notamermaid

Hmm, I would say so very tentatively. It is just too far out to say it being only the 10th of May, but currently the weather is good yet not too hot and the river is "operating" in a good range. It is just giving me a good feeling. Your itinerary looks very good to not be impacted apart from the minor issue of docking before the low bridge at Passau. The problem on the German Danube is the limited operating range of Pfelling being too low and Passau being too high, the bridge that is. Long downpours can get the river up fast. On the other had, if the authorities decide to divert more water to the Main river system then the Danube will potentially suffer. This happens via the engineering on the Main Danube Canal. There is no long term forecast like we have on the Rhine so conditions will only become clear about three days out from embarkation day. But, all in all a Passau to Budapest (or vice versa) itinerary is a very safe bet. For those new to the topic: if your cruise (from Budapest sailing upstream) starts or ends in Vilshofen you will not be affected by mild low water conditions, but flooding applies to you. Your ship may not be able to pass under said bridge at Passau. notamermaid

It may not be an option for the OP's friend but Amadeus has some offers for solo cruisers: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/amadeus-river-cruises-drops-solo-supplement-on-nine-summer-sailings notamermaid

Thank you for saying hello from your cruise. It is great in so many places, we are having splendid spring weather on the Rhine, too. For those keeping record: Dresden gauge is at 126cm. Have a splendid time in the East of my country. notamermaid

The recent rain has helped the rivers, not that it is much needed yet on the Rhine and Danube, but it is good to have some back-up now for June. Right now, the Elbe has benefitted the most. For Rhine and Danube it has made no real difference but it is good to see the figure at Pfelling gauge: 403cm. notamermaid

Good to hear from you again. That sounds exciting. An area of the world I will likely never see. I do not recall - did you choose a refund option, did that work out? I find that my mind is now just kind of moving on with daily life but a few things I vow not to forget and a few things still hurt from the past few years. While I am basically able to see the world physically, I mean health-wise, I somewhat have lost a bit of that feel for travelling. I still have not been outside of my country for more than a couple of days since 2019. Cannot pick up where I left off in December 2019. Still, I have fun with all the ships on the Rhine and people coming from far-flung places enjoying "my" river. And I have been to places in Germany that have been really interesting. notamermaid

Thank you for the tips. I was a bit surprised about that message I got. See it maximum once per year. In the end it worked nevertheless. I thought it may have something to do with licensing of public broadcasting but it seems not. notamermaid

Just a quick look at what the river is doing after that good amount of rain. Maxau gauge did a bit of a jump but as yet that has no consequence for sailing. Kaub gauge is rising to a level of most likely around 300cm, now at 273cm. That is all fine and a nice buffer for dry days. The stretch of Rhine known as the Rhine Gorge, that is the Upper Middle Rhine valley is considered the most scenic part of the river, but the Lower Middle Rhine valley has, as I have mentioned, also a fair bit of scenic hilly landscape and a few castles. One attraction directly on the river may pass you while sailing - this "whale": https://www.bonnschiff.de/en/unsere-flotte/moby-dick More on the excursion boat in another post. notamermaid

CroisiEurope have adapted their itineraries so that river cruises are not so reliant on the levels being good between Bad Schandau and Magdeburg. There do not seem to be any river cruises in that section in summer, at least not in the German catalogue. Which would be in line with what the crew have stated. The river has risen. Dresden gauge is now at 119cm. notamermaid

Good to read that you like it. And the link is now working - originally I had got a message that the embedding hadn't worked. I chuckled at the expression "gemogelte Jungfer", the Debussy had a maiden voyage as the Riverside Debussy which was a cheating one as her real maiden voyage was as the Crystal Debussy. But as Herr Schmidt says in the video with a smile "we are not looking too closely". When I first read the prices for river cruises on the Debussy and the other ships I nearly fell off my chair. They are so much higher than I expected and as the river cruise expert rightly says, it will be a challenge to establish the ships on the German market in this ultra luxury section of travel. "We" Germans are normally happy with less and are not that willing to depart with so much money when the same amount can get us to far distant lands as well. I see the future of the ships in bilingual trips with heavy marketing in North America. I am convinced some loyal Crystal cruisers will be back... notamermaid

This is an unusual report of two river cruise ships in a kind of comparison - and in German. One is the Riverside Debussy on her maiden voyage after the renaming and the other is the Junker Jörg, that is the ex-Theodor Fontane, sailing for a while as the Viking Fontane (never officially renamed as such), and then sold and given the current name. Some interesting details on the Riverside Debussy. She was built for nearly 50 million euros as opposed to the standard costs of 15 to 20 million euros for a typical river cruise ship. After the insolvency the new owner is Gregor Gerlach with his Riverside company (he owns hotels) and he says he got the ship "for a very good price". His second passion after being a hotel owner is boats. Here is the video, its theme is how different companies want to create interest in their river cruising product. The interior of the Debussy is, well, luxurious. That is certainly worth looking at should you not wish to watch a German language video. Unfortunately, the link is not allowed per youtube rules so please type the address manually if you are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ps9RKuN0BY The Junker Jörg has a very different "strategy". She is small-ish and has kind of said good-bye to the standard route that is now sailed by Viking and others. From the Elbe around Dresden the ship has transferred to the canals and rivers East and North and the northern Elbe river section. Oh, and she can sail on the Baltic Sea (close to the coasts). notamermaid

Lock maintenance is finished and the river level on the Main is good. An explanation for those only having recently found this thread: When I say good I mean there is sufficient water in the river to sail and the locks are keeping it that way. The Main river basin tends to get low on water and the engineering done on the Main Danube Canal helps to divert water from the Danube basin to the Main river. It is relatively common for gauges on the Main to show low levels in late spring, summer and autumn but as the river is dug so deep there is hardly ever a problem. The whole navigable river is controlled by locks (apart from a tiny but that is only allowed for small pleasure craft and never sailed by ships). Although the river is long enough to warrant sailing without the Rhine or the Danube it is hardly ever done. Admittedly, this following river cruise also uses the Canal but neither river on either side of the Main (see *comment coming later). Saga has this offer on the "Spirit of the Moselle" which will enter service in 2025. Nice of the company to dedicated a whole morning to Schweinfurt: https://travel.saga.co.uk/cruises/river/where-we-go/rhine-river-cruises/gems-of-the-main-river.aspx?boardbasis=AI The cruise ends in Mainz, just after the confluence with the Rhine, so yes, *I admit it is a bit of sailing on the Rhine river - about 1.5 km. The airport Frankfurt is nearby but Mainz is a nice alternative for disembarkation, also seeing that car and coach can reach the UK in eight to ten hours from there. A no flight option works. notamermaid

Riviera has two new themed cruises. One is gardening and will be on the Rhone in October, the other is on the Rhine in October: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/cruise/garden-tv-star-and-royal-experts-to-join-new-riviera-cruises notamermaid

Next one: Ghent. Here is an article on the city wanting to limit river cruise dockings. Only in Dutch (so far). Take the link from here and translate if desired: https://binnenvaartlog.nl/gent-zet-harde-limiet-op-aantal-cruiseschepen-antwerpen-niet/ notamermaid

That is quite a wide estuary... Or the Ijsselmeer? Em, err, no beats me. Definitely in the top ten of geography fails. Who edits the stuff? notamermaid

Bayern Erleben - Experience Bavaria - is the title of a documentary that I have enjoyed watching, a series actually, this episode is set on the Danube, the Canal and the Main. This German river cruise on the "Elegant Lady" started in Passau and ended in Aschaffenburg if I have understood it correctly. It was filmed in 2017 but I have only found it recently in the broadcaster archives. Perhaps this is interesting to compare a German cruise company (Bulgarian flag) ship to an international one. Lovely footage of towns and some interesting shots of a lock in action. I must say, the Main looks so narrow compared to the Rhine. It is in German but the scenery can of course be enjoyed without the commentary.You can put the subtitles in German on. If you have any questions about the text, let me know: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/bayern-erleben/eine-flusskreuzfahrt-durch-bayern/br-fernsehen/Y3JpZDovL2JyLmRlL2Jyb2FkY2FzdC9GMjAxN1dPMDA3ODU1QTA notamermaid