notamermaid

Hmm, that farmers' strike obviously only - basically - concerns us locals and we do not want to discuss politics - river cruising is for holidays, leave the politicians where they belong... But what I had not anticipated or thought of is that - apart from logistics companies blocking roads, that I knew - this is extending beyond those sectors; now those sailing the inland waterways decided to participate. In the North of Germany barges blocked a main commercial traffic canal artery. Four ships not sailing and staying put, just like that, major delay all around. It is all about Diesel subsidies. And that is where river cruising comes into it. Now the excursion boat companies are joining in with words - even in unusual hyperbole saying it is the death of river day trips. Really makes me wonder if an institution like IG River Cruise is going to comment or take action as well. Not a perfect time to do this as most people in the sector are off work. But come February, who knows. Just saying. If anything important happens I will post it here or in a suitable river thread. notamermaid

Late this morning the regional online newspaper reported that the underwater repairs are going okay. But some work still needs to be done. The ship will now be towed to Aschaffenburg (the engine room got flooded). 30 ships are now waiting at the lock. The authorities do think that the lock will be usable again during the course of today. notamermaid

It is an ever-growing niche. KD has been busy with that events section for decades now, but on the Rhine the "have fun on a ship (especially with wine and music)" clientele has always been there😉. Other small companies do it on a smaller scale, only day trips. The relatively new thing is not the hotel ship business - which I will get to again - but really only the combination of proper party event with weekend cruise and a bit of culture thrown in. Other river cruise companies in Germany offer this as well, all are on older river cruise ships that do not give you the luxury most overseas visitors are looking for, but are kept in perfectly sound and renovated states for those that want good food, fun and a bed to sleep. notamermaid

The water levels are improving but now the next unfortunate incident has happened. At Mühlheim lock, that is between Frankfurt and Hanau, a barge had part of its anchor broken (cause unknown) and some of the steel was pushed through the hull into the ship, water leaked in. The ship needs to be made safe so that it can leave the lock and sail to the harbour of Hanau, this means repair work underneath the water line is necessary. A difficult task in near freezing conditions and with almost no visibility due to the flooding. The lock only has one chamber so river traffic needs to wait at this bottleneck. The authorities hope that the lock will be usable again tomorrow. In this German news video you can see three (!) river cruise ships waiting: https://www.hessenschau.de/tv-sendung/schiff-blockiert-mainschleuse-bei-muehlheim,video-192142.html The stricken ship "Modena" is a Koppelverband, this means it is a barge with an attachment at the front. Towards the end of the video you can see how the parts are connected. notamermaid

Thank you for adding that. Hotel management operator. Not sure, but I think it helps to clarify why Ms Luig has stated that they will not return to river cruises "fully/on a big scale" (my interpretation of the German interview). However, the most recent - big - news is that they have gone from chartering ships to owning a ship. I will get to that shortly. notamermaid

Let us have a look at what the river did in December. Normally I show this at the graph for Kaub. This time we look at Basel, Maxau and Kaub as there is an interesting occurrence. The river started the month on a relative high, represented at all three gauges. Along the way from Basel to Kaub the Rhine has several locks and major tributaries. Rain and the sudden thaw caused a high volume of water in Switzerland and in the Upper Rhine valley. With the first wave at the beginning of the month it appears that the locks and dams did not alter the level much so Maxau sees a spike similar to Basel. But that does not show up in the graph at Kaub. On the 5th, when we would have expected to see the strong reaction at Kaub, we see just a small "hump". Spikes at Maxau often do not appear as extreme by the time the wave gets to Kaub. Flood plains, man-made methods of flooding areas to take the edge of the high level on the way to the Middle Rhine valley and the lower levels of tributaries play a part to varying degrees. The Main river and other tributaries were not flooding. Which takes us to the second, really high, wave. All three graphs show it. At Basel and at Maxau the graph crosses the HSW line, meaning there was a river traffic ban. At Kaub the line does not appear as the level did not get close enough. Just before Christmas we see the levels rise again. This time the water from Switzerland was not creating the high volume there had been during the wave in the middle of the month. But the wave went to Maxau where - the river having drained the Black Forest and part of the Vosges mountains (again) - we see the wave in the graph. Here it went over the HSW line again and caused a short river traffic ban. The short wave was due at Kaub of course but look what happens in the graph. That relatively short and small wave, which was only so high as a result of the river not having recovered from the previous wave, comes from Basel and Maxau and then at Kaub is suddenly much higher, almost as high as the previous one. What happened between Maxau and Kaub? The tributaries between the two gauge stations contributed a very high volume of water. The Neckar river was flooding, but the Main river was the main factor in this with smaller rivers like the Nahe river joining at Bingen also adding to this. A very wet Christmas and an unusual month which ended on high to very high, but improved levels on all stations on the Rhine up to the border with the Netherlands. notamermaid

And a new article on A-Rosa and the company's renewed push to attract potential cruisers from North America: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/A-Rosa-River-Cruises-eyes-the-North-American-market-this-year notamermaid

While the law suit was lost against Viking and must have made a change to how KD could operate river cruises under their brand, it was according to KD not the end of river cruising as such. So, from this article, the matter sounds different. Here is the article with the relevant info https://www.presseportal.de/pm/15204/5412925 , which I have sent through google translate: "Until the end of the 90s, KD itself was a successful provider of river cruises with its own hotel ships. The KD is even considered the inventor of river cruises and built the first cabin ship ever, MS Europa, in 1960. Due to a realignment of the group, this branch was sold in 2000. KD has been active in the hotel ship* business again since 2018. "The event cruises, for example, are ideal as a team event for companies that want to offer their employees and customers something special. Clubs can also go on tour with the KD and celebrate together and make new plans," explains Marion Trapp, KD sales manager for the company Hotel ships* area." So the "inventor of river cruising" has been in the business again since 2018 - on a small scale - and from the article we see that the Swiss Crystal and the Oscar Wilde were used in 2023 on a larger scale for a combination of party event (the company's strong suit) and weekend river cruise (a kind of city trip I suppose). Both ships mentioned are owned by Scylla in Switzerland, so were a charter for KD. Now, in 2024, KD is even more serious about using large river cruise ships for events, that is to say one. And that is were my excitement kicks in. I mean I am pleased to see the company on a somewhat larger scale return to what they allegedly "invented". *hotel ship, the German original is Hotelschiff. There is from an operating point of view a difference between Hotelschiff and Flusskreuzfahrtschiff. The former is stationary on water with cabins, the latter is moving on a river with cabins. It is not clear if KD is making the correct distinction here. We sometimes see both terms used for the same thing, i.e. a proper river cruise. notamermaid

On the Elbe and in the Northeast they use the Swiss Ruby. Interesting - in 2024 they offer a couple of great cruises on the tributaries of the Rhine but then send her via the canals in the North to the Elbe and Vltava. In 2025 I cannot see any West German itineraries on the Swiss Ruby. notamermaid

Now that is unusual. We are certainly okay with minus three here, just plain proper cold. It was too warm in December. In the hills it is minus ten at night. That is a bit cold but he have had lower temperatures in the valleys in recent years, you know, just occasionally. All in all the Rhine valley is a warm area of Germany. By the way, yesterday morning there was some snow in the Rhine valley I have been told. Did not see it myself. It is generally dry weather though, a high bringing cold temperatures from the Northeast of Europe. notamermaid

The situation on the Main has much improved now and the river is well returning to normal winter levels. Würzburg: A quiet time on this river for river cruising, but busy with commercial traffic always. notamermaid

Yes, barren branches and a full bag in the vacuum cleaner. 😁 I think most people try to avoid that... That is indeed the more common use of Mariä, i.e. the one we hear most. We have already talked about the male version, like in Martini and Michaeli, the latter being Michaelmas in English (29 September). I happened to be in Kent for a Kristingle service in a small village church many years ago. That was very nice. Really cold here today, frost day and night. Just sheltered places in Germany in the warm regions see the thermometer climb to zero or one degree Celsius. Proper January. It will change soon and get a tiny bit warmer, and then, next week, rain again. notamermaid

Let us have a look at how the river at Pfelling did in December: While the level recovered after the November rain it did not go back to the mean so we started December on a relatively high baseline. From there we see a bit of standard fluctuation and then the sudden rise bringing the river over the line for the highest permitted level for river traffic (HSW). The level dropped fast but not enough. The second wave followed over Christmas and brought the level up even higher. This is how the river reacted further downstream at Passau. Note that between Pfelling and Passau is a lock and two rivers with potentially high volumes of water, the Isar and the Vils, joining: It is the same pattern but the first wave is minimally higher than the second, contrary to what we see in the graph for Pfelling. None of the years from 2010 to 2022 show any level of this height or a level pattern of two extremes in November/December at Passau. It has been an exceptional season. notamermaid

Viva Cruises is going from strength to strength. Now due to popular demand - as a German website says - they have made an early release for 2025 river cruises. All are bookable now: https://www.viva-*****/en/river-cruises-2025?fbclid=IwAR261I50Pr7oLzIgv_MMvZU56nYwRJxAc7iBb6lV46OdtwndavMBPXQcV7g notamermaid

Sorry to read your life has changed so much due to the health issues. I was wondering - it is a long cruise through Europe with many ports - if it may help to look at youtube videos? Amsterdam to Budapest is so popular, you can see ports, ships, docking locations, etc. Here is a blog of an avid ocean and river cruiser: https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/about/about-solent-richard/ Also, the roll call for your cruise (line) - you should put this under "all other river cruise roll calls" which you can get to with the forum jump at the bottom - may proof helpful as there will likely be past and future cruisers who do not look at this main river cruising forum. Good luck. notamermaid

This was a big piece of news on the German river cruising market in late 2023. I find it quite exciting. While this is specific to the German river cruising market at first glance - and it is - there is an interesting story behind this. I start at the beginning and with the company itself. Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschifffahrt GmbH Köln is an old company that has been operating ships on the Rhine since 1825 and 1836, respectively, as two companies that later operated together and then finally merged in the 20th century. It was scheduled sailings and day trips as well as excursions. From 1960 till 1995 the company offered river cruises. Then major changes happened and the river cruising part of operations was separated from day trips and events. This is where it gets even more complicated legally. Basically, in January 2000, the river cruising arm went to Viking River Cruises. In 2018 a lawsuit of KD AG against Viking was ruled in favour of Viking. It is not clear to me from the literature if this was the final blow for KD river cruises* but it has come across as if KD will never operate river cruises* again. In 2012, an article in a German tourism newspaper suggested that KD had won a lawsuit against Viking: https://www.touristik-aktuell.de/nachrichten/kreuzfahrten/news/datum/2012/06/20/kd-darf-wieder-kreuzfahrten-anbieten/ and would operate river cruises again. It has not always been plain sailing [excuse pun] for the company in the last twenty years or so. Last year the CEO left (amicably) and a lady called Nina Luig is now responsible for the strategies for the future of the company. Interview in German: https://www.k-d.com/de/magazin/artikel/kdmomente As the title implies, KD is finally back in business. Well, it is not a sudden return and not a full return either. But we will have a look at that later. *river cruises that include an overnight stay in a cabin, as opposed to the often used "river cruises" term for daytime sailings in the Rhine Gorge for example. notamermaid

I like the idea of a few more tech people during river cruises explaining things. The challenge is always the language if you have foreign visitors. But it can be done. Sometimes it is just the extra bit of confidence and help that is needed, then it is doable. Ten years back now - I think - I was asked to help taking visitors round a sewage treatment plant. Those that were chosen to show the guests around spoke basic English, but were a bit challenged. So I learnt the words and basics of the system in English within a week and together we did a joint effort in German and English. The Neckar is a good river for a different, more industrial and technology approach I find. There are some interesting things for those with a feel of too many castles and cathedrals. There may be an itinerary that just needs a bit of adapting and then could keep those happy that want steel, motors and engineering. I will come back to that. The river is not that long so an itinerary only on the Neckar would be underwhelming. There are only 201.5 navigable kilometres. Still, I do not think many more kilometres on another river are needed to attract European customers to an itinerary. I would start in Stuttgart and end in Koblenz on the Rhine quite happily. That would be a nice distance for a five day cruise. notamermaid

I agree, I am afraid. You will find this challenging. From what I have read about this topic before, you will manage, especially as you are not travelling alone, but while the crew is willing to help, as far as I know there is no obligation, i.e. a company directive that they need to be available to help. Some companies do not allow wheelchairs, some do. I think they are nobody's friend. I as a local am alright with it but as a tourist it can get frustrating. For you even more so. Rafting is the other problem, as stated. And as regards the excursions on buses - the steps into the vehicles are steep as they are tour coaches. You do not state which river you will be on, but it applies in many ports. You may dock at a so-called dolphin. These are not the regular landing stages, but a different construction and from seeing them on photos and first-hand I would say that they often have more of an incline that the large steel dock constructions. You may even need to use steps. It all varies from port to port. In short, you often cannot walk off the ship at an even angle. In low or high water this is even more of an issue at times. notamermaid

A quick assessment as we follow the two ships along for a couple more days. The situation is much improved and the river's levels are falling well in the absence of rain. It is a splendid, cold and sunny day today. But we still have high levels that necessitate adjustments. Koblenz gauge has only just dropped below navigational flood mark I: Until about the 16th of January we should see further falling levels. Then we get wetter weather. notamermaid

Around here I have noticed that people are not so strict with that these days. Twelfth Night is not the term, but we say 6 January the sixth, i.e. Epiphany, decorations are taken down. That is when Christmas ends. But the older version is taking all Christmas trees out and decorations down by Mariä Lichtmess (2 February). By the way - language nerd speaking - the a umlaut stands for the possessive case, meaning Mary's or of Mary. Literally Mary's light mass. You call it Candlemas. Churches (not sure which one does what) and some people stick to that instead. notamermaid

The Viking Alruna and the Viking Tialfi are side by side in Mainz tonight: A pleasant dock close to the city centre: notamermaid

I am working on the machinery tour. Seriously, I would like to see an itinerary like that. The Hague - sounds interesting. I am a girl and certainly not a tech person, but I like old machinery. (Did I mention before that I love steam railways? ) Car museum? Fine by me. Locks and dams and mines all interesting stuff. A real boys' itinerary would be good. Just saying. Naturally, drag the interested wives and girlfriends along. A company can always build a castle/mansion/palace visit into the itinerary. Tons of them about and on the Neckar not just in Heidelberg. Oh, and Ludwigsburg Palace has a Christmas market, too: https://visit.ludwigsburg.de/start/weihnachtsmarkt notamermaid

Thank you. There is little happening on the Neckar as regards river cruising so quite frankly little to say... With the restrictions in ship size it will take a few years before we can call this a popular river. But Heidelberg is of course as popular as a non-Rhine Rhine river cruise stop can get - I posted about it some time back in this thread. I noticed that I have mentioned Stuttgart a few times, but not specifically in the context of Christmas markets. It is a city and naturally has a large market during Advent. I have not been, but it has been recommended to me. Here is the info with some photos: https://www.stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de/en/home/ I said that there are no river cruises in winter on the Neckar. Now, December is also winter sort of, so I checked if there are Christmas market cruises. Interestingly. yes there are, but I nearly missed this as they are not in the German catalogue of CroisiEurope! In 2023 and again in 2024 I found them on the .com website of the company and through another search criteria confirmed that this itinerary is only offered in English. The itinerary does not come up on the German agency website. Here it is: https://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/cruise/delightful-christmas-markets-necker-valley-fairytale-like-rothenbourg-ob-der-tauber-port-to-port-package-classic Okay, it is a round trip that does not go up the river as far as Stuttgart but, still, it is a different area to the Rhine and you actually get to sail into Heidelberg rather than be driven. And of course you see CroisiEurope's home town of Strasbourg. notamermaid

A few changes, new itineraries, a couple of new ships - quite a bit of info on 2024 published over the last month or so. A couple of things I would like to catch up on, a bit of info on what is new and interesting IMO. First, a bit more unusual, but it has been mentioned for other lines, so here goes. Cancellation of your cruise due to a charter. Now it has happened to customers of Nicko Cruises. The German company has issued a statement that two itineraries on the NickoSpirit in December of 2024 have been given to what we call in German "ein anderer Quellmarkt", meaning they have chartered those two to an operator from a different market. This could be anything from American, to British, to Chinese, to French... The company has already informed guests that have booked either of the two itineraries and offered them a different date or full money return. So this can happen in Germany as well. Nicko Cruises have also announced that they have made changes to a few Danube river cruises that go (close) to the Delta to insure the safety of guests, with the ongoing conflict in the region in mind. Nicko Cruises will most likely not be your first choice if you look beyond the Anglophone lines, but they have invested in attracting guests from that market in the last few years. They have some unusual itineraries like from Münster to Potsdam on the Katharina von Bora or, if your German is quite good, you could enjoy a short crime story special cruise. notamermaid

The Neckar rose again to unpleasant levels, first over Christmas, then at the beginning of this year. This is what the last 31 days have looked like at Heidelberg: Hopefully, the improved weather will ensure fine sailing for river traffic. The Neckar sees very few river cruise ships and none in winter but is important for commercial traffic throughout the year. notamermaid