Danube water levels 2020 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[shipster60]

We are cruising from Passat to Budepest Late March. Just booked as we switched from a China Itinerary. Haven’t had time to research water levels, so I happy to find this thread. Thanks Notamermaid. 

[notamermaid]

shipster60,

Happy to help. I am sorry to read that you - I presume - had to switch itineraries due to what is happening in China.

The Danube is a great river to explore, even if it is not exotic. From Passau, hmm, a European company?

 

notamermaid

 

[G.M.T.]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

shipster60,

Happy to help. I am sorry to read that you - I presume - had to switch itineraries due to what is happening in China.

The Danube is a great river to explore, even if it is not exotic. From Passau, hmm, a European company?

 

notamermaid

 

Notarmermaid, not exotic! I'll have to show you the places I know.

[notamermaid]

14 minutes ago, G.M.T. said:

Notarmermaid, not exotic! I'll have to show you the places I know.

Sounds ominous. Grin. But I think I know what you mean. Got some weird stuff around here, could call it exotic. And I do not mean the Thai restaurant. 😉 

 

I have just read that the Bavarian Forest has been put on level 2 alert for storms. Passau looks as if it will not have to brace a storm at this point in time - tourists will storm the town again from end of March.

 

Talking of storms. Carnival is coming up. Do you have the tradition of Rathaussturm in Passau?

 

notamermaid

 

[G.M.T.]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Talking of storms. Carnival is coming up. Do you have the tradition of Rathaussturm in Passau?

 

notamermaid

 

No Rathaussturmung here, only patches where Fasching is prevalent (based on the Mainzer tradition). Frankenland is the main Carnival area in Bavaria.

 

 

[VistaRio]

@G.M.T. 

G.M.T can I ask your advice?

 

I searched and there are quite a few good threads on my exact topic, which I am of course investigating, but I thought I would get a "current and personal" opinion.

 

My party will be arriving later in the year to MUC a few days early, and then heading to Passau to meet our Viking ship.  We are staying at the MUC airport hotel.  This is the proverbial "transfers are no longer included because of a deviation" issue. (Although I will give an effort to plead our case I expect to have to cover transfer ourselves). 

 

If traveling alone ... I would just get on the train in Freising.  Since our party is of various abilities and  inclinations, I think we need to hire a transfer service for 6 from MUC to the dock.  Truthfully there is some convenience built in to the option anyway.  From my research,  I am aware of several options that look good of various prices.  The question for you is do you have a specific recommendation?

 

Thank you!

 

 

[G.M.T.]

3 hours ago, VistaRio said:

@G.M.T. 

G.M.T can I ask your advice?

 

I searched and there are quite a few good threads on my exact topic, which I am of course investigating, but I thought I would get a "current and personal" opinion.

 

My party will be arriving later in the year to MUC a few days early, and then heading to Passau to meet our Viking ship.  We are staying at the MUC airport hotel.  This is the proverbial "transfers are no longer included because of a deviation" issue. (Although I will give an effort to plead our case I expect to have to cover transfer ourselves). 

 

If traveling alone ... I would just get on the train in Freising.  Since our party is of various abilities and  inclinations, I think we need to hire a transfer service for 6 from MUC to the dock.  Truthfully there is some convenience built in to the option anyway.  From my research,  I am aware of several options that look good of various prices.  The question for you is do you have a specific recommendation?

 

Thank you!

 

 

Sorry I can't help you with recommendations, as we always park at the airport.

 

These days you do not have to go to Freising to get the train. From the airport station take the regional train towards Regensburg, change at Landshut for the Passau train, no need to change platforms. At Passau main station there are elevators at each platform, taxis available outside.

 

I think your best solution would be a van for all of your party.

[VistaRio]

Thanks GMT.

 

A van (for 6) looks to be between 300-600 Euro with the benefit of "door to dock".  If It truly is closer to 300 then we will probably go that route.  I will also take a look at the Landshut connection.  For some reason I had thought that you either had to board in Freising or train  to Munich proper then head out to Passau.

 

Thanks.

[G.M.T.]

1 hour ago, VistaRio said:

Thanks GMT.

 

A van (for 6) looks to be between 300-600 Euro with the benefit of "door to dock".  If It truly is closer to 300 then we will probably go that route.  I will also take a look at the Landshut connection.  For some reason I had thought that you either had to board in Freising or train  to Munich proper then head out to Passau.

 

Thanks.

You are correct that you had to either go to Munich or Freising to get the train to Passau, but in 2018 a spur was built between Freising and Munich that branched off to the airport.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neufahrn_Link

[shipster60]

19 hours ago, notamermaid said:

shipster60,

Happy to help. I am sorry to read that you - I presume - had to switch itineraries due to what is happening in China.

The Danube is a great river to explore, even if it is not exotic. From Passau, hmm, a European company?

 

notamermaid

 

Sorry about the bad spelling. I should never do this on my phone. Yes, our cruise was cancelled due to Coronavirus. We will be on Viking. We chose this itinerary because we can leave in March on the same dates we had set aside for the other cruise. We’re doing 3 days pre cruise in Prague. I know it’s variable, but what weather should we expect?

[Aulanis]

On 1/4/2020 at 9:38 PM, notamermaid said:

Hello everyone,

 

here is the thread on the Danube for 2020.

Thank-you for doing this again this year- I only just looked  as someone added some Christmas Market links to my

spreadsheet for the  All Viking Romantic Danube cruises 2020.   I will add a link to this thread  which was

so useful for members in  previous years.

Regards

David

[notamermaid]

On 2/15/2020 at 5:32 AM, shipster60 said:

Sorry about the bad spelling. I should never do this on my phone. Yes, our cruise was cancelled due to Coronavirus. We will be on Viking. We chose this itinerary because we can leave in March on the same dates we had set aside for the other cruise. We’re doing 3 days pre cruise in Prague. I know it’s variable, but what weather should we expect?

shipster60,

I know what you mean with the spelling on phones, don't worry about it. My stubborn smartphone took a long time to accept that I mean Maxau on the Rhine, not Macau.

 

But to your question: the weather can be really varied at that time of year, so I join in with the common chorus saying "dress in layers".😃

 

When I went beginning of April we had had snowfall two days before I arrived in Passau, it was cold. On the return leg from Budapest it was sunny and about 15 degrees. Your temperature may span from zero at night on one day to 20 Celsius in the afternoon on another. I find accuweather.com quite good for planning, but tend to use wetter online for looking up daily info (in German).

 

A note on Viking and the itinerary: I find it smart thinking of the company to start in Passau rather than Nuremberg or Straubing as it avoids the low water area. They might not do it for that reason alone, but it is good anyway. Hope it gives you time to explore the beautiful town. A bit of advice if I may when exploring in a group: I have heard a tiny rumour that the Passau people are not so happy with the huge red Viking umbrellas these days, so if you want to pretend you are not in the group invest in a smaller foldable one that fits in a bag. Perhaps in a local shop? It would make G.M.T. happi(er). 😃 

 

Anyway, have a great time with our without umbrella. Budapest is amazing, I would love to go back.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, Aulanis said:

Thank-you for doing this again this year- I only just looked  as someone added some Christmas Market links to my

spreadsheet for the  All Viking Romantic Danube cruises 2020.   I will add a link to this thread  which was

so useful for members in  previous years.

Regards

David

Hello David. Thank you, happy to help. A spreadsheet, that sounds a great planning help. Really nice of you to do this for the roll call.

 

It is early in the year and we have no idea what the river levels will be like when the cruises start. Right now things look okay on the German Danube - just some minor flooding here and there along the river and in the catchment area in reaction to the rain during storm Victoria (Dennis in the UK where it wreaked havoc).

 

For those who want to follow the situation themselves on an official website, here is the one for Germany: https://www.bafg.de/EN/06_Info_Service/01_WaterLevels/waterlevels_node.html 

If you have any questions as how to read the map, ask away, I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

David, have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[shipster60]

shipster60,
I know what you mean with the spelling on phones, don't worry about it. My stubborn smartphone took a long time to accept that I mean Maxau on the Rhine, not Macau.
 
But to your question: the weather can be really varied at that time of year, so I join in with the common chorus saying "dress in layers".[emoji2]
 
When I went beginning of April we had had snowfall two days before I arrived in Passau, it was cold. On the return leg from Budapest it was sunny and about 15 degrees. Your temperature may span from zero at night on one day to 20 Celsius in the afternoon on another. I find accuweather.com quite good for planning, but tend to use wetter online for looking up daily info (in German).
 
A note on Viking and the itinerary: I find it smart thinking of the company to start in Passau rather than Nuremberg or Straubing as it avoids the low water area. They might not do it for that reason alone, but it is good anyway. Hope it gives you time to explore the beautiful town. A bit of advice if I may when exploring in a group: I have heard a tiny rumour that the Passau people are not so happy with the huge red Viking umbrellas these days, so if you want to pretend you are not in the group invest in a smaller foldable one that fits in a bag. Perhaps in a local shop? It would make G.M.T. happi(er). [emoji2] 
 
Anyway, have a great time with our without umbrella. Budapest is amazing, I would love to go back.
 
notamermaid
 

Thanks so much for your reply. I always take a travel umbrella so I’ll be sure to use mine[emoji16]


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[bvm49]

notamermaid: thank you for doing this thread. We're doing the 14 night Budapest to Amsterdam on Monarch Princess departing April 26th.

Brian 

[notamermaid]

Hello bvm49,

my pleasure. So you will be sailing with Gate1 on one of AvalonWaterways' "exes". The Monarch Princess, built in 2009, was the Avalon Creativity. That is not a bad thing at all, an older ship I mean, I sailed on an ex-Avalon: the MS Belvedere was built in 2005 and called Avalon Poetry. I loved it!

 

To be honest, I do not think the two ships are that old, currently docked in Linz in Austria is the Theodor Körner, built in 1965!

 

Have a great cruise traversing Europe.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It may still be quiet on the Danube but there is one ship sailing that has caught my attention. It is called Argocasco on marinetraffic.com. Currently sailing towards Passau, she is a pushboat pushing a precious river cruise cargo: the hull of the Annabelle. This is what we in German call a Kaskotransport. The Annabelle cannot propel by herself yet so she is being pushed by the boat from Serbia to Straubing where another pushboat will take over. Eventually the hull will reach Boven-Hardinxveld in the Netherlands where the Annabelle will be outfitted. She is another Scylla ship.

 

The fabulous guys (and girls) on Binnenschifferforum.de are my teachers for all things technical and technical terms, by the way. They also regularly do ship spotting.

 

The Annabelle is not the last ship to come from Serbia this year. The guys at Vahali shipyard are busy with the "Spirit of the Rhine" for Saga (a UK operator).

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Coronavirus along the Danube

 

With Deutsche Welle saying that Austria's officials have confirmed 27 cases in the country, let us have a look. This the health ministry website: https://www.sozialministerium.at/Informationen-zum-Coronavirus/Neuartiges-Coronavirus-(2019-nCov).html 

It is interesting to note that they give the number of people they have tested. According to AGES (disease control) 15 of those are in Vienna.

 

If you would like to follow this up, please use the website given above or the EU or WHO websites.

 

In Bavaria cases have risen, as of last night there are 22 new cases since Thursday. Note that all those that go back to a visit by a Chinese visitor in early February have recovered. They are all together in the total figure of 48.

 

Next, onto something more joyous.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

A very popular port along the Danube Northern routes is Regensburg. If you have not been yet or would like to relieve memories, here is a picture gallery by Deutsche Welle: https://www.dw.com/en/ten-reasons-for-regensburg/g-52552977

 

Starting your river cruise in Vilshofen or further downstream? If you fly in at Munich you could try and plan in a pre-cruise stay - or post-cruise stay if flying out of Munich of course.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

While travel between Germany and Austria is not restricted yet as far as I know, a river stop in Vienna could prove a disappointment as many museums and other attractions are closed. Here is an article in German: https://wien.orf.at/stories/3038447/ 

Among those mentioned are the new Albertina modern, the Prater museum and Schönbrunn Palace. The cathedral is only open for worship.

 

Concerts and other events are also much reduced.

 

The situation will remain as it is until 5 April for the most part.

 

Completely closed for the time being is Melk Abbey, see here: https://www.stiftmelk.at/en/ 

 

Is there much point in doing a river cruise before 6 April on the Danube?

 

I would cancel and claim some money back, which admittedly German law is a bit more favourable for than some other countries.

 

notamermaid

 

[hernstro]

Thank you, Notamermaid, for your helpful insight. It is good to hear from someone in Europe who can provide a glimpse as to what precautions are being made.

 

We are scheduled to arrive in Prague on April 5, then board Scenic Crystal on 4/8 in Nuremberg, disembarking in Budapest. While we are sure Scenic would do everything in their power to make this a worthwhile experience,  many things would be beyond their control.

 

Any information from others in Prague, Germany, Austria or Hungary would be appreciated. Our window to cancel or reschedule closes on 3/21.

[notamermaid]

hernstro,

glad to be of help. What I know is that the Czech Republic is getting quite anxious about people entering the country. There are border checks on the ground now, i.e. incoming people from Germany. I would try and get more info as regards planes into the Czech Republic and also tourism restrictions within Prague. I keep tracking the Deutsche Welle Top Stories in English, so much info on travel too much to mention.

 

I did a random but targeted search for you and found disturbing news: https://www.praguemorning.cz/czech-republic-state-of-emergency/ 

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[hernstro]

Really appreciate your contributions. This information is extremely telling, and it will benefit many who have hard decisions that need to be made about their upcoming trips.

[notamermaid]

What about German river cruise ships?

 

It has proven difficult to readily find info on cancellations and refunds. A few companies have published measures to ensure the utmost safety and comfort of their passengers on their respective websites.

 

This is the first article I have been able to find in German which gives good info about specifically the Danube situation: https://www.vienna.at/flusskreuzfahrten-auf-der-donau-werden-planmaessig-durchgefuehrt/6551902 

 

There have been cancellations beyond the complete cancellations by Viking, but Arosa are running the cruises as scheduled - for the time being.

 

Important sentence in the article is that it is possible to prohibit river cruises in Austria (and Germany as I understand it) by order of the health ministry, here are the exact words in German: "Eine Sperre wäre durch eine Verordnung des Gesundheitsministeriums möglich."

 

notamermaid

 

[banditoo]

11 hours ago, hernstro said:

Thank you, Notamermaid, for your helpful insight. It is good to hear from someone in Europe who can provide a glimpse as to what precautions are being made.

 

We are scheduled to arrive in Prague on April 5, then board Scenic Crystal on 4/8 in Nuremberg, disembarking in Budapest. While we are sure Scenic would do everything in their power to make this a worthwhile experience,  many things would be beyond their control.

 

Any information from others in Prague, Germany, Austria or Hungary would be appreciated. Our window to cancel or reschedule closes on 3/21.

hernstro

I am chiming in here as a healthcare provider in British Columbia Canada as I see you are Canadian. Effective today British Columbia and Canada have issued a travel advisory against any travel outside Canada. This will likely void any travel medical insurance you have outside of the country as the situation would have been in effect before you commenced travel. Effective today BC has implemented 14 day quarantine/self isolation for anyone returning from travel outside Canada. It would not be surprising to see other provinces follow suit shortly. Yesterday USA implemented a non acceptance of travelers from Europe; possibly Canada could follow suit. Most public events or sites across North America (sports, theater, amusement parks, Disneyland etc.) are being cancelled. These are unprecedented situations and decisions being made. Pretty risky time to be traveling abroad for many reasons.