AMACerto/Able to navigate Rhine?

My DH and I are scheduled to depart Oct. 12 on AMACerto going from Amsterdam to Basel (The Rhine). Other than one identified change by AMAWaterways stating we will dock in Bonn and not Colgne, I have not heard nor read anything else on this board about this itinerary vis-a-vis the low water levels. I have read many entries about problems Viking has with its ship design on the Rhine and Danube, especially the long boats. They were not able to navigate the lower Rhine levels. My question to those of you who have made the Rhine trip recently on AMAWaterways, were you able to cruise the whole way? Did it turn into an expensive bus and hotel trip? I would love some insight from you pros who have done this trip recently. This will be our first time and it is possible we could cancel if it is not going to be a cruise but rather a bus trip. Thanks in advance.

AMA has been able to keep sailing on all itineraries throughout this summer because their ships have unusually shallow draft [i.e., they don't need much water to sail]. Viking longships have unusually deep draft, which is why they have had so much trouble this year.

I feel for you in this situation. From what I've read AMA does have better luck than some of their competitors in terms of a shallow draft allowing them to continue where other ships can't pass, but it's not a guarantee.

If you or a friend have a Facebook account, you might try posting a question there. I don't know if they would respond but I do see that someone has been posting on their behalf in the past few days (on the AmaWaterways Facebook account). It might be more for general PR than operating conditions however.

Or you could try calling your travel agent (if you used one) or AMA directly. They may not know yet themselves what the situation will be two weeks from now, which of course does not help you decide whether to cancel.

In general passengers seems to feel AMA does a great job if challenging circumstances arise, but I understand you not wanting a bus trip when you paid for a river cruise. Good luck; I really hope you are able to take the trip. The shoulder season sailings always have their risks (which is why the prices are somewhat lower than peak) but when it works out it's great - fewer crowds and cooler weather. Happy sailing I hope!

We just returned last week from the Budapest to Amsterdam trip on the AMACerto. We were able to cruise the whole way. We did leave several hours earlier than we were supposed to at a couple ports and arrived a little later than scheduled for a couple but our tours all went without any problems.

Good luck on your trip.

We just finished our cruise on the amacello doing Basel to Amsterdam on Thursday. We did have some rain that week. (Sept 17-24) The water level was low but we had no problem or variations on this cruise. Like others have said AMA ships are designed differently and can handle low waters better. Had a great cruise! Any questions feel free to ask.

Just getting off the AmaCerto today after doing the 7-night basel to amsterdam. Absolutely no apparent problems presented to the passengers, and no itinerary changes other than the docking changes received with cruise documents.

AMA has been able to keep sailing on all itineraries throughout this summer because their ships have unusually shallow draft [i.e., they don't need much water to sail]. Viking longships have unusually deep draft, which is why they have had so much trouble this year.

I was able to find the specs on the ship we'll be on (hopefully) Oct. 8-15, the Amadeus Silver II. Says the draft is 3.93'. Is that shallow? I can't find specs on other cruise lines' websites to compare.

The Amacerto is given as 1.50m, the Amadeus Silver II as 1.45m, the latest Viking longships as 1.60m (information of Viking ships taken from the shipyard's website). It can be adjusted with the amount of passengers on board, draining the water from the pool and drinking water, etc. Those few centimetres could be the deciding factor on sailing or not sailing, especially currently on the Danube and at the little bit of Rhine stretch that is shallowest at the moment.

sanantoniogirl58,

you probably have not heard about problems with this itinerary because, as the others have reported, there really have not been many at all. Although the river was very shallow in August and the beginning of September I think almost all the ships still sailed and the main problems were with docking in some towns. The Rhine is still low and will continue to be so for at least week but it is higher than it had been.

As I said adjustments can be made and I am sure all companies will have plan B's for making sure passengers see the famous castles. There are day trip boats that can accommodate up to 400 passengers and I have read once that one had been hired by a river cruise company to step in as the cruise ship could not sail.

Bonn is a convenient place for docking. It might be because Cologne is too busy or the docking station is causing a problem. If you can, try and find out from the CD on the ship why you are in Bonn. I would be interested to find out.

By the way, CroisiEurope's MS Boticelli for example is given as 1.30m. That ship is of a shorter length than the two ships as well as the Viking ships mentioned above.

I am sure you will have a great time. :)

notamermaid

Thank you for responding to my query. I am a newby in writing but have been an avid reader of this forum since we booked. I am having good feelings about our trip and am thankful we chose AMA with theh different ship design.

Since my post I have learnt from the poster yogasiddy in another thread that his original cruise in August had been cancelled. So there were more issues on the Rhine and Main than I had heard. That cruise would have been from Nuremberg to Amsterdam. Since August and his scheduled, but cancelled, cruise the water level has risen, as I have mentioned. So, fingers crossed, everything will be fine.

notamermaid