Low Waters Divert Danube and Elbe Cruises

[ebdb]

Thanks for the information. Would you, please, change the color of the words in the green background to white so that they can be read? Black against the green cannot be read. Again, thank you!

Edited June 21, 2014 by ebdb

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for the information. Would you, please, change the color of the words in the green background to white so that they can be read? Black against the green cannot be read. Again, thank you!

 

Not clear which post you are referring to. None show as black against green for me.

[jpalbny]

Not clear which post you are referring to. None show as black against green for me.

 

Jazzbeau: ebdb is referring to ingo_e's website (link: http://rivercruiseinfo.com/content/river-levels) on the previous page.

 

He's color coded it so that red squares say, "LOWER THAN USUAL" and green squares say, "All reported waterlevels on this river are fine."

 

ebdb has a point; it is challenging to read the black text within the green boxes. My trick whenever something is hard to read is to highlight it with my cursor. That changes it to white text on a blue background; easy to see!

[steamboats]

The tricky thing with the water levels is that they do not really reflect the dept of the river. Level 0 is not the bottom of the river. There might be still some water below that point. Therefore the blank numbers are not easy to read without having detailed information.

 

Ingo, may I suggest to use other colors. Red should be used to the condition river traffic is coming to a halt (aka officially closed). A just "lower than usual" doesn´t say much about river traffic. Maybe "orange" or "yellow" would be better.

 

steamboats

 

BTW I do have "1.90 m" for the Viking longships too.

[English Voyager]

I can't speak for other companies but as of this writing and after checking the Tauck forums there is no indication that the current river conditions are effecting Tauck boats at this time. Perhaps it's because their drafts are shallower than Vikings and always have been.

According to Tauck's River Cruise brochure, all the Scylla boats have a draft of 4ft ( 1.2 m).

[Worldcrzr]

It looks like the Viking Idi may make it to Amsterdam after all. It is in Melk, Austria right now and Melk's weather forecast is rain several days this week. We lost track of Idi during her stay in Vienna but the tracker picked her up again in Melk. We called Viking yesterday and were told that our cruise is still as planned but we would be notified if there were any changes. I haven't seen any other Viking ships on the tracking screen but I am linked to the Idi. We are due to board the Idi on 7/1/14 and it appears that she is still on schedule. I just hope that Viking doesn't hijack her for another cruise group. The test will be tomorrow when she arrives at Passau. If she goes on from Passau to Regensburg, we will be very happy.

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/ships/269057469/vessel:VIKING_IDI

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:7.606482/centery:50.3629/zoom:8/mmsi:269057469

 

Melk Weather Forcast:

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Melk+Austria+AUXX0090

 

Passau, Germany Weather forecast also for rain next week:

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Passau+Germany+GMXX0260

Edited June 21, 2014 by Worldcrzr

[bville]

We are flying to Budapest today 6/21 and scheduled to board the Viking Atla on 6/24. I called Viking twice yesterday and both times was told there were no problems noted regarding water levels on the Danube. On the tracking it looks like the Atla has been stuck in Regensburg for days. I just wanted them to be honest with me, and then I could make the decision to use my cancel anytime insurance or not. I was told I would get an E mail if there was any problem or change in boats. Last year we went on the tulip cruise and when we tried to find the boat in Amsterdam we found out it was not there and they had substituted another boat. Kind of hard to find your ship if you don't have the name! At this point I am pretty upset with Viking's lack of information and feel like they were not honest with me. This better not turn into a bust trip!

[cougar 17]

Wow, Viking is being so dishonest. As I stated early, my parents are supposed to be on the Atla right now and they we're taken off and taken by bus to Vienna. I have not heard from them again for anymore updates.

[bville]

That is what makes me the most upset. They know there are problems yet vehemently denied it. I even sited what you had posted from your parents who are actually on that boat.

[Worldcrzr]

Two of us posted on Viking's Facebook page about the low water and here is the response we were given. I think they are making last minute decisions so they don't have to cancel any cruises. Hopefully some rain will fall and all will go back to normal.

 

"At this time, both of your cruises are scheduled for regular departure. Should conditions change and additional alterations become necessary, we will continue to inform impacted guests as soon as we are aware of any itinerary fluctuations. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises"

 

This link was posted recently by Viking. No July cruises are listed:

 

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/about-my-cruise/current-sailings.html

Edited June 21, 2014 by Worldcrzr

[Riversanddale]

Thank you so much for your really good information. We have a November trip on the Rhine and are already watching closely. We've been lucky in the past.

[annabell.4006]

Sorry for my typo. We leave on 30 June ( not July). Viking advised Embla could not come to amsterdam and it would be replaced with Aiger.

 

 

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[annabell.4006]

Passau to Regensburg is 120k takes bit over an hour to drive.

 

 

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[sippican]

Sorry for my typo. We leave on 30 June ( not July). Viking advised Embla could not come to amsterdam and it would be replaced with Aiger.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Ahhhh, that makes more sense, thanks for clarifying. Good luck with your trip. We are leaving a week later from Vilshofen with AMA - fingers crossed! :)

[Viking Cruises]

Hi all,

 

We hope you’ll allow us the opportunity to try and provide some clarification on a few points.

 

Water levels in specific spots of the Danube River, particularly the stretch between the German cities of Passau and Regensburg, are currently at a level that prohibits sailing. As the situation has progressed our captains and Swiss-based nautical and operations teams have made daily adjustments to sailing schedules in order to ensure that no ship got “stuck” indefinitely in any one spot along the river. As some ships are now out of their regularly scheduled sailing routes, we have switched deployments so that itineraries continue with minimal interruption.

 

Viking strategically has sister Longships sailing itineraries in opposite directions. Take, for example, the June 14th departures of Viking Njord and Viking Delling, both sailing the 8-day Romantic Danube itinerary between Budapest and Nuremberg. Viking Njord started in Nuremberg while Viking Delling started in Budapest. The ships were not able to sail between Passau and Regensburg, so guests were transferred to the other ship, checked-in to the same stateroom on the sister Longship, and their “new” ship turned around to continue on the planned itinerary for those guests. Once this switch took place, we emailed the guests (and their Travel Agents) who are scheduled on the next sailing – the June 21st departure – to let them know that they will be boarding the sister ship. In the future, when the water levels return to a level where sailing is not restricted, the ships will either meet or schedules will have them stopped simultaneously at ports very near each other. At that time, we will have guests switch ships one final time so that each ship can again be back in its regular sailing schedule.

 

Of course, there are occasional situations where the partner ships are required to stop at destinations that are not necessarily right next to each other. In these cases, we have used combinations of motorcoach transfers and occasionally complimentary hotel stays – to make sure that guests continue to visit the cities, towns, and sights they traveled to see – until the ship switch is possible. Each sailing is considered individually and Viking’s dedicated fleet of comfortable motorcoaches, typically used for airport transfers and shore excursions, provides additional flexibility during schedule changes.

 

As mentioned, we have emailed all guests whom we know at this time will be boarding a sister Longship. The list of known affected sailings is currently available on our website, here: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/about-my-cruise/current-sailings.html. If you are booked with Viking and your sailing is not listed, we currently do not anticipate alterations to your itinerary being necessary. If any of our guests have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

[Viking Cruises]

Dear bville,

 

We know you are flying today, so this message may not reach you in the most timely manner…

 

Can you please email us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com? We’d like to connect you with the member of our team best suited to address your particular questions and concerns. We are emailing guests and travel agents as we become aware of itinerary alterations and plans, that much is certainly true. However, our hope is that another conversation may help alleviate your concerns today.

 

Wishing you a wonderful trip and hoping to hear from you soon.

 

Kindest regards,

Viking Cruises

 

 

We are flying to Budapest today 6/21 and scheduled to board the Viking Atla on 6/24. I called Viking twice yesterday and both times was told there were no problems noted regarding water levels on the Danube. On the tracking it looks like the Atla has been stuck in Regensburg for days. I just wanted them to be honest with me, and then I could make the decision to use my cancel anytime insurance or not. I was told I would get an E mail if there was any problem or change in boats. Last year we went on the tulip cruise and when we tried to find the boat in Amsterdam we found out it was not there and they had substituted another boat. Kind of hard to find your ship if you don't have the name! At this point I am pretty upset with Viking's lack of information and feel like they were not honest with me. This better not turn into a bust trip!

[Viking Cruises]

Please know that it is never our intention to be dishonest. The likely explanation here is that there was a miscommunication – an honest mistake – somewhere along the line. Maybe the individual(s) bville spoke with were unfortunately not quite up to speed on the current situation, or maybe they were but came up short in the execution of their reply. Regardless, we know frustration is the result, and for that we do apologize.

 

cougar 17, please consider emailing us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com if you would like to further relay your parents’ concerns. We’d be happy to speak with them, whether while they are still traveling or after they return home.

 

Very best,

Viking Cruises

 

Wow, Viking is being so dishonest. As I stated early, my parents are supposed to be on the Atla right now and they we're taken off and taken by bus to Vienna. I have not heard from them again for anymore updates.

 

That is what makes me the most upset. They know there are problems yet vehemently denied it. I even sited what you had posted from your parents who are actually on that boat.

[notamermaid]

Hello,

 

perhaps I may add a thought Viking's long response has brought up.

 

Thank you Viking for taking the time to respond here.

 

Viking as they have stated, has many boats on the Rhine and Danube, with itineraries coordinated with each other.

 

A company that has not many boats sailing or more diverse and different itineraries cannot relocate passengers (and ships) to make sure itineraries on cruises that follow run on schedule. I therefore reckon that other companies might be more likely to cancel a cruise.

 

Your thoughts and comments on this are welcome. :)

 

notamermaid

 

Rhine valley experiencing a sunny and warm, not hot, Sunday. Water levels low but no bad news. Traffic seems to be running smoothly.

[bville]

Nice to see Viking respond, however, I spoke to two different people at Viking on two different phone calls and insisted I knew there were interruptions in the Danube cruises. I was put on hold and when the agent came back was assured they had spoken to a supervisor and there were NO problems with ANY Danube itineraries. This is dishonest!

Surely they were aware of changes/problems and obviously didn't want me to cancel and lose a booking at the last minute.

I will email the link provided, but seriously it is too little too late. This is our third Viking cruise and I am seriously disappointed and upset by the handling of this situation.

[bville]

Please know that it is never our intention to be dishonest. The likely explanation here is that there was a miscommunication – an honest mistake – somewhere along the line. Maybe the individual(s) bville spoke with were unfortunately not quite up to speed on the current situation, or maybe they were but came up short in the execution of their reply. Regardless, we know frustration is the result, and for that we do apologize.

 

cougar 17, please consider emailing us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com if you would like to further relay your parents’ concerns. We’d be happy to speak with them, whether while they are still traveling or after they return home.

 

Very best,

Viking Cruises

 

Obviously we will not be on the Atla, as it appears to be stuck in Regensburg since the 18th. We are currently in Munich and flying to Budapest in an hour. We are to board the Atla on the 24th. We have no idea what ship has been substituted. As per the link you provided, there is not update on our sailing. that appears to be totally untrue.

[HDS]

We are in Prague waiting to take bus to board Viking ship on the Elbe. Because of the low water we are bussing all the way to Dresden, at least 2 hours and will be accommodated on the ship, making day trips by bus for the first few days of the cruise at least.

We will not be cruising through Czech lands and Saxon Switzerland as we had expected. We will view the Czech lands from expressway, not the river and will not see the gorges. We are very disappointed.

Our cruise director has not told us what will happen after Dresden. His body language does not fill us with optimism. No doubt Viking is hoping, as we are, for rainfalls heavy enough to lift the river levels and float the boats.

Edited June 22, 2014 by HDS

[ural guy]

I am departing Monday for a cruise which includes a stretch on the Danube.

I called Viking yesterday on an unrelated matter. Once that was resolved I asked the representative about the water levels and possible cruise impacts.

 

She checked into it, then started giving an answer saying that once water levels subside, that everything will be fine. I told her that water levels going down wasn't an issue this year, it was that the water levels were too low.

 

Oh, of course she responds. So, that reply came off of last years script.

 

I said I was really looking forward to this cruise and I hoped it wouldn't turn into a bus tour, with having to jump from ship to ship.

 

Oh no, you'll finish on the same ship!

 

Viking, I really hope the Danube watershed gets some rain. Understand that's out of your control. Putting out honest, accurate info? That's completely within your control. Fingers crossed.

Edited June 22, 2014 by ural guy

[gentlemancruiser]

Why has Viking not been more upfront with passengers about what is happening. I have told my cousin about the Elbe and Danube because they are cruising with Viking on the Elbe on and so my cousin phoned Viking about her upcoming cruise and was told the information posted here was about two weeks old! So who is not telling the truth??

 

 

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[bville]

Well we arrived in Budapest (sun) and made our way to the Marriott for our independent two days. There happens to be a Viking desk here as they are using this hotel for their pre cruise days. Guess what, the Atla will not be here when we are to board on Tuesday and they said there was going to be some kind of a meeting for the pre people and they were moving them to a different hotel tomorrow.

I am so angry that Viking was not honest with me on Friday when they obviously knew the Atla would not be in Budapest.

I understand water levels are beyond their control. Not responding accurately is most definitely In their control.

At this point we have received no notification from Viking, we have no idea where we are supposed to go on Tuesday. What a mess!

I requested Viking customer service contact me on Friday...I have heard nothing.

[Worldcrzr]

Well we arrived in Budapest (sun) and made our way to the Marriott for our independent two days. There happens to be a Viking desk here as they are using this hotel for their pre cruise days. Guess what, the Atla will not be here when we are to board on Tuesday and they said there was going to be some kind of a meeting for the pre people and they were moving them to a different hotel tomorrow.

I am so angry that Viking was not honest with me on Friday when they obviously knew the Atla would not be in Budapest.

I understand water levels are beyond their control. Not responding accurately is most definitely In their control.

At this point we have received no notification from Viking, we have no idea where we are supposed to go on Tuesday. What a mess!

I requested Viking customer service contact me on Friday...I have heard nothing.

 

Please keep us updated on what happens. We are sailing 7/1/14 from Amsterdam to Budapest and from what Viking tells us, no problem sailing on the Viking Idi the entire way. I am watching the marine travel and she is in Passau, Germany. If she turns around and goes back to Budapest, we know we will be assigned to another ship. But, her destination is still shown as Amsterdam. The Viking Legend is also in Passau and that was her destination so I'm not sure if she will turn around or go on a different cruise. July 1 cruises are not listed on the Viking update page so we are not sure what is happening. My husband called Viking yesterday and was told there are no problems with our sailing. But, you and I both know that is most likely untrue.