Croisieurope Elbe Princesse: How did the first season go?

I was wondering if anyone has heard how Croisieurope's Elbe Princesse fared during it's first season. The paddlewheeler was designed to navigate the Elbe when water levels were too low for traditional riverboats to cruise. I looked on cc's review section, and the ship isn't listed yet. I assume that it must have had some success since Croisieurope is apparently building the Elbe Princesse II. Does anyone have any news about it? Did it make all its sailings last year, or did the waters get too low for even it to sail?

Sorry, looked again and found reviews. This one indicates that even the Princesse didn't always make it all the way from Berlin to Prague.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=552081

This is a very good question, one that even their vice-president couldn't/didn't really answer:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2384450

"Even with the unpredictability of these rivers, we have had very few interruptions, no more than our standard boats face on the major rivers."

These remarks are from mid-august. Not really re-assuring if you were looking to book an Elbe cruise.

Viking also has a low draft ship and I think they couldn't travel for a large chunk of the season.

That's too bad. The Elbe river is finicky.

However, the above review mentions the "awful" Hilton Conference Hotel outside of the city. The hotel is neither awful nor is it outside of the city. It is in walking distance to the old Jewish Quarter with its historic synagogues or a short taxi ride for those who have trouble walking. We spent several nights in that hotel last summer on a road trip we organized ourselves. The hotel is used by Viking Cruises. We saw their desk in the lobby.

We did this cruisr on viking last September with minimal disruption. Loved the cruise. The ports are fantastic. We were lucky as many of the other cruises had shop swaps.

The ship was popular and the season went well, generally speaking. However, the Elbe princess was docked for a few weeks when the other ships did not sail either. It appears that the ship could sail for longer but was also stranded when the level got really low. I looked this up end of last year and found a German news report but will not be able to retrieve it to give you more details. What I lke about the Elbe Princess is the fact that she is designed to sail right into Prague - and did - while the other ships do not or cannot go that far.

notamermaid

I was wondering if anyone has heard how Croisieurope's Elbe Princesse fared during it's first season. The paddlewheeler was designed to navigate the Elbe when water levels were too low for traditional riverboats to cruise. I looked on cc's review section, and the ship isn't listed yet. I assume that it must have had some success since Croisieurope is apparently building the Elbe Princesse II. Does anyone have any news about it? Did it make all its sailings last year, or did the waters get too low for even it to sail?

Hello!

I know the question was geared more toward how did the ship fare throughout the actual season, but I did sail a preview sailing on its inaugural last year. My review can be found here.

Happy cruising!

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

Hello, and thanks for following our first season of the Elbe Princesse!

Our first season was certainly a success, as the ship has been built to cruise from Berlin, into the heart of Prague - something no other company is attempting. Although it is true the Elbe's water level can change quite a bit, about 95% of our departures were successful in sailing all of the way into Prague. Even when mother nature interferes, we have the capability of sailing more than any other cruise line.

This itinerary is so special that in 2018 we will launch a sister ship - the Elbe Princesse II, operating the same itinerary from Berlin to the heart of Prague.

Happy cruising as we begin the 2017 season!

CroisiEurope