Will you book a river cruise for 2019?

[Bake apple]

We have been so very lucky, two river cruises (2017 and 2018) and no problems at all. However, given the unprecedented low water levels on the Rhine, Main and Danube isnce July this year we are so very unsure of booking one for 2019. What to do, what to do? We have been reading, with growing dismay, of the chaos on the rivers, the spoiled vacations, the endless coach rides, the hurried excursions, the missed on board dining and the unanswered pleas for return of good money paid. It is so unsetting to read and I can't even imagine how awful it was to experience.

 

We researched best time to river cruise based on tons of  historical data, input from generous sharing CC contributers and found mid-May to mid-June might work. Still not sure what to do. We don't want a coach tour and are considering a Do-it-Yourself using trains etc. But gosh, the river cruises experience was so great but that is only when things go right! It is a lot of $$$ and takes time and effort to get there. It all a risk I guess.

 

What are your plans?

[Host Jazzbeau]

The other alternative is to avoid those three rivers.  Rhône cruises may have high water in the spring, but that mainly impacts the Saône north of Lyon [and most cruises start in Lyon anyway].  The Douro is controlled by locks, as is the Moselle [and I would expect some cruise lines to start offering a pure Moselle itinerary after this year!]  Bordeaux cruises are in an estuary with reliable tides bringing plenty of water twice a day.  The Seine too seems to have had no water-level problems this year.  Lots of choices!

[Rebel54]

I think the key is to avoid the time of year when this is a problem...or avoid the places that suffer from water level issues.  We did our cruise in Aug and Sept and didn't have a problem.

[bubbulz]

We have other plans for next year, but if we do book another river cruise in the future it will not be over a year in advance as it has usually been for us. Too much risk.

[Barrheadlass]

I’ve already booked one for Bordeaux in October, and for the Nile in 2020.

[Geezer Cruiser]

Booked down the Danube from Budapest to Passau for the first week of June 2019.

 

[Bizmark'sMom]

It will depend on how my Dec 7 cruise from Vienna to Nuremberg goes.  Right now, Ama are telling me the original itinerary is on with no changes.  We'll see...

[Peregrina651]

Booked for the Seine and Rhone in March, 2019. 

[H2Otstr]

We are booked for the Bordeaux area in March with Grand Circle. 

[steverhodes]

We already had 2 Viking River cruises in Europe booked for 2019. Earlier this month we added another. 

[mrs bb]

We booked the Uniworld Moselle for May 2019, then late Oct we booked Uniworld India for Feb 2019, however when we found out heptitis vaccine has been out of stock in Ontario Canada since summer of 2018, and another vaccine that we need will interfere with hubby's heart medication (actually scolded by doctor when we asked what precautions / vaccinations we need for India trip). We cancelled the cruise with 20% penalty 😬. Well, don't want to be sorry, we do what we need to do. So disappointing that we cannot do India, and most probably the Vietnam & Cambodia (same kind of vaccinations recommended), we went ahead booking Uniworld's Classic Christmas cruise, Nuremberg to Frankfurt Dec 8, now not sure if it will be cancelled 😭. Hopefully the May 2019 will not be a problem.

 

[djh1959]

We have one booked for October 2019.  It will be our first from Amsterdam to Basel.  We have put this trip off for years as everyone said we were too young, we've finally got old enough, but now I am very worried.

[peasmith]

We have done numerous river cruises with Viking mostly in November and December and, touch wood, have never had a problem - may have just been lucky although a bit doubtful for our upcoming one on the 14th December (Amsterdam to Basel) and may just be the first year we have a ship swap! 

[dolllover]

We were lucky on our first two river cruises. Almost had an issue with our Danube cruise with low water . Booked a couple of other river cruises. One in France on the Saone 2019 and in Egypt 2020. 

By the way bus tours can be as expensive as river cruises. Just look at Tauck's . 

[Coral]

I am on the Crystal Mozart and we seem to be going as planned on the Danube. We may have to be bused to Bratislava which is an hour. Our trip is not scheduled to go to Budapest. So our RT out of Vienna on the Danube seems to be a good choice this year. Beautiful ship, great crew and food.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Coral

[FuelScience]

Booked on Teeming through the Netherlands in March/April. Given the water control in the Netherlands, that one seems safe. Then in April we'll be going from Saarbrucken to Stuttgart on Nicko's Casanova. It's a 103 meter ship with a 1.3 meter draft, so we're hoping that it'll make it through even is there is low water.

Edited November 22, 2018 by FuelScience

[oneadam12]

8 of us have booked an early October, 2019 Rhine River cruise, Basel to Amsterdam.  We did purchase "cancel for any reason" insurance.  We hope for a fair amount of winter snow and spring rain!

[SteveU]

We're considering another cruise in the next year or two, but have the same water level concerns. Would trip insurance with "cancel for any reason" be a solution? I'm thinking we could watch the water levels and if it looks too risky pull the plug and move on.  Does anyone know of it's possible with insurance to cancel only the cruise (covered by insurance) and still use your airline tickets for a land trip?

[Bake apple]

We'll, we are going to research and purchase the best cancellation package, a true cancel for any reason option if there is such a thing.

 

Our late May/early June cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was a real show stopper. We hoped to go back, spend time in Prague, a few days in Budapest again and then cruise back to  Amsterdam. Having said that,  I read with interest comments here about the other river cruise options so may pull the trigger on one of those. I'm personally not a very good bus or coach traveller in the best of times but would be happy to take the train.

 

We will need to decide soon before our choise dates are gone. I'd just this week contacted Viking to ask their plans if the same low or high water situation were to recur given they indicated they want all feedback to improve their product and service to travellers. The response was a ....quality alternate plan was in place.....  Hummm.

[RDVIK2016]

We're booked in October 2019 for a Passau to Budapest cruise.  Even this year they are making it from Passau to Vienna/Bratislava.  We did Viking Romantic Danube cruise going in the opposite direction in 2016 and stayed on the ship up around the Danube bend from Budapest rather than take the included bus tour, so we would not be to upset if we missed that part of the river. (We had extended in Budapest prior to the cruise, so we did not miss much by staying on board rather than take a bus tour that met up with the ship upstream around the Danube bend).  

 

[laverendrye]

I doubt it, for a number of reasons. I’ve cruised on most of the European rivers (Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Volga, Douro twice, and the canals and rivers of Belgium and the Netherlands) so there’s not much left that interests me, certainly not the Christmas market cruises, with the possible exception of the Rhone. I don’t think the weather problems which have been plaguing river cruises in Western Europe this year are an anomaly and that we can look forward to more of the same in years to come. 

 

More importantly to me, I think that in recent years river cruising in Europe has become too expensive when compared to independent travel and does not offer the value for money that I used to find.  I’ve travelled much in Europe since my first visit in 1964 (has it really been 55 years?) but there are still places I’d like to go and things to see where a river cruise won’t take me.  As well, I’m looking more to stay in one place for several weeks rather than visiting a new town every day, crowded with visitors from the ever-increasing number of cruise ships which have saturated the market. 

 

This is not to say that I haven’t enjoyed my river cruises.  I have very much indeed, and I do look forward to others, although not in Europe.  I was fascinated cruising the Mekong and had hoped to do a cruise on the Irrawaddy, but I won’t set foot in Myanmar while that brutal regime is in charge. If I return to India, I don’t think it will be to cruise the Ganges but rather to travel in the south.  I’m very much interested in Egypt and indeed a cruise on the Nile might materialize in 2019 or the following year.

 

All this is a long-winded way of saying that while I certainly plan to visit Europe next year, I don’t think I will be cruising there any time soon. Maybe elsewhere though. 

 

[Geezer Cruiser]

Sorry if this is off-topic (thread hijacking), but for anyone interested in Burma/Myanmar travel, I highly recommend Ma Thanegi's books (Native Tourist, etc.).

 

[Bake apple]

32 minutes ago, laverendrye said:

I doubt it, for a number of reasons. I’ve cruised on most of the European rivers (Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Volga, Douro twice, and the canals and rivers of Belgium and the Netherlands) so there’s not much left that interests me, certainly not the Christmas market cruises, with the possible exception of the Rhone. I don’t think the weather problems which have been plaguing river cruises in Western Europe this year are an anomaly and that we can look forward to more of the same in years to come. 

 

More importantly to me, I think that in recent years river cruising in Europe has become too expensive when compared to independent travel and does not offer the value for money that I used to find.  I’ve travelled much in Europe since my first visit in 1964 (has it really been 55 years?) but there are still places I’d like to go and things to see where a river cruise won’t take me.  As well, I’m looking more to stay in one place for several weeks rather than visiting a new town every day, crowded with visitors from the ever-increasing number of cruise ships which have saturated the market. 

 

This is not to say that I haven’t enjoyed my river cruises.  I have very much indeed, and I do look forward to others, although not in Europe.  I was fascinated cruising the Mekong and had hoped to do a cruise on the Irrawaddy, but I won’t set foot in Myanmar while that brutal regime is in charge. If I return to India, I don’t think it will be to cruise the Ganges but rather to travel in the south.  I’m very much interested in Egypt and indeed a cruise on the Nile might materialize in 2019 or the following year.

 

All this is a long-winded way of saying that while I certainly plan to visit Europe next year, I don’t think I will be cruising there any time soon. Maybe elsewhere though. 

 

Very well stated and a most thoughful reply. In fact, we have discussed the $$ value and created a somewhat fun/serious spread sheet to see how it would compare. There is a old saying that sufficient research will eventually support your theory and that is where we are now. LOL. It is always the siren call of not having to pack and unpack, teasty dinner is ready and the wine is poured,  bedroom tidy etc. Still, you make good points nedeed. Thank you and safe travels. (Are you in the area of Ontario currently in the deep freeze? We had wind chill of -27C last night).

[Barrheadlass]

21 hours ago, H2Otstr said:

We are booked for the Bordeaux area in March with Grand Circle. 

That’s the one I’m taking in October.  I hope to read what you think of it!

[Shmoo here]

On 11/21/2018 at 12:49 PM, Bake apple said:

What are your plans?

We've already booked a river cruise in June next year.

 

Personally, whether the cruise remains "all cruise", or has some bus trips as part of it, I'm fine.  I'm still on vacation, and seeing lots of interesting things that I don't usually see.