Danube water levels 2017 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

Hello walker1,

 

yes, it appears the Danube is getting low. There is mention of low water levels on an excursion boat website and a few official gauges are reporting low water levels. How that translates directly into the situation on the river I do not know. The section between Regensburg and Passau is the critical one.

 

It is a good idea to phone Avalon to see if they can give you up-to-date information on your upcoming cruise.

 

I hope everything will work out fine and you have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

[zitsky]

With all the hot weather I suspect diversions (and see from Vikings website and a friend who diverted at Passau a few days ago) are starting again along the Danube. I checked with my travel agent and got the response back that Avalon has buses ready for our Sept. 1 Budapest to Amsterdam cruise and not to be concerned. We have trip insurance in case our cruise turned into bus tour (I get very nauseous on long bus rides). Just trying to decide how likely that is. Will try calling Avalon directly today to see if they are sharing any additional information. Thanks for any info people might share on diversions or river levels!

 

Viking web site shows Romantic Danube (my trip) affected on the 9/1 sailing. I'm ** 9/8 ** so I'm sure we will have the same problem. I leave on Monday afternoon. I have received NO notification from Viking about their plans to deal with the low water level. All I can see is their very brief notice on their website. I have reached out to my TA asking for more information.

 

My trip is supposed to start Prague, then Nuremberg, then Regensburg etc. I read somewhere that Regensburg to Passau is a problem area.

 

Is the ship just going to sit somewhere and the buses take us back and forth? Some of these cities are an hour or more away from each other. That can be a lot of back and forth running around. Will we go back to the ship after being on the buses all day?

 

I hope there is a bathroom on those buses, haha. :)

[notamermaid]

zitsky,

 

there might be to and fro on busses or you might swap the ship. Viking will decide at short notice. It can be a bit daunting but most cruisers have been o.k. with it judging from past reports. From what I have heard and seen on photos, Viking uses very modern busses. They have toilets onboard, has been reported. A toilet stop every two hours is legally required.

 

Hope all goes well.

 

notamermaid

[zitsky]

zitsky,

 

there might be to and fro on busses or you might swap the ship. Viking will decide at short notice. It can be a bit daunting but most cruisers have been o.k. with it judging from past reports. From what I have heard and seen on photos, Viking uses very modern busses. They have toilets onboard, has been reported. A toilet stop every two hours is legally required.

 

Hope all goes well.

 

notamermaid

 

Ok thanks. My TA is trying to get me excited about buses. Think of the scenery you'll see! Right. Sigh.

[walker1]

Hello walker1,

 

yes, it appears the Danube is getting low. There is mention of low water levels on an excursion boat website and a few official gauges are reporting low water levels. How that translates directly into the situation on the river I do not know. The section between Regensburg and Passau is the critical one.

 

It is a good idea to phone Avalon to see if they can give you up-to-date information on your upcoming cruise.

 

I hope everything will work out fine and you have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks so much for the info. It helps to know more. Will be calling Avalon tomorrow but I expect we will be going ahead under those circumstances.

Edited August 30, 2017 by walker1
Posted too soon

[lawduck]

With all the hot weather I suspect diversions (and see from Vikings website and a friend who diverted at Passau a few days ago) are starting again along the Danube. I checked with my travel agent and got the response back that Avalon has buses ready for our Sept. 1 Budapest to Amsterdam cruise and not to be concerned. We have trip insurance in case our cruise turned into bus tour (I get very nauseous on long bus rides). Just trying to decide how likely that is. Will try calling Avalon directly today to see if they are sharing any additional information. Thanks for any info people might share on diversions or river levels!

 

If they are still accommodating you by bus or similar, I HIGHLY doubt normal (i.e. not cancel for any reason) trip insurance will do anything for you. It would be like a couple of missed ports on an ocean cruise. It's not a cancellation.

Edited August 31, 2017 by lawduck
Clarity

[zitsky]

If they are still accommodating you by bus or similar, I HIGHLY doubt normal (i.e. not cancel for any reason) trip insurance will do anything for you. It would be like a couple of missed ports on an ocean cruise. It's not a cancellation.

 

The question we're all wondering about is how many ports are skipped... yes we might get a city tour by bus, but when do we get off the ship with all our bags and when do we get on the next ship?

 

(You wouldn't happen to be a grad of the UofO law school would you?)

[notamermaid]

Nuremberg is still on the Main Danube Canal, Regensburg is in the affected area, Passau is at the end of it. No other towns inbetween the two are normally visited on a river cruise. Not sure what the situation is like in Austria. I do not think they will skip Regensburg, leaving out ports is a last resort. Even if you have to go by coach Nuremberg to Passau is only three hours (if you did not stop in Regensburg that is). A poster last year described the ship swap in detail but I do not remember who.

 

By the way, it has been raining in Bavaria, also along the rivers feeding the Danube so things could get a little better, perhaps the crucial centimetres you need for sailing. Rain is also forecast for tomorrow and the day after.

 

 

The gauge at Regensburg is a few centimetres higher than this morning, now at 196 cm.

 

notamermaid

[zitsky]

Thanks. You know a lot about water for someone who's not a mermaid.

[notamermaid]

Thanks. You know a lot about water for someone who's not a mermaid.

 

I have always lived closed to a large-ish river and have too much time on my hands compared to other people. A dangerous combination for a river cruise site. :D ;)

 

 

Well, it has been raining quite a bit in Bavaria and it shows in the water levels: Regensburg is now at 258cm.

 

notamermaid

[zitsky]

I have always lived closed to a large-ish river and have too much time on my hands compared to other people. A dangerous combination for a river cruise site. :D ;)

 

 

Well, it has been raining quite a bit in Bavaria and it shows in the water levels: Regensburg is now at 258cm.

 

notamermaid

 

Can you help us understand what that means? Is that amount of rain a lot better or just a little? What is normal?

 

Thank you.

[massedtuck]

Just to let folks know what is happening on the Danube. I'm currently on the Avalon Luminary and we are stuck in Vilshoven. We couldn't get from Passau to Regensburg due to low water. It started to rain, and now we can' t proceed due to HIGH water. So the offer today was a bus to Nuremberg-3 hours each way for an hour or so walking tour and some free time. Very few elected to go foward, since tomorrow we have 4 and 1/2 hour bus ride to Prague. For those coming on a Danube trip soon, seems like conditions change rapidly. Hope this info helps.

[walker1]

Thanks for the update. Massive amounts of rain in the Alps. Never imagined we would have to cope with high water this trip.

Edited September 2, 2017 by walker1
Wrong word

[notamermaid]

Thank you massedtuck,

 

Just a quick note to say that I am positively puzzled by this. Flooding does not happen that quickly from low water status. The gauges are not officially on flooding status and the river as such is not closed. There must be more than meets the eye, I suspect, a low bridge?? But the level has definitely risen sharply and will rise further.

 

It is pouring down outside my window (on the Rhine) as well while I am writing this.

 

notamermaid

[lawduck]

(You wouldn't happen to be a grad of the UofO law school would you?)

 

I would indeed. (y)

[Mark_T]

Just a quick note to say that I am positively puzzled by this. Flooding does not happen that quickly from low water status. The gauges are not officially on flooding status and the river as such is not closed. There must be more than meets the eye, I suspect, a low bridge?? But the level has definitely risen sharply and will rise further.

 

It looks like the ship made it to Deggendorf yesterday and from there is heading back to Budapest.

 

Not sure what the problem was, it is a strange one.

[notamermaid]

Agreed, Mark_T,

 

there is a bridge in Passau that is notorious for ships trying to pass under it during flooding. More than one ship has hit it in the last few years. There is even talk of raising it. That would be a major undertaking of course, it is not small. But apparently the ship made it.

 

Just to show the current status: http://www.hnd.bayern.de/warnungen?id=275&warnungstyp=lkr

 

That is the official German-wide notice board for flooding. I have chosen the section Bavaria with Passau highlighted giving you the info on the right saying "Entwarnung", meaning the flooding one status has been stopped and returned to normal status, same goes for the area of Regensburg. Only Deggendorf has got a flood warning one (of the places that concern river cruisers) which is forecast to return to normal in two days. Floodwarning one is not critical, it is a common occurence that happens almost every year, normally in Spring (generally speaking).

 

notamermaid

[ADrews]

Sorry that I cannot ease your mind about the river levels, that is weather for you. We returned from our Romantic Danube cruise on 8/26. I worried like a fanatic before we left that it would become a bus trip, but it was smooth sailing. The only busses we rode were for tours, from and to the airport, and getting from Prague to Nuremberg. There were 25 locks but you didn't realized you were in them most of the time. I'll pray for rain!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[zitsky]

Sorry that I cannot ease your mind about the river levels, that is weather for you. We returned from our Romantic Danube cruise on 8/26. I worried like a fanatic before we left that it would become a bus trip, but it was smooth sailing. The only busses we rode were for tours, from and to the airport, and getting from Prague to Nuremberg. There were 25 locks but you didn't realized you were in them most of the time. I'll pray for rain!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

ADrews, I'm leaving for that trip today. Were the bathrooms open on the buses, especially between Prague to Nuremberg? How often were the rest stops on the way to Nuremberg? I pray for bathrooms! :')

[ADrews]

Zitsky, hey I get the bathroom concerns! Yes there are bathrooms in the busses. They are a little tight space wise. We made one bathroom/food stop from Prague to Nuremberg. It was not a bad ride at all maybe 2 hours long and very scenic.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Norvig]

Zitsky , we depart from Budapest on 23/9 for the Romantic Danube cruise. I am looking forward to your report especially on the water levels. I wish you a great cruise with water levels being agreeable.

[walker1]

Sitting at Passau now for 5 hours "for a lock". A friend tells me the river is closed passed Passau towards Regensburg. Rained very hard today!

 

 

Just started moving 20 minutes after I posted. Squeezed under the Passau bridges!

Edited September 6, 2017 by walker1
Change

[Norvig]

Not sounding too good Walker. I hope you can proceed with your cruise asap. I am assuming you are heading towards Regensburg.

[Norvig]

Sitting at Passau now for 5 hours "for a lock". A friend tells me the river is closed passed Passau towards Regensburg. Rained very hard today!

 

 

Just started moving 20 minutes after I posted. Squeezed under the Passau bridges!

Great news. Hope it is smooth sailing the rest of your cruise. Anxious to hear from Zitsky.

[notamermaid]

Hello walker1,

 

good to hear you made it under those bridges. Things are looking a little better now. No flood warnings for any areas there. Isolated incidents excepted. No flooding status and no river closure at Deggendorf. It can only have been a short stretch somewhere between Regensburg and Passau. Might even be open again by now. Hopefully.

 

It is raining today in the region, hardly any rain forecast for tomorrow, but more for Saturday and Sunday.

 

notamermaid