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The Elbe river 2018 - not just water levels


notamermaid
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We will likely book the Elegant Elbe in spring of next year. We have received an email about the 25% voucher, but the $$ have not yet been deposited into our banking account. We had flights thru Viking, so I am assuming those are cancelled. We really want to do the Poland extension, but I don't see any other Viking River Cruise that offers that extension; thus we maintain our interest in the Elbe cruise, but will hope that spring offers better water levels.

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Viking has changed their status page to say the following:

 

 

"While the unseasonably hot and dry weather in Europe resulted in low water levels on several rivers earlier this summer, recent rains have improved conditions significantly.

As water levels continue to rise, most sections of the rivers are now stable, making sailing through possible. We expect most itineraries will resume regular operations in the coming weeks."

 

Have things changed?

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Viking has changed their status page to say the following:

 

 

"While the unseasonably hot and dry weather in Europe resulted in low water levels on several rivers earlier this summer, recent rains have improved conditions significantly.

As water levels continue to rise, most sections of the rivers are now stable, making sailing through possible. We expect most itineraries will resume regular operations in the coming weeks."

 

Have things changed?

 

They might be referring to their cruises on the Rhine and Danube where things do seem better now. I doubt that The Elbe is navigable even today.

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I cannot see a big improvement for the Elbe yet. The graph for water levels at Dresden is fluctuating upwards but on a small scale. The current level is 71cm. A forecast/prediction I can only find for 48 hours into the future and that does not look very promising.

 

 

It is currently raining lightly in Saxony, but little to no rain is forecast for the next three days. And rain that falls in the Czech hills is of more importance anyway.

 

 

Perhaps AnhaltER1960 can supply us with a few more details.

 

 

notamermaid

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Indeed the weather situation has changed - even on the Elbe. There has been some rainfall alonh the Elbe and the temperatures dropped. Means that more rainfall reaches the groundwater and/or the river, reduced evaporation.

 

 

 

The water levels on Rhine and Danube had been low, too low to sail some shallow parts. The recent rainfall apparently was enough to lift the water table beyond critical level. Not so on the Elbe, which was scratching at record lows (I read a newspaper article about ten days ago, that the Elbe at Wittenberg reached an all-time low since measurements started in the year 18xx).

 

So the recent rainfalls have risen the Elbe level from donteventhinkaboutsailing to no, not really. Though the Czech released one wave yesterday, which would even allow sailing, surfing that wave and getting the keel well sandbrushed. But that is not enough to resume regular sailing.

 

 

The weather forecasts see that low pressure area over central eastern Europe, which brought that rainfall for the Elbe (and as well for the Danube) to disappear and back to dry weather. I am still pessimistic for the remaining 2018 season. Even CroisiEurope went into cancellation mode after several weeks of bussing.

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Hi there all you Elbe experienced sailors... we really want to do the Viking "Elegant Elbe" in 2020... can anyone recommend the "best guess" month to go? I'm thinking May, but it appears that even this past May the water levels were low... any recommendations?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Do ma land tour, walking, biking, busing or self drive, then you can hoose any month you want.

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Do ma land tour, walking, biking, busing or self drive, then you can hoose any month you want.

 

That would seem to be the bitter truth conclusion from what we have heard of the situation on the river this year.

 

If you have read through this thread, Letmetravel!, and read about the itinerary and read Viking's payment policy, then I would suggest Spring as well.

 

However, I am not convinced by the itinerary. It is bussing from Berlin to Wittenberg, leaving out Magdeburg. And the cruise stops in Decin, with bussing to Prague.

 

Have a look - if only to compare if you are fixed on Viking - at CroisiEurope's itinerary on the river.

 

By the way, there are other ways to sail the Elbe... A land tour with steamboat excursion or a downstream to the sea tour through the locks are possible.

 

Perhaps a past Elegant Elbe cruiser can help you with details.

 

notamermaid

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... we really want to do the Viking "Elegant Elbe" in 2020... can anyone recommend the "best guess" month to go?

 

Needs a large crystal ball, one and a half or even two years ahead. April and May seem to bee the months, which are safe, though this year even May was a cliffhanger (if this year was a one off, then its weather, if it repeats, then its climate change).

 

You are talking on "Elegant Elbe", which is the product of Viking River Cruises. Notamermaid already reported their itinerary on the Elbe. There are pros and cons to this itinerary (I am not even sure, whether missing Magdeburg is a pro or con). However, as Viking are sailing the Elbe between Wittenberg and Decin only, this is leaving out some shallow parts around Magdeburg. In comparison with other companies, this Viking timetable has proven the most stable. No, they could not not sail all year this year, but Viking ships had still be sailing on the Elbe, when others long went into bus mode.

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Thanks for pointing out the shallow area around Magdeburg, AnhalterER1960. I recall the old Viking itinerary still had part of the canal and the river around Magdeburg in it. I think Viking changed it for the season of 2016 or 2017. They learnt their lesson I suppose. But this year has been so disastrous that I am not sure if I can still recommend any itinerary that goes upstream beyond Magdeburg. The problem is of course the beautiful scenery that you would miss if you did not do that stretch. But then again, going downstream opens up another area of the Elbe that has its own merits.

 

 

If I had the choice I would leave out Prague altogether as it is so crowded these days and start from Berlin with a trip to Dresden, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Wittenberg as a land trip with excursion boat half-day trip. And then I would make my way downstream towards Hamburg on a smaller boat like the Saxonia.

 

 

notamermaid

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We were notified today that our Sept. 25, 2018 Viking 'Elegant Elbe' cruise has been cancelled and within 14 days we will receive a full refund for cruise & airfare along with a voucher for "25% of your paid cruise fare" to be used on a future Viking cruise. We had arranged for non-refundable upgraded airline seats. We'll have to pursue a refund from our credit card's travel protection.

 

This is actually a relief. We've been watching water levels on the Elbe and knew that navigation was impossible on a good portion of the river. We didn't want to spend 4 - 8 hours a day on buses.

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Thanks for pointing out the shallow area around Magdeburg, AnhalterER1960. I recall the old Viking itinerary still had part of the canal and the river around Magdeburg in it. I think Viking changed it for the season of 2016 or 2017. They learnt their lesson I suppose. But this year has been so disastrous that I am not sure if I can still recommend any itinerary that goes upstream beyond Magdeburg. The problem is of course the beautiful scenery that you would miss if you did not do that stretch. But then again, going downstream opens up another area of the Elbe that has its own merits.

 

 

If I had the choice I would leave out Prague altogether as it is so crowded these days and start from Berlin with a trip to Dresden, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Wittenberg as a land trip with excursion boat half-day trip. And then I would make my way downstream towards Hamburg on a smaller boat like the Saxonia.

 

 

notamermaid

 

We went in June. The Astrild was wonderful...great food, crew, cabin...everything. I totally agree with you about Prague. I was very disappointed. Our hotel was not in walking distance and there was no shuttle bus from our hotel. The included tour was miserable....standing for five hours while the guide talked on and on to fill the time. Others have loved Prague but it was so crowded you could not see anything. The Poland extension was fabulous and made the trip worthwhile for us.

There is only one period of scenic cruising. We didn't know we would be able to cruise the entire way until half way in when rain the Czech Republic raised the level so we could continue and enjoy the scenic cruising. We were lucky in Wittenberg....just happened to be there on the day of Luther's 500th wedding anniversary. There was a big festival along with the usual tour there which was a very good one. And our Berlin hotel was not in walking distance to the museum I wanted to visit although one hotel they use is right next to it. We booked our first Viking cruise after a relative raved about the hotel being in the midst of everything (Paris) and advertising similar to that. We've been on three and have had only one hotel that fit that description...the Krakow one on the Poland extension. If booking this one, early is definitely better, OP.

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Our Elbe cruise was cancelled August 22 for a scheduled Sept 9 departure. We have yet to be reimbursed also. We did receive the 25% voucher notification on August 24.

 

 

Paulchilli, did you continue on your City of Lights tour?

 

I called Viking today and was told that due to all their cancellations, the accounting department was running behind on issuing refunds. I was told that instead of 14 business days, it might take up to 30 business days.

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I called Viking today and was told that due to all their cancellations, the accounting department was running behind on issuing refunds. I was told that instead of 14 business days, it might take up to 30 business days.

 

At least your agent was more honest than mine - mine said it would take “only” 21 days instead of the 14 days promised. I’ll believe it when I see the money in my account.

Their excuse is bogus IMO. How long does it take to wire money back to the credit card. It sure didn’t take long to charge my account when I paid the final payment - it was posted the same day! I bet they could easily process 200 payments or more coming into their account without any trouble. What would Viking say if you told them at the time your final payment was due that you would pay them within 30 days? They have a very poor record with refunds IME and I am really fed up with that. There are plenty of other options for river cruises which I will keep in mind for the future.

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At least your agent was more honest than mine - mine said it would take “only” 21 days instead of the 14 days promised. I’ll believe it when I see the money in my account.

Their excuse is bogus IMO. How long does it take to wire money back to the credit card. It sure didn’t take long to charge my account when I paid the final payment - it was posted the same day! I bet they could easily process 200 payments or more coming into their account without any trouble. What would Viking say if you told them at the time your final payment was due that you would pay them within 30 days? They have a very poor record with refunds IME and I am really fed up with that. There are plenty of other options for river cruises which I will keep in mind for the future.

 

Viking, like any large company, has rigorous accounting standards that require a paper trail with many steps. They don't just cut a check and put it in the mail. [They have similar requirements on the receiving end, but you don't see them because it happens after your payment is processed.] I have had similar experiences with other cruise lines, even when they didn't have the excuse of unusually high cancellations.

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Viking, like any large company, has rigorous accounting standards that require a paper trail with many steps. They don't just cut a check and put it in the mail. [They have similar requirements on the receiving end, but you don't see them because it happens after your payment is processed.] I have had similar experiences with other cruise lines, even when they didn't have the excuse of unusually high cancellations.

 

I don’t agree.

If they have the “similar requirements on the receiveing end” than why do I get charged the same day rather than 14 - 30 business days later? I would prefer that :)

I am willing to give them 14 days but 30 is unreasonable IMO.

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So what is the Elbe doing? Sadly it would be more accurate to ask: is that little stream the Elbe river? The gauge at Magdeburg Strombrücke has broken its low water record. The lowest recorded water level was from 22 July 1934, 48cm. Earlier today the level fell to 45cm. This is what it looks like in the graph: https://screenshots.firefox.com/eYirVt5TlbaKVqjv/pegelonline.wsv.de

 

 

Actually it has broken it again for this year, it had already been as low as 45cm on 28 August. The rain forecast might see the end of this but will it actually get us to and then be able to sustain a decent level for sailing? I doubt it.

 

 

According to the 11th (!) update on the low water situation in Germany published by the Federal Institute of Hydrology the gauge at Magdeburg by 13th September had been under its Glw reference mark (important for calculating the depth of the navigation channel) on 118 days since April 2018. This has been a constant event since 21 June (it had fluctuated just above under just under for a few days before). It is an occurrence that happens in that section of the Elbe only every 20 to 50 years.

 

 

For the next three days the prediction looks bleak. After that we will need to see what the rain does.

 

 

notamermaid

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We have now re-booked the Elegant Elbe from Berlin to Prague with the Krakow / Warsaw extension for next May, hoping that the water levels will improve next spring. I will be switching over to the 2019 thread (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2667752&highlight=elbe), and hope that our friends in Germany will keep us abreast of the situation on that forum.

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We have now re-booked the Elegant Elbe from Berlin to Prague with the Krakow / Warsaw extension for next May, hoping that the water levels will improve next spring. I will be switching over to the 2019 thread (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2667752&highlight=elbe), and hope that our friends in Germany will keep us abreast of the situation on that forum.

 

I am sure that there will be new threads for 2019 (just as 2018) for the Rhine, Danube and Elbe as general threads covering all cruise lines and not just one company's roll call that is tucked away in the depths of CC.

 

I for one will not be commenting on that thread.

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To make certain that G.M.T.'s comment is understood correctly: there are three types of threads on the various river cruising forums.

(1) threads in the main River Cruising forum, which for the past few years have included separate threads for each of the rivers that has low- or high-water issues (Elbe, Danube and Rhine)

(2) 'omnibus' roll calls in the All Other River Cruise Roll Calls forum or the new Viking River Roll Calls forum – that cover all sailings by a particular cruise line on a given river [such as the one that SBJB8184 linked to]

(3) individual roll calls for a particular sailing [in the two roll call forums mentioned above] – these rarely work well because the river ships hold so few passengers and with excursions included there is less reason to pre-plan with other cruisers

 

The best information about general issues like water levels will be found in the main River Cruising forum – since even though different ships are affected earlier or later, all ships have to deal with the same water-level issues in some way. More information is always better!

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