River flooding

[Peacemkr59]

Very well said AngloAustin!!

 

In a cruise forum topic, it is very inappropriate to criticize someone for not giving sufficient weight to locals suffering due to a disruption of the cruise. We come on here to make better decisions around cruising. There are other places to express sympathy and offer support to people afflicted.

 

It sounds like some of the cruise lines have responded generously. But the argument that they are losing money so no one should be made whole is weak. The cruise line is in a much better position to manage the risk and insure against the risk. As a consumer of a packaged tour experience, I am paying in part for the cruise company to manage the risks of the holiday logistics for me and deliver the experience or the financial equivalent. If I am supposed to suck up a significantly diminished experience due to unusual weather, then I would rather have the flexibility to bail on a holiday and make my own plans when things for wrong. And not pay the premium.

 

I am on a Danube cruise on Viking at the end of June, and have been impressed with Viking's response and communication during this difficult time

[editor@cruisecritic]

Nicely said.

 

Carolyn

 

In a cruise forum topic, it is very inappropriate to criticize someone for not giving sufficient weight to locals suffering due to a disruption of the cruise. We come on here to make better decisions around cruising. There are other places to express sympathy and offer support to people afflicted.

 

It sounds like some of the cruise lines have responded generously. But the argument that they are losing money so no one should be made whole is weak. The cruise line is in a much better position to manage the risk and insure against the risk. As a consumer of a packaged tour experience, I am paying in part for the cruise company to manage the risks of the holiday logistics for me and deliver the experience or the financial equivalent. If I am supposed to suck up a significantly diminished experience due to unusual weather, then I would rather have the flexibility to bail on a holiday and make my own plans when things for wrong. And not pay the premium.

 

I am on a Danube cruise on Viking at the end of June, and have been impressed with Viking's response and communication during this difficult time

[franski]

I think that some people may be experiencing the impact that a CD has on troubled sailings. I do feel strongly that the CD can make or break your river cruise experience - and I am sure that none of them have experienced a situation like this. If they are new, or tentative - or perhaps distracted because they have family members in the affected areas, and they can't get home - then this filters across.

 

It sounds as if different sailings have very different experiences when it comes to communication, alternate accommodations etc. The head offices are very much in damage control mode, and I doubt they have the resources to mentor/support all of their CDs. Talk about "baptism by fire" for any new staff members.

 

I do think that all companies - and the people that travel the rivers - will be feeling the impact of this situation for many months to come. My next cruise isn't until Sept, and even though the itinerary may follow through as planned, I am sure that our experiences will be different as a result of the floods. I suspect the stops along the Danube will be in recovery mode for most of this cruise season - and perhaps into next year as well.

Fran

[Cruzin Terri]

Viking appears to only want to collect their money

So sorry to hear of the conditions BLUEHERON2, and very sorry to hear of Viking's failure to be responsible to passenger's needs, safety and security:confused:. We are on the other end of this, still in the USA. Booked and paid for the Romantic Danube departing June 8 from Nuremberg. Viking happily says all is well, just can't start in Nuremberg, and no trip to Passau, and oh by the way, no Danube/Mein river cruise:mad:. BUT WE PAID FOR THIS:eek:! Can't cancel with our own decision. It's SO obvious that we will be encounter similar circumstances as blueheron2. Viking ignores our calls, sends form e-mail back with information we already have and fails to answer our questions, other than cancellation by our choice is out of the question. VERY UNIMPRESSED WITH THIS COMPANY!

In a cruise forum topic, it is very inappropriate to criticize someone for not giving sufficient weight to locals suffering due to a disruption of the cruise. We come on here to make better decisions around cruising. There are other places to express sympathy and offer support to people afflicted.

 

It sounds like some of the cruise lines have responded generously. But the argument that they are losing money so no one should be made whole is weak. The cruise line is in a much better position to manage the risk and insure against the risk. As a consumer of a packaged tour experience, I am paying in part for the cruise company to manage the risks of the holiday logistics for me and deliver the experience or the financial equivalent. If I am supposed to suck up a significantly diminished experience due to unusual weather, then I would rather have the flexibility to bail on a holiday and make my own plans when things for wrong. And not pay the premium.

 

I am on a Danube cruise on Viking at the end of June, and have been impressed with Viking's response and communication during this difficult time

 

If this is what impresses you about Viking, I wish you luck on your cruise.

Terri

[steamboats]

They apparently work mostly on tips. When the boats don't sale they don't make tips (and I imagine don't get salary as well).

 

No, unlike on ocean going vessels crew on rivercruise ships is not mostly living on tips.

 

The situation along the Danube river in Bavaria is slightly getting better. But there are regions like the county of Deggendorf which are more or less totally flooded (some areas up to the roof). It will take some time.

 

The Elbe river has crested at Dresden and the wave is going downriver. Currently Lauenburg (app. 35 km out of Hamburg) is starting evacuation and preparing for the floods to come. Hamburg itself is pretty save as there´s plenty of room for the water to spread out.

 

In Vienna there are app. 30 river cruise ships stranded. On the Filia Rheni 120 mainly British passengers are trapped as the landing is flooded (according to Austrian news, check out if the video is working for you, doesn´t work at my office). The Filia Rheni is docked at Nussdorf. All other ships don´t carry any passengers but crew only.

 

As for "subpar" hotels: Please be aware that it is really a major task to find hotel rooms for let´s say 120 to 200 people on a last minute basis. Especially the smaller cities might not even have enough capacity or 4 and 5 star hotels. And usually it´s not just one company looking for hotels rooms for their passengers but several with also several rivercruise ships. It´s the same with food. First you have to find a restaurant able to cater that amount of people without any pre booking (you need to have the food on stock!!). So of course there might be "subpar" accommodations or food but I´m pretty sure that every cruise company is trying to get the best available for their passengers.

 

I´ve been in this situation in 2005 when my cruise ended in Vienna after 23 hours of cruising. When we left Passau I saw the spot we had parked our car only a couple of hours earlier for unloading our bags and it was already flooded. We´ve been bussed out of Vienna to Bratislava, Budapest (overnight in a hotel) and Melk (we skipped that and stayed in Vienna that day) and back to Passau. And BTW our CD was on his first trip ever!! He really did a great job and I doubt that he ever got some sleep during that week.

 

Sure this was not the vacation I have expected! But you have to take it easy and make the best out of it! At least you´re not the one who has lost everything due to the flood. It´s just your vacation which had been "spoiled" (and the rivercruise companies will compensate those inconveniences although legally they don´t have to).

 

steamboats

[G.M.T.]

In a cruise forum topic, it is very inappropriate to criticize someone for not giving sufficient weight to locals suffering due to a disruption of the cruise. We come on here to make better decisions around cruising. There are other places to express sympathy and offer support to people afflicted.

 

What an inconsiderate statement, I know people on the boats and lving along the Danube, who always try their best to make the cruise and it's passengers as pleasurable as possible. We are not a bunch of wild animals living in cages where you throw us a banana as you pass by.

 

We are good enough to give advice and share our knowledge on this forum but not good enough to receive sympathy and good wishes, in such a difficult time for us, from genuine cruisers.

 

Such cruiser mentality also reared it's ugly head during the sad loss of the Costa Concordia (people only thinking of themselves), where at the muster stations some passengers were ordering crew members to go and fetch their luggage from the cabin and something to eat from the MDR.

 

Ron

[AngloAustin]

What an inconsiderate statement, I know people on the boats and lving along the Danube, who always try their best to make the cruise and it's passengers as pleasurable as possible. We are not a bunch of wild animals living in cages where you throw us a banana as you pass by.

 

We are good enough to give advice and share our knowledge on this forum but not good enough to receive sympathy and good wishes, in such a difficult time for us, from genuine cruisers.

 

Such cruiser mentality also reared it's ugly head during the sad loss of the Costa Concordia (people only thinking of themselves), where at the muster stations some passengers were ordering crew members to go and fetch their luggage from the cabin and something to eat from the MDR.

 

Ron

 

I didn't make my point clearly if you think I don't care about non cruisers. Clearly, the real world problems far far outweigh cruising concerns. But someone raising a point on a forum that focuses on cruising issues should not feel like they can't because people have bigger non cruising issues.

[AngloAustin]

What an inconsiderate statement, I know people on the boats and lving along the Danube, who always try their best to make the cruise and it's passengers as pleasurable as possible. We are not a bunch of wild animals living in cages where you throw us a banana as you pass by.

 

We are good enough to give advice and share our knowledge on this forum but not good enough to receive sympathy and good wishes, in such a difficult time for us, from genuine cruisers.

 

Such cruiser mentality also reared it's ugly head during the sad loss of the Costa Concordia (people only thinking of themselves), where at the muster stations some passengers were ordering crew members to go and fetch their luggage from the cabin and something to eat from the MDR.

 

Ron

 

I also believe it is radically different for a travel agent to post an issue or concern aimed at remote corporate office staff on an Internet forum than for someone to act like a self centered pig in middle of a live crisis where lives are at stake.

[Jamey Bergman]

We've provided an update with regard to the latest cancellations due to the unprecedented flooding in Europe. You can view it here: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5384

[Jamey Bergman]

Hi all, we've taken a sampling of responses from our forums (and some of you) and collated them into an article. You can view that here: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5380

[MaxBuck]

What a great resource this site is! Kudos to its owners and moderators; you're doing a terrific service.

[Cruzin Terri]

What an inconsiderate statement, I know people on the boats and lving along the Danube, who always try their best to make the cruise and it's passengers as pleasurable as possible. We are not a bunch of wild animals living in cages where you throw us a banana as you pass by.

 

We are good enough to give advice and share our knowledge on this forum but not good enough to receive sympathy and good wishes, in such a difficult time for us, from genuine cruisers.

 

Such cruiser mentality also reared it's ugly head during the sad loss of the Costa Concordia (people only thinking of themselves), where at the muster stations some passengers were ordering crew members to go and fetch their luggage from the cabin and something to eat from the MDR.

 

Ron

 

Ron,

I, for one, have been very grateful for all your updates. Thank you for taking the time to keep us informed.

Terri

[John99]

In a cruise forum topic, it is very inappropriate to criticize someone for not giving sufficient weight to locals suffering due to a disruption of the cruise. We come on here to make better decisions around cruising. There are other places to express sympathy and offer support to people afflicted.

 

It sounds like some of the cruise lines have responded generously. But the argument that they are losing money so no one should be made whole is weak. The cruise line is in a much better position to manage the risk and insure against the risk. As a consumer of a packaged tour experience, I am paying in part for the cruise company to manage the risks of the holiday logistics for me and deliver the experience or the financial equivalent. If I am supposed to suck up a significantly diminished experience due to unusual weather, then I would rather have the flexibility to bail on a holiday and make my own plans when things for wrong. And not pay the premium.

 

I am on a Danube cruise on Viking at the end of June, and have been impressed with Viking's response and communication during this difficult time

 

The situation in central Europe in truly devastating. Flooding along the rivers surpassed all passed all records that have lasted for over six (6) centuries. My heart goes out to the locals. Homes flooded, personal belonging gone, families uprooted, you probably read the incredible news reports like have.

 

Thanks to all cc members that have kept us abreast of what is happening. The vast majority of us appreciate your updates.

 

tbrein -- I agree with your comments they are to the point and very insightful.

 

anglomartin -- I could not agree more. Nice job.

 

John

[John99]

Sorry for error. This is a double post.

[steamboats]

At least some good news:

 

A local excursion boat company announced that they are resuming their trips out of Frankfurt. So the Main river seems to be open - at least the lower part.

 

The Rhine river is open for navigation between Speyer and Maxau (Karlsruhe). Mainz is to follow.

 

steamboats

[Avalon Waterways]

Can anyone tell me what Avalon's position is (if they know yet) regarding cruises leaving in the next 5 weeks? I assume there is a good chance the waters levels will drop, but there has been heartbreaking damage to the ports on the Danube. Will they offer an option to cancel/rebook if the tours continue to be bus tours and/or the ports we want to see are not available and the tour becomes a different experience than what we originally paid a good amount of money for?

 

 

Thanks for your question PGY. We understand your concerns about your upcoming cruise. In addition to ensuring the safety of any current travelers, while also closely following the ebb and flow (quite literally) of Europe’s waterways, we are in the midst of gathering information about the ports and sites we visit. For all cruises operating in Europe in the coming weeks, we will have a Plan B (C or D) in place to provide our travelers rich experiences, however, given the fluidity of this situation, plans may change daily (or at present, hourly). If it would help, we encourage you to call your travel agent or our team to discuss your concerns. You can reach us directly at 800.372.1761 or traveleradvisory@globusfamily.com.

 

Best wishes to you.

[steamboats]

According to this article the passengers of the Filia Rheni in Vienna-Nussdorf have been evacuated last evening. The article also states that the nationality of the passengers is Dutch (the other source said British).

 

The Danube river has crested in Vienna. Bratislava and Budapest are still waiting for the worst to come.

 

steamboats

[pbeach]

Great insight, thanks for sharing and will you keep us posted? We're doing a separate piece tomorrow about what it's like for passengers who are on cruises now...so feel free to share details with us!

 

Carolyn

 

Hi Carolyn,

Have you received any stories from recent passengers? I'm supposed to be on Amaprima embarking June 19 Bud-Ams. I know the ship is stuck in Linz now and can't imagine how they'll pull off a reasonably accommodated cruise. Recent cruiser's insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

Bill

[shoshona2]

Just wanted to send thanks to our posters from Germany; Steamboats, G.M.T. and ingo e! You have been doing a great job of keeping us in the loop about the terrible conditions going on in Eastern Europe. I was on the Danube last August in Bucharest and Cruise Critic posters were invaluable re the conditions of the Danube there.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Sheila

[franski]

Just wanted to send thanks to our posters from Germany; Steamboats, G.M.T. and ingo e! You have been doing a great job of keeping us in the loop about the terrible conditions going on in Eastern Europe.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Sheila

 

I second that....

 

Thanks for taking the time to keep us posted.

 

 

Fran

[shoshona2]

I forgot another poster from Europe -- UKBayern. Thanks to you, also.

 

Sheila

[Riversanddale]

Thank you for taking a lead in consolidating information and reporting how companies are handling the situation. We have taken one river cruise this year, two last year and one before that. We were looking at future itineraries when the flooding began. We are following very closely to see how each company responds to their clients and that will have the greatest influence on who we book with in the future. There are plenty of choices out there and customer service and response is at the top of our list for all future cruises.

Meanwhile, our prayers continue for all those affected by these disasters.

[remydiva]

I wondered why we haven't heard from many of those who were on or currently are in the middle of their cruise. I found this post on the 'River Cruising Roll Calls' under 'Scenic Rolls Calls'.This was posted two days ago and doesn't sound promising....I know this thread was started by editor to hear from those cruisers actually cruising so thought I would cut and paste it here.

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June 5th, 2013, 05:28 PM

KazLoudspeaker

Cool Cruiser

 

Join Date: Sep 2012

Location: Victoria, Australia

Posts: 13

So lucky!!!!

We are currently cruising past Novi Sad, Serbia and have been ahead of the first wave of flood waters since we left Nuremberg 5 hours earlier than scheduled to ensure we could get under one of the lowest bridges. The water levels rose about 1m whilst we were berthed in Budapest and they were in the process of closing the lower access roads as they were about to go under water. We passed the Sapphire which is stuck about Durnstein and the Pearl that could not go any further than Vienna. It is just lucky we are going the 'right' way and the Danube is much wider and no low bridges. Only one lock to go at the Iron Gates which shouldn't be a problem.

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scenic crystal may 20,2013

[cruisefool1]

I too thank you, we are scheduled the 27th out of Budapest?

 

Sheila in Paso Robles

[editor@cruisecritic]

The irony of course is that now the lower areas of the Danube are receiving the wave...our thoughts are with residents and passengers in the region.

 

Carolyn

 

I wondered why we haven't heard from many of those who were on or currently are in the middle of their cruise. I found this post on the 'River Cruising Roll Calls' under 'Scenic Rolls Calls'.This was posted two days ago and doesn't sound promising....I know this thread was started by editor to hear from those cruisers actually cruising so thought I would cut and paste it here.

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June 5th, 2013, 05:28 PM

KazLoudspeaker

Cool Cruiser

 

Join Date: Sep 2012

Location: Victoria, Australia

Posts: 13

So lucky!!!!

We are currently cruising past Novi Sad, Serbia and have been ahead of the first wave of flood waters since we left Nuremberg 5 hours earlier than scheduled to ensure we could get under one of the lowest bridges. The water levels rose about 1m whilst we were berthed in Budapest and they were in the process of closing the lower access roads as they were about to go under water. We passed the Sapphire which is stuck about Durnstein and the Pearl that could not go any further than Vienna. It is just lucky we are going the 'right' way and the Danube is much wider and no low bridges. Only one lock to go at the Iron Gates which shouldn't be a problem.

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scenic crystal may 20,2013