Danube River water levels

[rcaruso]

We are in Regensburg. Will be bussed to Passau tomorrow. Should be in Passau at 10:30am. Lunch at Heilige Geist and to board the Embla around 2pm.

[kwbts124]

Any word on Vantage or other lines on the Danube between Budapest and Passau? Are any ships getting through???

 

scheduled for Vantage Christmas on the Danube 22 Dec - 30 Dec.

Edited November 22, 2015 by kwbts124
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[Kenster]

If the ship sailed empty to Budapest the weight factor could well have been the issue.... Very hard to say, if it sailed without passengers & their luggage.

 

A full load of passengers makes only about a centimeter or two difference. Insignificant.

[Mark_T]

I think that the A;ta was the first of the Viking ships to make it since the low water got too low.

 

I would have thought it would be prudent to make sure that it actually could make it there before sending other ships and that could have translated into 'water too low'.

 

Also I'm not clear on just how many ships they have on the Budapest side of the low water problems and if it came down to either sailing another ship into Budapest with its passengers but having to leave another group of passengers with no ship at all I can see how it ended up as it did.

 

Yes it would have been better to be open about what was going on but I don't think it would have changed the outcome.

[notamermaid]

As of yesterday afternoon (circa) there was no low water situation anymore on the major rivers in Germany. All gauging stations have turned to green now and are out if the low water zone. That does not mean it is high water. We are in a "just under mean water" situation. Statistically, from water levels measured and analyzed from more than a decade.

 

It makes for comfortable sailing (generally speaking).

 

In Austria all gauging stations on the Danube have risen quite a bit over the last 48 hours. The last one in Austria before entering the Tzech Republic - called Thebnerstraßl - looks like this:http://www.noel.gv.at/Externeseiten/wasserstand/static/stations/207407/station.html

 

Just ignore all the German text and look at the spiking first graph. It says it all. One metre in 48 hours. From tomorrow, I cannot imagine there not being enough water in the Tzech Republic. Passau is fine, probably all of Austria by now.

 

Is Viking trying to rearrange ships back to their normal positions to get the December sailings and ships in the correct order, I wonder?

 

Weather forecast for Bavaria is mixed over the next three days. A bit on the cold side with rain in the valleys and snow in the hills. Temperatures zero to four degrees.

 

notamermaid

[G.M.T.]

notamermaid,

 

Absolutely correct, just one thing " The last one in Austria before entering the Tzech Republic", do you mean "Slovakia".

[notamermaid]

Hello G.M.T.,

 

notamermaid,

 

Absolutely correct, just one thing " The last one in Austria before entering the Tzech Republic", do you mean "Slovakia".

 

Yes, of course. :o Thank you for pointing out my mistake. In my mind, they are still one country, so when I have to think of them separately I sometimes throw them around on the map.

 

notamermaid

[berrytea]

Came from Nuremberg yesterday. Water rose so much overnight that now there may be trouble getting under a bridge. Cold and snow this morning. Mass at the Dom St. Peter was beautiful. Happy to be here.... Prays answered, maybe enough rain now. 🙂

[rcaruso]

Ok, water fine, still had to bus 1.5 hours and switch ships to Embla, not as new a ship as Baldur or Eistla. Also got back on board at 4 pm and mass exodus of Phillipino crew members as ours from the Baldur are coming with us, quite confusing. We are to leave at 5 pm. Lovely day in Passau. We had snow in Regensburg and a bit in PAssau. Just trying to report as accurately as possible. Did have a decent lunch at Heilige Geist, but no choices and pork was so so.

[gwntravel]

I think that the A;ta was the first of the Viking ships to make it since the low water got too low.

 

I would have thought it would be prudent to make sure that it actually could make it there before sending other ships and that could have translated into 'water too low'.

 

<snip>.

 

,Mark, Viking could use you as your explanation is much better than what we were told.

At first we were told no ships could make it to Budapest.

Then when we pointed out that the Atla was sailing to Budapest we were told that was "just rumors".

Then when it was pointed out that people on the Atla had posted that they were sailing and you could see the Atla moving on the ship tracking sites we were told that they had people that needed to make flights in Budapest and that is why that ship was going.

To us it would make sense that if it was a must make flight, buses for them are a guarantee not testing the water with that ship.

If you look at my prior posts I have been very positive about the bussing when it is necessary. Everyone on our ship has not like the being lied to

Edited November 22, 2015 by gwntravel

[pbeach]

,Mark, Viking could use you as your explanation is much better than what we were told.

At first we were told no ships could make it to Budapest.

Then when we pointed out that the Atla was sailing to Budapest we were told that was "just rumors".

Then when it was pointed out that people on the Atla had posted that they were sailing and you could see the Atla moving on the ship tracking sites we were told that they had people that needed to make flights in Budapest and that is why that ship was going.

To us it would make sense that if it was a must make flight, buses for them are a guarantee not testing the water with that ship.

If you look at my prior posts I have been very positive about the bussing when it is necessary. Everyone on our ship has not like the being lied to

 

gwntravel - sorry your trip did not end well. Just when I thought Viking couldn't stoop any lower, they out did themselves.

[Mark_T]

If you look at my prior posts I have been very positive about the bussing when it is necessary. Everyone on our ship has not like the being lied to

 

Indeed you have and it is a pity that things were handled poorly at the last minute.

 

Guessing is about all we can do at the moment, but I would suspect there was a mixture of caution and preparation to resume normal sailing into Budapest and you got caught in the middle of it.

 

Looks like they needed one more ship in Passau to get the numbers right to resume sailing into Budapest and the Alta got luck and you sadly did not :(

 

I can see why the ship staff would be nervous about giving out that message but it is a whole lot better to just be honest than to hope people are not going to know if they lie about it. With the internet and the web that is never going to succeed these days.

[Magnum60]

Just recently returned from a Viking Budapest - Nuremberg cruise. We needed to be bused from Budapest on 11/10/15 to Vienna (a one stop, 4 1/2 hour coach ride). Nothing with any draft was going anywhere from or to Budapest in the three days we were there (we had a two day hotel package). The river height, in my best estimation as a sailor, was down at least 18 feet from normal. It was pretty obvious that there would be no way to cruise to Vienna on a Viking Long Ship. Due to perfectly clear sky's and after enjoying a Viking supplied restaurant lunch prior to the bus transfer most of us actually enjoyed our road trip as the route was very scenic.

I've cruised with Viking before and thought that the Viking on board and hotel staffs physically handled the low water issue very well.

Viking corporate on the other hand needs to get their act together with honest early disclosure and much better customer care.

We got into the 'no one knows what's going on' barrel hours before we departed JFK with a cryptic little email from Lufthansa saying that our (Viking supplied) flight to Budapest had been cancelled - period. One had to go online to find out why. Had a customer not been glued to a smart phone or computer (I checked my email the night before going to the airport) they would not have known that there was a wonderful surprise awaiting them at check in. Keep in mind that Lufthansa went on strike a few days BEFORE we were scheduled to depart so some hamster brain at Viking must have heard about it. Viking re-booked us on Swiss Air but there were some anxious moments wondering how we'd get to Budapest and what class of service we'd be seated in (no Premium Economy on Swiss Air which we paid for on the Lufthansa flight). Regular Economy on a Swiss Air flight is punishment if you are 6' 4". Viking/Lufthansa has since refunded our Premium Economy upgrade costs.

Out trip also involved one ship change. Not a whole lot of cruising was had for our Danube adventure but my wife and I, as well as almost every passenger aboard, had a great time with our land and river cruise.

Viking corporate better start to get with it if they don't want to see passengers move off to the competition, competition that had to deal with the same situations but that seem to have done a better job orchestrating the outcome.

[berrytea]

Toured this morning in a beautiful snow, large pretty flakes. Passau is almost ready for the Christmas markets. Found Hussel chocolate store...too good!

[whitbob]

Just boarded the AmaPrima in Budapest. We tour Budapest tomorrow and then sail for Vienna. So far it looks like there are no problems with sailing. Will post if there are any problems.

[kwbts124]

So far it looks like there are no problems with sailing. Will post if there are any problems.

 

 

Thanks, you made my day!

 

We fly to Budapest on Dec. 20th and have few days before boarding the ship (River Splendor) on the 23rd.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

Toured this morning in a beautiful snow, large pretty flakes. Passau is almost ready for the Christmas markets. Found Hussel chocolate store...too good!

 

Hussel!!! Can't wait to get back to that place in Passau!! It's easy to go a little nuts in there!!

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip! :D

[rcaruso]

Melk Abbey today, had some big snow flakes. Wachau Valley beautify

And some snow and brilliant sun. In Krems will be leaving shortly to Vienna. Have heard nothing about water levels, expect to get to Budapest. The Embla is certainly an older longship and showing signs of wear.

[ThreeTwelves]

Melk Abbey today, had some big snow flakes. Wachau Valley beautify

And some snow and brilliant sun. In Krems will be leaving shortly to Vienna. Have heard nothing about water levels, expect to get to Budapest. The Embla is certainly an older longship and showing signs of wear.

Woot! the river cruise I'm taking is the Viking Odin and it's the same age, guess I'm on an older ship too. Oh well, I've been on much older ships in the past. Hee, my car is a 2012 too:D

 

So no more talk about boat swaps? Glad to hear you're having a great time :)

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Magnum60,

 

Welcome home! We are happy to hear you had an enjoyable experience, despite the interruption of low water levels.

 

Our apologies for your disappointment in Viking’s communication and customer care. The low water conditions and recent airline strike have proved to be challenging but, while we have made every effort to combat the uncontrollable events, we are interested in maintaining a high level of service and transparent communication under the most difficult circumstances.

 

Magnum60, we would be happy to discuss your experience in its entirety and encourage you to contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should you wish to do the same.

 

We are looking forward to your email!

 

Best regards,

Viking Cruises

 

Just recently returned from a Viking Budapest - Nuremberg cruise. We needed to be bused from Budapest on 11/10/15 to Vienna (a one stop, 4 1/2 hour coach ride). Nothing with any draft was going anywhere from or to Budapest in the three days we were there (we had a two day hotel package). The river height, in my best estimation as a sailor, was down at least 18 feet from normal. It was pretty obvious that there would be no way to cruise to Vienna on a Viking Long Ship. Due to perfectly clear sky's and after enjoying a Viking supplied restaurant lunch prior to the bus transfer most of us actually enjoyed our road trip as the route was very scenic.

I've cruised with Viking before and thought that the Viking on board and hotel staffs physically handled the low water issue very well.

Viking corporate on the other hand needs to get their act together with honest early disclosure and much better customer care.

We got into the 'no one knows what's going on' barrel hours before we departed JFK with a cryptic little email from Lufthansa saying that our (Viking supplied) flight to Budapest had been cancelled - period. One had to go online to find out why. Had a customer not been glued to a smart phone or computer (I checked my email the night before going to the airport) they would not have known that there was a wonderful surprise awaiting them at check in. Keep in mind that Lufthansa went on strike a few days BEFORE we were scheduled to depart so some hamster brain at Viking must have heard about it. Viking re-booked us on Swiss Air but there were some anxious moments wondering how we'd get to Budapest and what class of service we'd be seated in (no Premium Economy on Swiss Air which we paid for on the Lufthansa flight). Regular Economy on a Swiss Air flight is punishment if you are 6' 4". Viking/Lufthansa has since refunded our Premium Economy upgrade costs.

Out trip also involved one ship change. Not a whole lot of cruising was had for our Danube adventure but my wife and I, as well as almost every passenger aboard, had a great time with our land and river cruise.

Viking corporate better start to get with it if they don't want to see passengers move off to the competition, competition that had to deal with the same situations but that seem to have done a better job orchestrating the outcome.

[notamermaid]

Hussel. Full of chocolate. :):)

 

Anyone not being able to go to the shop in Passau, do not despair! It is a chain that has got shops all over the place in Germany. You can look this up: http://www.hussel.de/Filialfinder/

 

Have fun on your cruise everyone.

 

notamermaid

[Magnum60]

It's nice to know that Viking monitors Cruise Critic. Their response to my concerns about our last Viking cruise and Viking corporate not keeping its guests better informed are appreciated.

I do think that my frustration about the way certain bits of our cruise package were handled was due largely to a perfect storm (rivers turning to creeks and Lufthansa taking an unannounced vacation -last minute strike) but a company with the experience that Viking has gained over the years needs to get a better way to inform its guests about negative situations [it likely knows about] before any guest gets ready to close their front door starting their trip.

Keep in mind that there are many people that don't need to be plugged into a smart phone to walk across a room and many that function quite well not being connected to the internet all day long. Travel surprises aren't always fun, especially if they are not good surprises at the last minute.

You'd be hard pressed to find a more understanding traveler than me but as I travel more and more I'm more easily frustrated about things that are controllable - communication. To me communication is a synonym for customer service. Will I book another Viking Cruise? Of course I will. Once under way it would be hard not to have a good time on a Viking River Cruise. Do I need to contact customer service with my concerns? Unless they're giving away free stuff ;) my last two posts should be sufficient.

[Cambell]

Any up to date news on the Tor? Is it getting along the Danube to Nuremberg. Not much we can do about it at this point but it would be nice to be forewarned!

[rcaruso]

We are on the Embla and the Tor is right next to us in Vienna. We are on to Bratislava tomorrow and Budapest on Thursday. So on this cruise had to swap ships twice, meaning we were on three different ships, but the good news is that we will make it to Budapest. We did get an update from Lufthansa about the possibility of a flight attendant strike, Nov. 26, 27 and 30th.

[Cambell]

Ugh, sounds like we might have a ship (or three) but haven't been updated about the Lufthansa thing - we fly United to Munich, then have Lufthansa to Budapest. As if the turmoil in the world wasn't enough to cope with!!