2020 Viking Romantic Danube

[SK]

Hello from SK, first time Viking River Cruisers. We're sailing May 2020 Nuremburg to Budapest on the Viking Longship Aegir   Planning a little ahead by starting this thread now.  We've recently enjoyed sailing on Viking Sky, Ocean Cruise to Norway, Faroe Islands and Iceland.  I'm hoping to hear from those who have been on river cruises, not necessarily Viking, and learn from the experience of others.  My first question regards river levels. From reading posts I've come to find out that if the levels are low, the river cruise may turn into a bus tour. It seems that the Danube has had problems this year.  Does anyone know about this? Looking forward to future conversations.

 

Helene & Steve

 

 

    

[lackcreativity]

Please don't think I am trying to scare you off of a river cruise, as we took that same one with Viking (and several Viking ocean cruises as well) and have loved all our cruises. However, I think a good traveler is one who is prepared for the good and the bad possibilities. Just like ocean cruises can be impacted by hurricanes and winds etc., so can river cruises be impacted by both low river levels and high water levels (can't get under the bridges). There is also the possibility of broken locks on the river that can cause a problem too. Also, I might as well mention rafting now, which is when a port has multiple ships tied up next to other ships, blocking off the view from the balcony for all passengers except the ones on the water side of the ship tied on the outside of the batch.

 

Some cruise lines have ships which can navigate through more shallow water than others. Viking has so many ships sailing on most rivers, that they deal with either high or low water with ship swaps. When that happens, you have to pack your bags before you leave on your excursion, and Viking will move you to the same room in an identical ship on the other side of the difficult stretch of water. Your excursion may involve more of  a bus ride than it would have originally, but in most cases it is not too inconvenient. Last summer was an extremely difficult season, and things were more trying than usual. Some passengers cope with such issues better than others, and I guess some cruise lines do as well. It is hard to predict when this will happen, because one good rain can change a lot.

 

We loved the Romantic Danube cruise. When you are in Passau, check the high water marks on the church in the town square. You will see how those rivers can create problems! Also, if you can, add on a stay in Prague. We did that, and it is now one of our favorite cities.

[Peregrina651]

There is a 2020 roll call for this itinerary. Roll calls for river cruises tend to be by year and itinerary rather than by sail date as on the ocean cruise:

All Viking 2020 Romantic Danube River Cruises

 

Also, you might want to read through the 2019 roll call for Romantic Danube, which you will find in the Viking Rivers Roll Call forum. You can even ask questions there. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/851-viking-river-roll-calls/

 

 

 

 

[SK]

Hello and thank you Lackcreativity and Perigrina 651. I appreciate both of your responses.  I did read some of the 2019 posts and that's why I asked about water levels.  We are well-traveled but new to cruising. So this year we were on the Celebrity Edge, Viking Sky and planning the Viking Aegir.  We really liked the Sky more than the Edge but wanted to experience a River Cruise.  We've been to all the ports of this itinerary with land travel and we're familiar with the hiccups that throw plans out of order.  I just wanted to hear the from experienced cruisers.  I know we will enjoy ourselves. I will check out the 2020 All Viking Romantic Danube Roll Call.  Again, Thank you! 

Helene 😃

[Peregrina651]

@notamermaid lives in Germany and does an annual thread about the various rivers. His information is always very helpful and his threads worth following. It is also worth the effort to read his 2018 Danube thread since water levels were historically low and the cruise lines were scrambling; if you want to know just how bad things can get and how the cruise lines meet the challenges, it is the thread to read.

Danube water levels 2019 and similar topics - plus tips and info 

Danube water levels 2018 and similar topics - plus tips and info

 

 

@G.M.T. is another who posts helpful information.

[notamermaid]

Hello Peregrina651,

Just saying hello to add for the record that I am a dainty little woman with a strange liking for steel and water levels. 'Laugh' Thank you for referring to the threads.

 

SK,

G.M.T. is our "man on the ground" in Passau and we are trying to keep people informed about the mighty river and its levels, mostly in Germany. Quite the job in 2018!

 

Happy to hear from you and others on the thread whenever you feel like joining in. Or just read along in the background, of course.

 

Right, back to my usual place.

 

Happy sailing everyone.

 

notamermaid

 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I am a dainty little woman with a strange liking for steel and water levels.

 

Many apologies!

[notamermaid]

10 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Many apologies!

Nah, don't worry about it.

notamermaid