabins except the suites are excellent. Of course look for areas that might have more noise, etc.

[npphotog]

We have been on two river boat cruises - Holland to Hungary and also China and the Yangze river. On both trips we took cabins on the bottom of the boats. Rooms were almost same size unless you go for the "biggie" suites. The China ship had a balcony but the Rhine boat only had a window. My opinion is that you only are in the cabin to sleep so why spend the extra money. Save it and buy an extra bottle or two of wine for dinner. As to which side of the ship - that never bothered me. Again we are not in the cabin that much to matter. Spend most of the time up on the top deck. Willard

[Relaxationspecialist]

Thanks, everybody! Seems to me we might sit on our balconies now and then to enjoy the views....Actually, now that I think about it, would the balconies on the bottom cabins possibly be more likely to attract mosquitoes? We call my husband the Bug Magnet. It does not please him, although he is useful as a decoy. ;-)

[Romeosc]

Thanks, everybody! Seems to me we might sit on our balconies now and then to enjoy the views....Actually, now that I think about it, would the balconies on the bottom cabins possibly be more likely to attract mosquitoes? We call my husband the Bug Magnet. It does not please him, although he is useful as a decoy. ;-)

 

 

I am told that mosquitos are not a problem in China, but that came from a fellow Memphian and we have mosquitos big enough to deep fry!(LOL):D

[no fuss travel]

Thanks, everybody! Seems to me we might sit on our balconies now and then to enjoy the views....Actually, now that I think about it, would the balconies on the bottom cabins possibly be more likely to attract mosquitoes? We call my husband the Bug Magnet. It does not please him, although he is useful as a decoy. ;-)

 

We didn't encounter any mosquitoes in China. A lot of people did use their balcony to dry their laundry. Dried quite quickly too in the sun. We found that we would sit on the balcony just before dinner and sometimes early in the morning. Other than that we were either off the ship or meeting new friends in the public areas.

[gma1]

We didn't encounter any mosquitoes in China. A lot of people did use their balcony to dry their laundry. Dried quite quickly too in the sun. We found that we would sit on the balcony just before dinner and sometimes early in the morning. Other than that we were either off the ship or meeting new friends in the public areas.

We also had no problems with mosquitoes and loved sitting on the balcony watching "river life" go by, especially as we were leaving port and before dinner. We were on the main deck (#2,) very quiet and convenient. I certainly would not spend any extra for a higher deck as the cabins are all the same. A higher deck would put you above other boats when you are docked very closely would be the only advantage. Also under the dance floor on deck 4 is not good! I heard comments that the suites were actually noisy since they are located on the main hallways. The cabins were damp in spite of the air conditioning. We enjoyed it all in spite of the imperfections!! We just returned on Friday. :oGM1

[no fuss travel]

People said that the cabins towards the centre of the ship were quieter. Those that had cabins over the propellers and engines said that they were noisier.