BEFORE you book the room on a Viking River Cruise watch this to decide if a balcony is worth it!!! 

We are aware and aren’t planning on spending time on the balcony except when cruising so no problem

We opt for a veranda stateroom on Viking because the veranda rooms are larger inside with room for two chairs inside as well as outside, whereas my understanding is that the French Balcony rooms have only one small bench/stool to seat oneself in front of the vanity mirror just next to the bed. Otherwise, no where else for a second person to sit/recline except on the bed. I like fresh air and haven't a problem opening the sliding door when docked next to another boat when in a Viking veranda stateroom. The veranda actually offers a slightly greater distance to the boat docked next door and I can draw the curtain enough to provide privacy while the sliding door is slightly opened. We attended a Viking Cruise presentation at a local hotel, prior to buying our tickets. The speaker/Viking rep explained everything that you've shared, so we were already aware of the river cruise ships stacked across in each port and the need to walk through other ships to reach land. This is true of every river cruise line which sails on European rivers and is not solely Viking specific.

Do you know if the storage underneath the bed is tall enough to store a trunk style luggage (which is thicker than the regular luggage)?