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Hot Weather in Europe Causes Low Water, Prompts River Cruise Itinerary Changes


LauraS
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It is a shame but what else could they do.

 

I have a friend who did a river cruise when the water was so low the ship could not move! They got bused for four days instead of cruising down the river. There was a lot of time spent in buses instead of doing the actual tours included with the cruise. The days were a lot longer and they had the same town where they were docked for days until the water level came back up.

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Yeah, I have some friends who had booked a river cruise and the day they arrived in Europe for it, they were told it was cancelled and they would be bussing around instead. There was no offer of a refund or compensation though, there is a class action as their cruise and the two before and two after were all affected like this and the passengers feel they should have been told for most of it and or offered refunds.

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Yeah, I have some friends who had booked a river cruise and the day they arrived in Europe for it, they were told it was cancelled and they would be bussing around instead. There was no offer of a refund or compensation though, there is a class action as their cruise and the two before and two after were all affected like this and the passengers feel they should have been told for most of it and or offered refunds.

 

This friend was on an Avalon Waterways cruise and had several issues from food and drink accommodations including a lack of availability to medical help as well. Since then she has switched to Viking and says she will never go back to Avalon. Viking reports all issues with water levels daily on their website so there should be no surprises. It is now the go to company for her and has another planned this season.

What company was your friend using?

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Evergreen, it is a part of the Scenic group.

Chuck and I are still working on Ocean cruises for the last 28 years and have not tried a River cruise! I get brochures in the mail weekly from Scenic Cruises. Are they the ones you can only book directly and don't use any agencies for bookings?

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Chuck and I are still working on Ocean cruises for the last 28 years and have not tried a River cruise! I get brochures in the mail weekly from Scenic Cruises. Are they the ones you can only book directly and don't use any agencies for bookings?

I am not sure, we haven't done one of these river cruises either, I suggest we will in the future but then I don't see them as value for money compared to ocean cruising. Everyone I know (except the ones that didn't get to cruise the river) has said they are great but I think high and low river factors make them more of a gamble compared with just having bad weather on a cruise.

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I am not sure, we haven't done one of these river cruises either, I suggest we will in the future but then I don't see them as value for money compared to ocean cruising. Everyone I know (except the ones that didn't get to cruise the river) has said they are great but I think high and low river factors make them more of a gamble compared with just having bad weather on a cruise.

 

I have to agree with what you posted. We have had some cruises that had more rain or cold but you can always work around that provided you packed right or have some place to pick up supplies you overlooked for the surprise conditions. The value, although it is more inclusive just isn't there on a river cruise. Less of a lot of entertainment and activities and less space to spread out!. My friend says she spends 3-4 times the money so she is not able to travel as much. Personally, I want to see the sights more than afford the accommodations on a River cruise. Eventually, we will be trying one on one of those rivers that are so far inland that the cruise ships don't go there.

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We do land tours as well, which is bussing it but then you are getting what you paid for. IMO, that is much better than paying for a cruise and getting a coach.

When we are on land, I do most of the itineraries.We have not done any group land trips. I do all the packing and am not a fan of changing places to sleep daily but for central Europe unless we stay in one town I will probably do a tour.or river cruise. This adventure in 13 days starts with one hotel in London and then 42 nights in the same cabin on The Indy. Love the no changing cabin concept! I lived to hear that the River cruises include excursions since once on the ship you can be mindless for the planning! I have spent months with this goal in mind for this trip! perhaps the planning for myself goes a little more smoothly as I book my own since I am my own travel agent

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Agreed about the packing/changing hotels constantly, which is why we tend to pick itineraries that have multi night stays and don't go for more than two weeks and then we nearly always cruise afterwards to get some relax time again.

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