notamermaid

Ayeeh, exclamation of surprise. I did not expect that. At least you are in Zons, meaning close enough to Cologne. This could be a long adventurous day and I hope you all can keep your spirits up. notamermaid

Indeed. To be honest I only discovered Zons because of Viking stopping there. I have been around the area, but did not know that Zons is nice! Some time it will go as an alternative port in my thread on places beyond the standard ports on the Rhine. I find it a pity that Zons is only an unloading stop for Viking. I wonder if they do any commentary or scenic drive on the coach when in the town on the way to Cologne. By the way, Zons has a ferry that is not running right now as the river level is too low. notamermaid

Because Viking appears to have the policy of not cancelling anything. To them it is: you start on a boat, you sail a mile, you finish on a boat. Trip completed. Anything in between is possible and if you are lucky they will give you a bit of money to appease you. You know, throw in a voucher and assume the customer will return and give Viking several thousand dollars again to give them a second chance and treat you the same if the same low water happens. Viking is a great product as long as all the rivers behave - and in my humble opinion when you are not on the Grand European - , when things go wrong the quality of the product goes downhill. It can do the same with other companies but it appears that many have better T&C for vouchers and may or do offer refunds. My advice: get together as a pack, the whole very lot of you passengers and form a disgruntled group now, either you get just facebook/Media coverage or a lawyer will find you interesting. Which could be a favourable thing. notamermaid

As we have talked about Engers (see a few posts and nice photos above) here is the info page on Engers dock. A different company and cheaper: https://river-dock.com/index.php?id=45&L=3 A bit more impressive than the Zons location, I dare to add. Although Zons itself has a bit more to offer overall as regards sights. notamermaid

I have read this several times now over months so seems part of the normal itinerary. This is Zons and its KD dock with German info. Not sure if Viking has a different dock there: https://www.riverdocking.com/de/anleger/zons/ Not cheap this docking... Zons is small and there seems to be no website in English. Here is some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zons notamermaid

Oh that is good to read. At least they are getting to Cologne still. Fewer ships are sailing the stretch from Cologne to Koblenz now it seems. I was getting a bit worried about docking in Cologne but it is okay then. It is a long drive from Cologne to Mainz or Speyer though. And Cologne to Strasbourg is, well, spending the most scenic parts of the river on a bus. I mean that cuts out Bonn, the Siebengebirge, the Rhine Gorge and almost all the vineyards. notamermaid

@momofthre3 posted this earlier today: "Today we got a call that our August 21 Uniworld cruise was still on. Then several hours later it has officially been cancelled." September 11 is too far away to say anything specific. Even the forecast for the river is too tentative to post it here. We will need to see how things go after this rain. We may end up with a sightly higher level that can be sustained but no one is in doubt that we need to see more than just 36 hours of some rain to get us into September, i.e. get proper cruising back. We will keep looking at the river levels and hopefully more cruisers will be so helpful and post their experiences - thanks to everyone who has returned home or is sailing now - in the next weeks. Has Uniworld not communicated with you about potential problems yet? it is a bit early so I would not expect them too. Just asking. notamermaid

So, excursion boats. What are they like? Big and small, different companies, different age. I have been on a few different ones over the years and find them comfortable. But you need to know that you may share it with other travellers. One thing about which one you will get if your river cruise company has chartered one is that it will not be the Goethe. The historic paddle wheeler is resting in Rüdesheim awaiting higher river levels. Here is some footage of one and interviews (in German): https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE3MDg3MzE A bit of info from the video: Trechtingshausen and Niederheimbach cannot be reached by boat (see all the sandbanks). The two captains find it stressful, higher concentration than normal is vital. The Rhine is narrow in the Rhine Gorge. Now there are even more ships and paddlers are an added danger. Along the river banks more people get close to the water, not a danger as such, but they could get too close to the navigation channel. The excursion boat Bingen, like the others, become more difficult to manoeuvre with less water under the hull. The older of the two captains thinks that the river being closed to shipping is just "steering up panic". The authorities/police do not issue a ban in low water. With having lost so much revenue during Covid all they want to do is sail safely without accident as, if there is any damage to the ship, spare parts are not that easy to get. They cannot afford to have one ship being out of service for long. If you like technical stuff, stop the video at 1:02. A nice shot of the radar screen. notamermaid

The last interview I watched on the river levels stressed that again. I thought they may prohibit the double width barges in the Middle Rhine Gorge but even those are sailing proven by the fact that one had an emergency stop in the early hours of today. Emmerich gauge has fallen to minus four centimetres. notamermaid

Hmm, I am not an ocean person but Greek Isles sounds better. On the Danube you may be bussed from Komarno to Budapest. Not too bad. But Mediterranean sounds good. Have only been to the Adriatic Sea. I am sure someone on this board has been to Greek Islands. notamermaid

Oh I have only given up on summer. My hopes are pinned on a short shopping trip to Kent before Christmas. But I will be sad about not seeing "the North" this year. Beyond Cambridge is where I feel happier than in the South. It has been a long time since I was in your neck of the woods. One of these days I will make it to Bath. I know, I know, just need to see the Baths and the Crescent once in my life, will not stay overnight there I think. I have turned into a small-town loving girl. As I have so much time on my hands, perhaps I will start that campaign that has been on my mind for years: lobbying for a Eurotunnel car connection straight from Calais to York so that I do not need to go through the Dartford Tunnel in a car. notamermaid

I have no idea. Reports from cruisers in the last few weeks here have confirmed low water levels but give a mixed, not fully up to date picture. Have a look a few pages back for some info and perhaps there is more among the roll calls. notamermaid

Sorry, I did not mean that to happen. The ships are stuck at Linz because that this the biggest harbour space available (winter harbour) for ships that are idle, i.e. not awaiting passengers and due to sail on an itinerary. They just gave up on sailing and must have cancelled at least one itinerary. Passau to Komarno should be okay (no guarantee of course). I read on Hungarian websites about problems around the bend before Budapest and sailing into the city. River cruisers in the last few weeks have confirmed that bus from Komarno to Budapest is a likely scenario. notamermaid

Thanks! That means it is coming over to the continent for sure now. Slightly different direction and shifting, this means there is a weather warning at Basel and Bremen! Unusual combination. Have a great cruise. notamermaid

Thanks. I see 29.5 Celsius again. Just like my flat. Glad to see Koblenz is looking after its trees. In this heat they may be driving round with lorries and water them, not sure. Have seen it in the past. They have a bit more soil than many small island trees. The fine details reveal the drought, like the area around the mobile home campsite. You should see the standard green! I wonder what this year's grape harvest will bring? The heat normally makes for good but not plentiful wine as long as the soil is not too parched. They say many grapes here do not like the heat that much. Dryer and warmer conditions may change the vineyards in the long run and growers are going to lean towards different grape varieties the industry says. But then again, they may just be speculating... notamermaid

Thanks Daisi. Our conditions are better than on the Po or some areas of France, but I am getting a tiny bit nervous about autumn. You can tell nature is suffering immensely, not much lush green left along the river banks. Parks are parched and trees on the river islands that grow on little soil are struggling, even turning red as if burnt or in autumn. Completely wilting. Everywhere is so dry. notamermaid

I think @Canal archive meant in England. Which is actually connected to our weather here. I explain a few details. Anything more complicated I leave to meteorologists. Our basic weather is made over the North Atlantic mainly. The general direction is East and then towards the continent. We get lows so often from the British Isles that in my family it became what one in modern terms calls meme. "She is sending us rain again" they said when I lived in England, something I found out when I returned to Germany. So when it rains in England we usually get this in Germany something between one and three days later. notamermaid

Good to read that! If you can prepare yourself mentally it is easier, isn't it? So good that Viking keeps managing to put people on the small boats in the Gorge. Do you recall the name of the excursion boat? Enjoy the rest of your time on the river. notamermaid

Thanks for the link, Daisi. That is a Canadian website, right? Never seen it before. The generalization is there, but at least they do not call it "death of river cruising". Still cannot get over that stupid headline. Anyway, in this logistics article they say and quote: "Closure of the German waterway was announced late on Friday as water levels on the Kaub gauge hit 37cm – 41cm is necessary for operations..." and "Barge operator Contargo said: “For reasons of safety we shall largely discontinue our navigation on the Upper and Middle Rhine.”" The first is obviously not correct as barges are still sailing even as I write, but the second I have read in German myself. The company has done that and much cargo is going by rail and road instead. Meanwhile, I read that the large barge - a "Verband" as we call it - that had got stuck during the night near Oberwesel is free and had has moved further up to Bingen. The river was closed to shipping but is now open gain for upstream sailing. Downstream is not possible as the double-width barge is too dangerous to pass. The authorities expect full traffic to resume later today. Video says it had engine problems and needed to throw anchor. It is 190m long and 23m wide! https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/schifffahrt-mittelrhein-gesperrt-motorschaden-100.html notamermaid

Kaub gauge is at 36cm. Meanwhile Emmerich gauge has fallen to minus 2 (again). I think this fixes the lowest ever record at that spot at zero or lower at the end of the year. Will today be the last day of heat and no rain, a return to more pleasant temperatures and better sailing? They say the rain and thunderstorms are only a short thing and the overall weather will not change. It will get hotter again shortly after the clouds have passed through. I just hope it does not produce dangerous heavy downpours in isolated areas. The computer modelling for Maxau gauge has been adjusted and the fast sharp rise is not as pronounced anymore. Still, rain and a rise in water levels is coming. Getting towards the rain and the weather forecast getting more reliable, Kaub gauge forecast now says the river will rise more slowly and we will see figures of 40cm and above from Saturday. The long term forecast still suggests we may see the 78cm at Kaub again next week. Oh and: Sorry, bad English. I meant to say there is limited space so in effect you have only one full lane. And passage is regulated with the help of traffic lights that warn before the bends about oncoming ships. notamermaid

Thank you. I am hoping for a door to open, or that I will open a door that I have walked past many times for lack of time or patience. Scenic Railway Journeys, now there is a perfect suggestion, thank you! I am still part-filling my evenings with watching Time Team, but I enjoy watching Michael Portillo's railway journeys also. notamermaid

Sorry to read that you cannot experience the S.S.Antoinette. I would say come anyway but quite frankly on the Rhine it is dry, parched and other ships do not have much water either. Not sure if land trip is your thing. Perhaps the Netherlands or a river cruise from Cologne downstream towards the Netherlands? They are still running. Accessible is the Moselle. The rare Moselle-only itinerary is done by bike & barge cruises.Viva Cruises does one in September on a large ship, August sailing sold out. Frankfurt to Nuremberg is still on, if you can find such an itinerary. The Seine? Or use a CroisiEurope ship on the Rhine and hope for the best? Hope you find a nice replacement holiday and that Uniworld is good to you with refunds. notamermaid

No, it varies. I would call it on the low side, generally, in August. July closer to mean water levels. Really low is not normal in July. Really low is getting more frequent on the Danube in August. Last year we had flooding in July. notamermaid

Indeed, a short interim thunderstorm rain. Rain in Passau will only help Budapest and all other places that struggle, I am afraid. Not Straubing to Vilshofen. But rain is forecast over Bavaria as a whole so that is good. I see it as a chance for possibly a few more ships getting through the shallow stretch. Quite frankly I cannot see Viking and some other 135m ships making the passage. Always depending on individual draft/captain/upstream or downstream direction of course. No way of knowing. I am just very skeptical and happy to be proven wrong. By the way, many ships of varying size/length/design/draught have given up sailing the Danube for the time being. One crew member of a ship stranded at Linz harbour (reported on Binnenschifferforum) told a crew member of another ship when asked about not sailing (translated): "Man, we have propellers not wheels!" Pfelling gauge at 221cm. Forecast downward trend, possibly down to 212-210 before the rain takes effect. notamermaid

This is the B2B company that now has the Vivienne: https://navibelle.com/fleet/vivienne It is interesting to follow some ships of where they have ended up. "My" ship the Belvedere is the ex-Avalon Poetry. notamermaid