AUFan83

2 hours ago, Bentwaters said:

Just received word less than an hour ago that the Viking Alruna is going all the way from Basel to Amsterdam.  We left Basel on Dec 1st.  It rained heavily while we were at Strasbourg.  Our cruise director called it a "Christmas miracle" and it does seem to be one.  The day before we left we were told there was an 80% chance we would change boats.  Now we can completely unpack our suitcases.

Doug

Thank you so much for the info! We board the Alruna in Amsterdam on Saturday-so excited!

10 minutes ago, paia40 said:

27NOV2018

We received email from viking todayabout our upcoming cruise on VIKING TIALFI 12-15-2018

 

Dear Viking Guest,

Thank you for choosing Viking for your upcoming European voyage. This message is to advise you regarding low water levels on the Rhine River that will likely impact your itinerary.

As this summer has been unusually dry, many European rivers have reached historically low levels. Unlike ocean sailing, as little as an inch or two determines whether navigation is possible, and river levels have been changing quickly throughout the season. Our nautical team continues to monitor the river levels closely to determine if and how your cruise may be affected.

At this time, we expect to enact what we call a mid-cruise "ship swap" part way through your itinerary to bypass the affected area. Because Viking operates identical ships traveling in opposite directions along the river, we are able to transfer you by motorcoach from your ship to an identical sister ship further along the river. There, you can resume your itinerary with minimal impact.

If water levels remain low, we may also need to dock in alternate locations where our regular docking locations are adversely affected by the conditions to ensure you are able to see the sights you came to see.

While we strive to give you as much information regarding how your cruise may be impacted ahead of time, river conditions today may be very different than on the day you pass through the affected area. This means we cannot confirm exact details until closer to departure, or even possibly after.

Rest assured, we have considerable experience in navigating situations like this and we are confident you will enjoy your journey with us, despite the low water conditions.

Should you have any questions regarding your cruise before your departure, please contact Customer Relations at customerrelations@vikingcruises.com

We look forward to welcoming you on board and wish you a wonderful journey.

Sincerely,

Viking

 

We have been following the viking posts and appears there is a boat swap in cologne, with a bus ride to Marksburg castle and day cruise of the castles on the rhine, missing koblenz from rudesheim ,returning to another viking ship .

We purchased cancel any reason insurance from our TA, If this is the only modification to our cruise we will not cancel. Looking forward to our journey..

Alan & Kathryn

We received the same email and we are good with this modification also. 

1 hour ago, peasmith said:

AUFan83 - thanks for the info.  So far have you been able to stick to all the places of visit which were on the itinerary?  We are joining the Viking Mani on the 14th December and worried that we will not be visiting some of the places although we have done the itinerary before for Xmas a couple of years ago but the Xmas markets were all closing down then - hope your day goes as planned

Peasmith, this was posted by JimmyBuffet who is onboard right now-we don’t leave until Dec 8. So I don’t know yet about sticking to the itinerary but it sounds like they have so far-from what I have read from others, the next day is still the bus trip to Heidelberg. Here’s to a great trip for both of us!

5 hours ago, Jimmy_Buffett said:

 

Hi there,

We are on the Viking Tialfi,doing a ship swap tomorrow..

Here is the itinerary, looks like Viking is doing a great job of dealing with Global warming.

Thank you so much for this information! We, along with 3 relatives and their spouses, will be sailing this itinerary December 8th. I have been watching/reading this thread for quite a while and waiting to see what happens along with everyone else. It does seem that Viking is trying to keep as close to the original cruise as possible.