Low Waters on the Elbe

[cruisersMandW]

;)We're back from the Viking Elegant Elbe on the Fontaine. Since this was our first river cruise I monitored these boards closely - especially the ones dealing with river levels. OK, maybe I'm guilty of a few rain dances too.

 

We were pretty resigned to the ship swap/ floating hotel scenario. When we arrived in Prague we found out that half of the passengers had cancelled. Viking offered everyone remaining a $1,000 future cruise credit & gave us a revised schedule. They still hoped to sail part of the way.

 

Well we did get lucky. We had some modifications to the schedule, but didn't miss anything. More importantly, no ship swap! That made this cruiser much happier to start with. The best part was that we got to sail through Saxony Switzerland as planned. That was, imho the most important part of the

sail & we were thrilled to be able to do it.

 

We did have a little extra time on a bus- admittedly not my favorite mode of transport, but it wasn't bad. It helped having a smaller number of people- luckily a pretty congenial group. We never had to wait for anyone, as you so often do on bus tours.

 

I can't say enough about the staff- very helpful & pleasant. And everything was well organized. Even with a few changes along the way, from the moment we saw that first red "lollipop" we were kept informed and on schedule- VERY PUNCTUAL!.

 

Thanks everyone for all of the information you provided on this board. It really helped. Especially the poster who warned us to bring a warm coat. That was good advice & kept us comfortable.

 

And thanks to Mother Nature for providing a great fall color display- I sure miss that in FL. ;)

[kathybon]

Hello! Well, after a few days of phone calls and discussions, my mom and I decided to switch itineraries from the Elbe to the Danube. Sailing along the river was a major part of the attraction of the trip for us. The dates lined up and we were able to take advantage of significant tour cost reductions offered by GCT for their November 30 departure. In addition, GCT will reimburse up to $500 for flight changes. Since the Danube trip is shorter than the Elbe trip, we will need to spend 2 extra nights in Vienna so that our privately planned arrangements for Prague post cruise could remain intact. We could still run into water level issues on the Danube, but there are a lot more unplanned Christmas markets GCT could bus us to in order to make up for diverted itineraries in that section of Germany and Austria. The optional side trip to Salzburg (one of our favorite cities in Europe) also affected our decision. Now I'm in the middle of making new Vienna/Prague rail reservations, airport/port transportation arrangements in Nuremberg, hotel reservations in Vienna, and print out a new set of town maps. We wish everyone a wonderful time on whichever river trip you decide to take!

[CPT Trips]

Hello! Well, after a few days of phone calls and discussions, my mom and I decided to switch itineraries from the Elbe to the Danube. Sailing along the river was a major part of the attraction of the trip for us. The dates lined up and we were able to take advantage of significant tour cost reductions offered by GCT for their November 30 departure. In addition, GCT will reimburse up to $500 for flight changes. Since the Danube trip is shorter than the Elbe trip, we will need to spend 2 extra nights in Vienna so that our privately planned arrangements for Prague post cruise could remain intact. We could still run into water level issues on the Danube, but there are a lot more unplanned Christmas markets GCT could bus us to in order to make up for diverted itineraries in that section of Germany and Austria. The optional side trip to Salzburg (one of our favorite cities in Europe) also affected our decision. Now I'm in the middle of making new Vienna/Prague rail reservations, airport/port transportation arrangements in Nuremberg, hotel reservations in Vienna, and print out a new set of town maps. We wish everyone a wonderful time on whichever river trip you decide to take!

 

Enjoy your hurried planning and your newly chosen cruise!

[kathybon]

Thanks! Got everything pretty much replanned today and we're excited about the opportunity to spend a few extra days in beautiful Vienna! A good reminder that there are always a variety of ways to enjoy travel in Europe!