Danube Water Levels Low

[pacmom]

We leave Nov 30th for our cruise--Budapest-Prague with AMA. When we first booked thought it was a newer boat and when we found out it was the Amalegro we were disappointed. Not now tho, her draft is 1 meter, so we shouldn't have a problem. If it comes to a bus, then so be it. The markets are the attraction since we have visited all the stops at least once except for Salzberg. All the lines consider the safety of the crafts and the passengers and usually find very nice alternate accomodations.

Off to work at our church Christmas bazaar. Pat

[ninthisland]

FYI, Danube water levels are low....apparently low enough for Avalon to cancel the Panorama for our Danube river cruise scheduled for Nov. 14th, Budapest to Prague. Due to size of Panorama, Avalon decided it could not make it through the water depths so they are substituting the Tapestry instead for our cruise. Big disappointment as we got the news 2 days ago as we were packing to fly here to Budapest. Tapestry is the oldest of Avalon's fleet compared to the new Panorama which we booked in January of this year. We are here in Budapest enjoying this great city and hope the cruise works out well, I guess we will have to wait and see the Panorama another time. They did offer to allow us to cancel with no penalty and give us a small monetary refund to compensate but we would still much rather be on the Panorama. :(

We are wondering if you have finished your Danube cruise? We are due to leave Nuremberg in late November for Vienna. We are booked on the Panorama

[catdavc]

I participated in Avalons webinar the other night and asked the question how often do the water levels effect cruising. The response I got was that they expected the Panaroma to be back on the river soon as the water levels were rising. Not sure how that happens without rain but that was the email I received

[BPCruiser]

We got some good news today! We arrive in Linz in the morning tomorrow, have been sailing up river on the Danube since we left Budapest on the Tapestry. Most of the ship passengers are doing an excursion all day to Salzburg and then meeting up again with the Tapestry in Passau where we will overnight on the ship. The in the morning....... We will be taken off the Tapestry and bussed to Regensburg where we will meet up with the "Panorama" and board her for our final 2 nights of cruising. Yeah!!! Apparently even the Tapestry could not make it in the low water levels from Passau to Regensburg hence that is why we are being transported there by bus for the 90 min ride and then joining up with the Panorama that we had all originally booked on. Apparently water level is sufficient for the Panorama to make it up river from Regensburg to Nuremburg where we disembark on Wednesday. The passengers are very happy that we will get at least 2 nights on the Panorama. Avalon is saying we should be on board the Panorama by 11am for Lunch and then continue with our scheduled itinerary for Regensburg.

 

The Tapestry has been very nice and clean, albeit not as up to date in amenities as most of Avalon's newer ships, speaking only from our experience on the Affinity last year. The staff has been great and all the passengers are having a great time. For most who have never been on any other Avalon ship

they have nothing to compare with. We are all anxiously awaiting to see the Panorama. Weather has been cold and dry, still no rain. When the cruise director made the announcement, everyone cheered. Unfortunately, we have to pack up for just 2 nights but minor issue to get everyone on the ship they originally booked on. Will try to keep you posted on water level situations until we get off Panorama in Nuremburg on Wednesday. Then we head to Prague. :)

[Big Al B.]

The Regansburg-Nuremburg route is via the Rhne-Main Canal which doesn't have the same water level problems as the river does. You just might not be able to sit on the sun deck because of all the low bridges.

[ingo_e]

Northern bavaria had a few rain drops today, enough to ruin my walking tour but not enough to change the river level :(

[ninthisland]

We got some good news today! We arrive in Linz in the morning tomorrow, have been sailing up river on the Danube since we left Budapest on the Tapestry. Most of the ship passengers are doing an excursion all day to Salzburg and then meeting up again with the Tapestry in Passau where we will overnight on the ship. The in the morning....... We will be taken off the Tapestry and bussed to Regensburg where we will meet up with the "Panorama" and board her for our final 2 nights of cruising. Yeah!!! Apparently even the Tapestry could not make it in the low water levels from Passau to Regensburg hence that is why we are being transported there by bus for the 90 min ride and then joining up with the Panorama that we had all originally booked on. Apparently water level is sufficient for the Panorama to make it up river from Regensburg to Nuremburg where we disembark on Wednesday. The passengers are very happy that we will get at least 2 nights on the Panorama. Avalon is saying we should be on board the Panorama by 11am for Lunch and then continue with our scheduled itinerary for Regensburg.

 

The Tapestry has been very nice and clean, albeit not as up to date in amenities as most of Avalon's newer ships, speaking only from our experience on the Affinity last year. The staff has been great and all the passengers are having a great time. For most who have never been on any other Avalon ship

they have nothing to compare with. We are all anxiously awaiting to see the Panorama. Weather has been cold and dry, still no rain. When the cruise director made the announcement, everyone cheered. Unfortunately, we have to pack up for just 2 nights but minor issue to get everyone on the ship they originally booked on. Will try to keep you posted on water level situations until we get off Panorama in Nuremburg on Wednesday. Then we head to Prague. :)

 

Great to hear your news and know that you will get to sail on the Panorama. Thanks for the updates. We board the Panorama ( we hope) Sunday 27th November for Vienna. Looking forward to hearing more.

Christine

[greenman1168]

Thanks for the sympathetic words, Fran. We didn't get the insurance because it cost $1500 and we knew that WE wouldn't be cancelling...had no idea that the river levels are a common problem on the Danube and Rhine, as this would be our first river cruise. Had we known, we would have bought it in spite of cost. We intensely dislike buses. Have taken bus tours of the Rhine, we splurged to see a different river, ON the river :-)

 

We are booked on the Legend from Nuernberg to Budapest leaving December 17. Still a few weeks for a chance of rain.

I called Viking yesterday, and unfortunately, they had no real reassurances, except "we always have a backup plan". Which I gathered means a bus tour. Ocean-going cruise lines have been known to reimburse passengers or offer to rebook them when hurricanes, swine flu, etc have altered cruise plans. So I hoped Viking would do the same if they can't cruise.

 

Thanks for all the reports from you who are currently having to alter plans on the Rhine and Danube. I'll keep checking your posts for updates, and wish you lovely travels in spite of the disappointment. I'll post when we are there too.

Doing a rain dance for Europe (it's raining here in California, of course!).

[BPCruiser]

I sure hope you get to cruise on the Panorama and enjoy your ports as much as we have. Vienna was beautiful and the Christmas Markets were about to open, sure wished we would have had more days there. Hope to go back again, the evening optional concert was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. All who went, enjoyed it immensely. Today we had a lovely all day excursion this morning from Melk to Salzburg, Austria.....our last stop in Austria. It was a gloriously beautiful day, clear skies and Sunshine and the Christmas markets were opened and quite busy in Salzburg. We loved it and cannot wait to return to this town again for a longer stay. It was beautiful, festive for the Holidays and so enjoyed the Christmas markets. We rode the bus from Melk to Salzburg and then the bus back to Passau, Germany to overnight for our last night on the Tapestry. Tomorrow we drive a short ways to get on the Panorama in Regensburg. This has been a lovely cruise despite the initial disappointment of having our ship altered for the first 5 days of cruising. The ports, excursions and lovely people we have met on board, so many Aussies have more then made up for the initial disappointment. I hope your cruise is as enjoyable as ours. I would highly recommend this cruise itinerary and Avalon had done an excellent job of handling this situation with the river levels, ship change and some monetary reimbursement. Everyone seems quite satisfied, hopefully you will be too.

[LHT28]

Thanks for the sympathetic words, Fran. We didn't get the insurance because it cost $1500 and we knew that WE wouldn't be cancelling...

 

FYI

Insurance is a good idea even if you do not plan on cancelling I do not think it would help with river water levels but things can happen that are not in your control

Just read some of the problems people never thought of ...heart attacks, car accidents, broken bones from falls ..

We do not plan for those to happen before a trip but they still happen

 

We always take insurance (personal choice I know) but worth the peace of mind

[ninthisland]

I sure hope you get to cruise on the Panorama and enjoy your ports as much as we have. Vienna was beautiful and the Christmas Markets were about to open, sure wished we would have had more days there. Hope to go back again, the evening optional concert was wonderful and I would highly recommend it. All who went, enjoyed it immensely. Today we had a lovely all day excursion this morning from Melk to Salzburg, Austria.....our last stop in Austria. It was a gloriously beautiful day, clear skies and Sunshine and the Christmas markets were opened and quite busy in Salzburg. We loved it and cannot wait to return to this town again for a longer stay. It was beautiful, festive for the Holidays and so enjoyed the Christmas markets. We rode the bus from Melk to Salzburg and then the bus back to Passau, Germany to overnight for our last night on the Tapestry. Tomorrow we drive a short ways to get on the Panorama in Regensburg. This has been a lovely cruise despite the initial disappointment of having our ship altered for the first 5 days of cruising. The ports, excursions and lovely people we have met on board, so many Aussies have more then made up for the initial disappointment. I hope your cruise is as enjoyable as ours. I would highly recommend this cruise itinerary and Avalon had done an excellent job of handling this situation with the river levels, ship change and some monetary reimbursement. Everyone seems quite satisfied, hopefully you will be too.

 

Thanks for your information. It makes us quite excited to know how Avalon have handled the situation. We have just completed a Uniworld cruise where changes were made and we were more than pleased with the way they handled everything as well. So very glad to hear that the Christmas markets sound so exciting. This has been a dream of ours to see the European Christmas preparation. Such a difference from the Australian Christmas. All the best with your future travel

Christine

[greenman1168]

Thanks to all for your posts about your cruise experiences, (the good and the disappointing), the cities you visited and the Christmas Markets.

We look forward to our first (longer than a day) river cruise on the Danube with Viking next month. We're glad you enjoyed the trip in spite of the unexpected changes. If it doesn't rain soon, that could be an issue for us too.

 

Low water levels...that was one problem we had not anticipated. Every time we saw the rivers in Europe from land, they were full of water and freight and cruise traffic was brisk. I remember a few times hearing about serious flooding at Koblenz, but hadn't heard about low water issues before.

Praying for rain so you can enjoy the remaining part of your cruise on the Panorama.

Edie

[greenman1168]

That's true, LHT28, we never know what can happen. Lesson learned, from now on we will get insurance. It is too late for us to get the insurance from Viking, but would you know if we can still get insurance elsewhere?

Thanks!

Edie

[Paulmj]

That's true, LHT28, we never know what can happen. Lesson learned, from now on we will get insurance. It is too late for us to get the insurance from Viking, but would you know if we can still get insurance elsewhere?

Thanks!

Edie

 

I think you're overestimating what travel insurance can do for you. There is a whole cafeteria of choices vs. price from several companies.

 

For example, here is a website that allows for easy comparisons:

 

http://www.squaremouth.com/

 

Most of the difference in cost between policies is not how much they will cover but reducing what they won't cover.

 

I think you'll find it impossible to get your money back because circumstances change vs. what you thought you were buying. Whether it's low water levels or an uprising in Egypt or a volcano in Iceland, there is a blanket disclaimer called force majeur. If circumstances occur beyond the control of the seller, they're under no obligation to give you your money back if they make a sincere effort to come up with something that they think is a reasonable accommodation.

 

You will find, for example, in the case of the Carnival Splendor that had a debilitating fire off the coast of Mexico last year, that the cruise line gave everyone a refund as well as a credit towards a future cruise. However, this was a PR move to elicit goodwill.

 

If you think whatever insurance you take out will give you some kind of redemption because the water level is insufficient, you may be looking at having to sue somebody to get it. I don't think you'll win.

 

This is not to say that travel insurance is worthless. Where well-defined events, medical issues, etc. are involved, it's really worth having.

[LHT28]

That's true, LHT28, we never know what can happen. Lesson learned, from now on we will get insurance. It is too late for us to get the insurance from Viking, but would you know if we can still get insurance elsewhere?

Thanks!

Edie

Most insurance you have to buy before final payment is made ..in some cases like pre-exisiting conditions you need to buy at time of deposit

 

You may still be able to buy medical shop around

[greenman1168]

I think you're overestimating what travel insurance can do for you. There is a whole cafeteria of choices vs. price from several companies.

 

For example, here is a website that allows for easy comparisons:

 

http://www.squaremouth.com/

 

Most of the difference in cost between policies is not how much they will cover but reducing what they won't cover.

 

I think you'll find it impossible to get your money back because circumstances change vs. what you thought you were buying. Whether it's low water levels or an uprising in Egypt or a volcano in Iceland, there is a blanket disclaimer called force majeur. If circumstances occur beyond the control of the seller, they're under no obligation to give you your money back if they make a sincere effort to come up with something that they think is a reasonable accommodation.

 

You will find, for example, in the case of the Carnival Splendor that had a debilitating fire off the coast of Mexico last year, that the cruise line gave everyone a refund as well as a credit towards a future cruise. However, this was a PR move to elicit goodwill.

 

If you think whatever insurance you take out will give you some kind of redemption because the water level is insufficient, you may be looking at having to sue somebody to get it. I don't think you'll win.

 

This is not to say that travel insurance is worthless. Where well-defined events, medical issues, etc. are involved, it's really worth having.

For example, here is a website that allows for easy comparisons:

 

http://www.squaremouth.com/

 

Thanks for that link, Paulmj! I will check it out.

 

We usually do take out travel insurance, but Viking's insurance was prohibitively high. We usually get much more reasonably priced insurance from a travel provider. Have never had to use it, of course.

I don't plan to cancel nor do I expect money back...I just want the river cruise that I paid for, even if it means taking the cruise at another time.

We aren't the suing type, so that isn't something we would even consider.

But I do dread the thought of a $7,000, 11-day bus tour where I have to schlepp my luggage all over the place on a daily basis, and sit on a bus for hours rather than being able to enjoy the views from a spacious cabin or lounge. Even if it just for part of the trip. Not to mention that we would not have flown all the way to Europe from California in the winter for a bus tour.

In July of 1994, we rented an entire bus for a Rhine tour with our extended family. We opted for the bus instead of the river cruise that time because of the cost difference. No matter how fancy the bus, it is not a satisfactory substitute for a ship, either in cost comparison or enjoyability. One would hope Viking offers some kind of compensation to make up for the difference in cost and the inconvenience if it turns into a bus tour, even a partial bus tour, for the sake of PR.

Other travelers on this board have reported that they enjoyed their trip in spite of the buses, so we will just have to take what comes. I realize there are many of you out there who will be affected by this. Guess we just have to pray for rain in the next weeks. Thanks everyone for your posts and tips!

Edie

[Paulmj]

Traveling anywhere at anytime always can present problems that require a certain amount of coping. Over the years, we've become enthusiastic Tauck customers. More than things such as the quality of food served in the dining room, the big deal to us with Tauck is how adaptable they can be to assure their customers will have the best possible experience, especially in the face of unplanned adversity.

 

I'm sure they'll do the right thing on our upcoming riverboat cruise in 3 weeks.

[GiannaD]

I agree with the above posters that insurance is a very good idea but it is important to understand what a policy covers and what is not covered and the deadline for purchasing a policy. It is also a good idea to read the fine print on your tour agreement. All river cruise operators have a clause about water levels.

 

We cancelled an ocean cruise for medical reasons four days before departure and received a full refund from our insurance. In 2010 we were delayed returning home from Europe because of the Icelandic volcano. Travel insurance may have covered the delay except that the airline covered rebooking and hotels as a goodwill gesture. This October our river cruise itinerary was changed due to the low Danube water levels and the tour company made acceptable alternative plans. Cancellation was not covered by insurance as is the case with all but "cancel for any reason policies" which are quite expensive. We had a great trip in spite of the river!

 

You just have to go with the flow (or without it in this case) and make the best of a situation.

[ninthisland]

Having just completed our first river cruise with Uniworld on the Rhine we were delighted with the way that the company dealt with unavoidable changes that they had to make. These changes were most definitely in the passengers favor and we therefore were able to do far more than we had paid for.

In the end the combination of passengers made the trip such a pleasure. The whole trip does seem more like an adventure, albeit in complete luxury.

We are now waiting to see what the Danube has to off in the next few days

[BPCruiser]

Having just completed our first river cruise with Uniworld on the Rhine we were delighted with the way that the company dealt with unavoidable changes that they had to make. These changes were most definitely in the passengers favor and we therefore were able to do far more than we had paid for.

In the end the combination of passengers made the trip such a pleasure. The whole trip does seem more like an adventure, albeit in complete luxury.

We are now waiting to see what the Danube has to off in the next few days

 

Well, we boarded the Panorama here in Regensburg today around 11am and she is just beautiful!! Omg, I feel like we have arrived :)

We will not want to get off in 2 days. The Panorama is the Affinity but larger, more upscale and cabin decor quite beautiful! We are on the Royal deck and the extra 30 sq. Ft of cabin space is quite nice. It is another beautiful sunshiny day here in Regensburg. There is a Viking ship docked right in front of the Panorama also. Wish we could continue longer on this beautiful ship. Anyone planning a cruise on the Panorama, you will be quite excited.Lunch was great and many of ship staff is same as what we had on Affinity.Nice to see familiar faces. We will end this cruise with a great finale on this beautiful ship :)

[suspaul]

Thanks for the positive responses the past few posts. We are on the Viking Helvetia 12.4 from Basel to Amsterdam, it appears we too will have changes due to low water levels on the Rhine but we're ready for whatever it may bring.

 

So glad you're enjoying your trip.

Susan

[ninthisland]

Well, we boarded the Panorama here in Regensburg today around 11am and she is just beautiful!! Omg, I feel like we have arrived :)

We will not want to get off in 2 days. The Panorama is the Affinity but larger, more upscale and cabin decor quite beautiful! We are on the Royal deck and the extra 30 sq. Ft of cabin space is quite nice. It is another beautiful sunshiny day here in Regensburg. There is a Viking ship docked right in front of the Panorama also. Wish we could continue longer on this beautiful ship. Anyone planning a cruise on the Panorama, you will be quite excited.Lunch was great and many of ship staff is same as what we had on Affinity.Nice to see familiar faces. We will end this cruise with a great finale on this beautiful ship :)

 

Thanks for the update on the Panorama. It makes us very excited to be joining another river cruise. We are in Amsterdam at the moment where it has been very foggy for the second day, but quite beautiful in the fog. Enjoy your time on the Panorama.

[BPCruiser]

We completed our Panorama cruise, only 2 nights from Regensburg where we boarded to Nuremberg and had a great time. The ship is truly lovely and the crew remarkable as was the sstaff on the Tapestry. Have been enjoying Prague since Wednesday and most have flown back to their homes today. We were so very pleased with our Avalon Cruise despite the minor disruption of ship changes due to water level problems. Still no rain on this entire trip. I wish all of you the best of luck with your upcoming plans for cruises as the Christmas markets are open in many ports and it is lovely. Have a great trip which ever direction it leads you.:)

[at_nyc]

We intensely dislike buses. Have taken bus tours of the Rhine, we splurged to see a different river, ON the river :-)

...

We are booked on the Legend from Nuernberg to Budapest leaving December 17. Still a few weeks for a chance of rain.

I called Viking yesterday, and unfortunately, they had no real reassurances, except "we always have a backup plan". Which I gathered means a bus tour. Ocean-going cruise lines have been known to reimburse passengers or offer to rebook them when hurricanes, swine flu, etc have altered cruise plans. So I hoped Viking would do the same if they can't cruise.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news. Just came back from the "Viking Danube Bus Tour". So here's you preview of Viking's "back up plan":

 

As report by the OP, the Legend was not able to complete the journey. At Nuremburg, we were first put on the Legend's sister ship Prestige, which was basically confined at the Mien-Danube Canal not able to sail pass Pasau (first port of call on the Danube). The sailing on the canal, not surprisingly, is kind of ... meh.

 

Starting from day 3, it's bus ride after bus ride after bus ride, until we got bused into Budapest at the end of a 3 and half hr bus trip. So instead of a half day guided tour followed by an afternoon of free time, we got TWO HOURS of daylight in Budapest! So the guided city tour consist of guides telling passenger what they can see during the day. :rolleyes:

 

Other sight-seeinng was similarly curtailed. Pratcally no free time can be found between the bussing and repeated packing and un-packing.

 

 

Viking's attitude?

 

"You're lucky, you got to sail on 2 ships instead of 1" -- we got bused from the Prestige to Legend, but was only able to sail for one day on the Legend before we got bused into Budapest.

 

Instead of docking at Passu and walk to the sights, we were dropped by bus there. So walking back to the ship for lunch was not an option. We were "treated" to a free lunch. But we had to pay for our own drink, even non-alcohol ones! ;)

 

Same story for lunch in Budapest. Pay our own drink at lunch. We were not able to check into the hotel at Budapest till the evening.

 

"When you get home, you'll find a letter from Viking with compensation" -- The only Viking correspondence so far is more marketing material.

 

Two more weeks since the first cruise-turn-bus-tour of the Legend and Prestige. One of the passenger had a friend doing a cruise next week, no warning from Viking, no offer to re-book as of now.

 

Too bad you didn't buy insurance. Or it would be easy to simply cancel. Still, I don't think it would hurt to e-mail them (so there's a "paper" trail) and request a re-scheduling of the cruise. If they have the audacity to deny you, you have a much stronger case to demand compensation if it comes to that.

[at_nyc]

greenman1168, apparently, you can cancel according to this article:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4665

 

Good luck!