Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[Host Jazzbeau]

@Redbett I don't know what Australian television is like.  In the US, in addition to the commercial stations we have a network called 'public television' that runs disguised commercials for their 'sponsors.'  Viking underwrites some very popular public-tv programs, leading many people who didn't even know river cruising was a thing to assume that Viking is the only river cruise line.  Seems to be working for them...  

 

But there are many, many other river cruise lines – each of which has many devoted fans.  I'm not sure why Avalon is mentioned infrequently , but those who travel with them seem to have a good time and report that they offer good value.  If you were able to book with no single supplement, that assures great value!  I'm sure you will have a great cruise.

[worldtraveller99]

We travelled on the River Main (another Christmas Market cruise) with Avalon some years ago, and had a really fun time. The other travellers were really lovely, and the tours were good too. Food was great (except the afternoon tea cakes - really dry, and not worth rushing back early for).

[FirstTimeCruiser2002]

We are currently on a Viking Grand European.

 

Thank you for keeping us up to date on the River Levels.

 

we are on the Vali. We were supposed to be on the Tir but because of river levels the Tir was in Budapest and the Vali was in Amsterdam.

 

We had our tour yesterday in the morning and were back on board for lunch. The original plan was for us to tour in the afternoon.

 

They did this because we needed to get through the locks quickly or we would have to change ships.

 

They told us, the people that are one day behind us won’t make it. It took us forever to dock, so we can pick up the other passengers.

 

We were in Regensburg.

 

Hopefully they get some rain soon!!
 

Its been very sunny and warmish.

[FirstTimeCruiser2002]

They are setting up Christmas Markets everywhere though. It’s beautiful!!

[Redbett]

@Host Jazzbeau thanks for your response. 

Our public broadcaster is the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) much like BBC in the UK. There are no commercials, disguised or not! Least it be accused of illicit payments.

I’m certain I’ll find the trip enjoyable.
BTW the fare wasn’t quite the pp price, there was a percentage increase, understandable when they could potentially fill the cabin with two passengers. 
 

[notamermaid]

15 hours ago, Redbett said:

Hi, my very first post here!

I’ve booked my first cruise ever for August next year on the Rhine. I’m cruising with Avalon from Amsterdam to Basel.

Welcome to Cruisecritic. Amsterdam to Basel is a great route for an introduction to river cruising. May I recommend the stickies (pinned threads) at the top of the river cruising board for lots of info? Also, perhaps you fancy joining or starting a roll call for your cruise.

 

Viking has so many ships on the rivers that naturally you hear a lot about the company but in low water the problems with cruising tend to arise just that tiny bit earlier with Viking than with Avalonwaterways. It adds to the volume of Viking being mentioned.

 

We have a thread for things relating to Avalonwaterways: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2268322-all-things-avalon/page/69/#comment-64289670

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

[retiredawacs]

19 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Welcome to Cruisecritic. Amsterdam to Basel is a great route for an introduction to river cruising. May I recommend the stickies (pinned threads) at the top of the river cruising board for lots of info? Also, perhaps you fancy joining or starting a roll call for your cruise.

 

Viking has so many ships on the rivers that naturally you hear a lot about the company but in low water the problems with cruising tend to arise just that tiny bit earlier with Viking than with Avalonwaterways. It adds to the volume of Viking being mentioned.

 

We have a thread for things relating to Avalonwaterways: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2268322-all-things-avalon/page/69/#comment-64289670

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

notamermaid

 

I've browsed through this thread and find it interesting. My wife and I are sailing on our first river cruise in two weeks. Viking Mani A-B. What are the water levels forecasted  for Nov 25-Dec 2?

 

Also, weather forecasts for that time frame?

 

Thanks for all you do here on CC

Eric

[notamermaid]

On 11/12/2022 at 12:23 PM, FirstTimeCruiser2002 said:

We had our tour yesterday in the morning and were back on board for lunch. The original plan was for us to tour in the afternoon.

 

They did this because we needed to get through the locks quickly or we would have to change ships.

 

They told us, the people that are one day behind us won’t make it. It took us forever to dock, so we can pick up the other passengers.

Thank you for saying hello from your cruise. Glad it worked out for you with staying on the same ship. Unfortunately the levels on the Danube did not improve for the ships following yours.

 

The Rhine is still okay and to be honest, I do not expect any real problems here for the rest of the year. But you never know with the rivers.

 

The warm weather has now gone and today the temperature barely went over ten degrees Celsius. But after the mist cleared it was a beautiful day. And the sunset was lovely again.

 

Hope your journey continues as planned, I read that the Christmas market in Budapest on Vörösmarty Tér has already opened!

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, retiredawacs said:

What are the water levels forecasted  for Nov 25-Dec 2?

I am afraid that the time frame is too far out really for specific figures. For the shipping industry there is a probability pie chart scheme but for river cruising I do not find it helpful at all. The 14-day forecast for Kaub is favourable so I do not see low water as much of a problem now for this year (see my comment in the previous post). Over 110cm for your time frame is my guess, which would of course be enough for sailing uninterrupted. I would say five days before your cruise we will have a good idea what to expect.

 

Now, to flooding. That is a possibility but in these current conditions very unlikely. For that we look at Maxau, which is near Karlsruhe and there the forecast shows no rise of significance for the next ten days.

 

Weather. Hmm, cool and potentially a bit rainy. No snow of note. Night frosts are possible, temperatures usually above freezing during the day but below 12 degrees Celsius. Chilly winds but no big storms. Weather prediction models say that there may be a change in the weather next week and if that happens we may see snow in the valley.

 

Current forecast for Mannheim

 

I like accuweather for forecasts as well.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by notamermaid
grammar

[retiredawacs]

7 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I am afraid that the time frame is too far out really for specific figures. For the shipping industry there is a probability pie chart scheme but for river cruising I do not find it helpful at all. The 14-day forecast for Kaub is favourable so I do not see low water as much of a problem now for this year (see my comment in the previous post). Over 110cm for your time frame is my guess, which would of course be enough for sailing uninterrupted. I would say five days before your cruise we will have a good idea what to expect.

 

Now, to flooding. That is a possibility but in these current conditions very unlikely. For that we look at Maxau, which is near Karlsruhe and there the forecast shows no rise of significance for the next ten days.

 

Weather. Hmm, cool and potentially a bit rainy. No snow of note. Night frosts are possible, temperatures usually above freezing during the day but below 12 degrees Celsius. Chilly winds but no big storms. Weather prediction models say that there may be a change in the weather next week and if that happens we may see snow in the valley.

 

Current forecast for Mannheim

 

I like accuweather for forecasts as well.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you for your quick response and very helpful information, I really appreciate all your wonderful post and information.

[Drinkpackageplease]

If all goes well, we depart tomorrow for Basel.  Rhine looking good for the rest of Nov. 

 

Lots of rain in the forecast the next week.  Bringing our umbrellas and positive attitudes.  

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, Drinkpackageplease said:

If all goes well, we depart tomorrow for Basel. 

Thank you for the graph. Hope you have a good trip and start to your river cruise. All looking good for water levels, umbrellas it will need to be - or hoods.

 

Markets all setting up and ready to go either this weekend - with the before mentioned exception on Sunday of the Dead - or next week.

 

Flu and covid going round, boss phoned me this morning asking me to come in on Friday for an additional shift as people are ill so I am needed. A busy Christmas season coming up in more ways than one. My excitement is not really here yet for glühwein and co.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Christmas markets in Trier and Koblenz have opened today and I have watched the first video footage of both (TV news report). Nice. Saving energy means that lights are reduced and Trier is closing an hour earlier than in past years.

 

River levels looking good and we may get the first snow in Rhineland-Palatinate overnight, but if so only in the high Westerwald hills, probably above 500m altitude. Snow is more likely to fall in Hesse and further East, also perhaps in the hills near the Danube.

 

Planning a trip into the hills on Sunday. But first, the second part of my trip to Königswinter.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A day trip to Königswinter part 2

continued from post #1111

 

The restaurant we chose is called Jules Verne and has a French theme, specifically coastal, hence the name. The proprietors gave it the name also because French writers came to the town of Königswinter and were inspired by the river, for example Victor Hugo.

Here is the menu with the info:

 

 

I can well imagine that they intended this play on words: Geschichte is history and Häppchen is something small as well as a small thing to eat, like an appetizer or finger food. Bite-sized history, I suppose could work in English. Anyway, the food. I chose a Croque Monsieur:

I really enjoyed what I got for the price. Not perfect, but recommended nevertheless. A good quick lunch.

 

This is the (coffee)bar area:

Notice the walls, they have left them without wallpaper and no new lick of paint. I liked the "faded glory" effect.

 

Time to go to the museum via the Rhine embankment. The tram heading North:

 

You can see that the line is right at the embankment. And a bit further on are the landing stages for the excursion boats and the ferry:

Beyond the raised platform for the tram is the "Moby Dick" sailing past. Yes, that  weird blue construction is a boat named after the whale that swam in the Rhine, the animal was nicknamed after the one in the famous book. Right next to it is the ferry "Rheinnixe" and there is also a barge in the background.

 

The museum:

You may (or may not) wonder what a cheap-looking plastic donkey statue is doing standing in front of this Baroque townhouse. I will explain in a next post.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by notamermaid

[FirstTimeCruiser2002]

On 11/13/2022 at 3:08 PM, notamermaid said:

Hope your journey continues as planned, I read that the Christmas market in Budapest on Vörösmarty Tér has already opened!

yes, they were! We bought some stuff. The huge market in Budapest opens today.

 

we had lots of fog but for the most part days were warm and beautiful!
 

They never mentioned any problems along the Rhine or Main rivers. Only one part of the Danube. Where it joins the Main, at the turn.

[FirstTimeCruiser2002]

For those who are wondering. If your cruise starts in Budapest, it’s extremely inexpensive there. Buy what you want. Amsterdam is fairly expensive.

For those who start in Amsterdam, buy what you want but the end of your trip with be much less expensive.

 

That’s for those who are taking the Viking GE.

 

My best example is in Amsterdam a tourist T-shirt cost $25-$30

In Budapest it was $5-less than $20

[notamermaid]

It has been a cold day today and we did get snow in the high hills in North Rhine Westphalia. I think it just missed Rhineland-Palatinate (more or less), having drifted from the Northwest towards the Southeast via Hesse.

 

Due to the rain and a bit of storm - finally - the trees have lost a lot of leaves.

 

But the Christmas lights will brighten up places from Monday.

 

River levels are rising but Maxau in the Upper Rhine valley has already peaked. It is likely to remain at a good, not high, level for some time, meaning there should be plenty of water for the Rhine Gorge into the beginning of December.

 

notamermaid

 

[AWD Cruiser]

We really enjoy reading your posts about Germany and river cruising. We're cruising on the Rhine and Main this year - Dec. 4 and are hoping the water levels will hold. On last year's cruise, we were diverted from Koblenz down the Moselle and back to Koblenz and had to debark in Mannheim instead of Basel. Our news says the Christmas lights might not be on as late this year, but we don't stay up late enough for it to affect us, anyway. Thanks for all your help.    

 

[notamermaid]

Thank you for saying hello, happy to read you enjoy the thread.

 

4 hours ago, AWD Cruiser said:

On last year's cruise, we were diverted from Koblenz down the Moselle and back to Koblenz and had to debark in Mannheim instead of Basel.

Not wanting to sound overly nerdy but it is up the Moselle. A pity you could not sail the Rhine all the way to Basel. Will you be doing this stretch this year or is it just a short bit on the Rhine?

 

The water levels look to be really pleasant well into December, a bit on the low side for barges put no problem for river cruise ships. The Main will be okay then as well, with all the locks. Have you had a look at the thread on the Main? Some good info but not about the markets in there. I had the idea to put all the Christmas markets enthusiasm into one special thread and I am happy to see that it has proved popular. Fun to see all the photos. If you would like to send us a message from the Main especially do say hello in that thread.

 

I have read myself that some markets will turn off the lights earlier than usual but it should not be too noticeable, like you say. I am wondering really if castles and other sights will have the spotlights turned off. A tourist sight near me (not a castle) has them off. That would be a pity as that is something you would notice seeing that it is dark by quarter to five in the afternoon.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The water levels along the Rhine are still pleasant, not too low or too high for river cruising. It has been raining but the trend at Kaub is for the level to go down. Currently at 154cm, the forecast suggests 140cm to 120cm as a high probability. But a figure of under 100cm is highly unlikely in the near future.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river level has gone down as forecast. Kaub is currently at 135cm. It has been raining but most of the precipitation in the last 24 hours actually has come down as snow even in the valley! Kaub is forecast to fall to below 130cm tomorrow and continue to go down. It could get as low as 110cm. But long term modelling suggests we will most likely see a rise next week.

 

A dusting of snow on my dustbins:

 

Okay, a bit more than that perhaps but I wanted to get the pun in. (sorry!)

 

notamermaid

 

[texasmomoftwo]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:29 AM, notamermaid said:

The river level has gone down as forecast. Kaub is currently at 135cm. It has been raining but most of the precipitation in the last 24 hours actually has come down as snow even in the valley! Kaub is forecast to fall to below 130cm tomorrow and continue to go down. It could get as low as 110cm. But long term modelling suggests we will most likely see a rise next week.

 

A dusting of snow on my dustbins:

 

Okay, a bit more than that perhaps but I wanted to get the pun in. (sorry!)

 

notamermaid

 

Hi notamermaid

 

i have been following for about a year.  So excited to report we will be on the Rhine in about a week.  (Actually nine days). When you say forecast is to fall , water levels still look good.  Yes?  Thanks! 

[KLRDUKS]

Yes, notamermaid, thank you so much for the updates. We will be on the AMA Sienna Amsterdam to Basel starting on 12/8. Then on the AMA Bella from Budapest to Vilshoffen with 3 days in Prague post-cruise starting 12/19. 

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, texasmomoftwo said:

When you say forecast is to fall , water levels still look good.  Yes?

Yes, all good for now. Kaub level running a little below the forecast all day today. Is stable though. 124cm. We can anticipate it getting lower than 120cm. Slight risk it will scratch the 100cm mark on Monday. Should rise after that low point, i.e. which ever figure it will be on Monday.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

3 hours ago, KLRDUKS said:

We will be on the AMA Sienna Amsterdam to Basel starting on 12/8. Then on the AMA Bella from Budapest to Vilshoffen with 3 days in Prague post-cruise starting 12/19. 

A double one. Great! Have you mentioned before how you will be getting from Basel to Budapest? I do not recall.

 

notamermaid

 

[texasmomoftwo]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

Yes, all good for now. Kaub level running a little below the forecast all day today. Is stable though. 124cm. We can anticipate it getting lower than 120cm. Slight risk it will scratch the 100cm mark on Monday. Should rise after that low point, i.e. which ever figure it will be on Monday.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

A double one. Great! Have you mentioned before how you will be getting from Basel to Budapest? I do not recall.

 

notamermaid

 

At one point do we get nervous about waterlevels?  100cm?  Hoping for no busses the end of next week!  Thanks

  (Rhine River from BSL to AMS)