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GCT Essence of the Elbe


azmimi
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Has anyone recently taken the cruise on the Elbe? GCT is constantly advertising the cruise for 2015 and that begins to worry us. Are the beds comfortable? We are supposed to go next March, Berlin to Prague. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

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Sorry no-one who has cruised with GCT on the Elbe has responded and allayed your concerns about the beds.

 

I can't report on GCT's beds but can tell you a little about our Elbe "un-cruise", due to low water levels, with Viking in July 2014.

 

Water levels were so low even the shallow draught Elbe boats couldn’t sail. One Viking boat was moored in Dresden and the other in Wittenburg. We were accommodated on the boats and bussed in between.

 

There was sufficient water for us to cruise one day from Wittenburg to Magdeburg (the port for Berlin) along a rather dull stretch of river.

 

I doubt if either boat has moved very far since then as river levels have been below average all season.

 

You can check water levels on all German rivers on this website recommended by Notamermaid. http://www.wetteronline.de/pegelstaende?gid=SAC

 

It’s in German but the graphics are good. The map gives you the deviation from the mean water level (Flusspegel or Pegel or Pegelstand in the German language).

 

Hover your cursor above the green or red markers to find the names of cities and rivers; Elbe is second river from the top, right hand side. The more green means the more below average, the more red means the more above average.

 

We did not cruise through the stunningly beautiful stretch of river in “Saxon Switzerland” and missed several ports. Visiting other scheduled destinations involved long bus trips, short visits to the interesting places, long and tedious “comfort” and shopping stops and denied us the ambience of river cruising.

 

Our local guides were excellent and if one must be moored, the centre of Dresden was a five star place to moor.

 

Water levels are low because there was very little snow last winter followed by an early summer heat wave exceeding 100'C in June/July in Prague and Berlin. The Elbe has no locks in Germany to regulate the water flow. The lock on the Czech Republic border was closed to retain water in the Czech stretch of river. Immediately downstream the river bed was dry.

 

I don’t know how GCT handled the low water levels. We saw only one other river cruise boat, the Swiss Ruby, moored in Dresden with no passengers and a caretaker crew.

 

No-one can predict the river levels for next year. I hope it is better for you.

 

It's a very intertesting area to visit and we are very pleased we spent extra time pre and post cruise to see more of Prague and Berlin.

Edited by HDS
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I don't think pp really meant temperatures of 100 degrees C. :confused:

 

Have you looked on GCT's web site for reviews of that cruise? You might also want to ask your question on their forum there.

 

We have not done that itinerary or boat, but I find the beds on GCT's other river boats comfortable.

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Has anyone recently taken the cruise on the Elbe? GCT is constantly advertising the cruise for 2015 and that begins to worry us. ..............

 

I wouldn't worry about all the advertising. This cruise is fairly new to GCT, so they need to "get the word out" about it. Plus, they do seem to focus their advertising (brochures, etc.) on one cruise for an extended period and then move on to another cruise.

 

Although we have not taken their cruise on the Elbe, we have taken four other river and small ship cruises with GCT. We enjoyed every one and have always found the beds to be comfortable.

 

Have a great cruise and when you return- post a review for the rest of us. This one is on our bucket list.

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We took this cruise a few years ago and really liked it. The boat is older, was completely gutted and refit. It is unlike the other boats we have travelled on with GC. The beds, IMHO, were very comfortable.

 

The itinerary was great. We did hit low water in Dresden and could not cruise to our last city, so we were bussed. It was no big deal.

 

I have a friend who just went on this trip a couple weeks ago but have not talked to her to see how the trip was. Not sure if she is even back yet.

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Thanks for the info. Does GCT let youknow in advance if the water is low before cruise time? If so, can you cancel and switch to another itinerary?

 

I don't know since we made the whole cruise until we got to Dresden. I do know that the trip that was after us did not go since the boat was stuck on a sand bar. Not sure what they did, though.

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