Viking Elegant Elbe 9/30/16

Currently showing ship swaps in Wittenberg and Dresden. Is there any cruising at at all? How long are the bus trips? What is being omitted. Is it really worth going on this cruise? Cruises for 9/1 and 9/8 for the Schumann and Fontane have been cancelled. Are they refunding or issuing cruise credits? Are they giving priority to re-booking? Lots of questions as time grows near...hope for rain!!

I do not have answers to your questions.

But, here is the page where Viking posts updates on changes and cancels.

Sadly, not many people follow along here and post. Would be curious what they offer when they actually cancel a cruise. I am guessing those with some changes do not get anything.

I have been following the site for current sailing conditions. That's how I discovered the cancellations, I am wondering just exactly how the cruise is being impacted. These conditions have been going on for several weeks, but there have not been any posts that I can find.

We did receive consideration for the Duro non cruise in April, but would rather been given the option to cancel.

A few years ago when the Rhine flooded, Viking cancelled and offered a refund or re-booking within a certain time period.

We did this same trip last year, named by the passengers as the "cruise to nowhere." Viking had cancelled the "cruise" for about eight consecutive weeks prior to the one that we had scheduled before (surprisingly) letting use know 5 days before scheduled departure from home that ours was a GO. Most people that had scheduled had no idea that water levels were a problem, so were surprised to learn at the last week that we would be staying on stationary ships on the Elbe. Many passengers were very unhappy.

An attorney in our group had extensive correspondence with Viking after the trip to get compensation for the somewhat altered itinerary. In the end, Viking sent each passenger a certificate for $1000 as "credit" on a future Viking trip, which had to be scheduled within 12 months.

Except for the fact that we stayed and ate on the two boats, so were not actually "cruising," I and my lady enjoyed the trip and were very happy with the food and drink aboard the Fontane and Schuman, which are sister ships. That part of Germany is not particularly scenic, so the cruising was not missing a lot of beauty. Eastern Germany, and Prague were very interesting.

Given the frequent water level problems on the Elbe it is somewhat surprising that Viking continues to schedule this trip.

worldtraveler1234,

the Elbe has certainly got low water problems. This could change in September and I do hope the rain falls in the right places just before your cruise. I remember the disappointment of cruisers in past years and the reports on German television about the busses with American tourists that could not sail the river on their ships.

I cannot say much about the situation on the Elbe, I do no live close enough for local reports. I can post some water levels over the next few weeks to put the situation in some sort of perspective. Starting now: Dresden 73cm, Dessau 87cm. These are the levels at the gauges, not the navigation channel depth.

The Elbe is a more natural river than the Rhine for example and therefore prone to more fluctuations in water level.

At 50 cms all river traffic, in the area where cruise ships sail, will stop. Not even ferries can operate at such a low level.

If you do not want to be on a bus at all, perhaps cancelling is an option. Perhaps you can go back on CC a bit to find out about what happened last year via the search option. I do not remember what cruisers said about compensation.

Have you got some sort of insurance for your cruise?

Perhaps all this info can give you an indication of what is happening.

notamermaid

Thanks for the input. We do have trip insurance, but really wanted to see the area, but not by bus. I would appreciate your postings for the next few weeks.

I understand you are having an unusually hot summer. We did the Rhine cruise last year and loved it.

Thank you for the feedback.

Today Dresden is at 70cm, Dessau is 85cm.

notamermaid

Water levels today:

Dresden 83cm, Dessau 81cm.

notamermaid

Thanks for the update. Looks like the level is slowly rising.

notamermaid,

Been reading posts the past couple weeks and want to thank you for the water level readings. We lived in Germany from Oct 1986-Aug 1989 and thinking the fall brings rain, but not sure. Is there any forecast for rain along the Elbe in the next few weeks. We start our cruise on Oct 2. Thanks Ron

Here is a website so that you can follow the water level at several points. Just point the cursor at any station, and the data will appear:

http://www.umwelt.sachsen.de/umwelt/infosysteme/hwims/portal/web/wasserstand-uebersicht

Hello Jeff in Torance,

Thank you for the official website for Saxony. It is a little easier to read for a non-German speaker than the official website I use.

I see Dresden and Riesa are classified as having low water while Torgau further downstream is not.

notamermaid

The level at Dresden today is 60, the level at Dessau is 92.

notamermaid

Hello Ron,

notamermaid,

 

Been reading posts the past couple weeks and want to thank you for the water level readings. We lived in Germany from Oct 1986-Aug 1989 and thinking the fall brings rain, but not sure. Is there any forecast for rain along the Elbe in the next few weeks. We start our cruise on Oct 2. Thanks Ron

Forecasts are made only for days in advance, but there is a so-called 15 day trend that German websites give. I am not too familiar with the Elbe region, so I cannot say much. Of course, there will be more rain during the autumn and temperatures will go down a bit soon. For anything more specific you will need to wait. What they post is a little tentative, but this website I find good (I have put in Dresden for you as an example): http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/dresden/01067/september-weather/171239

notamermaid

Hello Ron,

 

 

 

Forecasts are made only for days in advance, but there is a so-called 15 day trend that German websites give. I am not too familiar with the Elbe region, so I cannot say much. Of course, there will be more rain during the autumn and temperatures will go down a bit soon. For anything more specific you will need to wait. What they post is a little tentative, but this website I find good (I have put in Dresden for you as an example): http://www.accuweather.com/en/de/dresden/01067/september-weather/171239

 

notamermaid

Danke

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Hello Ron,

gern geschehen (my pleasure). Dresden is at 77cm this morning, Dessau is at 78cm.

There is reduced traffic on the river, some local ships do not operate or operate with a reduced schedule according to local newspaper articles.

notamermaid

Dresden is at 74cm this morning, Dessau at 94cm. No rain forecast for the next three days.

notamermaid

Dresden is at 74cm this morning, Dessau at 94cm. No rain forecast for the next three days.

 

notamermaid

Been looking at weather as far ahead as possible and looks like lower temperatures coming as expected for late September, clouds & some rain but accuracy not so good that far out. Still have hope of full cruise on Elbe and look forward to seeing Berlin as last time was April 1989

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We are currently on the Astrild in Wittenberg. I would have cancelled the trip based on the low water. Hours and hours of bus rides. Viking staff is trying hard, but this is not a river cruise. Ship is only about one half full.

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Hello warm,

Thank you for reporting from the Astrild. I am sorry to hear that you do not have much cruising. I hope you can at least enjoy the sights to some extend but I do understand your disappointment. Have you been cruising parts of the Elbe or at least the canal?

The Astrild, of course, is one of the newly designed ships, with the specific Elbe conditions in mind. She should fare better than the older Schumann or Fontane, but, alas, the conditions apparently are very unfavourable at the moment. I wonder how CroisiEurope with their Elbe Princesse are doing?

Dresden is at 71cm right now, Dessau at 86cm.

notamermaid

We were first on the Bayla on Dresden and then transferred by bus to the Astrild in Wittenberg. Neither boat left the mooring dock.

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Oh, that is very disappointing. I have taken the liberty to get the info from the Viking pages on the Elbe cruises that are to follow yours: both Elegant Elbe cruises on the Fontane and the Schumann that were to start on September 15th have been cancelled. The September 10th Elegant Elbe cruises on Viking Astrild and Viking Beyla will swap guests "midway through the cruise" with the respective other ship. Makes it sound as if there is just a bottle neck where neither ship can go and there they do the swap but your cruise did not sail at all, as you say. The conditions have not really improved so I fear your experience could (at least partly) be repeated by the next guests.

And I am not too hopeful for the next Fontane and Schumann cruises if they are scheduled right after those cancelled ones.

notamermaid

A German passenger shipping industry website published earlier today has confirmed what I suspected. Even the CroisiEurope Elbe Princesse is not sailing. She "has been moored for weeks". "The current low water has stopped commercial shipping and many river cruise ships". "The water level is expected to rise by around 10cm, but that is a case of the proverbial drop in the ocean".

In quotation marks are the (translated by me) excerpts from the report to be found on schiffsjournal.de, title is: Niedrigwasser auf der Elbe".

notamermaid

Sadly no cruising at all :(

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Hello JVilleGal,

indeed, things not looking good on the Elbe. Dresden is at 72cm this morning, Dessau at 84cm. Temperatures are very high for this time of year, no significant amount of rain forecast for the next three days.

notamermaid