Lock strikes announced in Germany

[franski]

Yikes! The river cruise industry is sure having a bad 2013. Floods and now strikes. What next? Good luck to all cruisers this year....I think your gonna need it.

 

We leave in early September, and DH and I are already discussing what we will do if we hit issues with water level (high or low) or lock closures.

 

We have decided that we would most likely stick with the boat if we are offered an option to move to a hotel for a couple of days. We have traveled the Danube before - and it is the vacation experience on the boat we are looking for --> the towns are lovely, but seeing them via a bus trip isn't what we want to do.

 

Hopefully we won't have to make that decision - but are prepared just in case.

 

Fran

[burrma]

We leave in early September, and DH and I are already discussing what we will do if we hit issues with water level (high or low) or lock closures.

 

We have decided that we would most likely stick with the boat if we are offered an option to move to a hotel for a couple of days. We have traveled the Danube before - and it is the vacation experience on the boat we are looking for --> the towns are lovely, but seeing them via a bus trip isn't what we want to do.

 

Hopefully we won't have to make that decision - but are prepared just in case.

 

Fran

Appreciate hearing this advice from a past river cruiser. Hope the issues are solved before then; we go mid Oct. on Danube.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Yikes! The river cruise industry is sure having a bad 2013. Floods and now strikes. What next? Good luck to all cruisers this year....I think your gonna need it.

 

Plus, the French workers closed Mont Saint Michel this week. Did evil management cut their salaries?--No. Ask them to work more hours?--No. What happened?--They moved the employee parking lot 500 yards further away, in order to restore the historic perspective of MSM as an island!

 

The argument in favor of strict European labor laws (28 hour work week, lots of vacation and holidays, lifetime job security) was that workers would then develop their innate longing for culture. But when it comes to culture vs. walking 500 yds -- laziness wins out!

[cruzemaven]

According to a colleague of mine who talked to lock operators at Otterndorf (Bamberg; Main) the workers are going to go on strike again from Tuesday to Thursday every week. So expect Friday to have minor delays (due to the 3 days blockage), while Saturday to Monday everything will go as scheduled. At this moment these are unconfirmed rumors (from a trustworthy source), we will find out on Tuesday.

 

Do you know which locks along the Danube are affected by this strike? We are leaving in a few weeks on an Avalon river cruise from Budapest to Prague ... Hope the disruption will be minimal.

[steamboats]

cruizemaven,

 

There are several locks on the Danube river from Passau to Kelheim (that´s when you enter the Canal). I´d say it doesn´t matter which lock is on strike as any lock will block the whole traffic. The Danube river locks must be all WSV Regensburg. WSV Nuremberg is mainly the Canal locks and there also a couple from Kelheim to Nuremberg where you disembark.

 

steamboats

[cruzemaven]

cruizemaven,

 

There are several locks on the Danube river from Passau to Kelheim (that´s when you enter the Canal). I´d say it doesn´t matter which lock is on strike as any lock will block the whole traffic. The Danube river locks must be all WSV Regensburg. WSV Nuremberg is mainly the Canal locks and there also a couple from Kelheim to Nuremberg where you disembark.

 

steamboats

 

If that will be the case, I imagine that our river cruise from Passau to Nuremberg will become a bus trip to a hotel in Nuremberg as described in a previous post. Too bad we did not take " cancel for any reason" insurance. The last thing we wanted to do was to have this lovely river cruise turn into a bus and hotel trip! Oh well, I can only hope this will all be resolved soon.

[acruise4me]

We are leaving on the Viking Grand European cruise on July 20. Does the lock strike mean we will not be able to get all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest? Or will we have to skip a few cities along the way to make up for lost time in order to arrive in Budapest on the scheduled date? If there are bus trips to visit cities affected by the strike do you head back to the ship in the evening?

[burrma]

If that will be the case, I imagine that our river cruise from Passau to Nuremberg will become a bus trip to a hotel in Nuremberg as described in a previous post. Too bad we did not take " cancel for any reason" insurance. The last thing we wanted to do was to have this lovely river cruise turn into a bus and hotel trip! Oh well, I can only hope this will all be resolved soon.

 

I agree with you; wish we had bought cancellation insurance also; doesn't seem like the year to do river cruises BUT friends just came back from Avalon and they missed two ports and Avalon treated them real well with compensation, first class hotels and free tour of Salzburg. Hope Viking treats us as well.

[ingo_e]

Do you know which locks along the Danube are affected by this strike? We are leaving in a few weeks on an Avalon river cruise from Budapest to Prague ... Hope the disruption will be minimal.

 

Cruzemaven, as Steamboats says, the locks are operated by "WSV" departements. IF the department strikes, usually all locks operated by them are closed down.. BIG EXCEPTION: Work shifts may be done by regular workers (have the right to strike) and civil servants (do not have the right to strike). So the same lock might be open from 4pm -12 and then closed down for the next two shifts... Very confusing. I tried to organise them in a chart, covering the river stretches, the departments and the actual status.. http://www.rivercruiseinfo.com/content/strike-germany-locks-are-blocked (Some more background information: I once listed all locks on the rivers and where they are located: http://www.rivercruiseinfo.com/content/list-locks-along-rivers )

 

At this moment everything is green and fine :) Officially Ver.di wants to end the strike today at midnight, the other information ("every TUesday - Thursday") are unconfirmed rumors at this time.

 

If there are bus trips to visit cities affected by the strike do you head back to the ship in the evening?

 

Acruise4me, this usually depends on how much delay you have.. If you are just stuck for one day, you will usually go to the next city on the itinerary by bus, then back to the ship. If your passage is blocked for several days, the cruise line usually considers to book a hotel or switch ships. Really depends on "where" you are stuck and the length of you itinerary (e.g. is there an alternating cruise going the opposite direction, stuck somewhere else?).

[davidrw]

It took a long time to get our boat back on schedule.

 

On Tuesday evening we were due to sail from Regensberg to Nurenberg.

 

The ship actually sailed on Thursday morning and kept sailing without stopping.

On Friday evening it picked up most of the passengers who had moved to Nurenberg for 2 nights so that we got the 3 days of sightseeing, however it moved very slowly on the Main due to a backlog of boats though the locks. it lost another 4 hours of time and we ended up missing Miltenberg. On Sunday we were bused between Frankfurt and Rudesheim and when we got back on our boat we were back on schedule for the Rhine Gorge.

 

Avalon treated us well and made sure that we saw most of the sights with minimal bussing. however the boat crew have had to work very hard catching up the lost sailing time.

[Shebely]

It took a long time to get our boat back on schedule.

 

On Tuesday evening we were due to sail from Regensberg to Nurenberg.

 

The ship actually sailed on Thursday morning and kept sailing without stopping.

On Friday evening it picked up most of the passengers who had moved to Nurenberg for 2 nights so that we got the 3 days of sightseeing, however it moved very slowly on the Main due to a backlog of boats though the locks. it lost another 4 hours of time and we ended up missing Miltenberg. On Sunday we were bused between Frankfurt and Rudesheim and when we got back on our boat we were back on schedule for the Rhine Gorge.

 

Avalon treated us well and made sure that we saw most of the sights with minimal bussing. however the boat crew have had to work very hard catching up the lost sailing time.

 

 

David,

What hotel did Avalon use in Nuremberg? We are going from Budapest to Nuremberg only on Tranquility then on to Prague by bus. Any further info on your days off the Expression would be appreciated. We will encounter the strike Tuesday, July July 23 or Wed July 24. Thanks

Lynn

[davidrw]

David,

What hotel did Avalon use in Nuremberg? We are going from Budapest to Nuremberg only on Tranquility then on to Prague by bus. Any further info on your days off the Expression would be appreciated. We will encounter the strike Tuesday, July July 23 or Wed July 24. Thanks

Lynn

 

They put us all up in the Maritim, however I suspect that it was any port in a storm !!

 

The job of Cruise Director seems to be one of coping with problems.

 

I really hope that you don't get caught up in any strikes.

[REBCRUISER]

Just read (in German - see link below) that the Lock operating union will strike again this week (Tuesday through Thursday) on the Danube (in Bavaria) and the Main, and the R-M-D Canal. That should mess up all of the river cruise line schedules again - big time.

Just called Viking, and they claim that our cruise (Budapest to Amsterdam on the VAR boarding next Sunday) is still on track and with the same ship. That even though the VAR just entered Germany a few hours ago and could not possibly make Budapest on time.

Roland

 

http://www.br.de/nachrichten/unterfranken/streik-schleusen-main-104.html

[FinelyRetired]

Just read (in German - see link below) that the Lock operating union will strike again this week (Tuesday through Thursday) on the Danube (in Bavaria) and the Main, and the R-M-D Canal. That should mess up all of the river cruise line schedules again - big time.

Just called Viking, and they claim that our cruise (Budapest to Amsterdam on the VAR boarding next Sunday) is still on track and with the same ship. That even though the VAR just entered Germany a few hours ago and could not possibly make Budapest on time.

Roland

 

http://www.br.de/nachrichten/unterfranken/streik-schleusen-main-104.html

 

Roland:

Thanks for posting. Hope all goes well with your cruise. Keep us updated if at all possible?

 

Our cruise is a few weeks. Given that there is warning for potential disruptions along this route, I hope that Viking makes a top notch effort in terms of communications and contingencies.

 

I note that Scenic posted/emailed it's passengers a little while ago concerning potential disruptions. I'll note below but do not think it's printing as a "live" link? If not, perhaps someone else here can post a link?

 

http://us.scenictours.com/new-page-284/

[PJames]

We're booked on the Avalon Visionary for July 17, from Nuremberg.

So I call Isabel Heimann, the cruise director.

She says:

"I'm so happy you called. We were worried.

You are the only one we haven't contacted.

The cruise is not cancelled, but will start in Regensberg.

See you tomorrow in Regensberg!"

 

Now we can relax.

[cruzemaven]

We're booked on the Avalon Visionary for July 17, from Nuremberg.

So I call Isabel Heimann, the cruise director.

She says:

"I'm so happy you called. We were worried.

You are the only one we haven't contacted.

The cruise is not cancelled, but will start in Regensberg.

See you tomorrow in Regensberg!"

 

Now we can relax.

 

Will you still have a tour of Nuremberg? I ask this because we are on the Visionary next month going in the opposite direction...Budapest to Prague. Our last stop on our river cruise is Nuremberg. If we can't make it that far, I wonder what the alternate plan will be.

[PJames]

Will you still have a tour of Nuremberg? I ask this because we are on the Visionary next month going in the opposite direction...Budapest to Prague. Our last stop on our river cruise is Nuremberg. If we can't make it that far, I wonder what the alternate plan will be.

 

We hadn't planned on a tour of Nuremberg.

It's my impression that the cruise between Nuremberg and Budapest is now (for our cruise) just between Regensburg and Budapest.

 

That'd avoid a gaggle of locks.

Note that it's all downhill:

[burrma]

We hadn't planned on a tour of Nuremberg.

It's my impression that the cruise between Nuremberg and Budapest is now (for our cruise) just between Regensburg and Budapest.

 

That'd avoid a gaggle of locks.

Note that it's all downhill:

 

Is there a negative about the locks; "avoid a gaggle of locks"?

What will they do with your for the extra day or two since you are missing Nuremberg?

Fabulous picture of the locks

[PJames]

Is there a negative about the locks; "avoid a gaggle of locks"?

What will they do with your for the extra day or two since you are missing Nuremberg?

Fabulous picture of the locks

There's a strike of lock workers, so (I imagine) avoiding locks is wise.

 

What we'll do with the extra time is still a mystery

... but will appear here:

http://www.gummy-stuff.org/Danube-diary.htm

[cruzemaven]

There's a strike of lock workers, so (I imagine) avoiding locks is wise.

 

What we'll do with the extra time is still a mystery

... but will appear here:

http://www.gummy-stuff.org/Danube-diary.htm

[/quote

 

My husband and I (along with our 8 friends traveling with us) would be very upset if we were short changed our stop in Nuremburg.

[burrma]

There's a strike of lock workers, so (I imagine) avoiding locks is wise.

 

What we'll do with the extra time is still a mystery

... but will appear here:

http://www.gummy-stuff.org/Danube-diary.htm

[/quote

 

My husband and I (along with our 8 friends traveling with us) would be very upset if we were short changed our stop in Nuremburg.

 

Will look forward to reading your diary; heard internet on ships was really slow but many WIFI at places you stop like Starbucks.

I'm sure; even if you booked your own flight; there will be a bus from Nuremberg for you. Keep us posted; Hope you get tour also of Nuremberg. Which ship are you on?

[MerlinC]

I must commend Scenic for the way they have managed the lock strike situation. We did have to change ships and had one long day in the process. We were offered the missed day tour via a longish bus trip that some did whilst others, us included, opted for a more relaxing extra day in Bamberg.

All in all the whole situation was very stressful for the staff, but they kept on smiling and very stress free for the passengers. Well done Scenic.

[Avalon Waterways]

Avalon Waterways Update - July 17, 2013

As has been reported here, German Labor Union Verdi continues to call on its members to strike. This decision has caused some lock service disruptions in Germany.

 

Our operations team is in constant contact with river authorities, the union and several other sources to get up-to-date information to find out where and when strikes will take place to determine which cruises might be affected by these strikes. However, it is important to understand that the situation is fluid and largely unpredictable. In some areas, strikes could last hours; in others, they could last days.

 

We are offering our cruisers contingency plans if and when our ships are unable to traverse through locks. These plans may include more sightseeing than is normal by motorcoach and/or hotel stays. Whenever possible, the choice to stay on the ship or visit portions of their itinerary by land will be up to our travelers.

 

Our goal is always – and will continue to be – to help our travelers enjoy Europe and its beautiful villages, towns, cities and landscapes.

 

Thank you for your time and understanding,

Avalon Waterways

[burrma]

Avalon Waterways Update - July 17, 2013

 

As has been reported here, German Labor Union Verdi continues to call on its members to strike. This decision has caused some lock service disruptions in Germany.

 

Our operations team is in constant contact with river authorities, the union and several other sources to get up-to-date information to find out where and when strikes will take place to determine which cruises might be affected by these strikes. However, it is important to understand that the situation is fluid and largely unpredictable. In some areas, strikes could last hours; in others, they could last days.

 

We are offering our cruisers contingency plans if and when our ships are unable to traverse through locks. These plans may include more sightseeing than is normal by motorcoach and/or hotel stays. Whenever possible, the choice to stay on the ship or visit portions of their itinerary by land will be up to our travelers.

 

Our goal is always – and will continue to be – to help our travelers enjoy Europe and its beautiful villages, towns, cities and landscapes.

 

Thank you for your time and understanding,

Avalon Waterways

 

Thanks

[FinelyRetired]

Hope we shall hear from some of the locals tomorrow if they have any add'l. info. Wondering if this work stoppage will be an ongoing weekly Tues-Thurs disruption or last indefinitely. Elections aren't until September. After the flood's impact on shipping & tourism, it would make some PR sense for labor to "disrupt with a schedule?" Or, is this likely to spread?

 

The article below is worth a read. It appears Avalon & Scenic are handling this well. Viking sounds vague & I'm wondering what they consider "minor alterations?" Any news from the others? I'll be in that area on Viking 8/19-8/23

 

http://skift.com/2013/07/17/river-cruises-in-germany-are-disrupted-by-strike/