notamermaid

Oh dear, yes that was a bad month. Kaub gauge fell below 40cm which in effect means very few river cruise ships could sail. A rare occurrence. notamermaid

Exactly. The suspension bridge in Passau is this really annoying little bit that may be all that stands in one's way between having a perfect river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest or an interrupted one. But all is good now and unless the Danube gets real downpours it will stay that way. notamermaid

The emphasis is on the almost. It is worth comparing the German lines to the international ones, for sure. Viva Cruises includes many alcoholic drinks but not excursions for example. The info is here: https://www.viva-*****/en/onboard-abc notamermaid

This is a high quality webcam, a snapshot, you can see the northern lights, high in the Alps: https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/funtenseetauern/ This photo is from midnight. notamermaid

Oooh, yes, I count myself fortunate to be able to get to lovely places very fast. Actually, tonight we have had a lovely sunset that I have been able to enjoy. We are supposed to be even able to see Northern Lights due to the sun's strong activity but I did not get out in time to be able to direct my vision at North. I have been working today so have been a bit busy well into the evening. You say two to three hours, in that time I would be able to get to Luxembourg or France. It would be great to hear a different language again. Perhaps in a couple of weeks time. Getting to mountains within two to three hours or to the beaches is great. You can certainly call that getting away from everyday life. A lovely weekend trip... I think to the beaches is a bit further for me, close to four hours probably. Very manageable of course. I prefer the French Pas-de-Calais region, that is nearly five hours. Not many people want to go there but I enjoy it. notamermaid

You need to look at Passau Donau, for example here: https://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/meldestufen/donau_bis_passau zoom in and hover over the Passau area, the Danube gauge will then show up. The two relevant figures for river cruising are in here: At 630cm passage under the bridge can get tricky for some river cruise ships, it depends on the superstructure of the ship course. At 780cm river traffic is suspended in that section of the Danube. Welcome to Cruisecritic and have a great cruise. notamermaid

That is how recall it with the names, too. Two of the founders of Amawaterways are (were, if they are now US citizens) German. 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