Low Waters Divert Danube and Elbe Cruises

[Carol From California]

If the water levels are low now and this is summer, with probably not much anticipated rain, how is this going to affect the Danube cruises for the rest of the summer? We are scheduled to be on the Romantic Danube at the end of August.

[steamboats]

Carol,

 

No one can tell you what´s going on by the end of August.

 

We did have two weeks of pretty warm and dry weather. Acutally we did have some rain but not much - nothing that would affect the river levels. We also had a very dry winter with less snow. So there wasn´t much of a snow melt either.

 

But the current weather situation can change pretty quickly. It´s not unlikely that we do have a wet and cold July. We don´t have a three month long summer period with hot temps and no rain at all.

 

Currently there isn´t much in the forecast. Temps will go down a bit but no rain.

 

steamboats

[beverlyjack]

In my opinion, Viking has made some very ill advised decisions, embarking on a major expansion plan with oversized ships at a time that such growth in the market is not assured. Their ships are longer, higher and deeper than most of the competitors and, as such, have more problems with high water, low water and small harbors.

 

Just to cite 2 examples.

 

On the Seine, Paris to Normandy cruise, Grand Circle cruises the full length of the Seine from Paris to the English channel, docking in Honfleur, arguably the most charming port on the Seine, while Viking only cruises as far as Rouen, docking there for 2 nights, from which you have 1 day touring Rouen and 1 day visiting the invasion beaches of Normandy. Grand Circle also docks in Rouen for 2 nights with a full day touring Rouen. Grand Circle then continues to Honfleur, much closer to the invasion beaches and well worth the visit on its own merits. Grand Circle spends 3 nights docked in Honfleur, Honfleur id a very tight harbor, and the longer Viking ship would probably have problems turning around

 

On an Amsterdam to Vienna cruise aboard Grand Circle's Aria, we were tied up at the same dock in Amsterdam with a Viking ship, while we were cruising with Grand Circle. They had warned us that their were problems with low water, so they brought a barge along side and pumped down the sewage, fresh water and fuel tanks, to reduce the draft of the ship, before sailing. We completed the trip without incident, but a couple of stretches of careful navigation. If we had to take on more water or fuel, we did not notice it. The Viking ship, which was scheduled to leave later on the same day, never left Amsterdam. The difference in draft is not great, but, if you need 1.6 meters of water and only have 1.5 meters at any point on the cruise, the trip turns into at least a partial bus cruise, if not entirely. On this cruise, one of the low points was apparently between Amsterdam and Cologne, the first port of call, so the trip apparently was totally cancelled of turned into a bus trip. I'm not sure which Viking ship it was, but the newer bigger Viking Longships have a minimum draft of 1.70 meters and a maximum of 2.10 meters. The older Viking ships had lower draft requirements, but still had insufficient water. The Aria had a 1.50 minimum draft and a maximum draft of 1.70 meters. The net result is that at the minimum draft, the Aria can cruise in 0.2 meters (approx. 8 inched less water than the new longships. Who says that bigger is better?

 

With this huge expansion program and associated advertising blitz, Viking also does not have the available cash to compensate the customers who had their cruise converted to a bus trip. They, and/or their insurers also lose monry by providing the alternate trip, while the ship is producing no revenue

[jc foster]

While planning our first river cruise in June 2013 I read numerous Horror story after Horror story on this forum concerning Vikings handling of numerous cruises that had been affected by high water. These involved hours long bus rides and hotel stays in sub par hotels, but what really concerned me was what appeared to be the dishonesty , misinformation, and disorganization on Vikings part. At this point it appears that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. In the end we chose Uniworld and had a very enjoyable trip. I know there are lots and lots of Viking cruisers who fully support Viking, but I am afraid that Viking just is not for me.

[pully8]

really sorry to hear about people being disappointed in their travel plans. having enjoyed 6 river cruise in Europe we know it is a wonderful way to travel.

but please do lots of research. read the fine print about high/low water. put your money in the hands of ethical operators with a proven record of service.

 

let your travel agent assist you. we would not use viking we like peace of mind and expect a higher level of customer service. hope things improve for those going thru these problems soon.

[notamermaid]

Hello,

 

just to set the record straight - while also including some trivia info - I would like to add that the maximum draft of the Viking Schumann ist given as 1.27 m (from a Dutch site listing ships).

 

The Viking Schumann is actually an older ship still called Clara Schumann but marketed as Viking Schumann. It used to belong to the German company Köln-Düsseldorfer and was designed and built for the company specifically for the shallow waters of the Elbe. Innovative design and idea just after the reunification of Germany.

 

The ship has obviously been refurbished but the hull design in the old traditional style points to its age. But compared to other ships the Clara Schumann is still a teenager. :D

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Hello,

 

just to inform you that Viking has some news on the scheduled itineraries on the Danube:

 

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

 

Scroll down and click.

 

notamermaid

[Worldcrzr]

Hello,

 

just to inform you that Viking has some news on the scheduled itineraries on the Danube:

 

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

 

Scroll down and click.

 

notamermaid

 

Unfortunately the list is not up to date. We are scheduled to sail on the Viking Idi on 7/1/14 but Viking has not updated the list to include any July sailings. The last tracking for the Idi was Passau and is "out of range". The last we heard was Viking ships cannot sail between Passau and Regensburg and passengers are being bussed between those two cities. They start out on one ship and change to another after the bus ride. We have called Viking and I have reached out to them on their Facebook page and we are still being told that the Idi will pick us up in Amsterdam. Actually, I believe the Idi is on it's way back to Budapest. We are planning on calling Viking from home the morning of our departure and again from the Los Angeles airport before we board the flight for Amsterdam if we haven't heard anything by then. I have been reading horror stories of emails being sent while passengers are in the air on their way to Europe. We are determined to have a good cruise and make the best out of what presents itself on our vacation. Even the short bus ride from Passau to Regensburg and changing ships will not ruin our cruise. We are seasoned world travelers and have experienced much worse on some of our adventures.

[gentlemancruiser]

Good luck and keep us posted.

[nana541]

With such a great attitude you will have an awesome time! Safe journey and stop by and update us if you have a couple minutes :)

 

 

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[marazul]

The Viking Njord is in Regensburg right now and the Viking Legend is in Passau. It would be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

[Worldcrzr]

This message was just posted on Viking's Facebook page. I copied it as it was posted:

 

"Viking BUS cruises more like! Sitting here in Budapest and NO ships! Looks like over half the cruise will be by bus, what a bummer!"...

[nana541]

This message was just posted on Viking's Facebook page. I copied it as it was posted:

 

 

 

"Viking BUS cruises more like! Sitting here in Budapest and NO ships! Looks like over half the cruise will be by bus, what a bummer!"...

 

 

Oh no!!

 

 

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[Worldcrzr]

I just checked the port and there are 39 ships in the Budapest port and not one single Viking ship.

[bville]

After arriving in Budapest we finally received the e mail from Viking stating the first two days of our cruise we would be at a hotel in Budapest. This E mail came after we were already in Europe, and I would assume after most people had left the US or were in the air. It also came as stated in the E mail at a time when the customer relations office was closed.

 

I have been finally been contacted by someone in customer relations after my posts on here. She was quite nice and said I should have been provided better information. Unfortunately this response is way too late.

 

We are not being told what will happen after the 2 nights at a hotel in Budapest, but most likely we will be bussed to Vienna and spend a couple nights there in a hotel. I asked about meals and was told we might get a voucher or something for eating out.

My husband has dietary restrictions which I had pre arranged with Viking, but of course until we are on the ship it will be difficult for those restrictions to be accommodated.

 

Had we been given this information on Friday we might well have cancelled, as now all this will be difficult for my husband.

 

We are seasoned travelers as well, with over 15 cruises and 2 Viking river cruises under or belts. I am used to changes that occur due to weather etc.

My big problem with this is the lack of information. When I called on Fri 6/20 Viking fully knew where the Atla was and that she was not going to go to Budapest, but repeatedly denied that there were any problems on the Danube.

 

Now, maybe in part to the forum, they have some updated information on the website.

 

I hope some positive improvements will come from these conversations and that this will help people who have upcoming itineraries. These are costly vacations and we all deserve to be treated honestly and fairly.

 

Thank you Viking and Stephanie for finally responding to my concerns.

[gentlemancruiser]

Bville - Thanks for keeping us informed.

 

Does anyone know what is happening on the Elbe right now? My cousin is set to leave on July 5th for the Elbe on the Fontane and Viking are not telling her very much.

 

I've been able to get more information for her from Cruise Critic then Viking will share.

[Worldcrzr]

Bville - Thanks for keeping us informed.

 

Does anyone know what is happening on the Elbe right now? My cousin is set to leave on July 5th for the Elbe on the Fontane and Viking are not telling her very much.

 

I've been able to get more information for her from Cruise Critic then Viking will share.

 

We just talked to Viking and the July cruises are "up in the air" right now. We just sent Viking a letter and might invoke our "cancel for any reason" travel insurance. We would rather reschedule for another date than take a very expensive bus trip. They said they are scrambling to try to put things together and at this time could not give any commitments about any cruises on the Danube and Elbe as to ships, bussing, hotels, etc.

[sippican]

So it appears that Viking is the only line impacted at present?

[Host Jazzbeau]

So it appears that Viking is the only line impacted at present?

 

That appears to be the case. Cruise Critic's news item has been updated twice and now contains the following statement:

APT Tours, Avalon Waterways, CroisiEurope, Emerald Waterways, Riviera Travel, Scenic Tours, Titan Travel and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, however, are reporting business as usual.

[beverlyjack]

Notamermaid,

 

My source on dimensions of the ships, rivercruiseinfo.com, agrees with yours on the draft of the Schumann, with a minimum draft of 0.9m and a maximum of 1.26m. Grand Circles Elbe ship the Allegro draws somewhat more water with a minimum of 0.97m and a maximum of 1.30. The Elbe is the shallowest of the navigable European rivers and the most problems at low water, so all of the ships must be shallow draft. It can also have high water problems with low clearance under bridges

[CaroleSS]

Jazzbeau - etal....

 

We are in a slightly different circumstance. We are sailing through Germany (predominately on the Main - but the Danube is attached to the Main!) in two weeks. While Avalon is reporting that all is well, I certainly understand that things can and do change quickly.

 

I am having quite a bit of difficulty finding current information about the water levels. A few pages back was a link to a site which showed enough red squares to scare anyone!! Does anyone have a link to something current??

[Shebely]

I just checked the port and there are 39 ships in the Budapest port and not one single Viking ship.

 

Thank you very much for the information. I would like to know what site this information can be found on.

[nana541]

Jazzbeau - etal....

 

 

 

We are in a slightly different circumstance. We are sailing through Germany (predominately on the Main - but the Danube is attached to the Main!) in two weeks. While Avalon is reporting that all is well, I certainly understand that things can and do change quickly.

 

 

 

I am having quite a bit of difficulty finding current information about the water levels. A few pages back was a link to a site which showed enough red squares to scare anyone!! Does anyone have a link to something current??

 

 

I think this is what you are looking for!

http:// rivercruiseinfo.com/content/river-levels

 

 

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Edited June 23, 2014 by nana541

[Worldcrzr]

Thank you very much for the information. I would like to know what site this information can be found on.

 

 

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/

 

You can also see the links I have used by reading one of my previous posts.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Worldcrzr

[nana541]

Hummm it works for about 30 secs. Maybe on a regular computer it will work.... Don't know if it's my iPhone or if CC finds it objectionable???

 

Might need to copy and past link..

 

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Edited June 23, 2014 by nana541