Danube River water levels

[ProFun1]

We just returned from our Viking Atla/Jarl Budapest to Nuremburg cruise. I'll post more detailed info when my jet lag fog lifts, but I know many of you are anxious to hear about the water levels. We started on the Atla 10/25 as the prior week the Jarl was able to sail through. There were no problems with the water level in Budapest. We could see from the water lines it was lower than normal, but Budapest was full with many cruise ships. On Tuesday afternoon in Vienna we were informed of a needed ship swap to the Jarl on Thursday which was our Passau day. The ship sailed into Linz on Thursday morning, and we were bussed over scenic roads to Passau, about 1.5 hours. We still had time for the walking tour and the organ concert. Lunch was in a Passau restaurant. Our afternoon time in Passau was shorter due to the bus rides, but we did have enough time to get up to the fort overlook while others shopped. We left Passau just before 4. There was heavy traffic on the autobahn and in Regensburg, so we didn't reach the ship until almost 6:30, making for some grumpy passengers. After that the sailing schedule returned to normal, in fact we reached Nuremburg early so they arranged buses for morning free time in Nuremburg. Unfortunately for the river (but good for us, sorry) there was no rain at any point during the week, so I can see ship swaps needing to occur in the near future. The ship swap wasn't as annoying as I feared, and it did have one benefit. When we packed up Wednesday night, all of the dirty clothes went into one suitcase and the clean clothes in the other. Once we were on the Jarl, the dirty clothes suitcase went straight under the bed, so there was less packing to be done on our last night.

 

If anyone has any specific questions, please post as I'll follow this thread for a few days to help out future cruisers as some of the prior cruisers did for me. And I will get to those reviews eventually (just like organizing my photos....)

 

Snorklefan

 

Snorklefan, we cruised the same week as you and swapped from the Jarl to the Atla! Thank you for keeping the seats warm in the dining room and lounge. We love, love, loved the staff on the Jarl. The crew on the Atla was excellent, too, but we had less time to get to know them. We liked the musician on the Atla - he was excellent.

 

Here's my original post (#151) about our ship swap:

JaimieMarie:

We are now on the Viking Atla. We swapped ships Yesterday. The Danube levels are extremely low between Regensburg and Passau. There are Sandy beaches, rocks, and small islands exposed by the banks that are usually submerged.

Despite the swap, we are having a fabulous time. There has been so much to do and experience that I have not had time to post. Will post more, post-cruise. The first day in Nuremberg was lovely and informative. We did the WWII tour, which we highly recommend.

We did the Weltenburg Abby option with the Danube narrows cruise and the toured Regensburg in the afternoon. Our guide in Regensburg was excellent and the Danube narrows scenery very beautiful.

Because of our inability to sail on Tuesday night, Viking offered us three options: half day in Passau, full day in Passau, or full day in Munich. The full day options included lunch as well as tours and free time. We chose the full day in Passau. We were bussed from Regensburg to Passau and back 90 minutes each way. It was time we put to good use- catching up on much needed rest/sleep. We needed this because we had to pack that night to prepare for the ship swap. The staff of the Jarl met us with hot chocolate - just the thing to chase the chill from our bones!

The longest bus trip was between Regensburg and Melk (on Thursday, the day of the ship swap) - 3 1/2 hours including a 1/2 hour rest break.

To compensate us for the lack of sail time on the actual Viking ship, our Cruise Director, Terry, arranged a scenic lunch cruise through the Wachau Valley so that we could experience the same view and itinerary as we would have had the ship been able to proceed. The Wachau valley is breathtaking - everything we expected it to be.

We then toured Melk abbey and FINALLY boarded the Atla. We were met with music, hot towels, hot punch, and welcome signs. We were greeted warmly and the Maitre D came to our cabin to confirm special arrangements we made for our 15th wedding anniversary.

The crew on both ships (the Jarl and the Atla) have been outstanding. Really, they go out of their way to please - even transferring our pillow requests from ship to ship. Our bags were delivered to our stateroom and robes/slippers awaited us.

Today has been a perfect day in Vienna. We're going out in a minute to the market with the Chef and some new friends.

...to be continued...

 

We rafted with several other Viking ships (the Freya at one point) - usually only 2 ships at a time. We got lucky. Most of the time our veranda was unblocked.

 

We were able to sail through to Budapest, but we disembarked at Eztergom and were bused about 30/40 minutes into Budapest. We rejoined the ship after our city tour and did the gorgeous, nighttime scenic sail with all the lit up buildings. I dubbed it the full "Downtown Abbey Experience." All in all, I was very pleased with our trip. I wish we had more leisure time - especially in Vienna (a city I could live in).

 

We stayed on for 2 days in Budapest and visited the Gellert Spa (which was both a SCENE and relaxing at the same time - Hubby's towel was stolen - adds to the local flavor). We also did a grand tour of the Jewish Quarter, which was fantastic (and over 3 hours long). We recommend the Pierrot Restaurant on Buda hill for a fine dining experience. It's a romantic restaurant in a 13th century townhouse.

 

I do think Viking handled the low water and ship swap fairly well - considering how many obstacles and hoops there were to jump through.(giving us options to choose from, comping excursions, and ensuring that we were able to experience most of what was originally mandated in our itinerary).

 

However, my husband was pretty pissed off that we were not able to sail all of the way through. He felt (and rightly so) that Viking knew enough about the low water levels (since the drought has been summer long and of epic proportions) to let people know well in advance that there was a strong PROBABILITY of needing a ship swap. He feels that Viking needs to inform people of this in advance of their planned trips. He also feels that there should be some form of compensation offered above and beyond what the company offered on the ship itself.

 

That said, we both feel that our cruise program director, Terry, was a "rock-star." He truly did his best to ensure that everyone was as happy as possible in a difficult situation.

 

I had a great time. Still processing the trip and all of the incredible experiences. Slogging through the over 800 photos I took, and trying to catch up on sleep, the time change, and the new friends we made.

[DQUIN5340]

Has anyone travel from Passau Germany to Budapest? I called Viking today and was the told that they are cruising all the way. But I know people on CC are saying they have been telling everyone that. I told the representative that and asked him if that was true. I also asked his name and His extension because if he was lying to me I was coming after him. He laughed and gave it to me. Told him I would check back next week.

[JVilleGal]

Has anyone travel from Passau Germany to Budapest? I called Viking today and was the told that they are cruising all the way. But I know people on CC are saying they have been telling everyone that. I told the representative that and asked him if that was true. I also asked his name and His extension because if he was lying to me I was coming after him. He laughed and gave it to me. Told him I would check back next week.

 

Well that sure seems like a very TALL tale as my Great Grandmother would put it!

 

But do remember it is unlikely the Customer Service people know any more than what Viking tells them, so they don't even know what the Truth is... Only the Company Lemonade!

Edited November 9, 2015 by JVilleGal

[melissasue79]

I called today Aswell, I was told the issue is regensburg to passau only and that Budapest was an issue a couple weeks ago but isn't at the moment and things change all the time. I have been tracking my boat the Atla and it has moved for days...I told them Aswell, I think I will

Call again in a few days, they did state water levels are an issue and I stated I didn't pay for a bus tour and my husbands health cannot handle many hours on many buses. I just wish they'd be honest they have to have a tenitive plan a, b, c just wish they tell me before we hop on a plane. The agent today did suggest that i call my credit card and see if could cancel through my credit card. I'm

Not there yet.

 

 

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[RainyDay1]

Snorklefan, we cruised the same week as you and swapped from the Jarl to the Atla! Thank you for keeping the seats warm in the dining room and lounge. We love, love, loved the staff on the Jarl. The crew on the Atla was excellent, too, but we had less time to get to know them. We liked the musician on the Atla - he was excellent.

 

Here's my original post (#151) about our ship swap:

 

 

We rafted with several other Viking ships (the Freya at one point) - usually only 2 ships at a time. We got lucky. Most of the time our veranda was unblocked.

 

We were able to sail through to Budapest, but we disembarked at Eztergom and were bused about 30/40 minutes into Budapest. We rejoined the ship after our city tour and did the gorgeous, nighttime scenic sail with all the lit up buildings. I dubbed it the full "Downtown Abbey Experience." All in all, I was very pleased with our trip. I wish we had more leisure time - especially in Vienna (a city I could live in).

 

We stayed on for 2 days in Budapest and visited the Gellert Spa (which was both a SCENE and relaxing at the same time - Hubby's towel was stolen - adds to the local flavor). We also did a grand tour of the Jewish Quarter, which was fantastic (and over 3 hours long). We recommend the Pierrot Restaurant on Buda hill for a fine dining experience. It's a romantic restaurant in a 13th century townhouse.

 

I do think Viking handled the low water and ship swap fairly well - considering how many obstacles and hoops there were to jump through.(giving us options to choose from, comping excursions, and ensuring that we were able to experience most of what was originally mandated in our itinerary).

 

However, my husband was pretty pissed off that we were not able to sail all of the way through. He felt (and rightly so) that Viking knew enough about the low water levels (since the drought has been summer long and of epic proportions) to let people know well in advance that there was a strong PROBABILITY of needing a ship swap. He feels that Viking needs to inform people of this in advance of their planned trips. He also feels that there should be some form of compensation offered above and beyond what the company offered on the ship itself.

 

That said, we both feel that our cruise program director, Terry, was a "rock-star." He truly did his best to ensure that everyone was as happy as possible in a difficult situation.

 

I had a great time. Still processing the trip and all of the incredible experiences. Slogging through the over 800 photos I took, and trying to catch up on sleep, the time change, and the new friends we made.

 

I truly enjoyed and appreciate your positive spin on the cruise. Were you able to enjoy any of the Christmas markets?

[ProFun1]

I truly enjoyed and appreciate your positive spin on the cruise. Were you able to enjoy any of the Christmas markets?

 

Thank you, RainyDay1! We did not experience any of the Christmas markets directly. Most of them start the last week of November. However, we did see the beginning of set-up for the markets. In Nuremberg, people are storing some of the equipment at the coliseum (built for the **** rallies) - that's a very creative re-purposing of space. We also saw preparations for the markets in Regensburg and Passau.

We'll have to come back some day to see the markets - another reason to return! If you are cruising during the Christmas market-time, I hope the river is higher than it is now and that you get to experience the markets in a leisurely and complete way.

[JVilleGal]

I called today Aswell, I was told the issue is regensburg to passau only and that Budapest was an issue a couple weeks ago but isn't at the moment and things change all the time. I have been tracking my boat the Atla and it has moved for days...I told them Aswell, I think I will

Call again in a few days, they did state water levels are an issue and I stated I didn't pay for a bus tour and my husbands health cannot handle many hours on many buses. I just wish they'd be honest they have to have a tenitive plan a, b, c just wish they tell me before we hop on a plane. The agent today did suggest that i call my credit card and see if could cancel through my credit card. I'm

Not there yet.

 

 

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I'm assuming by your comments you did not purchase any type of Travel Insurance???

[Viking Cruises]

Dear RainyDay1,

 

We appreciate your concern for the current river conditions and regret you feel Viking is feeding the “company line” or intentionally being dishonest.

 

The Danube River is still low in parts, but is too early to determine specific changes to your itinerary. While this was likely what was communicated to your travel agent, we do apologize for any misunderstanding. If any changes are confirmed prior to embarkation, you will receive notice by email message; however, given the ever-changing nature of river levels, some changes may not be decided until your cruise is underway.

 

RainyDay1, we appreciate your patience and thank you for the opportunity to clarify. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Our travel agent last week was told there "might" be a ship swap but probably not. Viking told her all was just fine. Now we read here that is just not the case.

 

Viking appears to be just putting out the "company line" to avoid cancellations.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear mareb1000,

 

Welcome home. We regret to hear your recent Romantic Danube cruise was impacted by low water levels. While Viking made every effort to preserve your itinerary despite the uncooperative conditions, we do recognize your overall experience fell below expectations.

 

We are interested in discussing your concerns further and encourage you to contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should you wish to do the same.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Hi notamermaid

 

Sadly, you are correct. We started on the Viking Freya in Nueremberg and cruised to Regensburg. The ship sat in Regensburg for 2 days. They bussed us to and from Passau one day the following day from Regensburg to Melk. We got on the Njord in Melk and cruised to Vienna. We got off the ship in Vienna on Friday and were bussed to Budapest where we spent the night in the Marriott before returning home on Saturday. So, in essence we only sailed from Nueremberg to Regensburg and from Melk to Vienna. Needless to say, there were many upset travelers.

[mareb1000]

Has anyone travel from Passau Germany to Budapest? I called Viking today and was the told that they are cruising all the way. But I know people on CC are saying they have been telling everyone that. I told the representative that and asked him if that was true. I also asked his name and His extension because if he was lying to me I was coming after him. He laughed and gave it to me. Told him I would check back next week.

 

Hi

 

I just came off the Nuremberg to Budapest sailing. We had to be bussed to Passau from Regensburg round trip and then again from Regensburg to Melk one way where we changed ships from the Freya to the Njord. We sailed from Melk to Vienna but had to be bussed from Vienna to Budapest. Looking at the water line in Budapest you could tell that the water levels were VERY low.

[DQUIN5340]

Hi

 

 

 

I just came off the Nuremberg to Budapest sailing. We had to be bussed to Passau from Regensburg round trip and then again from Regensburg to Melk one way where we changed ships from the Freya to the Njord. We sailed from Melk to Vienna but had to be bussed from Vienna to Budapest. Looking at the water line in Budapest you could tell that the water levels were VERY low.

 

 

So you think Viking is not telling me to the truth when they told me that there were no problem with our cruise My husband wants me to call our travel agents tomorrow to see what it takes to cancel our cruise.

[melissasue79]

I was told today to call my credit card (I have insurance through my credit card) because it is so close to departure I would lose 100% if I tried to reschedule or rebook. The comments from the above Viking agent on here quoted word for word what was told to me today by another agent. Which tells me they are "towing the company line" not sure what they are doing to offer its clients aboard but it better be good if we show up and we're stuck on a bus tour. I just want my rivercruise I booked

 

 

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[Viking Cruises]

Dear therapyphd,

 

We are looking forward to welcoming you aboard and appreciate your concern for the current river conditions. While your sailing is only 11 days away, water levels are highly unpredictable and, unfortunately, it is still too early to confirm any specific changes to your itinerary.

 

We are happy to hear you had the foresight to purchase travel insurance and, if you are uncomfortable with the potential modification, would encourage you to discuss the cancellation policy with your insurance provider.

 

Of course, you are welcome to reach out to us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com with any additional questions or concerns.

 

Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Thank you very much for telling us about your experience. I think Viking is fearful that if they are honest, folks like us will cancel our plans (thank goodness we got trip insurance). I am sadden by the unwillingness of Viking to 'level' with us. Again, I am very appreciative of your giving us good information from which to work.

[Kenster]

It's a bad situation NOW! There is no way that things will improve unless there's a major, prolonged rain event. Virtually no rain in the forecast for the next two weeks except for a 50% chance on the 18th. If I had a cruise in the next several week I'd be making other plans and not relying on the cruise lines, especially Viking, apparently, to give you a straight story until your aboard ship.

[JVilleGal]

Unless you have Travel Insurance purchased thru an outside party (not purchased thru the cruise line or offered by the cruise line) and it includes Cancel for any reason (and there are exclusions to that) then you stand very little chance of being made whole.

 

Your Non Refundable airfare will likely end up with a flight credit good only for "1 year from date of purchase" note that not a year from date of the cancelled flight.

Edited November 10, 2015 by JVilleGal

[JVilleGal]

I guess I would ask for a list of cruises in the last 2 weeks and ask the delays with each in the Danube, Rhine & Elbe

[Thyme2cruise]

I have been reading about the water levels, ship swaps & bus tours all summer long in anticipation for our Vantage Christmas Market cruise on the Danube. I have seen mentioned some of the major cruise lines not being able to get through on the Danube but no mention of problems with Vantage. Was there anyone on Vantage on the Danube that did ship swaps or not being able to get through? Did anyone on other ships notice Vantages ships or speak to those passengers? Just wondering.....

[berrytea]

We were so excited to be going on the Danube N-B on the Viking Tor Nov. 20. Now, we're praying for rain and that we won't be bused all the way. Thanks to all who have shared there stories.

[pvlinda]

This is my opinion only. I did my research before I booked my cruise. I knew there was low water issues. I also read the terms and conditions, asked questions and bought travel insurance. Unfortunately, none of the cruise companies have any control over Mother Nature.

 

That being said, of course in a perfect world I would prefer not to be bussed but if that happens so be it. I plan to savor the experience and approach it all with a positive attitude. What Makes me unhappy are people that are impatient, gripe/whine about things constantly and do everything they can to try to ruin others experiences. Go ahead be upset, just don't try to spread it around to everyone else. I hope all those people decide to cancel and reschedule another time when things will be perfect for them.

 

:):):)

[notamermaid]

If you are concerned about health and comfort on a bus tour and are desperate to have a complete river cruise, may I refer the new readers of this thread to posts 214 onwards. The situation on the Danube appears very unpredictable. Unlike G.M.T. I have no "visual contact" with the river. I can inform you that of the nine gauging stations from Regensburg to Passau eight show officially low water conditions. This serves as an indicator but cannot confirm which company can cruise which section of the river.

 

Storms are forecast for Bavaria with temperatures going down a little. Very, very little to no rain forecast over the next three days.

 

notamermaid

[G.M.T.]

The ship that ran aground near Deggendorf on the Danube has now been removed according to this report:

 

"

Grounded barge refloated

The "Sven", which had run aground on Nov 5, 2015, at 8.30 a.m. on the Danube at Bogen with 514 tons plastic waste, was refloated on Nov 7 after part of the cargo was lightered, and taken to the port of Straubing alongside the barge "Vale". As the police found defiencies at the rudder gear, the bow thruster and the stern anchor, the ship was detained until repairs were carried out. The river between Deggendorf and Straubing was reopened for ship traffic on Nov 8 at 3.20 p.m. after some dredging work has been carried out."

 

From my understanding the reopening of the Danune for river traffic is mainly for empty cargo ships.Here is a link to a live moving webcam from Passau, that should show ships that are moving, lefthand side is upstream (Regensburg), there is also a function whereby you can view the last 24 hours, 30 days:

 

http://de.webcams.travel/webcam/fullscreen/1396564226

 

Another webcam from Passau, righthand side is upstream (Regensburg),

there is also a function whereby you can view the last 24 hours, 30 days:

 

http://de.webcams.travel/webcam/1249042722

[melissasue79]

G.M.T thanks for webcam link that's valuable.

 

 

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[DQUIN5340]

This is my opinion only. I did my research before I booked my cruise. I knew there was low water issues. I also read the terms and conditions, asked questions and bought travel insurance. Unfortunately, none of the cruise companies have any control over Mother Nature.

 

 

 

That being said, of course in a perfect world I would prefer not to be bussed but if that happens so be it. I plan to savor the experience and approach it all with a positive attitude. What Makes me unhappy are people that are impatient, gripe/whine about things constantly and do everything they can to try to ruin others experiences. Go ahead be upset, just don't try to spread it around to everyone else. I hope all those people decide to cancel and reschedule another time when things will be perfect for them.

 

 

 

:):):)

 

 

I don't think anyone is trying to ruin someone's trip I did my homework too and understand about water levels. That is why I brought travel insurance. I would just like Viking to tell the truth to people in time so they can decide what is best for them. I don't want to get to Prague and find out our boat is going to sit for 8 days.

[melissasue79]

I went on marine traffic site and our boat as been in port outside of Vienna since the 6th of November it hasn't moved for four days

I agree if they were honest and said hey your on a bus tour now for these certain days, for this many hours per day, then folks could make a decision before they get on a plane. I'm sure it's still a nice trip but if I wanted I bus tour I would have booked one. They say it's unpredictable, I disagree it's pretty obvious and I'm sure they have all the buses gased up and hotels on call.

 

 

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Edited November 10, 2015 by melissasue79

[berrytea]

This is my opinion only. I did my research before I booked my cruise. I knew there was low water issues. I also read the terms and conditions, asked questions and bought travel insurance. Unfortunately, none of the cruise companies have any control over Mother Nature.

 

That being said, of course in a perfect world I would prefer not to be bussed but if that happens so be it. I plan to savor the experience and approach it all with a positive attitude. What Makes me unhappy are people that are impatient, gripe/whine about things constantly and do everything they can to try to ruin others experiences. Go ahead be upset, just don't try to spread it around to everyone else. I hope all those people decide to cancel and reschedule another time when things will be perfect for them.

 

:):):)

 

whining never helps, hoping and praying things ships get through..