Euorpe River Cruising & LOW River problems

We have been on over 25 Ocean cruises and now two river cruises on Uniworld

Looking at Viking 23 day - Bucharest to Amsterdam - July 5, 2017 - Very expensive for us. No a problem with money,, Just Now I have been reading where the past two years 14/15 and some of the rivers being too LOW and causing issues with the River cruising?

Can anyone help out here... I really do not want to spend between 15K and 20k (all in) and have issues with rivers being too Low??

How can you predict the weather conditions for more than one year in advance? It all depends on the amount of snowfall in the winter and rain in the spring. Does Viking still offer the cancel for any reason voucher?

You can't predict the water level more than a few weeks in advance, so there's no telling what conditions will be like in July 2017. The best you can do is book a cruise on a river ship with very shallow draft, like AMA [that's why they were able to keep sailing the entire length last year except for a few days when the Port of Budapest closed]. Viking, on the other hand, stopped sailing first because of the design of their longships.

You can't predict the water level more than a few weeks in advance, so there's no telling what conditions will be like in July 2017. The best you can do is book a cruise on a river ship with very shallow draft, like AMA [that's why they were able to keep sailing the entire length last year except for a few days when the Port of Budapest closed]. Viking, on the other hand, stopped sailing first because of the design of their longships.

Vantage also has a shallow draft. We squeaked by last July (about a week before the river was blocked by a beached barge) on Vantage.

yes it can be a real concern. we have lived thru high/low water issues. it is disappointing to spend considerable sums to have an experience not of your choosing. our airfares to Europe alone can run into close to the figure you gave.

read widely some companies manage problems better than others. it is always buyer beware. good luck cruising is lovely but be prepared for potential problems. start with wise choices.

Thanks for the responses and suggestions.

I was NOT asking for someone to Predict the future weather, LOL

I was trying to learn IF this is a common problem or not.. with LOW rivers and having those issues...

I have NOT seen a Viking Cancel for any reason??

Avalon has shallow draft boats. We made it into Budapest while all the Viking boats docked 3 hrs up river.

This was last Sept.

I do not want to sound negative, but it is really hit and miss. Low water happens once a year, flooding happens normally once a year. It really depends on the extent of either / both whether it becomes a problem or not.

You really need to go with the flow and be prepared. Flooding tends to be over within a couple of days (the norm, meaning the river will be high but the sailing ban has been lifted). Official bodys regulate sailing, i.e. there is a figure above which no boats are allowed to sail. Dealing with low water conditions is something the cruise company and the captain decide on their own. As stated before Viking stopped sailing first last year. Low water problems tend to persist longer and to be more difficult to figure out for the company.

On another note, I strongly object to a policy of paying for a holiday in full one year in advance. As a rule, it is not allowed in German consumer laws. But that is another matter. I have read in the last few months that cruisers have negotiated with Viking as regards full payment. I do not recall what thread this was in.

Last year' s draught was exceptionably long. Hopefully this will not happen again.

Being bussed to every port is not the rule but can happen in a longer period of draught. It really depends on company, river and change in weather conditions. Sometimes half a day of lots of rain can do the trick and the ship can sail on to the next port.

Hope this helps.

notamermaid

It has all been said, but we were on a Tauck cruise last May and they handled high water very well. Viking had their boats docked for several days in one port and bused every day. Viking also seems to have a lot of low water problems because of the deeper draft of their boats. Check the boards, there are numerous reports on water level and companies. Certainly never pay for a cruise more than 90 days out unless you have great insurance or don't mind them having your money to invest rather than you. One more issue, don't be fooled by some low fares, they usually are not very inclusive.

You can't predict the water level more than a few weeks in advance, so there's no telling what conditions will be like in July 2017. The best you can do is book a cruise on a river ship with very shallow draft, like AMA [that's why they were able to keep sailing the entire length last year except for a few days when the Port of Budapest closed]. Viking, on the other hand, stopped sailing first because of the design of their longships.

Viking stopped sailing? I doubt you meant to say that. :confused:

When I read the Cruise Critic reviews of the Viking river cruises, they all say that with water level issues the Longships still cruise but that Viking will dock the ship and bus you around the short/high water issue and then put you on another ship to continue your cruise. The reviewers consistently state that this is a minor inconvenience and that other river cruise lines do the same thing.

We have been on over 25 Ocean cruises and now two river cruises on Uniworld

 

 

 

Looking at Viking 23 day - Bucharest to Amsterdam - July 5, 2017 - Very expensive for us. No a problem with money,, Just Now I have been reading where the past two years 14/15 and some of the rivers being too LOW and causing issues with the River cruising?

 

 

 

Can anyone help out here... I really do not want to spend between 15K and 20k (all in) and have issues with rivers being too Low??

If 2017 turns out to be like 2015 you're probably looking at a ship swap where you get bussed from Passau to Regensberg then continue your cruise. I don't remember reading about extra bussing to attractions outside that area in July or August. As was noted in another post, Budapest was closed for a few days in September.

Viking appeared to handle the ship swap smoothly.

On our Budapest to Nuremberg cruise last August we met a couple who had cruised from Bucharest to Budapest just before and they did not report any water issues on that leg.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuelScience View Post

One of the real advantages Viking has is the large number of ships they own. We had friends that were affected on the Danube last year by the low water. They were going from Budapest to Amsterdam and the ship couldn't get through. But they were able to continue. They were told one evening to have all their bags packed the next morning and leave them in the room. They left the ship by bus for their excursion and after the excursion, they were returned to an identical Viking longship upstream where their luggage had been delivered to the same stateroom on the new ship. Sometimes being large is a good thing.

FuelScience

Had the exact same thing happen last Oct-Nov but going the opposite direction. Did a ship swap same as your friends. It could not have been handled any better and was seamless. Then when we arrived in Vienna we could go no farther. This gave us an extra night in Vienna and a free symphony for everyone. An extra night in Vienna. Who doesn't want that? We were taken by bus (great chance to see the countryside) to Budapest and put up at the Intercontinental Hotel right on the Danube next to the Shoe Memorial and chain bridge. Great location. That night they put us on a smaller boat to cruise Budapest so as not to miss the sights of Budapest all lit up. Spectacular!!!!! We did not miss anything we wanted to do and felt we had gotten our moneys worth. We did not blame Viking for the low water problems. We did not complain but just enjoyed. 8 days after we arrived home we received an email from Viking. It included 2 vouchers for 25% of our money back for the entire cruise. We did not ask for this and did not expect anything. We will use the vouchers for a trip with Viking next year. We are taking an ocean cruise with them this year. Ok, now you negative people can give the other side.

Sounds good to me, though if you read the many posters from last year not all had your fabulous experience.

Maybe you just had a better attitude and decided to enjoy the adventure!

Thanks for the reports/posts = We have been on enough cruises to be able to 'go with the flow' Just after reading some of the posts - I just wanted to do more research on the issues -

Thanks for the reports/posts = We have been on enough cruises to be able to 'go with the flow' Just after reading some of the posts - I just wanted to do more research on the issues -

Laughed out loud when I read your listing and comments on your first cruise.

Laughed out loud when I read your listing and comments on your first cruise.

My Travel agent for that cruise (US Naval recruiter) did tell me I was going to see exotic lands / meet new people / ALL INCLUSIVE & I would be paid!!!!! WOW - what 18 year old would not sign up for that????

Well, I am not 18 anymore, lol - so I have learned to ask questions... Still, overall we try very hard to 'go with the flow' and do understand '**** happens' LOL

Viking stopped sailing? I doubt you meant to say that. :confused:

 

When I read the Cruise Critic reviews of the Viking river cruises, they all say that with water level issues the Longships still cruise but that Viking will dock the ship and bus you around the short/high water issue and then put you on another ship to continue your cruise. The reviewers consistently state that this is a minor inconvenience and that other river cruise lines do the same thing.

I did mean to say exactly that. There have been reports of Viking parking a ship in one location and doing increasingly longer bus rides -- instead of or until they were ready for the ship swap. And a ship swap requires you to pack up everything and unpack again in the next ship, plus the bus ride between them will be several hours of wasted time -- that adds up to pretty much a day gone from your trip. As to the assertion that other cruise lines do the same thing: Viking employees never seem to have any real knowledge of what other cruise lines do, and say the most absurd things. Several lines last year didn't do ship swaps because they didn't have to. Others have mentioned Avalon and Vantage; I was tracking the AMA reports to verify that not one of their cruises had to stop for low water [one or two had to stop a little early and bus into Budapest because the port was closed, not because the ship was unable to sail].

Viking longboats have deep drafts vs the other companies and that's what caused them to pull over and bus. Last Sept we passed MANY Viking boats on our way to Budapest. We sailed in on the Avalon Illumination and right behind us came a beautiful Scenic boat. The Viking longboats all held up river about 3 hrs. Forget the name of that port.

I did mean to say exactly that. There have been reports of Viking parking a ship in one location and doing increasingly longer bus rides -- instead of or until they were ready for the ship swap. And a ship swap requires you to pack up everything and unpack again in the next ship, plus the bus ride between them will be several hours of wasted time -- that adds up to pretty much a day gone from your trip. As to the assertion that other cruise lines do the same thing: Viking employees never seem to have any real knowledge of what other cruise lines do, and say the most absurd things. Several lines last year didn't do ship swaps because they didn't have to. Others have mentioned Avalon and Vantage; I was tracking the AMA reports to verify that not one of their cruises had to stop for low water [one or two had to stop a little early and bus into Budapest because the port was closed, not because the ship was unable to sail].

Quote:Originally Posted by Host Jazzbeau View Post

The company that did the best this year with low water was AMA. Worst was Viking. Several others also did well, but AMA stands out because they had 0 bus tours, 0 ship swaps, and the itinerary changes were limited to 1-2 hours..

we were on the Amabella leaving Amsterdam to Budapest 31 October to 14 November and we kept advised of the possibility of a ship change from week one of the cruise, right up to the last week the Captain Arjen was optimistic about our chances of sailing all the way to Budapest, but it was not to be and we changed on the 12th to the AmaPrima, it necessitated a four hour bus trip and the program resumed, the ship change was handled in a mater of fact manner and although there are always people who have difficulty making lemonade out of lemons, most were happy to get the opportunity to do the evening sailing past the lit up buildings.

we were on the Amabella leaving Amsterdam to Budapest 31 October to 14 November and we kept advised of the possibility of a ship change from week one of the cruise, right up to the last week the Captain Arjen was optimistic about our chances of sailing all the way to Budapest, but it was not to be and we changed on the 12th to the AmaPrima, it necessitated a four hour bus trip and the program resumed, the ship change was handled in a mater of fact manner and although there are always people who have difficulty making lemonade out of lemons, most were happy to get the opportunity to do the evening sailing past the lit up buildings.

Were you on the Amabella at the same time that you were on a Viking cruise that did a ship swap?:

Had the exact same thing happen last Oct-Nov but going the opposite direction. Did a ship swap same as your friends. It could not have been handled any better and was seamless. Then when we arrived in Vienna we could go no farther. This gave us an extra night in Vienna and a free symphony for everyone. An extra night in Vienna. Who doesn't want that? We were taken by bus (great chance to see the countryside) to Budapest and put up at the Intercontinental Hotel right on the Danube next to the Shoe Memorial and chain bridge. Great location. That night they put us on a smaller boat to cruise Budapest so as not to miss the sights of Budapest all lit up. Spectacular!!!!! We did not miss anything we wanted to do and felt we had gotten our moneys worth. We did not blame Viking for the low water problems. We did not complain but just enjoyed. 8 days after we arrived home we received an email from Viking. It included 2 vouchers for 25% of our money back for the entire cruise. We did not ask for this and did not expect anything. We will use the vouchers for a trip with Viking next year. We are taking an ocean cruise with them this year. Ok, now you negative people can give the other side.

Posted by Lovable and Daisy on Dec. 11th, 2015

we were on the Amabella leaving Amsterdam to Budapest 31 October to 14 November and we kept advised of the possibility of a ship change from week one of the cruise, right up to the last week the Captain Arjen was optimistic about our chances of sailing all the way to Budapest, but it was not to be and we changed on the 12th to the AmaPrima, it necessitated a four hour bus trip and the program resumed, the ship change was handled in a mater of fact manner and although there are always people who have difficulty making lemonade out of lemons, most were happy to get the opportunity to do the evening sailing past the lit up buildings.

Your post in response on the same day.

Thanks for this correction. I have been searching for information about problems with AMA because it seemed impossible that even the best-designed ships could make it through every week this year -- but all prior reports have been that there were no interruptions. So now I know there was at least one. And welcome to Cruise Critic! Please start a thread and post more about your trip. Everyone here loves to cruise vicariously as much as we can!

I must have made a mistake when posting the originator of the quote. It is from a thread titled "Bavaria to Budapest" and in response to your post in the same thread. I was only on one ship at a time and one bus at a time.

Thank you for reminding me. Yes, AMA had one ship swap last year, late in the season -- but my point remains valid that they kept sailing complete itineraries well after Viking had been forced to begin routine swapping.

BTW, there is a button in the lower right part of every post labeled "Quote" -- if you click this, it will identify where the quoted material is coming from. If you want to quote from two different posts simultaneously, click the small button immediately to the right (labelled with a quote mark) on each of the posts to be quoted and then click one of the "Quote" buttons.

Hello Harley0711,

last year the CC member rcaruso reported from her trip on the Rhine during low water onboard the Viking Eistla: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2191352&page=12

It started with a ship swap in Amsterdam, i.e. the river cruise already started with the "wrong" boat. As you read on you will see that Viking hired a local company to get the cruisers through the most scenic section on the river rather than bussing them. It is possible to see the castles by road, but of course, that is nowhere near as enjoyable as a cruise.

Companies have plans B and C for making their customers happy, getting local boats to do the job is such a plan C.

Bussing happened a lot on the Elbe, I recall customers there being most disappointed, but on the Danube bus trips also happened.

The Elbe is a bit of a special case because of its notoriously low water. Companies like Viking and CroisiEurope have special ship designs to allow for that. Note that the river cruise termed "Elbe" is on a canal, the Elbe and includes by the nature of it a bus ride. Only CroisiEurope (of those companies on the North American market) actually sails into Prague.

The rivers of France are affected by draught of course, as well. European weather patterns vary quite a bit. Low water on the Seine does not automatically mean low water on the Danube. But usually rivers do not have opposing situations, i.e. not: low in France while high in Germany.

notamermaid

The Elbe was really dry last year and our cruise turned into a bus tour . . . we were already scheduled to bus from Berlin to the ship and then from the ship to

Prague. We did not cruise, instead we spent a few days on the ship in Wittenburg and a few days in a Dresden hotel. Fortunately the Elbe is relatively short and all bus rides were reasonable . . . 60-90 minutes.

GCT came through. First, about two weeks before departure, the "deviation" call came. Almost half either cancelled or took one of the replacement cruises offered. Those of us that cruised got a great experience with many extras.

The Elbe was really dry last year and our cruise turned into a bus tour . . . we were already scheduled to bus from Berlin to the ship and then from the ship to

Prague. We did not cruise, instead we spent a few days on the ship in Wittenburg and a few days in a Dresden hotel. Fortunately the Elbe is relatively short and all bus rides were reasonable . . . 60-90 minutes.

 

GCT came through. First, about two weeks before departure, the "deviation" call came. Almost half either cancelled or took one of the replacement cruises offered. Those of us that cruised got a great experience with many extras.

This is the right way to treat customers: offer a choice of cancelling or rolling with the changes.