Rhine water levels 2018 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

7 minutes ago, sjde said:

So now we will all be starting to check the size of the ship before we book a river cruise!

 

Earrly next week , some of the Christmas markets we hit will not be open yet -the ones on the Main river / the  Main Danube Rhine canal. Some don’t open until the 30th. 

oh, I have started something, haven't I? Not sure if this is good or not...

 

Thank you for pointing out the later dates. The 30th is a Friday and a convenient day for starting a market then. Indeed, some markets in smaller towns, or those that are geared towards the locals only - in castles and palaces where much public attendance is only anticipated when people are off school and work in particular - they only open from Friday to Sunday. Often they are on all four weekends but can be on one weekend only. I used to head out into the hills for a few years to go to a charity market that was on only one Saturday. Work schedule and family commitments have prevented it in recent years.

 

Even if the markets are not open yet, I am sure Christmas decorations will be up. I saw the first ones day before yesterday. Happy sigh at this point, I love Christmas lights.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[Valley Girl of VA]

53 minutes ago, hbr777 said:

I am confused by your post. Your cruise from your previous posts was supposed to be Amsterdam to Basel. You started and ENDED in Amsterdam?  And now have to fly to Zurich? You are a very nice person indeed. That is not a modified cruise, it is a totally different cruise if you never left Benelux. I hope the compensation makes it worth it. Have fun in Switzerland!

 

Yes, AMA has altered some of the cruises to be Amsterdam to Amsterdam. I am on the 12/8 cruise Basel to Amsterdam and we will be transported most likely from Basel to further north.  They did tell me that the train will go along the Rhine river so we can see the castles but I am somewhat skeptical of all this.  I am sure they will make this highly altered trip worthwhile for us in terms of compensation

[notamermaid]

9 minutes ago, Valley Girl of VA said:

 

Yes, AMA has altered some of the cruises to be Amsterdam to Amsterdam. I am on the 12/8 cruise Basel to Amsterdam and we will be transported most likely from Basel to further north.  They did tell me that the train will go along the Rhine river so we can see the castles but I am somewhat skeptical of all this.  I am sure they will make this highly altered trip worthwhile for us in terms of compensation

Rest assured, the train line is close to the castles and does indeed run on both sides of the river, one being the main (fast train) line, the other the "slow train" line. You will likely be on a fast train or even express train to make the journey faster, but the line in the gorge is so filled with bends and tunnels that it cannot go really fast. The man in Seat 61 has captured it very well: https://www.seat61.com/places-of-interest/rails-down-the-rhine.htm

All Ama needs to do is to make sure they reserve seats on an early-ish train so you can see them in daylight. Should work.

 

Enjoy.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 23, 2018 by notamermaid
missing word

[hbr777]

54 minutes ago, Valley Girl of VA said:

 

Yes, AMA has altered some of the cruises to be Amsterdam to Amsterdam. I am on the 12/8 cruise Basel to Amsterdam and we will be transported most likely from Basel to further north.  They did tell me that the train will go along the Rhine river so we can see the castles but I am somewhat skeptical of all this.  I am sure they will make this highly altered trip worthwhile for us in terms of compensation

AMA told you this? I leave on 12/3 B to A and they still don't know our itinerary. Other than the email I received and the screenshot I posted above a page or two back. And you should not be transported from Basel since the river is navigable up to Strasbourg. They told us we would be transported from Strasbourg, if need be, not Basel. In my eyes, a train trip is only marginally better than a bus trip. I do my own train trips all of the time for literally 20% of the price. Trying to not be a witch about this but seriously...

[orchidj5]

1 hour ago, hbr777 said:

I am confused by your post. Your cruise from your previous posts was supposed to be Amsterdam to Basel. You started and ENDED in Amsterdam?  And now have to fly to Zurich? You are a very nice person indeed. That is not a modified cruise, it is a totally different cruise if you never left Benelux. I hope the compensation makes it worth it. Have fun in Switzerland!

  AMA has three ships scheduled for running the Rhine Christmas Markets route.  AmaPrima and AmaKristina are stuck below the Rhine Gorge and Amastella above it.  Prima,s embarkation schedule is different than the other two making ship swaps unrealistic. It sounds like they are trying very hard to give everyone a great experience and we are approaching out 10 December B to A cruise with an open mind.  I do hope the situation resolves soon.  At some point any compensation in the form of future cruise credit will become worthless as having to continually provide every passenger with alternative arrangements, transportation and compensation will become financially devastating.  This is not something the cruise companies can control and the river authority does not give them clearance or not until close to sailing.   The posters you are quoting seemed to be booked on Prima so their altered itinerary is not going to be the same as Kristina and Stella which can do ship swaps.

[hbr777]

8 minutes ago, orchidj5 said:

  AMA has three ships scheduled for running the Rhine Christmas Markets route.  AmaPrima and AmaKristina are stuck below the Rhine Gorge and Amastella above it.  Prima,s embarkation schedule is different than the other two making ship swaps unrealistic. It sounds like they are trying very hard to give everyone a great experience and we are approaching out 10 December B to A cruise with an open mind.  I do hope the situation resolves soon.  At some point any compensation in the form of future cruise credit will become worthless as having to continually provide every passenger with alternative arrangements, transportation and compensation will become financially devastating.  This is not something the cruise companies can control and the river authority does not give them clearance or not until close to sailing.   The posters you are quoting seemed to be booked on Prima so their altered itinerary is not going to be the same as Kristina and Stella which can do ship swaps.

Thank you for clarifying! That is very, very helpful to know!

[luv2travelandcruise]

Does anyone know about the 11/26 AMAStella itinerary? I leave for the airport in less than 48 hours and AMA says they still don't know where we will cruise or how we will get there. You guys seem to know more than AMA does! If you guys say the AMAStella is north of the gorge then we will probably be on the AMAKristina for the journey to Strasburg if we can get that far. But then if we go to Antwerp, how will we get there and where will our stops be? Does anyone have the answers or educated guesses??? 😕

[hbr777]

3 hours ago, luv2travelandcruise said:

Does anyone know about the 11/26 AMAStella itinerary? I leave for the airport in less than 48 hours and AMA says they still don't know where we will cruise or how we will get there. You guys seem to know more than AMA does! If you guys say the AMAStella is north of the gorge then we will probably be on the AMAKristina for the journey to Strasburg if we can get that far. But then if we go to Antwerp, how will we get there and where will our stops be? Does anyone have the answers or educated guesses??? 😕

Where are you leaving from (or supposed to be leaving from?) The Kristina is on the Amsterdam side of the gorge. The Stella is on the Basel side of it.

[sjde]

We got great news today. I emailed the company ( we didn’t work with a TA) and got an almost immediate response ( from the owner besides) that we should  have no disruptions. We leave Sunday , Nuremberg to Amsterdam. 

[luv2travelandcruise]

6 hours ago, orchidj5 said:

  AMA has three ships scheduled for running the Rhine Christmas Markets route.  AmaPrima and AmaKristina are stuck below the Rhine Gorge and Amastella above it.  Prima,s embarkation schedule is different than the other two making ship swaps unrealistic. It sounds like they are trying very hard to give everyone a great experience and we are approaching out 10 December B to A cruise with an open mind.  I do hope the situation resolves soon.  At some point any compensation in the form of future cruise credit will become worthless as having to continually provide every passenger with alternative arrangements, transportation and compensation will become financially devastating.  This is not something the cruise companies can control and the river authority does not give them clearance or not until close to sailing.   The posters you are quoting seemed to be booked on Prima so their altered itinerary is not going to be the same as Kristina and Stella which can do ship swaps.

Orchidj5 said the Stella is north of the gorge (#1505) and Kristina south so I thought it was the Kristina that would be in Basel (where I leave from) on Monday. I'm so confused!

[Valley Girl of VA]

8 hours ago, hbr777 said:

AMA told you this? I leave on 12/3 B to A and they still don't know our itinerary. Other than the email I received and the screenshot I posted above a page or two back. And you should not be transported from Basel since the river is navigable up to Strasbourg. They told us we would be transported from Strasbourg, if need be, not Basel. In my eyes, a train trip is only marginally better than a bus trip. I do my own train trips all of the time for literally 20% of the price. Trying to not be a witch about this but seriously...

Yes, AMA told me this.  That is what they are thinking will happen if this continues.  I asked about bussing us to Strasbourg and they said they would look into it - which did seem strange to me.  I'm sure they are waiting for things to be final before they send you the itinerary.  I was fairly assertive yet in a friendly, thoughtful but firm way.  I told them that we too were watching the weather and river levels and that they should have some idea, rather than last minute since it appears that things are not going to substantially change.  I have been on the Rhine, never for the markets, and told them how disappointed I was knowing also that they didn't cause the drought....yada, yada, yada.  

 

For those wondering the whereabouts of the AMAPrima, she is in Amsterdam so we have no one to do a ship swap with.

 

We are 15 days out at this point.  As disappointed that I am, nothing can be done about continuing to get upset about this.   It is what it is and although I won't see what I was planning on, maybe I'll find some new gems of smaller cities that I'll enjoy.  AMA will take care of us for not having the cruise that we book, particularly if it is a substantially altered itinerary.

 

[pully8]

6 hours ago, luv2travelandcruise said:

Does anyone know about the 11/26 AMAStella itinerary? I leave for the airport in less than 48 hours and AMA says they still don't know where we will cruise or how we will get there. You guys seem to know more than AMA does! If you guys say the AMAStella is north of the gorge then we will probably be on the AMAKristina for the journey to Strasburg if we can get that far. But then if we go to Antwerp, how will we get there and where will our stops be? Does anyone have the answers or educated guesses??? 😕

Sounds rather concerning that a company is telling you 2 days, out they have no info about where their ships are or where they are travelling!?

There seems to be a disconnect between those responsible for disseminating information and those hopefully in charge on the rivers?  Best of luck with your cruise, AMA have a good product on the river and will look after you once on board.

[hbr777]

2 hours ago, luv2travelandcruise said:

Orchidj5 said the Stella is north of the gorge (#1505) and Kristina south so I thought it was the Kristina that would be in Basel (where I leave from) on Monday. I'm so confused!

Orchidj5 said above and below the gorge. Stella is on the Basel side. Kristina and Prima on the Amsterdam

[orchidj5]

I did indeed say above and below. Stella is on the Basel or upriver side  and Kristina and Prima are on Amsterdam or downriver side.  AMA Will not know exactly where you are cruising until the river authority tells them where they can go.

[Hoyas96]

Not sure if this is 100% set in stone, but I called AMA this evening, and got this email response after the rep did some investigating:

 

"Further to our conversation earlier, I confirmed that you will embark the AmaKristina in Amsterdam on 11/26, then on 11/30 you'll disembark in Antwerp and will transfer (motor coach) to Strasbourg via Luxembourg and will embark the AmaStella, and will sail down to Basel, disembarking on 12/3, and then transferring on to your post-cruise land package as per normal."

 

Unfortunately, it sounds like I'll be getting plan B and barely seeing any of the Rhine.  (Plan A was a ship swap between Cologne and Rudesheim.)  I suppose I'll just have to come back someday for the castles...

[luv2travelandcruise]

14 hours ago, orchidj5 said:

  AMA has three ships scheduled for running the Rhine Christmas Markets route.  AmaPrima and AmaKristina are stuck below the Rhine Gorge and Amastella above it.  Prima,s embarkation schedule is different than the other two making ship swaps unrealistic. It sounds like they are trying very hard to give everyone a great experience and we are approaching out 10 December B to A cruise with an open mind.  I do hope the situation resolves soon.  At some point any compensation in the form of future cruise credit will become worthless as having to continually provide every passenger with alternative arrangements, transportation and compensation will become financially devastating.  This is not something the cruise companies can control and the river authority does not give them clearance or not until close to sailing.   The posters you are quoting seemed to be booked on Prima so their altered itinerary is not going to be the same as Kristina and Stella which can do ship swaps.

I truly was confused. I was thinking below the gorge was south...Not thinking of the direction of the river as below in elevation. Got it but it took a while.  I don't care what boat I'm on as long as I'm not driving all day to get places that can't be reached by water. AMA just tell me where I'm going and how I'm getting there. I sure hope I hear something tomorrow. I'm trying to be positive about my adventure 🤞

 

Thank you all for the valuable information on this thread. 

[ural guy]

Hello all-  Waiting in Brussels airport after 24 nights trip/cruise....someone asked above about the train trip I took from Strasbourg to Koblenz.

I transferred in Mannheim, and that allowed me to travel along the Rhine, seeing some of the castle en route.  Sit on the right side of the train (facing forward) for best views.

 

When I went to buy my ticket, what the agent came up with was a 5 hour trip.  I had written down the train numbers where I had a 3:15 trip I had found on-line.  I gave her my list, she went to a different computer, and was able to pull it up.  I think I paid more for this (100E), but it was worth it to me.  Ticket lady was super nice.  (The folks who took the bus up with Vantage got stuck in a traffic jam and didn't make it to the boat until 2030, after departing hotel in Basel @ 0830.  They had a lunch and walking tour in Heidelberg on the way.)  Bussing to Strasbourg from Basel for a tour, back to Strasbourg to sleep, then up to Koblenz via Heidelberg the next day was silliness.

 

BTW, my kids were joined us in Bruge at cruise's end.  They got caught up in the NYC snowstorm, and a 2.5 hr trip to Newark airport took 11 hours.  United got them out 2 days later.  So they went from 9 nights in country to 7.

 

I thought that was fitting, after we lost 5 days sailing with Vantage, including the castle region.  The cruise portion was OK, but Vantage wasn't flexible (IMHO).  They didn't charter a smaller boat for the gorge portion, stayed in Basel 5 nights when they could have jumped north after 3 nights, or just moved us to Koblenz earlier for more sailing on the Rhine.  

 

I know we could have sailed more on the Mosel.  We had a consultant on our boat, he was making those arrangements for other lines that were changing sailing routes.  Vantage made a point of telling us how expensive our rooms were in Basel.  They could have minimized that cost, the boat was docked with a full crew aboard, the previous sailing having been canceled.  Very confused and disappointed with their lack of flexibility.

[notamermaid]

Ural guy,

Thank you for getting back to the thread to help the anxious river cruisers. You and your family have had quite an eventful time lately. Bruges, what a lovely place to meet up in.

 

Vantage, despite me understanding their logistical problems, could have done better in my opinion.

 

Have a great Christmas time.

 

As regards trains and Amawaterways. Seemingly not knowing what is going to happen with a cruise's itinerary 48 hours before it starts I do regard as a bit peculiar as the situation is not "volatile" or could change quickly, it is plain dire. I can see the problem they face in the countryside North of Strasbourg with few places to dock. I wonder if they prefer not go through the last lock right now?

For trains one could look at bussing passengers to Offenburg in Germany, a major station for fast trains. A change at Mannheim is needed to get to Cologne via the Rhine gorge. If you do this DIY the key is to choose a train that stops at Koblenz. Otherwise you might end up on the express via the hills. Organising this and throwing in a stop at Speyer or Heidelberg will work much better by motorcoach, but quite frankly, I would prefer to skip that town if it meant I could walk up and down a railway carriage.

 

About confusing river directions. I find using the terms upstream and downstream work well but getting left and right bank sorted is a different matter. 

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 24, 2018 by notamermaid
Spelling

[JayfromBNA]

Reading and posting for my mother, who departs on Tauck 12/2 from Cologne to Basel.  Tauck speaks in the river cruise line jargon the others use.

 

On the SS Antionette, is there a companion ship that would also make the trip south -bound?

 

I'd be interested to hear from any Tauck 2018 Christmas Markets cruisers on their experiences.

[masonpips]

12 minutes ago, JayfromBNA said:

Reading and posting for my mother, who departs on Tauck 12/2 from Cologne to Basel.  Tauck speaks in the river cruise line jargon the others use.

 

On the SS Antionette, is there a companion ship that would also make the trip south -bound?

 

I'd be interested to hear from any Tauck 2018 Christmas Markets cruisers on their experiences.

If you use Cruise Mapper (link to Antoinette https://www.cruisemapper.com/?mmsi=269057366) you can move up and down the river to see where other ships are. The Rhine looks empty from Cologne down (geographically) to Basel. I see no other Uniworld boats which is why I don’t think they are doing ship swaps. I don’t know the Tauck names, maybe you can see a couple?

[luv2travelandcruise]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Ural guy,

Thank you for getting back to the thread to help the anxious river cruisers. You and your family have had quite an eventful time lately. Bruges, what a lovely place to meet up in.

 

Vantage, despite me understanding their logistical problems, could have done better in my opinion.

 

Have a great Christmas time.

 

As regards trains and Amawaterways. Seemingly not knowing what is going to happen with a cruise's itinerary 48 hours before it starts I do regard as a bit peculiar as the situation is not "volatile" or could change quickly, it is plain dire. I can see the problem they face in the countryside North of Strasbourg with few places to dock. I wonder if they prefer not go through the last lock right now?

For trains one could look at bussing passengers to Offenburg in Germany, a major station for fast trains. A change at Mannheim is needed to get to Cologne via the Rhine gorge. If you do this DIY the key is to choose a train that stops at Koblenz. Otherwise you might end up on the express via the hills. Organising this and throwing in a stop at Speyer or Heidelberg will work much better by motorcoach, but quite frankly, I would prefer to skip that town if it meant I could walk up and down a railway carriage.

 

About confusing river directions. I find using the terms upstream and downstream work well but getting left and right bank sorted is a different matter. 

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thank you so much for the train info. I have it on my phone just in case I'm brave enough to try this with my sister.  What's the worst that can happen? We'll end up on another adventure to find the boat!!!

 

 

This thread is very very helpful!

 

 

[bubbulz]

44 minutes ago, JayfromBNA said:

Reading and posting for my mother, who departs on Tauck 12/2 from Cologne to Basel.  Tauck speaks in the river cruise line jargon the others use.

 

On the SS Antionette, is there a companion ship that would also make the trip south -bound?

 

I'd be interested to hear from any Tauck 2018 Christmas Markets cruisers on their experiences.

I'm confused: The SS Antoinette is a Uniworld ship. Also, several others posted above that the Antoinette's sailing on 11/28 had been cancelled. Seems this might impact your mother's trip starting on 12/2, perhaps, if she is on the Antoinette?

[masonpips]

6 minutes ago, bubbulz said:

I'm confused: The SS Antoinette is a Uniworld ship. Also, several others posted above that the Antoinette's sailing on 11/28 had been cancelled. Seems this might impact your mother's trip starting on 12/2, perhaps, if she is on the Antoinette?

I think they were looking for a Tauck ship that does the same itinerary to see if they made it to Basel?

[hbr777]

10 hours ago, Hoyas96 said:

"Further to our conversation earlier, I confirmed that you will embark the AmaKristina in Amsterdam on 11/26, then on 11/30 you'll disembark in Antwerp and will transfer (motor coach) to Strasbourg via Luxembourg and will embark the AmaStella, and will sail down to Basel, disembarking on 12/3, and then transferring on to your post-cruise land package as per normal."

 

What has been said about this: from Antwerp to Strasbourg is 5-6 hour drive and it is broken up with a stop in Luxembourg City. When you get to Strasbourg, you spend 3 nights on the ship, docked, doing day trips, although the stop in Beisach might be preserved. Then sail to Basel. So sorry.

 

[notamermaid]

Hoyas96,

 

I am sorry to read that your itinerary has been changed around so much. A train journey of a shorter distance would be much more agreeable I think. I wonder if the situation is so bad that Ama will rather not attempt to get into Germany? Oh, well, here is perhaps a very slight consolation. Luxembourg is an interesting city and has Christmas markets: https://winterlights.vdl.lu/?lang=en#!/marches-de-noel

I hope they will let you stop at the market. If not the whole coach full of passengers should stomp their feet and say "I WANT...".

 

Have a good time.

 

notamermaid