Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[debster818]

40 minutes ago, Worksheet said:

We are considering that cruise with Uniworld sometime in September or October this year and are also concerned.  It seems the SS Antoinette has not cruised through or below the Rhine Gorge for quite a few days.  Has Uniworld contacted you?

 

Worksheet

We have not heard from them.   Our friends just paid for an upgrade and got notification 2 days ago.

[debster818]

44 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

@momofthre3 posted this earlier today: "Today we got a call that our August 21 Uniworld cruise was still on. Then several hours later it has officially been cancelled."

 

September 11 is too far away to say anything specific. Even the forecast for the river is too tentative to post it here. We will need to see how things go after this rain. We may end up with a sightly higher level that can be sustained but no one is in doubt that we need to see more than just 36 hours of some rain to get us into September, i.e. get proper cruising back.

 

We will keep looking at the river levels and hopefully more cruisers will be so helpful and post their experiences - thanks to everyone who has returned home or is sailing now   - in the next weeks.

 

Has Uniworld not communicated with you about potential problems yet? it is a bit early so I would not expect them too. Just asking.

 

notamermaid

 

Haven't heard anything yet from Uniworld.

[travellovervic]

It's interesting to know the details of ship swap from B to A.  We're going the opposite direction, and will find out details tomorrow before dinner. Thanks MDPastor.    We are getting off at Zons, at 9:30 am tomorrow and get bused to Cologne for our excursions. the ship will meet us there in Cologne around 12:30, but we can stay in town and get back to ship with shuttle bus service every hour from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. more update tomorrow. Vic

Edited August 17, 2022 by travellovervic
Missing time

[notamermaid]

4 minutes ago, travellovervic said:

We are getting off at Zons, and get bused to Cologne for our excursions. the ship will meet us there in Cologne around 12:30

I have read this several times now over months so seems part of the normal itinerary. This is Zons and its KD dock with German info. Not sure if Viking has a different dock there: https://www.riverdocking.com/de/anleger/zons/

Not cheap this docking...

Zons is small and there seems to be no website in English. Here is some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zons

 

notamermaid

 

[FM-R]

9 hours ago, luckycruisers2 said:

We’re on the Rhine now from Basel to Amsterdam.  Started on the Viking Eir and switched to the  Viking Mani yesterday.  We left the ship at Strasbourg then bussed to Speyer for our included excursion then on to Cologne.  Yesterday excursion to Koblenz and then a cruise through the gorge with lunch on a local sight seeing boat.  
 

Everything was handled with super efficiency. Day one we were told the ship switch was likely to happen.  We also received an email prior to our trip informing of same.  A couple of paid excursions had to be canceled but we will receive an onboard credit - which if it isn’t spent will be returned to our credit card.  We also received a $25 pp credit for lunch for the day we were off the ship in Speyer.

 

it’s so sad to see the Rhine so low.  Almost no water in places. I’ll see if I can upload an image.

 

The ship switch hasn’t affected our enjoyment at all. Helps if you are informed and educated (thanks to everyone on this forum) and “go with the flow”.  

Thank you so very much for taking the time to post!!  We've decided that we are going with a positive attitude and will not buy into any negative grousing - we can pretty much enjoy any place.  have a wonderful trip.  Now I'm culling though my packing for the 3rd time since we are only taking a 22" carry on each and as large of a "personal item" as allowed.

[Canal archive]

Wow Notamermaid that’s expensive makes you realise why the companies make a thing of ‘docking charges included’. It also shows how much the towns along the rivers have lost due to covid they’ll want to make that up asap.

[notamermaid]

As we have talked about Engers (see a few posts and nice photos above) here is the info page on Engers dock. A different company and cheaper: https://river-dock.com/index.php?id=45&L=3

 

A bit more impressive than the Zons location, I dare to add. Although Zons itself has a bit more to offer overall as regards sights.

 

notamermaid

 

[suslang]

We are cruising from A to B on Sept 2.  Anyone else?  We are a party of 4, first time river cruisers.  This has been so sad to read all of this.  But we are going ahead with our trip and hoping for the best.  We will enjoy it no matter what, but hope that it is mostly as advertised!  

[Haqdeluxe]

3 hours ago, rizello said:

I am curious why some ships would make it through and some wouldn’t, all leaving at same time.  Someone posted that it depended upon your itinerary.  But if all ships (Viking) were starting from Amsterdam and traveling to Cologne on same day, why wouldn’t all of them sail through or all use hotels/bussing?  Our program director told us corporate headquarters made sailing decisions, not each ship on their own.

I may be wrong... but I've never seen more than one Viking Longship starting a cruise from the same port on the same day.  Maybe 2 days apart - staggered. Thus with a 48 hour gap between much can happen inside that time gap. Especially during a low water level event like we are seeing now. I see above where the Viking Hermod made Kinderdijk today when as recent as a day ago ships couldn't make that stop.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The way Viking keeps building river ships at a rapid pace, they may soon be able to line them up from A to B and let the passengers walk!  🤣

[floridababa]

13 hours ago, luckycruisers2 said:

We’re on the Rhine now from Basel to Amsterdam.  Started on the Viking Eir and switched to the  Viking Mani yesterday.  We left the ship at Strasbourg then bussed to Speyer for our included excursion then on to Cologne.  Yesterday excursion to Koblenz and then a cruise through the gorge with lunch on a local sight seeing boat.  
 

Everything was handled with super efficiency. Day one we were told the ship switch was likely to happen.  We also received an email prior to our trip informing of same.  A couple of paid excursions had to be canceled but we will receive an onboard credit - which if it isn’t spent will be returned to our credit card.  We also received a $25 pp credit for lunch for the day we were off the ship in Speyer.

 

it’s so sad to see the Rhine so low.  Almost no water in places. I’ll see if I can upload an image.

 

The ship switch hasn’t affected our enjoyment at all. Helps if you are informed and educated (thanks to everyone on this forum) and “go with the flow”.  

You are lucky. Our scenic cruise from Basel to Amsterdam on August 22 was just canceled. Very sad

 

[gayles]

30 minutes ago, floridababa said:

You are lucky. Our scenic cruise from Basel to Amsterdam on August 22 was just canceled. Very sad

Was this a Viking cruise that canceled?

[RDVIK2016]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I have read this several times now over months so seems part of the normal itinerary. This is Zons and its KD dock with German info. Not sure if Viking has a different dock there: https://www.riverdocking.com/de/anleger/zons/

Not cheap this docking...

Zons is small and there seems to be no website in English. Here is some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zons

 

notamermaid

 

Nice that Zons looks to have a nearly complete city wall!

 

[RDVIK2016]

2 hours ago, Haqdeluxe said:

I may be wrong... but I've never seen more than one Viking Longship starting a cruise from the same port on the same day.  Maybe 2 days apart - staggered. Thus with a 48 hour gap between much can happen inside that time gap. Especially during a low water level event like we are seeing now. I see above where the Viking Hermod made Kinderdijk today when as recent as a day ago ships couldn't make that stop.

Viking Rhine Getaway cruises start seven days a week from Amsterdam and Basel, so the boats on other itineraries European Sojourn, Grand European Tour, Paris to Swiss Alps (from Basel) would all have to start on the same day as another Viking cruise. There have even been times when they have two boats traveling on the same timetable on popular itineraries. 

[steamboats]

Although river traffic is going on there are a some differences between freight/cargo and river cruise ships.

 

While the freight ships go from A to B with no real need to stop inbetween a river cruise ship has port stops. With low water the landings might not be reachable for the ships as they sit dry. So you just can go by and wave but not stop anymore.

 

The other problem which we once encountered... due to the low water the navigable channel gets narrower than usual. When you have a cruise going upriver and downriver the ship has to turn around. No way to do this when the channel is only 90 m wide and your ship has 110 m.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

Now the middle Rhine river valley is closed to traffic between St. Goars and Oberwesel (where the Loreley rock is located). But not because to low water... A freight ship has an engine problem and got stuck there blocking the channel. This happened yesterday afternoon. They now try to get the ship free and get it to a port where they can do the needed repairs.

 

steamboats

[travellovervic]

The latest from the Hermod: we didn't make it to Zons for 9:30 am. Programme director announced at the end of breakfast that dangerously low water levels slowed us down so much, all morning excursions are postponed to the afternoon. Important information session at 12 noon about all the changes to be made... Still going positively with the flow. 

Vic

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by travellovervic

[Canal archive]

Gables, Scenic is a river cruise company definitely not a type of Viking cruise to compare the two would be horrific!

 

Feel so much for the freight Captain it’s his livelihood.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Canal archive

[notamermaid]

7 hours ago, RDVIK2016 said:

Nice that Zons looks to have a nearly complete city wall!

 

Indeed. To be honest I only discovered Zons because of Viking stopping there. I have been around the area, but did not know that Zons is nice! Some time it will go as an alternative port in my thread on places beyond the standard ports on the Rhine. I find it a pity that Zons is only an unloading stop for Viking. I wonder if they do any commentary or scenic drive on the coach when in the town on the way to Cologne.

 

By the way, Zons has a ferry that is not running right now as the river level is too low.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, travellovervic said:

The latest from the Hermod: we didn't make it to Zons for 9:30 am. Programme director announced at the end of breakfast that dangerously low water levels slowed us down so much, all morning excursions are postponed to the afternoon. Important information session at 12 noon about all the changes to be made... Still going positively with the flow. 

Vic

 

Ayeeh, exclamation of surprise. I did not expect that. At least you are in Zons, meaning close enough to Cologne. This could be a long adventurous day and I hope you all can keep your spirits up.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is a little cooler, a little windier here and more humid. Haze and clouds dominate the sky. The anticipation level is rising. Will it rain more and where? There has been drizzle and what looked like a thunderstorm East of Basel. Clouds with what could be decent rain are forming over the Main and coming West/Northwest. Looks kind of promising.

 

Maxau gauge: a rise to 349cm

Kaub gauge: 37cm, slightly higher than yesterday

Koblenz gauge: 30cm, fluctuating, no reaction to rain yet it seems

Cologne gauge: 73cm, daily fluctuation, may the overall downward trend end today?

Emmerich gauge: -4cm, will that be steady today and may we see the zero again tomorrow?

 

To be honest, I am very skeptical of improvement for river cruising, but at least it is raining. Will see how the day progresses.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by notamermaid

[tazlover]

We are on the AMA Serena, departing Amsterdam to Basel on September 19. One month away. Hoping all things improve by then. I will keep reading and hoping.

[notamermaid]

Forgot to mention the forecast. River level at Kaub is supposed to go up to 38cm tonight, Friday into the 40's, Saturday 50 and possibly a bit more. Sunday 60.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

14 hours ago, FM-R said:

We've decided that we are going with a positive attitude and will not buy into any negative grousing - we can pretty much enjoy any place.

That's the spirit! It will not be a normal river cruise as planned if you are going soon, that is for sure, a bit of an adventure, but you are prepared.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

12 hours ago, suslang said:

We are cruising from A to B on Sept 2.  Anyone else?  We are a party of 4, first time river cruisers. 

Have you joined a roll call? Plenty of info there and you may find some one else has put their name down but prefers not to be on this main river cruising board.

 

notamermaid