Rhine water levels 2016 and similar topics

Riversanddale, I've asked the family to keep me posted, the internet has been good for them so far, so hopefully it will remain so. I'll keep you up to date, as they will be ahead of you on the rivers.

 

Notamemaid, I'm not sure if I should cheer or not for the rain, I know it's badly needed, but for those on holidays, you wish for anything but...well, except snow I guess :)

Thanks so much, Daisi.

Were headed from Kinderdjik to Cologne on a very nice ship. There was heavy fog down to the ground this morning so I'm afraid our shipmates only saw the windmills up close and personal. They missed those beautiful long vistas with the mills strung out in a row. Four of us went to the cheese farm on a very enjoyable trek. We had a walk through town to catch the ferry to the other side of the canal and a nice but foggy drive in our 60 passenger bus to the farm. They have 500+ cows - mature, teens and those only a few weeks old. It was very interesting to see the difference between here and the cheesmaking in our home srea. Of corse there were lots of samples and we each succombed to the temptation.

Tomorrow we dock one bridge further away from the Dom than we are used to and shuttle buses will run in the afternoon. They will run for a few hours so it's much less convenient for shopping, museum visits and pubs. The included tour is in the morning and rain is expected. It's supposed to clear some in the afternoon. We are arranging for a rickshaw tour which we've really enjoyed before. It's with Rickalonia.

Happy sailing to all.

Hello Riversanddale,

good to hear from you. The weather is a little miserable around here this morning, Cologne is not too far from me for a similar weather pattern, so I aspect you will be walking in the rain right now :(.

I hope you are enjoying Cologne nevertheless.

This comes too late for you, but for those docked further away from town, apart from the shuttle there is always the local transport network. When I was at the river cruise docks in Cologne to see a CroisiEurope ship I walked to the nearest underground, about a kilometre away. Trams and busses run through the street "Riehler Strasse", as well. If you are happy to walk a bit here is the link to the services: http://www.kvb-koeln.de/german/fahrplan/linienplan.html the link 2016: Busnetz in Köln (rechtsrheinisch) gültig ab 13.12.2015 (425 kB) shows you all the options. I went from Reichensperger Platz. South of the main station "Heumarkt" stop is good for the old town close to the Rhine, "Neumarkt" gets you to the nice shops from where you can head back to the Dom, i.e. do a "reverse shopping route". The link 2016: Minifaltplan - KVB Route Network and Fares at a Glance (1518 kB) shows you the railways only. You can type in a route here: http://auskunft.kvb-koeln.de/kvb/cgi/page/eingabeRoute?lang=UK and there is an app available.

On the other hand, you can always get a taxi. :)

Looking forward to my next trip to Cologne.

Oh, and if you are thinking of a land trip to Cologne but miss the river trip you can book one (in advance mostly) for a few hours, even in winter: https://www.k-d.com/fileadmin/kataloge/KD_Winter_2016_englisch.pdf

After all this more or less useful info ;) here is the important stuff: water level Kaub 111cm, Koblenz 102cm.

notamermaid

We've enjoyed a wonderful day in Cologne. We arrived just before 11am (late). We traveled slower than expected but the barges all around didn't seem to slow down. The rain had already been and gone. The sun came out around 1pm and continued to peek in and out for the remainder of the day. We had a great time with Stefan of Rickolonia on our rickshaw. We crossed the river to enjoy a beautiful 360 degree view of the area on the observation deck of the tower, did some sightseeing around old town, enjoyed a late lunch at Cafe Fossbender, and indulged my fantasies at Casa Lana (yarn shop) before he returned us to our ship. Late in the afternoon there was time for hot chocolate on our balcony. The sky is beautiful tonight with the bridge lights, cathedral and city sparkling. Picture perfect.

Tomorrow we are expecting good weather when we stop in Koblenz to allow guests to depart on tours to Marksburg or the Ehrebreitstein Fortress. We were disappointed to learn that we won't have time in Koblenz. We were hoping for a break in a local cafe and a relaxing stroll with picturetaking as we've done Ehrebreitstein before and Marksburg has too much climbing for us. It looks like a day of reading aboard. Last trip we had several hours in Koblenz. I suspect the difference is our travel direction.

There have been no hints of problems with water level on the Rhine end for us other than a slower speed. We did see a dredge operating here in Cologne and Stefan said they used it for 5 months last year to keep the river lanes ooen. Happy travels everyone.

Hello Riversanddale,

You were really lucky with the weather, then, in Cologne. Sorry to hear about your itinerary disappointment in Koblenz.

In Cologne there is a "notorious" shallow bit at the "Kölner Platte" in the Rhine, gravel and sand just keep collecting there and they have to use that dredger quite often, I think last year they decided to dig out more than in previous operations so they would not have to use it again for so long so soon.

Braubach at the bottom of the Marksburg is a small village, nice enough for a stroll, here is a map that you can enlarge: http://braubach.welterbe-mittelrhein.de/ortsgemeinde/ortsinformation/

Enjoy the castles and Rüdesheim, Riversanddale. If you have been to Rüdesheim before, you could get the ferry over to Bingen: http://www.bingen.de/en/tourism/hildegard-of-bingen/experience-hildegard/museum-at-the-river with an exhibition on the life of the famous abbess.

The water level: Kaub 105cm, Koblenz 97cm.

notamermaid

Notamermaid - Just wanted to say thanks again for all your help as we head for Paris tomorrow for a few days before our Moselle/Rhine cruise. Glad to see water levels have improved but hope it did not cause any problems for anyone traveling.

One last question? Is there still some color in foliage on the rivers or has most of it fallen?

Thanks again!!!!

Hello tstr,

my pleasure.

I have just come back from a Sunday afternoon stroll in the forest. From the car I saw the Rhine underneath a grey sky, a castle ruin and the red vine on its walls, golden yellow and orange with some green foliage in the forest. There is still a lot of foliage, we have not had any long storms yet. You should be able to see nice colours in Paris and on your way to Germany, hopefully on the Moselle you can still see the vine foliage in colour when you get there.

I will put some info into the Moselle thread.

Have a nice time in Paris and a great cruise.

notamermaid

Hello Jay23,

 

yes, looking good. Levels still rising. It is now misty and slightly sunny in my area. If you are stopping in Koblenz you will be docking right at the Deutsches Eck and when you head up to Ehrenbreistein fortress you can overlook the valley and see the Viking Kara. If that is not possible for you here is my tip: have a look at the website http://www.bafg.de/DE/06_Info_Service/03_Webcam/webcam.html you can enlarge the webcam photo. Get someone at home to take a screen print (uhm, perhaps a mobile phone does it as well, I have no idea of this technical stuff) and store it, then you have a photo of your ship. While I am typing there is a Viking ship docked there. The webcam gives you some nice shots of the area when it is not overcast.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

 

notamermaid

Wonderful panorama Notamermaid. Cant wait. Weather here is holding up, sunshine and no rain around 11C.. Thanks again. You have been such a friend to all of us taking these cruises. J

We've enjoyed a wonderful day in Cologne. We arrived just before 11am (late). We traveled slower than expected but the barges all around didn't seem to slow down. The rain had already been and gone. The sun came out around 1pm and continued to peek in and out for the remainder of the day. We had a great time with Stefan of Rickolonia on our rickshaw. We crossed the river to enjoy a beautiful 360 degree view of the area on the observation deck of the tower, did some sightseeing around old town, enjoyed a late lunch at Cafe Fossbender, and indulged my fantasies at Casa Lana (yarn shop) before he returned us to our ship. Late in the afternoon there was time for hot chocolate on our balcony. The sky is beautiful tonight with the bridge lights, cathedral and city sparkling. Picture perfect.

 

Tomorrow we are expecting good weather when we stop in Koblenz to allow guests to depart on tours to Marksburg or the Ehrebreitstein Fortress. We were disappointed to learn that we won't have time in Koblenz. We were hoping for a break in a local cafe and a relaxing stroll with picturetaking as we've done Ehrebreitstein before and Marksburg has too much climbing for us. It looks like a day of reading aboard. Last trip we had several hours in Koblenz. I suspect the difference is our travel direction.

 

There have been no hints of problems with water level on the Rhine end for us other than a slower speed. We did see a dredge operating here in Cologne and Stefan said they used it for 5 months last year to keep the river lanes ooen. Happy travels everyone.

Sorry to hear you won't be stopping at Koblenz, my family stopped there on the 18th, but they did go to Marksburg, so maybe just got that tour. So far looks like things are ok, they were in Regensburg today, looks a bit on the cool side as they are wearing gloves, but otherwise seem to be happy!

Had a nice afternoon yesterday traveling by the castles. Traffic on the river is very slow and we were behind slow barges (think - walking is faster) for some of the day. I took photos on the west side and dh did the east. The lighting for photography was much better on his side. The sun didn't make it till 4pm and only for a short peek but we had no rain.

Today we are expecting morning rain and afternoon clouds if the forecast holds. We've been in locks for forever (it seems😉). The itinerary is not as published or even what is listed on our Daily sheet. The glassblower comes on at 10-11am with 1 1/2 hours allotted for buying after that? Then lunch, then a 5+ hour walk in Miltenberg instead of 1 1/2 hours. That's too long for us since we're told we won't be able to reboard before 7pm as the ship is moving downriver and they'll bus us to meet it. The daily briefing will be after dinner. Another day wasted. I wouldn't be so annoyed with Viking except I've now found references to these changes clear back in summer so they don't seem to be water level related. I hadn't realized they were permanent changes. Naughty Viking for not being up front when the changes are known well ahead.

Another interesting tid bit that we didn't know till last night's briefing - when the lockmasters went on strike two years ago the passenger ships lost their priority over barges, etc. when going through locks making the waits longer and schedules less reliable. Combine that with slow barges due to low water and there are itinerary repercussions.

Good news - can't wait to see the glassblower.

My mistake - changes are on our daily sheet which we get after dinner but we first learned of them at briefing last night. Miltenberg tour leaves at 230 and returns 645+.

The river level has dropped again - as predicted by the experts the recent rain was not extensive enough.

Here are the latest figures: Kaub 86cm, Koblenz 85cm. But it is still better than it had been.

notamermaid

miltenberg is charming but very small. the time frame seems long plus it gets dark early this time of the year. were you offered any options besides staying there or remaining on the ship?

enjoy your cruise and will follow your updates.

Had a nice afternoon yesterday traveling by the castles. Traffic on the river is very slow and we were behind slow barges (think - walking is faster) for some of the day. I took photos on the west side and dh did the east. The lighting for photography was much better on his side. The sun didn't make it till 4pm and only for a short peek but we had no rain.

 

Today we are expecting morning rain and afternoon clouds if the forecast holds. We've been in locks for forever (it seems😉). The itinerary is not as published or even what is listed on our Daily sheet. The glassblower comes on at 10-11am with 1 1/2 hours allotted for buying after that? Then lunch, then a 5+ hour walk in Miltenberg instead of 1 1/2 hours. That's too long for us since we're told we won't be able to reboard before 7pm as the ship is moving downriver and they'll bus us to meet it. The daily briefing will be after dinner. Another day wasted. I wouldn't be so annoyed with Viking except I've now found references to these changes clear back in summer so they don't seem to be water level related. I hadn't realized they were permanent changes. Naughty Viking for not being up front when the changes are known well ahead.

 

Another interesting tid bit that we didn't know till last night's briefing - when the lockmasters went on strike two years ago the passenger ships lost their priority over barges, etc. when going through locks making the waits longer and schedules less reliable. Combine that with slow barges due to low water and there are itinerary repercussions.

 

Good news - can't wait to see the glassblower.

We must have been close to you yesterday through the castle section. We're on the Vantage River Splendor. Enjoyed the castles but we were really cold standing out on deck. In Mainz today we're it is pouring rain. For those at home doing the rain dance can you please take a few hours off?

According to weather radar imaging the rain should subside within an hour in the Mainz area. Rain will come later again to the Rhine in the evening. Hope you are enjoying Mainz nevertheless. I still have not been to the Gutenberg Museum, only to the Landesmuseum which has some great Roman and medieval exhibits.

notamermaid

According to weather radar imaging the rain should subside within an hour in the Mainz area. Rain will come later again to the Rhine in the evening. Hope you are enjoying Mainz nevertheless. I still have not been to the Gutenberg Museum, only to the Landesmuseum which has some great Roman and medieval exhibits.

 

notamermaid

Had a very rainy morning in Luxembourg today. Fall foliage is beautiful. Awesome wine tasting of Luxembourgish wines. Unfortunately not able to buy any. Creamant is excellent. They do not expert their wines-they drink them all.

Bernkastel tomorrow.

The rain has gone for a bit, there is little forecast for the next three days. The temperatures have gone up as well and will reach a pleasant 14 degrees in parts of the valley.

The water level is better now as well. Kaub is at 101cm, Koblenz at 104cm.

notamermaid

Sounds good to me! Only 6 days to go and we will be in Basel. J

Riversanddale, just heard from my S-I-L, they are still on the ship, no swap yet, however a tanker blew its engine, so have a delay. They were in Passaic yesterday.

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Sorry, it should say Passau. Phone doesn't seem to understand German towns.

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The weather is quite pleasant today in the Rhine valley.

The river level has risen further to a reassuring 115 cm at Kaub and likewise 105 cm at Koblenz.

The beer gardens have mostly closed down and the leaves are turning ever more yellow, orange and red.

notamermaid

Another pleasant, slightly misty morning with sunshine and no rain. The river level has risen further: Kaub 121cm, Koblenz 119cm.

All gauging stations on the Rhine are out of the official low level zone.

If you are travelling over the next few days you will come across two very different traditions, one being Halloween, the other one being All Saints Day. While the first is a relative recent import from the US, the other is a church holiday, observed with shop closures and official party bans - reserved for prayer and private celebration, mostly candle placing on graves - in many German states. It is really Catholic while the 31st of October is the Protestant's Reformation day and a public holiday in some other states.

Not everyone is happy about Halloween becoming popular and my family had been the victim of not so nice a trick (mild yet unpleasant) a few years ago.

However, chocolate and sweet companies produce special ones for the day and the pumpkin is all around us at this time of year now. So, big business for some.

A few years ago I went to a theme park called "Europa Park" in a small town near the Upper Rhine valley. They make heavy use of Halloween there and the pumpkin decorations need to be seen to be believed!

The German river cruise company Arosa offers an optional excursion on their family river cruise trips to the Europa-Park. I am sure they are very popular.

I think that one could be an idea for the Adventures by Disney cruises, too.

Happy sailing everyone.

notamermaid

Here is an unusual occurence. This evening three (!) Viking river cruise ships are docked in Koblenz. Logistically, at another port, I would say that Viking has shot themselves in the foot, claiming that they enjoy prime locations, in the port. WE know now that they do not. One cruiser reported earlier this month that they had to dock in Zons in Cologne, quite not a prime location.

So why would I still regard all three ships in a prime location at Koblenz with even two more ships (the S.S. Antoinette and the Bellejour) enjoying the same?

In Koblenz with its unique setting on two rivers, there are docking locations on the Moselle - one side of the old town - and on the Rhine - the other, a bit more modern, side of the old town. From both directions you have easy access to the old town and the best tourist sites.

Yet Koblenz town council is a little worried about overcrowding and has plans to expand.

Anyway, I hope everyone on those ships is having a great time. :)

notamermaid

Good afternoon from Regensberg. I wrote this morning early and lost internet when I hit send so it never went through. We were in Nuremberg yesterday and sailed all night. This is the first since then that the internet has worked - after 4pm. Everyone has been trying to use it and it can't stay connected. Pleasantly, the rest of the trip has been better.

Regensberg is lovely and town is still lively even though some day boats have already stopped for the season. We're rafted on the dock side with another Viking ship at station #7. Ahead at station #6 is a Uniworld ship and an AMA ship rafted together. Ahead of that is the newest Crysral ship at station #5. There is a museum ship at #4 and nothing at #3 or #1. There doesn't seem to be a #2. In 2012 we docked with Viking at #3 very close to the Stone Bridge. This is quite a walk further out. We had a little sun at the start of our walk but its cold now and multiple layers are needed. Locals are bundled and many if not most have knit caps. We had heavy fog this morning which lasted most of the way here today.

When we get home I'll be curious to compare our 2012 Bud to Ams trip to this one Ams to Bud. Our guide today said the river is at about 9 feet. We have noticed that wer'e sailing much slower this trip with much, much longer waits for locks. We are often arriving later than the itinerary indicates. We have only had what we consider good docking positions twice this trip - Amsterdam for boarding day and Miltenberg. Bamberg and Nuremberg don't welcome boats at all. We tried to use the balcony at Nuremberg but the water was stinky and we gave up. Both dock the ships out in industrial areas.

Thank you, Daisi, for your update. We are looking forward to Passau tomorrow. Right now we're happy to be warming up inside.

Safe and happy travels to all.

Hi Riversanddale, glad you are enjoying your trip. My family is now in Budapest, they made it all the way without having to swap. They are enjoying nice sunny weather, so I decided to bring them back to reality as we had snow yesterday. They have one more day, and then they return home. Hope the nice weather holds for the rest of your trip.

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Good to hear from you Riversanddale.

The day boat season ended last weekend on the Rhine, but now some companies operate a winter schedule. Boat charter for companies, birthday parties, etc. is available throughout the year.

Have a great time in Passau today.

Hello Daisi,

thank you for the info. I am sure your family has a great time in Budapest, such an interesting city.

The water level has risen further: Kaub is at 141cm, Koblenz at 136cm.

Sunshine is forecast for the next three days. Temperatures will stay pleasant, Düsseldorf with 15 degrees is supposed to be the highest day after tomorrow.

notamermaid