Grave situation on the Danube

[Ship's Wake]

Looking at the Passau webcam looks like a mobile heavy lift crane is righting the landing pontoon that got marooned on the promebade:

 

http://www.webcam-4insiders.com/de/Wetter-Passau/1470-Passau-Wetter.php

 

Ron

 

Good to see the tourist infrastructure being put back into place, as it will bring needed money to the city.

 

Ron, how much of Passau is still without power?

[newfirsttimer]

I am truly amazed at how much cleanup has been done in such a short time. One would hardly know that there had been a disaster at all, at least on the outside. Kudos to the German people for pulling together in time of need!

[G.M.T.]

Good to see the tourist infrastructure being put back into place, as it will bring needed money to the city.

 

Ron, how much of Passau is still without power?

 

Gas and electricity was restored last Saturday, also drinking water which had to be boiled before consumption. The all clear on drinking water was give today.

 

Ron

[ingo_e]

Ron,

 

Gas and electricity was restored last Saturday, also drinking water which had to be boiled before consumption. The all clear on drinking water was give today.

 

so until yesterday they filled up your 1 liter water bottle with the WaWe? ;) SCNR

[busylizzy]

Agree phoebecat, if it's not "appropriate" say to have excursions in Regensburg, Passau, etc due to the damage and they take us on day trips to places like Munich not affected by the flooding, no problem. But it is most preferable to get to stay on the ship at night rather than being put into hotels. If I'd wanted a bus trip I'd have booked one at less than 1/2 the cost.

 

We are booked on a Romantic Danube cruise at the end of June and have been following all of the posts here regarding Vikings reaction to the terrible flooding on the Danube

Viking are saying that cruises after the 16th June will continue with possible alterations, but I don't particulary want a tour of Munich - very nice but have been there, done that - we booked and paid for a river cruise, not a bus/hotel tour - have done bus tours and they don't suit me (bad back), so will Viking let us know in advance what these alterations are likely to be or will it all be revealed just after we board the ship when we are a captive audience? I really hope they give us the opportunity to choose whether "we" as opposed to "they" think that our trip will meet our expectations.

Like everyone else, we have paid a lot of money for this holiday, and I am beginning to feel doubtful that we will have the whole cruise experience and that we will end up with basically a 7 day coach holiday to places we have already visited, and which could have been purchased for, as bob and jo say, half the price.

Also, most importantly, hope the rain stops and the clean-up continues so that people can get back to their normal lives and thanks to all those review writers that provide such useful information.

[winpenzoe]

We were booked on the Danube cruise from Budapest to Passua leaving late July.

The current photos(Google Passau flood photos) make it very clear that we would be taking a luxury cruise through a slowly recovering disaster zone,so we let Uniworld know we wanted to cancel and rebook next year. Their response was "you'll only lose half of the cost of the trip if you reschedule." Otherwise, we lose the entire cost of the trip since they intend to run the cruise in July irrespective of how dismal the conditions may be. The passengers on this "boutique' cruise are assured of experiencing human tragedy up close and personal, not withstanding being denied access to many attractions and risking disease.

[Mark_T]

We are booked on a Romantic Danube cruise at the end of June and have been following all of the posts here regarding Vikings reaction to the terrible flooding on the Danube

Viking are saying that cruises after the 16th June will continue with possible alterations, but I don't particulary want a tour of Munich - very nice but have been there, done that - we booked and paid for a river cruise, not a bus/hotel tour - have done bus tours and they don't suit me (bad back), so will Viking let us know in advance what these alterations are likely to be or will it all be revealed just after we board the ship when we are a captive audience?

 

Viking have been posting a huge amount of detail about the situation :

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1856202

 

There seems no sign of hotels being involved so that should put your mind at rest on that point.

 

As to when they will resume Passau, it will probably be a few days yet before anyone can know, but why not call them for an update in a week?

[UKBayern]

Can some people stop being overly dramatic? The pictures of Passau you are refering to are 6 days old. You should look at Ron's personal photos for the current situation. Everything is open and up and running again, and there is no disease anywhere. Read Rons' posts: he has electricity, gas and water again. The streets have been cleaned, the museums and shops have largely reopened. Even Deggendorf, the town that was hardest hit after Passau, is almost completely back to normal again. Guests who went there yesterday said that no damage was visible at all. We are not talking about a third world country, but about one of the most organised countries in the world. After the floods of 2002, action plans were put in place and they appear to work.

[davidrw]

By the end of this week we will all know more. At present there are multiple sections between Budapest to Amsterdam that can not be navigated and in some cases there are no projected dates for reopening.

However, a number of sections are planned to reopen this week and by the weekend we will know the situation. Hopefully the worst that can happen then is a boat swap around a single closed section.

 

By Sunday everything should be a lot clearer.

[phoebecat]

Can some people stop being overly dramatic? The pictures of Passau you are refering to are 6 days old. You should look at Ron's personal photos for the current situation. Everything is open and up and running again, and there is no disease anywhere. Read Rons' posts: he has electricity, gas and water again. The streets have been cleaned, the museums and shops have largely reopened. Even Deggendorf, the town that was hardest hit after Passau, is almost completely back to normal again. Guests who went there yesterday said that no damage was visible at all. We are not talking about a third world country, but about one of the most organised countries in the world. After the floods of 2002, action plans were put in place and they appear to work.

 

Well said.

 

Dad and I are going a week today, and we are v relaxed about the situation. We expect a river cruise, and have in fact been told by Viking (who have rung us three times since the floods started, to update us) that that is what we will get. If we don't, then we will go with the flow (pardon the terrible pun!)

 

For the folks out there getting stressed, remember, its only a vacation, life isn't predictable, and if you go with the wrong attitude then you can guarantee you will have a rubbish trip. If, on the other hand, you accept that nothing can be meticulously planned, especially in a situation like this, then you should sit back, enjoy the ride, and just be grateful for what you do have.

[G.M.T.]

We were booked on the Danube cruise from Budapest to Passua leaving late July.

The current photos(Google Passau flood photos) make it very clear that we would be taking a luxury cruise through a slowly recovering disaster zone The passengers on this "boutique' cruise are assured of experiencing human tragedy up close and personal, not withstanding being denied access to many attractions and risking disease.

 

My question to the poster is why you have booked a "boutique" cruise going to a banana republic? Don't forget your glass beads and ball point pens to distribute amongst the naked, dirty and disease ridden natives.

 

Suggest poster does a 6 week pre cruise preparation course in areas hit by hurricanes Sandy and Katrina so they can cope with the Passau disaster zone.

 

I for one hope you do cancel, with such an attitude. Reminds of the stories that occurred on the sad loss of Costa Concordia, some passengers at the muster stations were order crew members to go and collect their luggage and get them something to eat from MDR. ME ME ME.

 

Shaking my head in disbelief and hoping a cruise passenger will throw me a banana CARE parcel.

 

Ron

[G.M.T.]

The Danube rose 10 cm (4 inches) overnight, due to the rain we had yesterday.

 

The town hall , where the Water Level sign is, open for business yesterday, the Cathedral never closed at all during the flood.

 

Below is a photo captured from the Passau Webcam, the landing pontoon has been repositioned back in the river, very few emergency vehicles in sight, still some flooding in the right hand side of the promenade. But the most important sight is the boat on the Danube, this is a daily excursion boat - the company said they would resume sailing yesterday. I don't know if the boat sailed under the low suspension bridge, as the company had boats moored above and below the bridge. At least it is a good sign.

 

Ron

[Mark_T]

People should remember that Passau has had over 600 years to practice recovering from floods and they do seem to do it rather well.

 

'Slowly recovering' doesn't really describe anything a visitor is likely to see.

 

Odds are that in just a few days from now, even those cruise lines who were giving Passau a little space to recover will be returning there, I'm sure Viking will update the news and let people know quite soon now.

[Ship's Wake]

The Danube rose 10 cm (4 inches) overnight, due to the rain we had yesterday.

 

The town hall , where the Water Level sign is, open for business yesterday, the Cathedral never closed at all during the flood.

 

Below is a photo captured from the Passau Webcam, the landing pontoon has been repositioned back in the river, very few emergency vehicles in sight, still some flooding in the right hand side of the promenade. But the most important sight is the boat on the Danube, this is a daily excursion boat - the company said they would resume sailing yesterday. I don't know if the boat sailed under the low suspension bridge, as the company had boats moored above and below the bridge. At least it is a good sign.

 

Ron

 

That's excellent news. Thanks again Ron for your updates and pictures.

[newfirsttimer]

Ron, thanks for making those comments. I was so annoyed when I read the OP's very first post of course, I had to shut down my computer. It is that kind of attitude and comments that is so unhelpful in a situation like this. You should be proud of how fast Passau and other communities were cleaned up, how the community pulled together to get back to as normal a life as was possible.

[phoebecat]

Ron, thanks for making those comments. I was so annoyed when I read the OP's very first post of course, I had to shut down my computer. It is that kind of attitude and comments that is so unhelpful in a situation like this. You should be proud of how fast Passau and other communities were cleaned up, how the community pulled together to get back to as normal a life as was possible.

 

Erm ... is this aimed at me?

[newfirsttimer]

Erm ... is this aimed at me?

 

Gosh no, at post #131 from winpenzoe.

[phoebecat]

Gosh no, at post #131 from winpenzoe.

 

Phew! I was just about to throw myself off the bridge into the river (the one that's no longer flooded, that is!) ;-)

[G.M.T.]

Phew! I was just about to throw myself off the bridge into the river (the one that's no longer flooded, that is!) ;-)

 

You should have done that last week here in Passau, you would not have to throw yourself off the bridge, you could have stepped off it directly onto the water.:D

 

Ron

[powderqn]

I also want to add my thanks to all the members posting up-to-date information. I have been following along and have been amazed at how quickly the governments have responded to the areas in need. This is the first river cruise for myself, sister and niece - our dad has been on many and he is taking us along this time.

I have been the point person for my family in following the situation and am thankful that I have the CC community to fall back on for information.

A veteran of many Caribbean ocean cruises, I'm used to the possibility of missed ports, avoid weather problems (last one we went around was Hurricane Sandy when it was crossing Jamaica, later becoming Super Storm Sandy). Cruise lines do the best they can with what is thrown at them. Viking has been very transparent on the situation.

[Herbaru]

Phoebecat, how is it that you a fortunate to be getting calls from Viking? We cruise June 16 and we have not received any calls or emails from Viking. We did call them once about a week ago. Also, my SIL has a separate reservation and she has not been contacted.

 

We plan to call today but do feel Viking should have reached out to us by now.

 

Well said.

 

Dad and I are going a week today, and we are v relaxed about the situation. We expect a river cruise, and have in fact been told by Viking (who have rung us three times since the floods started, to update us) that that is what we will get. If we don't, then we will go with the flow (pardon the terrible pun!)

 

For the folks out there getting stressed, remember, its only a vacation, life isn't predictable, and if you go with the wrong attitude then you can guarantee you will have a rubbish trip. If, on the other hand, you accept that nothing can be meticulously planned, especially in a situation like this, then you should sit back, enjoy the ride, and just be grateful for what you do have.

[phoebecat]

I rang them about a week ago, and had an unfortunate conversation. I posted said dialogue on here, and Viking noted it, apologised, rang me the next day, and have since rung me twice to update me on what's happening. But nothing they have said on the phone to me is any different to what is being posted by them on here.

 

The bottom line is they have said cruises up to and including 16 June will experience some alterations, and those after they hope to run without any amendments. You have to remember that they are passing on the information they are receiving themselves, so if the Danube river authorities don't know exactly when various parts of the river will reopen, then Viking won't know either. Thus they are saying that they will run the cruise, but there may well be some changes - like substituting Munich for Passau and a possible boat swap part way through.

 

I am not a cheerleader for Viking Cruise company, nor am I a representative of the Danube river authorities. But having read what's been said on here, having looked at the river levels, the web cams and read the first hand accounts of those actually in the area (and a massive thank you to them for that invaluable info), it doesn't take a lot of common sense to work out the following:-

 

The river is closed still in many areas but a few local pleasure boats are moving around. River authorities have indicated that some parts of the Danube will reopen this week, some over the weekend, some next week. But nothing is definite. You won't get definite in a situation like this.

 

A lot of Viking ships are out of position, and won't be back in position in time for their next set of cruises. Therefore, a change of boat is inevitable, and Viking have confirmed that and advised customers accordingly, on their updates.

 

Where river stretches remain closed, a coach journey between places, to join a ship further upstream or down river is the most logical solution.

 

Viking have posted, as have many other river cruise companies, a significant amount of information on these boards and others. They have appealed for understanding on our part, and I think it's only fair we give them that. Yes, our cruises are likely going to be impacted by what's happened but that is inevitable.

 

A lot of people on here are rightly concerned about their holidays. But please, don't lets sweat the little stuff, try and get it into perspective. And if you're struggling with that, let me give you a hand ...

 

I'm taking my frail, 85 year old and recently widowed dad on our river cruise, departing next week. It's his trip of a life time, and because of his age, he probably isn't going to get the chance to rebook and do it again. I'm leaving behind my DH who is sick, and who has life-changing surgery scheduled for as soon as I return. But, he wants Dad and I to go, and Dad wants to go, and I want to go, because even if we do end up on a coach tour, or the trip isn't exactly as planned - in the great scheme of things, It Doesn't Matter. It's only a vacation, and we make the most of what we have.

 

So please, people, try and do likewise.

[remydiva]

 

Shaking my head in disbelief and hoping a cruise passenger will throw me a banana CARE parcel.

 

Ron

 

Would you like some coconuts, pineapples and rum to go along with the bananas in your CARE package so you can make some pina coladas? Heck I'll even through in a can of macademia nuts! :)

[remydiva]

Found this article with pics albeit on day old about Budapest...seems it got bad but the flood walls held so they are declaring the worst is over.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/10/us-hungary-floods-idUSBRE9590B620130610

 

(Reuters) - The Hungarian capital escaped damage from the swollen river Danube, which peaked at record high levels in Budapest overnight and started receding slowly on Monday morning, the city's mayor said on Monday.

 

Floods have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes over the past week in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. At least a dozen people have died because of the deluge.

 

On Sunday thousands of people left their homes in eastern Germany as a dam burst on the River Elbe and swathes of farmland were flooded in an attempt to spare towns.

 

Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos told a news conference held at a dike shored up with thousands of sandbags that the Danube had peaked at 8.91 meters late on Sunday, above the 8.6 meter record in the 2006 floods.

 

"Thank God the river has started to recede... (and) I have no catastrophe to report," Tarlos said.

 

Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the same news conference that 20,000 people had worked on Sunday along the Danube strengthening defenses and now the focus would shift to the section of the river south of Budapest.

 

"As for the stretch south of Budapest the order is still the same as what applied to the northern part of the country: we do not give up any dikes," he said.

 

In Hungary, some 1,300 people from 34 towns and villages have been forced to leave their homes in Hungary and 44 roads have been closed due to the floods, authorities said on Sunday.

 

Parliament is expected later on Monday to extend the state of extreme danger announced last week as the southern stretches of the Danube will peak at record highs in coming days.

 

Budapest residents expressed relief that the worst was over.

 

"I don't envy those who had to be evacuated. The river looks very stubborn, very scary ... Luckily it's going down already," said Bence Abonyi, 18, walking along an embankment that had been closed and flooded.

[G.M.T.]

The Danube is now at 7.47 m, it has risen about 15 cm (6 inches) in the last few hours and has passed Second Level Warning, but it has stayed in it's course and has not caused any new flooding.

 

The Autobahn between Passau and Regensburg is now expected to open at the weekend.

 

In Passau there are two mooring areas, the first is in the old town below the Cathedral, used mainly for day visit cruise ships (also some embarkation / disembarkation), this area has been cleaned up and is being inspected. The second area is about 2 km down stream from the old town in Passau - Lindau, this is used for embarkation / disembarkation mainly for cruise to Budapest etc., this was flooded until a day or so, it is being cleaned up and repairs are in progress (flood light posts bent over and not working).

 

Many businesses and shops are in full swing renovating, those along the promenade were the hardest and longest under water, here it could be some time before they open - some may not make it.

 

Still no news as too when traffic will be able to move unhindered. Did see a day excursion boat with real passengers on board (see 1st. photo). Second photo shows how high the water reached, 3rd. is the cruise ship mooring berths in the old town.

 

I'll post a few photos showing area flooded and now - to follow.

 

Ron