Amsterdam to Basel: Can't decide on several issues. Help!

I'm not a quick decision maker and would like some input on a couple of things with regard to doing a Rhine River cruise.

First off, I do know we would like to go when the weather is comfortable (light jacket or no jacket, but not too hot). I had been thinking May would be a nice time, and that April (best prices) might be a bit too cool and rainy

Wish I could help now but we aren't doing this trip until April 21. I'm bringing a jacket and cashmere sweaters to layer which will hopefully be warm enough for any chilly weather.

We did this trip in May, 2015, from Basel to Amsterdam and had no weather issues. Sat up on the sundeck of Tauck Inspire on most days. We are leaving his May 18 on Tauck Savor, Danube trip. May, especially mid-late late May, is an ideal time, warm but not hot. Be certain to select a river boat that has covered/shaded areas on the sundeck. Some are wide open and could be very hot in the sun.

Thanks so much for the replies. I initially thought the weather in that area was almost identical to the weather where I live, but actually I think the temps in the Rhine Valley area tend to be a bit cooler.

When I posted my question in the very wee hours last night, there were more questions included. I guess this site goes off line for adjustments or whatever so late because the same thing happened with a post 2 nights ago! I plan to repost w/the other questions a bit later today.

April is nice if you want to see the flowers/tulips in Keukenhof, either before or after your cruise. It is about an hour from Amsterdam. The pictures are beautiful.

https://keukenhof.nl/en/

Hi mlb,

We are going in early October to see the foliage.

Ira

We went in early September and were surprised how cool it was for the Rhine Gorge scenic viewing. It started windy and cold at 8 am but did warm up as the sail continued. You have to be on the sun deck for this, as the castles come quickly on both sides and the Cruise Director gives a running commentary on the PA system.

We are cruising Rhine and Moselle Leaving Aug 22 Uniworld River Queen. Concerned it might be too warm but price was right! We have cruised June and September . Perfect weather. Our last cruise Paris to Normandy first week in September and mornings very cool and a few days of rain.. So it is very unpredictable . Crossing our fingers weather not too hot☹️

In 2015 we did the Rhine/Moselle starting on July 31 in Amsterdam. Don't remember all the temps, but it was hot. Temperatures in the 30s/90s the days we were on the Moselle.

The photo of the park/flowers is beautiful! (On my first trip to Europe we flew home from Amsterdam. Airport security was VERY different then. I was able to buy a lovely bouquet of fresh tulips to take back for my mom.) I had thought of September even this year, but too much going on. Besides, I then read that is the most popular time for river cruising in Europe and no doubt the prices reflect that. As for October, it's a wonderful tine of year in so many places, even here at home due to the autumn colors, pumpkin patches, etc. I bet the fall colors are beautiful by the river, but think I want to go earlier in 2018 than that just the same. Besides, I do fear cold snaps and hope to spend a lot of time on the sundeck! Not to mention it's hard enough to wait just until next spring!

Thanks for the input!

When I planned my upcoming Rhine River cruise, I was not as concerned about temperatures, as I was about water levels. Spring flooding, or fall drought, could easily end up with you taking a bus tour, a ship swap, or even a cancellation. This was an issue in both 2015 and 2016. For example, see http://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2016/06/water-levels-affect-danube-elbe-rhine-river-cruises/

Hopefully this year will be more temperate, but take water levels as much in account as temperatures.

First off, I do know we would like to go when the weather is comfortable (light jacket or no jacket, but not too hot). I had been thinking May would be a nice time, and that April (best prices) might be a bit too cool and rainy

Hi mlbcruiser (and fellow St. Louisan!)

We leave Wednesday of this week for Amsterdam, and our cruise down the Rhine begins Saturday April 1st. I plan to post updates regarding the trip, so you might want to follow the "Viking Rhine Getaway 2017" thread over in the River Cruise Roll Call forum. We specifically chose April as our first river cruise was in July/August of 2015, and it was really REALLY hot. Looking at the weather forecast for the next few days looks like we'll see mostly 50's and 60's, which sounds perfect to me :D

Jeff

I'm not a quick decision maker and would like some input on a couple of things with regard to doing a Rhine River cruise.

 

First off, I do know we would like to go when the weather is comfortable (light jacket or no jacket, but not too hot). I had been thinking May would be a nice time, and that April (best prices) might be a bit too cool and rainy

Hello mlbcruiser,

you are right in that April can be cool and rainy on the Rhine. It is usually milder than in other parts of the country - after all, we have some of the warmest microclimates and the most sunshine in the whole country, hence the masses of vineyards :) - but for wearing just a light jacket or no jacket you will be better off going in May. Note, though, that the morning temperatures when you go on an excursion at 9am, even in May, can make you feel cold. Depends on your comfort zone really.

Having said that, early September can be very nice indeed but later in the month temperatures do go down, especially at night.

Some people love to go in (mid-) October for the autumn foliage which can be a great experience if one is happy to put up with the lower temperatures. Again it will be chilly to frosty in the mornings put I do not recall ever having had snow. See above, about the microclimate.

Short general info on the water levels, April mostly fine but can be high, short closures possible, May fine but short closures possible, although unlikely. September fine, October has the potential for low water, no official closure, decision not to sail taken at short notice by captains.

notamermaid

I have cruised 3 times in October - mid to late - and it is chilly. I have worn a packable down jacket and gloves on each of those cruises. 2 were on the Rhine and 1 on the Danube.

As I hoped, so many good replies on here! Thanks!

jkstl,as a fellow St. Louisan (GO CARDS! ;) ), you know our weather these past few days is exactly like what I have been thinking it could likely be for an April Rhine River cruise! (And what I would like to avoid. As it is I've noticed so many European river cruise photos showing grey skies.) As you also know, our vineyards near Hermann and Defiance, MO (with the rolling hills) get cool nights and warm days which help the grapes. Some photos even remind me of the Missouri River (esp. the color of the water and some of the shorelines).

We did an Alaskan cruise last May and the temperatures were pretty cool and damp - lots of layering but we didn't wear or bring our winter parkas and did just fine). I hope to avoid very hot, humid weather when we cruise. I also hope to avoid a super chilly or damp river cruise. Guessing is all one can do when it comes to weather!

CoralReef, actually, I didn't know about the informative webpage reports, but I was already concerned about trying to find a time when river levels would likely not be at an extreme either way. The wheelhouse on the ships of one of the lines I am considering can be lowered as well as the various "things" that stick up above the top deck. It seems several lines can lower such things, which apparently comes in handy at times. I was hoping mid May to mid June might not be so risky, but it appears I was wrong judging by those reports and the Viking link you posted.That is something that scares me a LOT about booking a river cruise. They are so expensive and the thought of having to take a bus from point to point when a cruise was the idea is not appealing! (This may be the time for a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy, but no doubt those are super pricey.)

So O.K. fellow cruisers, if you were going to place a educated bet, when would YOU choose to cruise the Rhine?

We chose to cruise in May (next year), as we don't want the heat of the summer. Everyone seems to say that it is very hot & humid in July & August, and for us, that's not good walking weather. Another factor we took in place is summer is high season, which means that it will be busy. The autumn is a great time as well, and you can see the leaves changing. Notamermaid posted this link a while ago for weather in Rudesheim, it will give you an idea as to what the weather compares to. http://www.wetteronline.de/wetter/ruedesheim-am-rhein

I think all lines have the wheel houses that drop down, as well as all the railings on the sundeck. One of the things to look for are the smaller ships with less draft, they can handle the low water levels better.

As for spending your cruise on the bus, it's a chance you take. I think most lines try their best to work around water levels, but it's not something they have control over. You can get insurance to cover this, and if it really matters, it could be worth it. Don't forget, on the Rhine, most of your sailing is done at night, so you don't see much. Your days are spent in port, so even if your cruise turns into a bus trip, you should still see the towns.

Just a note about lowering the wheelhouse. Yes, it can be done, but it also means that the sundeck is off limits for the period. In fact, the sundeck is off-limits for longer periods of time, because putting up all the safety railings takes time and they don't do it if they will have to put them down again soon after. When the sundeck is off limits, there is very little outdoor space available on the ship. On my Danube-Main-Rhine cruise from Vienna to Basel, we cruised some of the time when only a small spot at the bow was available outdoors. (There is plenty of room in the lounge.)

I don't think the Rhine has the same issues of low bridges that require the sundeck to be off limits, but I have only sailed south from the Main.

All modern bridges on the Rhine have plenty of headroom, the issue is indeed mostly on the Main and Main Danube canal. But there could be a couple of localized problems with bridges in high water. I vaguely remember a problem reported near the Basel harbour. Getting from Koblenz into the first lock on the Moselle is a tricky one for a couple of older ships. Again, not a problem on a straight Rhine itinerary. To completely avoid river level problems I would go in September when the weather is cooling down. But the Rhine valley is in general not that humid when it is hot. On a hot day in town I might just sit down and have an ice cream in the shade. Or, as I have mentioned, June is also a nice option as low water is virtually non-existent and flooding happens rarely end of June. A closure of more than a day is rare, statistically, although last year seems to say otherwise.

notamermaid

I was hoping mid May to mid June might not be so risky, but it appears I was wrong judging by those reports and the Viking link you posted.That is something that scares me a LOT about booking a river cruise. They are so expensive and the thought of having to take a bus from point to point when a cruise was the idea is not appealing!

Having researched weather stats over the last few years, I think that mid June is a pretty good bet on average. (Though last year was an exception!) When you look at the reports, bear in mind that:

A. Viking was the only line that reported status in the link I provided;

B. Viking has more ships on the river than any other line, so they will statistically have more affected cruises; and

C. Viking has ships going in both directions on the Rhine almost every day, so they are best able to set up a ship swap. While a swap is not ideal, it beats a bus tour!

(This may be the time for a "cancel for any reason" insurance policy, but no doubt those are super pricey.)

Yes, and normally they only cover 75% of your cost.

Boy, choosing when to sail is tough! Besides the usual weather and crowd considerations, there are family issues/obligations and events to work around. September is full of things we have to consider.Just a few years ago we did a week's land trip in Spain before embarking from Barcelona on a Mediterranean cruise. We had been to Venice once before - in early June. Perfect weather and crowds not all that bad. Our cruise docked in Venice at the very beginning of September. OMG! The city was SO crowded!!! I recall feeling very frustrated just trying to take a photo of a canal from a bridge. I could barely get through or even see as there were always a LOT of people blocking the view, the bridge and walking areas.

According to what I found online, May tends to rain more than any other month. Probably another reason to chose June!

Thank you for your posts and information.

mlbcruiser,

I am not sure which area you are referring to with "May tends to rain more than any other month". The Rhine area tends to be dryer than other areas of Europe, some places have less than the average rainfall in the statistics for all of Germany.

To give you an idea here is the wikipedia website for Mainz that has some info on the climate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainz

notamermaid

We did this trip late April 2013 and wore a light jacket, didn't have any rain, one day cloudy, sat on the top deck after dinner most nights, met friends we are still vacationing with from UK and NC, wasn't real crowded at stops. We did the Swiss Alps after taking a train from Basel and we had wonderful weather, one day we were in short tops in the valley and the weather was great.