Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

Just as brief info. The river levels.

Maxau 438cm

Kaub 171cm

Koblenz 193cm

Cologne 279cm

 

With the absence of rain, all have fallen below the mean level again. Not a big deal. Just logistically and economically unpleasant for the shipping industry. Level at Kaub will drop below 150cm again, probably Thursday afternoon, which is then official low water for the industry, not for navigation though. For river cruisers: all good.

 

notamermaid

 

[Sissi67]

Day 11 of 15 day cruise from Basel to Amsterdam on Scenic Opal. Today we are in Maastricht. Our amazing luck with sunny days continues. It’s been such a beautiful and fun journey we will for sure book with Scenic again! 
Our cruise director has informed us we will not be able to visit Veere as planned due to lock maintenance issues. But the planned excursions will still take place that day. And that is basically the only issue we have had. Very happy especially after all the issues others have been facing.

 

Rhine and Moselle are every bit as beautiful as I had heard. Spring flowers and trees are in full bloom, very few other river cruise ships around, so glad we booked to go in April. Highly recommend Scenic if you are looking at booking.

[loriva]

6 minutes ago, Sissi67 said:

Day 11 of 15 day cruise from Basel to Amsterdam on Scenic Opal. Today we are in Maastricht. Our amazing luck with sunny days continues. It’s been such a beautiful and fun journey we will for sure book with Scenic again! 

 

Glad to hear that Sissi67!!  When you arrive in Amsterdam--and time permits, of course--could you post some details of your experience there, please?  Where is Scenic docking?  If it is the area out of central Amsterdam, is Scenic providing shuttles and what is the schedule?  What is the timing for the Freechoice tours on the day the ship arrives in Amsterdam, i.e., are they in the morning and allow time to do something else in the afternoon?  (Both the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum require booking a 15-minute entry window to visit, so trying to figure out a safe time during our docking time in Amsterdam to do that.)  Does Scenic allow you to do two of the options--say, the walking tour AND the canal cruise?

 

We are on a similar cruise itinerary (Basel to Amsterdam, but only Rhine River) in June on the Scenic Jade.  I sent the ship an email last week with these questions, but reception did not respond.  (Ship had some serious engine problems, so I guess they had bigger issues.)

 

Many thanks,

 

[notamermaid]

I know this is a bit much to ask as regards language skills, but I would like to share this video from the regional broadcaster SWR. The Viking Alruna in Koblenz! So, not to worry if you do not understand the German, it is mainly for the footage of a river cruise ship on a beautiful day arriving near Deutsches Eck. From 23:50: 

 

https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/swr-aktuell-rheinland-pfalz/sendung-19-30-uhr-vom-20-4-2022/swr-rp/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE2NDg4MjY

 

Takeaway info from the video. 1. Koblenz is beginning to teem with river cruise guests again. 2. Koblenz as the entrance to the UNESCO world heritage site is a very important stop for Viking. 3. The Viking Alruna had come from Budapest and will sail on to Cologne next, supposedly having 190 people on board (no way that I can verify this). 4. Many guests are wearing masks on the sun deck in the open air, but also coming off the ship. 5. The lady guide is wearing a mask while talking although she has got an audio system which makes social distancing easier. 6. In 2019 220,000 river cruise passengers visited Koblenz. 7. In 2022, the lady from the local tourist board hopes, they will achieve to receive 77 percent of the number of guests of 2019.

 

notamermaid

 

[Sissi67]

4 hours ago, loriva said:

 

Glad to hear that Sissi67!!  When you arrive in Amsterdam--and time permits, of course--could you post some details of your experience there, please?  Where is Scenic docking?  If it is the area out of central Amsterdam, is Scenic providing shuttles and what is the schedule?  What is the timing for the Freechoice tours on the day the ship arrives in Amsterdam, i.e., are they in the morning and allow time to do something else in the afternoon?  (Both the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum require booking a 15-minute entry window to visit, so trying to figure out a safe time during our docking time in Amsterdam to do that.)  Does Scenic allow you to do two of the options--say, the walking tour AND the canal cruise?

 

We are on a similar cruise itinerary (Basel to Amsterdam, but only Rhine River) in June on the Scenic Jade.  I sent the ship an email last week with these questions, but reception did not respond.  (Ship had some serious engine problems, so I guess they had bigger issues.)

 

Many thanks,

 

Our cruise will finish in Amsterdam in the morning. No excursions in Amsterdam are included as we will only arrive there that morning.

Scenic will do transfers to the airport but since we will stay in Amsterdam they will just arrange a taxi for us. You will love your cruise!

[notamermaid]

A new ship on the Rhine! This time it is not a river cruise ship but a new excursion boat for the "Köln-Düsseldorfer" fleet. The RheinGalaxie was christened on Friday, 22 April. Yes, another belated ship due to the pandemic. This is a report in German: https://binnenschifffahrt-online.de/2022/04/featured/25318/kd-tauft-neues-flaggschiff-rheingalaxy/

She is quite sizable, with a maximum of 1,000 people allowed.

 

Unfortunately, KD do not seem to be updating their English website much, so more photos of the ship from the German pages: https://www.k-d.com/de/eventschiff-2020/galerie

 

From what I read she will mostly be in the area of Cologne and Düsseldorf (the link above only says Düsseldorf).

 

Safe travels to her always. And lots of party fun for the guests!

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

We know what rafting of ships on the Rhine means (close the curtains!) but what about rafts on the Rhine? The Rhine as a major transport route used to carry much wood in rafts. It came from very wooded areas like the Black Forest and the rafts built with these tree trunks were taken as far as the Netherlands usually. This is what it looked like in an old painting:

https://www.regionalgeschichte.net/bibliothek/aufsaetze/stumme-floesserei-rhein.html

 

There are no rafts today but the tradition lives on as volunteers keep it going. But here is your chance to see a small raft - the commercial ones were literally swimming villages - on the Rhine again!

 

Schiltach people, this town is in the Black Forest, have built a raft and have set sail from Steinmauern on the Rhine. This is what it looks like: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/karlsruhe/flossfahrt-auf-dem-rhein-von-steinmauern-nach-hitdorf-100.html

 

They are by now somewhere near Cologne probably and are scheduled to arrive at Hitdorf near Leverkusen Friday afternoon.

 

The trip is meant to make people aware of the tradition and the commercial importance the trade used to have. The Schiltach club of raftsmen wants to campaign for an entry in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

 

By the way, Schiltach looks a pretty place: https://www.schiltach.de/stadtportrait

A bit far on a river cruise excursion perhaps, from Breisach it is around 90 minutes one way, from Kehl (for Strasbourg excursion) it is a bit more than an hour one way. Still, the valley is really attractive, I have been near Schiltach.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid the Canal du Nivernais was built for the same purpose but to carry wood to Paris they also have a re-enactment every year. I will try and find a picture. I suspect that it’s a tradition local to many rivers and canals as towns and cities would quickly decimate the local area of timber. Good on them for aiming at UNESCO recognition as more of these seemingly small but nevertheless important activities would be lost and only thought of as fairy tails.

 

 

[notamermaid]

10 hours ago, Canal archive said:

I suspect that it’s a tradition local to many rivers and canals as towns and cities would quickly decimate the local area of timber.

Yes, I have read about many rivers around the world having being used like that. So much easier than by road in the old days. Had not thought of canals though! Interesting about the Canal du Nivernais.

 

Kaub gauge has been rising steadily and has crossed the mean water line today, now at 230cm. Basically, perfect for sailing!

 

And good news: The MS Goethe left Cologne harbour as planned and has arrived in Koblenz where she is docked right now at the beer garden.

 

The webcam is now active, click on it under: https://www.feratel.com/en/webcams/germany/koblenz.html

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Let us learn a lovely German compound noun. Well, I am cheating a bit as it is hyphenated. But here it is: Seitenrad-Schleppdampfer. A tug boat. To be precise, the word means it is a tug boat with a side wheel and a steam engine. This year, it is the tug boat Oscar Huber's 100th birthday and the museum in Duisburg where she resides is proudly celebrating this. The Oscar Huber is the last of her kind of the Rhine steam tug boats. This is what she looks like: http://www.binnenschifffahrtsmuseum.de/?page_id=24

 

If you like old technical stuff connected with river traffic this is the place to go to.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid she’s a kids dream of what a steam boat should be. She’s straight out of a twenties novel on a huge lake somewhere in the world. Thank you.

P.S. absolutely super word, memo to self must learn German if only for words like that!

Edited May 4, 2022 by Canal archive

[notamermaid]

My pleasure. It gets even better. Last night I watched a video of the Oscar Huber in action. It was taken in 1971 just before she went into retirement. From 1966 to 1971 she was operated as passenger excursion boat by a club of friends! It is all in German and I myself do not understand all the technical stuff, but I enjoyed watching the old machinery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMa-rKjAQO0

 

 

I missed the end of the steam age by about eight years and when I see the old footage I get a bit sentimental. But I managed to see the Goethe still in action with her proper steam engine, I was fascinated by the machinery, sailing on her as primary school child together with my grandparents. Great memory.

 

As for the compound nouns, yes German is perfect for that. You can have endless fun with them.

 

notamermaid

 

[csherriff]

@notamermaid thank you for all of your wonderful information on the Rhine.  We are keeping fingers crossed that water levels stay at an adequate level so that our family can travel as planned in July.  I am now following this so I can learn more from you about the Rhine, its wonderful sights as well as the water levels.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

 

Colleen

[worldtraveller99]

Please @notamermaid every month or so (if things change) will you update us on the need for PCR tests, Passenger Locator Forms (or country entry apps, ugh) and masks in Germany? What is it like now? We have 0 restrictions in the UK. Thank you for your help, as always I love everything you write.

[notamermaid]

Thanks worldtraveller99. I am a bit like the UK now, I am on "0 restrictions" personally. Good for my soul. But mask-wearing is still encouraged generally, still applies to public transport and restrictions apply very much in the health sector. I have read of a few restrictions in places like museums, but they are random. What I would like to point out from my own experience is that places where private individuals or volunteers are involved, things are a bit trickier. It may mean that a special excursion may not happen on a river cruise or a museum may be closed. If you are eager for a specific experience on a river cruise it may be worth finding out beforehand, i.e. for example a friend tells you "I went there three years ago." could result in your disappointment if it is not happening this year. Other than that the "doom and gloom people" in Berlin want to make sure we stay on alert for autumn it seems. To be honest, this girl is not listening, I am a "Rhenish rebel", jawoll! In short, within Germany, carry a medical mask with you at all times, it may be required and if it is not you may feel better wearing one in confined spaces. People are not so good with social distancing anymore. Hand sanitizers are still all around but you may want to have some of those special tissues with you in your bag.

 

Today is a special day today in Germany as the flower shops are allowed to be open. You know, strict Sunday closure normally. But today is Mothers' Day! 💝 And the sun is shining. Getting really warm and forecast is for a warm week along the Rhine, expect 22 to 26 degrees.

 

Brief update on water levels. Kaub was getting a bit low for commercial traffic, but a good bit of rain yesterday has got the level up again. Now at 174cm.

 

@csherriff Colleen, thank you for your kind words. The plan is to update when necessary, or when someone asks me for news. I am - touch wood - always around and looking at the levels. Today I did it in person, water is a little low, many stones exposed. But as I hinted at above, only for barge traffic.

You mentioned your Crystal experience in the Danube thread. As far as I know Viking does not re-route. They do a ship swap when necessary. But this is not something that happens every year. I find the level a bit low going into May but that is just a feeling and may mean nothing for June and July. Any level above 90cm at Kaub is fine and 90cm is only something that may cause slight disturbances in your itinerary, like changing a docking location, depending on town and ship. Nothing to worry about really. But when it gets that low I will certainly alert people and post more often, especially if it does not rain.

 

Have a good week everyone, especially if you are sailing on "my" river.

 

notamermaid

 

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you notamermaid. The only masks we have are the small blue cheapy "disposable" ones, which as we only used to put them on when entering a shop briefly, have lasted for months. We had a brief COVID cold this April, so hope we are immune for a few months, and trust will get another jab before we come to you in November. So far no mention of when under 75s in the UK will have this. So there are months to go for everything to be eased!x

[csherriff]

Thanks again @notamermaid for all the information and keeping us up to date.  This is the first time my sister has gone on Viking so all of this is new to her.  We had cruises booked on the Mediterranean and for the Christmas Markets on the Rhine with Crystal this year.  Now scrambling to make alternate plans and see if we can get our money back.  I look forward to being on the Rhine again.  You don’t happen to know of a company that takes a 2 and 4 year old for the Christmas Markets do you?  It is one of the reasons we travelled with Crystal, they allowed our granddaughters aboard.  So far no replacement found in my research.  Thanks again for your kindness sharing information with all of us!

 

Colleen

[notamermaid]

11 minutes ago, csherriff said:

You don’t happen to know of a company that takes a 2 and 4 year old for the Christmas Markets do you?

Oh that is certainly young. CroisiEurope are known to be family friendly and Arosa has specific family cruises but I am not sure if they restrict ages, so ask them specifically if you cannot find anything on the respective websites.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

While I am here - original idea for post to follow - a quick info on water levels. Kaub gauge has fallen to 157cm. The effect of the recent rain has gone and it is a dry, warm week. But a few clouds and showers are forecast for Friday into Saturday.

 

I had the idea to post about something out of the ordinary, something you may encounter in Mainz from 20 to 22 May. There is an annual festival called "Rheinland-Pfalz-Tag", a weekend to showcase what my state offers, anything from the fire brigade and social services to commerce and tourism. It is about celebrating and connecting and generally having a great time. It is hosted every year by a different (large) town and this year it is Mainz' turn. And it is big! If you happen to be there on that weekend be prepared, it will be full. But it is also a great opportunity to see beyond tourist sites, even get into places that are normally not that much open to the public, like the Landtag (state parliament). 2022 is a fitting year for the capital Mainz to host the festival as we also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the state. On Sunday there is a big parade.

 

There is only a website in German but you can download a map to see where everything is: https://rlp-tag.de/de/programm-20-22-mai-2022/

 

A few images from the press release including scenes of years past: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/rlp-tag-104.html

 

Honestly, if you do not mind crowds and have the choice between Mainz and Heidelberg on that day of your itinerary for example, I recommend Mainz. But I am biased, have never been to Heidelberg, so take that into account. You may prefer the castle, bridge and old town of the city on the Neckar.

 

notamermaid

 

[Jjg34219]

We are now 10 days out to our first River Cruise adventure on the Rhine and it looks like the weather forecast is much better than I expected. Current temps look nice and warm for this time of year, and if we can have mid to hi 70 degree days I will have a very happy wife!

[notamermaid]

It is indeed average to a bit higher than average for May. We have a warm climate here in the valley so while April is unsettled, May is normally a month with temperatures over 20 Celsius on many days. 68 to 76 Fahrenheit in the afternoon very doable by our weather creators. Usually when we have 28 Celsius towards the sea and the East of Germany it is 25 to 26. Let us look at Mannheim for a few more details for the coming days:

That is warmer than average and could get a bit muggy in towns. It will be splendid on the sundeck but remember the hat and sun cream!

 

5 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

We are now 10 days out to our first River Cruise adventure on the Rhine

Have a great time. Which company and direction is it, if I may ask?

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Jjg34219]

Viking Basel to Amsterdam!

[notamermaid]

2 minutes ago, Jjg34219 said:

Viking Basel to Amsterdam!

Nice. Have you looked at pontac's thread yet? They went on the Rhine Getaway not long ago. A pleased customer of Viking. Lots of tips. Very much recommended.

 

notamermaid

 

[Jjg34219]

2 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Nice. Have you looked at pontac's thread yet? They went on the Rhine Getaway not long ago. A pleased customer of Viking. Lots of tips. Very much recommended.

 

notamermaid

 

Yes we have been paying attention to every little tidbit of info. This is our first adventure to Europe too

[notamermaid]

5 minutes ago, Jjg34219 said:

Yes we have been paying attention to every little tidbit of info. This is our first adventure to Europe too

Oh wow, exciting! I am so bold as to say that reading cruisecritic means you are well prepared .

 

10 days out is also the maximum we can look at in advance with Kaub water levels. Most likely scenario is for between 136 and 141cm on the day you come to Basel. So that is a bit low but certainly good enough for any river cruise ship.

 

notamermaid