Danube water levels 2023 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[Barb at Maple Lane]

• We were scheduled to join the Scenic Jewel in Budapest on the 18th.  We were originally told we would be bussed to Komarom, but then changed to one night at the Palace Matild (wonderful hotel) in  Budapest and were bussed to Vienna after our morning tour on the 29th.  Hoping to  make it the rest of the way to  Amsterdam. 

[notamermaid]

3 minutes ago, Barb at Maple Lane said:

• We were scheduled to join the Scenic Jewel in Budapest on the 18th.  We were originally told we would be bussed to Komarom, but then changed to one night at the Palace Matild (wonderful hotel) in  Budapest and were bussed to Vienna after our morning tour on the 29th.  Hoping to  make it the rest of the way to  Amsterdam. 

Thanks for the update. Logistics are certainly not easy in this situation, a pity that you missed sailing that part of the Danube. Hope the ship, crew and food are fully making up for it and you are having a great time otherwise.

 

As for the next three days at Pfelling gauge I prefer not to even make a guess right now...

 

notamermaid

 

[UDChE89]

7 hours ago, Barb at Maple Lane said:

• We were scheduled to join the Scenic Jewel in Budapest on the 18th.  We were originally told we would be bussed to Komarom, but then changed to one night at the Palace Matild (wonderful hotel) in  Budapest and were bussed to Vienna after our morning tour on the 29th.  Hoping to  make it the rest of the way to  Amsterdam. 

It’s a shame you missed that portion of the Danube.  It is a pleasant sailing and I really do like Bratislava.

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge at 255cm.

 

Budapest at 72cm this morning. Budapest forecast:

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[VikgKruzer]

Notamermaid. 

you do a vital service here, thank you !

this is my second Viking river cruise. first was Bordeaux.

I am doing the grand european tour from Amsterdam on 11/7... I am following your posts to know the odds of getting to budapest directly.

 

with 40 pages to catch up on, is there a simple place that tells what the minimum levels are to get through ?  i am reading the 255cm to 264 but don't know if i should be elated or depressed.

 

I started reading the first 2-3 pages and last 3 pages. If there's an easier  place to go to catch up, please let me know.... it would be appreciated.

[HawaiiTraveler]

On 10/20/2023 at 7:23 PM, Dbpeds01 said:

Greetings: 

We will be cruising on the Viking EMBLA from 10/23, we are watching the water levels as she approaches Hungary. For now we are prepared to have to go to Komarom, we just need to see how to link with Viking to be brought to the ship. How did it work for others?  We will be getting in on 10/22 then staying the night near the usual docking spot. Thanks 

Hi Dbpeds01. We arrived in Budapest on Saturday for the Grand European Tour, sailing on the Viking Skadi from Budapest to Amsterdam. We flew from San Francisco to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, arranged by Viking. When we arrived in Frankfurt a Viking representative was waiting as we disembarked the aircraft and escorted us as well as many other Viking clients to the gate of our next flight to Budapest. You should have received an envelope from Viking with round red transfer stickers with the Viking emblem printed on them with instructions to put them on your shirt, dress or jacket before you come off your aircraft in Budapest or whatever the city that Viking flew you into for your cruise. That envelope would also contain a leather luggage tag for each person on your booking as well as paper tags with your name, the name of your ship and the stateroom number, which you place on each piece of your luggage after you pick your bags up from the carousel in the airport. As you come off your aircraft, retrieve your luggage and clear customs (if you didn’t clear at a previous airport), Viking representatives will be waiting and watching for you. You cannot miss them. They watch for the red transfer sticker on your shirt, dress, jacket, etc., and they will make sure you get on the right bus to your ship. They were very efficient with our party of six, and they got us on the right bus that took us from Budapest airport to the Viking Skadi, which was waiting at Komárom due to low water downstreamv at Budapest. I have heard that folks on other Viking cruises starting in Budapest have also been taken to hotels in Budapest for two days before being bussed to Vienna, where they board their ship. So, it really depends on the cruise you are on. But the process of finding Viking representatives is the same, regardless.

[Barb at Maple Lane]

Our cruise has now turned into a glorified bus trip.  Being bussed from Brandstatt to Salzburg then to Passau.  Then a day and a half in Passau with the option to take a two hour bus ride to Regensburg for the one and a half hour walking tour and a two hour ride back.  All other Regensburg tours canceled.  On Wednesday morning we will depart Scenic Jewel and be bussed to Nuremburg to board Scenic Jade with our tours in the afternoon.    I feel very sorry for those who are only doing the Budapest to Nuremburg portion as they only had a half day sail.  Please tell me that the Nuremburg to Amsterdam section will not be impeded by low water!

[Tbunker]

2 hours ago, Barb at Maple Lane said:

Our cruise has now turned into a glorified bus trip.  Being bussed from Brandstatt to Salzburg then to Passau.  Then a day and a half in Passau with the option to take a two hour bus ride to Regensburg for the one and a half hour walking tour and a two hour ride back.  All other Regensburg tours canceled.  On Wednesday morning we will depart Scenic Jewel and be bussed to Nuremburg to board Scenic Jade with our tours in the afternoon.    I feel very sorry for those who are only doing the Budapest to Nuremburg portion as they only had a half day sail.  Please tell me that the Nuremburg to Amsterdam section will not be impeded by low water!

Our Budapest to Nuremberg for scenic was cancelled. You must have boarded before they started cancelling trips due to low water

[Izengolf]

45 minutes ago, Tbunker said:

Our Budapest to Nuremberg for scenic was cancelled. You must have boarded before they started cancelling trips due to low water

Sorry to hear that Tbunker, it must be incredibly disappointing. I hope Scenic have compensated you well. 

[notamermaid]

Sorry to read all that, what a disappointment.

4 hours ago, Barb at Maple Lane said:

Please tell me that the Nuremburg to Amsterdam section will not be impeded by low water!

From Nuremberg to the last lock on the Main river just before the mouth it is time to relax, sailing conditions very good, all locks, fascinating crossing the continental watershed divide. Albeit with potentially little to no sun deck due to the low bridges. Rhine should be okay as well but I cannot give a guarantee as regards the river's level in the Rhine Gorge. As of now, doing okay, a bit on the low side, no ship swaps confirmed, meaning I have read or heard of none.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

14 hours ago, VikgKruzer said:

Notamermaid. 

you do a vital service here, thank you !

this is my second Viking river cruise. first was Bordeaux.

I am doing the grand european tour from Amsterdam on 11/7... I am following your posts to know the odds of getting to budapest directly.

 

with 40 pages to catch up on, is there a simple place that tells what the minimum levels are to get through ?  i am reading the 255cm to 264 but don't know if i should be elated or depressed.

 

I started reading the first 2-3 pages and last 3 pages. If there's an easier  place to go to catch up, please let me know.... it would be appreciated.

Too many pages, I fully understand. To put it in a nutshell. The lower you go in numbers below 290cm at Pfelling the worse it gets. 290cm is regarded as the figure that puts the largest river cruise ships with the deepest draft in the "decision making range" of sailing or not sailing through the stretch Straubing to Vilshofen. It is an individual decision of captain plus river cruise company.

 

Budapest is a separate case in a different country with different regulations potentially. Here I have only anecdotal info. At the current figures of the level in Budapest we know that those ships that struggle at Pfelling bus people from Komarom to Budapest and vice versa. Again, apart from what the authorities say it is also dependent on an individual ships draft.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge at 257cm. Still no real improvement. No better figures forecast for the next 24 hours either.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Steerpike58]

We're in route to Vienna still and just left Mohacs with a hopeful next port of Budapest tonight ... Still no word of problems in Budapest!  Next update will be at the briefing at 6:45

[Tumbleweed1313]

This is our first river cruise. We are leaving Passau to head toward Budapest Oct 25. I am trying to understand all the water levels and get a hang on what to expect.

 

Cruising Viking and it sounds like many people are experiencing bussing, would be very disappointing. Viking should know what is going on by now but isn't being forthcoming. 

 

Any insight on what to expect for the water levels on this part of the Danube would be helpful. I hope the rain will help!

[mikem1977]

We are going on our first river cruise this December from Budapest to Regensburg and are extremely nervous on the water levels.

 

Our cruise (Viking Atla) is supposed to begin in Budapest on December 17th with the first night in Budapest and then heading to Vienna the next day on the 18th after the morning excursion. Because our ship was overnighting in Budapest that first night we bought box seats for the Nutcracker showing at 6 pm on the 17th.

 

But now I am worried that if the waters in Budapest are low, are they going to expect us to board the ship in Komarom on the 17th or because there are nightime Budapest excursions already scheduled for the 17th as well as early morning 18th Budapest excursions, would they just put us up in a hotel in Budapest on the 17th and then bus us to Komarom on the 18th after excursions complete?

 

I really do not want to miss the nutcracker performance so trying to figure out best case/worst case scenarios.

[notamermaid]

The problem area on a map:

Just the marked stretch. See Regensburg top left and Passau bottom right.

 

To put it in context:

 

See the extreme bend in the river just above Budapest - that is the other problem area.

 

3 hours ago, Tumbleweed1313 said:

This is our first river cruise. We are leaving Passau to head toward Budapest Oct 25. I am trying to understand all the water levels and get a hang on what to expect.

Welcome to Cruisecritic. You are only facing one problem area which looks as if it may resolve more quickly than the one in Germany although it is not clear yet when that will be.

 

Hope this helps you and others.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river has beaten the forecast (again). Pfelling gauge at 265cm. At least a bit better but not good enough. It is raining over the young Danube West of Ulm and in the Bavarian Prealps.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I know river cruise ships are struggling at this time but the industry of course looks ahead to 2024 already. And remember: not all ships are struggling at 275cm... I will admit that at 265cm the happily sailing fleet has dwindled dramatically.

 

So looking to 2024 and dare I say companies that may not be on your radar that much. What is happening next year on the Danube? Find out: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/10/danube-river-modest-capacity-increase-for-2024/

 

Did you know that 38 companies operate ships on the Danube? I certainly did not. That is of course not ships owned but ships leased, chartered or owned.

 

notamermaid

 

[reeves35]

11 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Did you know that 38 companies operate ships on the Danube? I certainly did not. That is of course not ships owned but ships leased, chartered or owned.

 

notamermaid

 

38 is a surprisingly large number but there are so many lines targetting particular segments.  Many of the lines are just addressing one language so, here in Australia for example, we will only ever be exposed to a limited range and, even then, there are English language lines that limit their marketing to particular countries.  For example, TUI doesn't advertise its English language cruises outside of UK and APT/Travelmarvel doesn't target the North American market.  There will be plenty of other examples possible.

 

It would be good to see a matrix of cruise lines split between language on the horizontal axis and market position (luxury, premium, etc) on the vertical.  From that, you could actually see what cruise-lines are actually participating where.  

[notamermaid]

You are right, these are often particular markets, some are identical in the language but have different levels of overall passenger demographic or luxury.

 

23 minutes ago, reeves35 said:

It would be good to see a matrix of cruise lines split between language on the horizontal axis and market position (luxury, premium, etc) on the vertical.  From that, you could actually see what cruise-lines are actually participating where.  

That is an interesting idea. I have sometimes wondered what other lines from other countries may be out there, I mean, for example, do the Italians tend to congregate on certain ships or is there no market for river cruising? Etc.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge at 260cm. More rain is coming from the West, having reached Stuttgart. A cool and rather grey day with the rain increasing tomorrow.

 

Budapest looking better, now at 92cm. Forecast suggests a further slow rise in the next 24 hours.

 

notamermaid

 

[Smokey31]

Interested to know does the Main canal run down and into the Danube or does it run the other way into the Rhine. Curious.

[CruiseIreland]

12 minutes ago, Smokey31 said:

Interested to know does the Main canal run down and into the Danube or does it run the other way into the Rhine. Curious.

Main flows into the Rhine. Main Danube canal connects the two.

Edited October 25, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[notamermaid]

54 minutes ago, Smokey31 said:

Interested to know does the Main canal run down and into the Danube or does it run the other way into the Rhine. Curious.

Welcome to Cruisecritic. You have already had a response. I will add that the Canal is a man-made construction that also utilizes existing rivers and the purpose of it is to cross the watershed connecting two otherwise separate river basins (apart from a tiny anomaly in a mountain which is another story). It has a complicated system of reservoirs, pumps and up and down locks, i.e. to go up the hill from the Main and down the hill to the Danube.

 

If you are interested in the Main river: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2670259-the-river-main-infos-and-river-cruising-experiences/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Pfelling gauge at 269cm. I dare say that looks promising, the highest it has been since the 18th and it is raining...

 

notamermaid