Danube River water levels

We should be flying in to Budapest tomorrow and have a look see for ourselves!

Clearly, whatever happens, happens, and we will enjoy it!

Great attitude and you will have a fabulous cruise!

In Budapest now, it's raining, and also rain upriver bt Passau, etc.... and Viking rep hopeful ship will be in soon, maybe tomorrow , will keep in touch, now must go taste some wine ! :)

Currently sitting in the KLM lounge in Amsterdam awaiting our return home.

 

We sailed the Emerald Sun which was slated to sail Amsterdam>Budapest from Sept 22-Oct6.

 

We had smooth sailing through to Regensburg. I had been monitoring this thread so was aware there could be a potential problem @Regensburg. We were asked to come to the lounge for a special announcement and sure enough, we were told we could not sail to Passau. Emerald would modify the day in Passau with a later bus trip in, 2-3 hours on shore then a bus to a port between Passau and Linz where we were to board the Emerald Sky, bags were to be packed and waiting outside your room by 8:30am. Our group wasn't keen on this, so we hatched a plan to deposit our bags in the hall @8am and then go to the Regensburg train station early the next day, get into Passau to enjoy the day and meet up with the bus at 4:30pm. The train took +/- 1hr. We are greatful we did, we loved Passau, had a great lunch overlooking Passau from the new restaurant @ the Fortress/Prince Bishops home. We met up with the bus and after +/-1:15hr bus ride we were on the Sky, our bags were in our room and we resumed onboard life.

 

Again, having monitored this thread I was aware we would more thank likely have an issue after Vienna. Our planned departure in Vienna was 2am. Our plan was to skip the concert and spend a Saturday evening in Vienna - going to dinner, having cocktails and enjoying the town (our demographic is a group of 40-47 year old's). The last shuttle from the ship was 5:15 and we had secured dinner reso's @8:30PM. We decided that 5:15 was a little early to go in and that we would use UBER or a taxi. Thank goodness. At 5:15 we were summonsed to the lounge where we were told that we would be sailing early due to water levels, and that all on board was 10pm. If we had gone to town, there would have been no way we would have known that the ship was sailing early. Very sloppy IMO. I am convinced we were sailing early to dock with Scenic (a division of the same company that owns Emerald). We could have easily missed the ship.

 

The ship made it to Komarom and that would be the end of the sailing. Emerald would give us a bus trip into Budapest and then back to ship. The next day airport transfers started at 3am until 9am. For those unware, Komarom is +/- 1hr45min from Budapest. Again our group wanted an evening in Budapest. We made our own arrangements in Budapest. We permanently disembarked on the 5th, joined the bus city tour and then said goodbye to our ship mates.

 

We had a superb time in Budapest. We toured the city independently, had an amazing dinner at Buddha Bar (for those that like Asian food, it's a must). We did a city boat tour at night and got all the amazing night pictures of Budapest that one would expect.

 

We did not witness any boats coming or going from Budapest when we were there on the 5th and 6th. There were no viking ships tied up, all we say were two boats from Avalon rafted together and one called the Albatross. Coincidently one of the Avalon boats, the Vista had left Amsterdam the day before us, and we saw it the whole trip. It did not have low water issues in Regensburg/Passau, nor in Komarom ;)

 

At the Captains dinner on the evening of the 4th the Captain apologized for our situation. He explained that the river police dictated ship traffic, after that it was his call. He then said ULTIMATELY it was the decision of the company ;) My true belief is that companies want to make sure they don't trap ships on one side or the other of a problematic zone, regardless if they can make it through at a given time or not. Having ships on opposite sides of a problem area is just good business.

 

Also..for those wondering. No rain at all during our cruise Sept 22-Oct 6.

Thanks for the Emerald Sun update. We're on it on the 16th Bud to Nuremberg and hope all is well by then. How was the cruise otherwise? Is it easy to get off and do your own tour in each city? We don't want to be stuck on a bus tour all day.

We will be on the Sun the 16th also. I am looking forward to it. Have you been before? This will be our first river cruise. Its getting close now.

Boarding Viking Njord tomorrow 10 Oct 15, expect to be on Danube until Nuremberg! Cloudy, rain possible.....beautiful places & people!

Got to Budapest yesterday. Saw many river cruise lines on the Danube. AMA, Avalon, and many others as we walked towards the grand market but the Viking dock was empty. Started to worry, but after dinner walked to the chain bridge just as "our" ship, the Alsvin was pulling out from its berth. Assuming to do the light cruise of the city. What a beautiful picture with everything all lit up!

So now I am a happy girl, knowing we will have that view for 2 more nights. Also, that I can FINALLY completely unpack my backpack that I have been living out of for over 2 weeks! Even if we switch ships halfway, it will be a treat to be in the same room for a week. I can pack what I brought in 5 minutes... It's all good!!!

Barb

Barb it is ALL good! Enjoy your cruise :)

We sailed with Uniworld on the River Ambassador at the end of August and were definitely affected by the low water levels on the Danube. Although our boat did eventually get through we spent far more time on buses that we would have ever chosen and missed two stops. Our vision of wandering through lovely towns and villages and relaxing on the deck was far from reality. I feel that all river cruise companies have very one sided contracts and that river cruises are compromised far more frequently than one is led to believe. We were offered a small future cruise credit in compensation, however do not feel that we would ever want to gamble on a river cruise again. River cruises are more more expensive than ocean cruises and we did not find the expense remotely worth the experience.

We sailed with Uniworld on the River Ambassador at the end of August and were definitely affected by the low water levels on the Danube. Although our boat did eventually get through we spent far more time on buses that we would have ever chosen and missed two stops. Our vision of wandering through lovely towns and villages and relaxing on the deck was far from reality. I feel that all river cruise companies have very one sided contracts and that river cruises are compromised far more frequently than one is led to believe. We were offered a small future cruise credit in compensation, however do not feel that we would ever want to gamble on a river cruise again. River cruises are more more expensive than ocean cruises and we did not find the expense remotely worth the experience.

Welcome to the River Cruising forum! One regular piece of advice that is given to first-time river cruise planners is that river cruising is not like ocean cruising, for a number of reasons. But one thing that is similar is that the brochures are nothing like the reality [unless you happen to be a professional model like the people in the brochure pictures ;)]. If you do decide to take a second river cruise, I suggest you start here with the sticky New to RIVER CRUISING??? at the top of this forum, and then read any threads that pertain to the rivers or cruise lines you are considering.

We have to transfer ships in Passau due to low water. They'll tell us details tomorrow. May be 4 hour bus ride to Regensburg.

Not happy.

What happened to "whatever happens, happens, and we will enjoy it"? Stuff happens, try to make the best of it. You are in beautiful Europe, it can't be all bad. Sorry for your disappointment

Peter - we are right behind you on the Alsvin. They have not yet said anything about the ship switch (other than the first talk when she said not to worry about it). Please keep us informed how it went. Curious to just how much time we will get in Passau that day. Hoping for enough free time to get up the hill and see the beautiful view of the three rivers.

In Vienna again this morning! Off to take the underground to Schonbrun on our own. Just a bit colder than we had anticipated, but at least we will be at an indoor venue.

BTW...the food so far has been fantastic. Even with all the walking, my clothes are not going to fit by Amsterdam...

Thanks,

Barb

Barb,

Which itinerary are you on? I'm curious about your time in Vienna. We are considering doing Schonbrunn on our own as there's so much to see. How easy was it to get to/from Schonbrunn from the ship?

Gail

less than 2 weeks away, woohoo!

We did Schonbrunn on our own several years ago using the Metro from Intercontinental Hotel Vienna. Easy, quick to get there and much less expensive.

We were on our post cruise days in Vienna at that time, such a beautiful city!

We did Schonnbrun (Sp) on our own during the Viking var/tor cruise just last week. The Metro was easy for an individual used to public transport and for those who like to walk. Saved lots of euros for the four of us, and we loved our English language tour guide--not sure if the Viking pax had a real guide or those hand held recorders. The walk back to the ship is fairly straightforward, but again, a sense of direction and adventure prevails.

Agree with Jayne & BP. The U station was across the street from where we docked. It is all color coded on the map they will give you. Just check when you enter that particular station that you are going the correct way, as in that one the entrances are on opposite sides of the street, where most of the have one entrance for both directions.

A one way ticket is 2,20 E, but we got a 24 hr pass for 7,60 that works on all forms of transport so we could ride the tram around the Ringstrasse later. Take the red line a few stops then change to the green. Took about half an hour. The boat excursion was 49 E each and they said it was an hour bus ride each way.

They were not giving English guided tours yesterday for some reason, so we got he audio guide for 40 room. It was about 16 E. I think the one that covered 22 rooms was about 13 E. Get the longer one as the best rooms were at the end.

We walked the garden after. The were out the front entrance and turn left. Go clear around the bldg. it was not marked with any sign how to get in.

BTW - they still have not told us we are switching ships. Melk today - raining & cold, but at least it is an indoor excursion!

Barb

Thanks for the Emerald Sun update. We're on it on the 16th Bud to Nuremberg and hope all is well by then. How was the cruise otherwise? Is it easy to get off and do your own tour in each city? We don't want to be stuck on a bus tour all day.

I doubt you'll be on the Sun, it's current position according to cruiseshipposition.com is between Frankfurt and Wurzberg. In fact 3 of Emerald's ships (Sun, Dawn, Star) seem to be somewhere between Amsterdam&Regensburg. In watching cruiseshipposition.com, it seems that Emerald is using Sun/Dawn/Star from Amsterdam>Regensburg with a ship swap after Regensburg or before Passau depending on where you start. For you I'd almost bet you'll be boarding the Sky in Budapest or Komarom (depending on what they decide based on water levels) and doing a ship swap just past Linz.

We were happy with the staff on both the Sun and the Sky, confident you will be well taken care of, however we found the CD on the Sky to be superior to the Sun and that is reflected in the way the staff conducts themselves, they just seem to be happier on the Sky.

As for your position in port; keep in mind that there is no static docking space. It's not first come/first serve I'm sure, but based on reservations, rafting arrangements with other ships and cruise lines etc (rafting meaning being tied off to another ship@port). From OUR experience you will be bussed in @ Vienna and Nuremburg. This would hold true for most if not all lines. Both of these ports are a distance from the City Center and shuttles are unavoidable. In Bratislava, Durnstein (assuming this is part of the stop in the Wachau), Melk, Regensburg you will be able to walk directly into town, or you should be able to. We did a ship swap in Passau and the ship was bussed in (we took the train independently), but from what we saw walking into town from the port/docks is simple as well.

Have a great trip!

in Passau today. Still cold & drizzly, but very quaint. At briefing tonight we were told we will be cruising the whole way to Amsterdam without having to swap ships!!! Pretty unbelievable as the ship one day ahead of us just switched ships today! Seems as though we may be the first one to make it the whole way through.

The day we are in bamberg, they will be sailing ahead and we will catch up to the ship by bus, I do believe that is not the usual way it's done. But if that is what it takes to get thru, it is a small inconvenience indeed. The staff onboard is very pleased as well. The one young waiter said he is tired of going back & forth to Budapest & is glad he will finally be getting back to Amsterdam.

Hopefully this means the Danube will be once again open to river traffic!

Barb

Barb,

Which itinerary are you on? I'm curious about your time in Vienna. We are considering doing Schonbrunn on our own as there's so much to see. How easy was it to get to/from Schonbrunn from the ship?

Gail

less than 2 weeks away, woohoo!

Snorklefan, what cruise are you on? We're Avalon Illumination WVA 1025. Vienna to Amsterdam. Good Lord willin' and the creek rises a whole bunch!

Snorklefan, what cruise are you on? We're Avalon Illumination WVA 1025. Vienna to Amsterdam. Good Lord willin' and the creek rises a whole bunch!

You will love Illumination! Just off her in Budapest 9/25. The CD is Katy and you should call her, she is a straight shooter and a great CD. She will tell you absolutely the full truth and not beat around the bush. Katy is a huge asset and if you have any questions, concerns or problem she will fix it immediately.

Illumination is a beautiful boat, enjoy your time on her!

You will love Illumination! Just off her in Budapest 9/25. The CD is Katy and you should call her, she is a straight shooter and a great CD. She will tell you absolutely the full truth and not beat around the bush. Katy is a huge asset and if you have any questions, concerns or problem she will fix it immediately.

 

Illumination is a beautiful boat, enjoy your time on her!

Thanks, JVilleGal. We are really looking forward to it. My sister and her husband were on Illumination in June from Budapest to Amsterdam.

Katy is not our CD. They rotate out after a couple of cruises. Ours is Jerome. I'm sure they're all great. We had Karoline on Affinity last year Amsterdam to Basel. She was wonderful, too.

Cheers!

We'll be on the Viking Jarl out of Budapest. With apologies to the currently active cruisers, the rain they've had this week definitely has helped.

We're on the Oct 16 Viking Var, from Erlangen to Budapest. At least the boat made it to Erlangen.

The Cruise Director is "hopeful, fingers-crossed" to make it all the way to Budapest. The likeliest problem area is between Regensburg and Passau. We'll be told Sunday night whether we will do a ship swap on Tuesday.

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Currently on the Alsvin we just arrived in Nuremberg. We were in regensburg yesterday and Passau the day before that. We have had no problems getting through. I could have sworn we passed the Var but have seen so many Viking ships I can't keep the names straight! Docked now in a very ugly industrial park/scrapyard but will be leaving shortly on our excursions so no worries.

Also rejoicing at the first sight of the sun all week! Yay!