Danube water levels 2022 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[CPT Trips]

Some fun reads if one searches on “history of rainmakers in US.”

[Host Jazzbeau]

When the actual-rainmaking schemes didn't work out, the 'rainmakers' migrated to Wall Street where they have become very rich as law firm partners.  🤣

[Canal archive]

Never tried rainmaking but dousing is fun.

[notamermaid]

Thanks for the rain dances and rain making implements and the dousing idea. I think we will have to use the beer garden method* as well. Pfelling gauge has dropped to 239cm but it has been even lower this morning so perhaps we will see an effect from rain later in the day.

 

*beer is too valuable to pour into the Danube directly so drink lots of it in beer gardens lined along the river...

 

notamermaid

 

[mrbmcb]

On 7/19/2022 at 4:32 PM, TAC1582 said:

I'm on the Viking Romantic Danube cruise thes Sunday. I was just notified that the cruise will start in Passau instead of Regensburg. Busses wii take people to Regensburg on day 2 for shore excursions. Day 3 will be in Passau as normally scheduled. (See below). Hopefully the rest of the cruise to Budapest will go on with no other disruptions.

--‐-------------

Due to low water levels on the Danube River near Passau, your ship will be unable to reach its regular embarkation port in Regensburg and you will now embark in Passau (75 miles east of Regensburg). As a result of these changes, we have made the following adjustments to your program:

Day 1:	On arrival at the airport on Day 1 of your itinerary, please collect your luggage, exit customs and find the airport representative in the arrivals area for transfer to your ship. If you are already in Europe traveling independently or are unable to locate the Representative, proceed to the regular docking location for transfer to your ship.
Day 2:	Transfer by motorcoach to your shore excursions in Regensburg.
Day 3:	Resume previously advised itinerary.

For guests joining us on our pre-trip extension
For guests joining us for our pre-trip extension, you will be transferred to your ship at the new docking location on Day 1 of your main itinerary.

My wife and I are on the same Viking Romantic Danube cruise beginning August 7.  I am assuming we will get the same notice regarding starting in Passau.  Curious how your experience has been.  We would prefer to just spend time in Passau instead of busing to Regensburg - I am assuming Viking allows for that.  Were there any other transfers required via bus or just the Regensburg to Passau leg?   I hope your cruise has been enjoyable despite the low water issue.  Thanks for any information or tips you can provide.

[steamboats]

At least we had some more raindrops last night and during the morning. But I doubt that this will help much. It would need a couple of days of rain to get the Danube river significantly up.

 

And I don´t think we want that kind of rain we had in the Ahrtal about a year ago.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

I see on the map that rain was forecast for Munich during today, but more was due to fall further up the Isar and along the border with Austria. That looks pretty useless to me and Pfelling has shown no signs of reacting with a discernible upward trend to any rain. For now, I will concentrate a little on the Rhine where - let us say - the situation is a bit more undecided as regards sailing. The Danube in Bavaria is pretty clearly beyond all of that* this week. In this heat with nature all dry getting 30cm into the gauge at Pfelling is quite a task. And as you hint at this is not something we would want the rivers to accomplish in a day.

 

notamermaid

 

*good sailing for 135m ships

 

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by notamermaid
clarification

[notamermaid]

I have had a look at the docking situation in Passau. The town is really busy. Ships - this afternoon the Viking Ingvi - also dock in the district of Lindau. For convenience for sightseeing In Passau a shuttle is certainly a good idea:

 

notamermaid

 

[Haqdeluxe]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

I have had a look at the docking situation in Passau. The town is really busy. Ships - this afternoon the Viking Ingvi - also dock in the district of Lindau. For convenience for sightseeing In Passau a shuttle is certainly a good idea:

 

notamermaid

 

Our first time in Passau was on Viking and we were heading towards Bratislava... seem to recall docking where the Scenic Amber appears to be, just outside of town enough to need a bus ride.

[rcaruso]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I have had a look at the docking situation in Passau. The town is really busy. Ships - this afternoon the Viking Ingvi - also dock in the district of Lindau. For convenience for sightseeing In Passau a shuttle is certainly a good idea:

 

notamermaid

 

Been to Lindau, got off ship in Lindau last year on Danube Waltz.  There is a german bus that stops there and a grocery store.  Was a little disappointed as we expected to walk to the train station from the dock right in Passau.  Ended up having a taxi called--not very expensive.

 

 

[drisro1]

IF I have the right link to Pfelling gauge it looks like quite a rise to 273, presumably from the rain a day or two ago? Hoping for more rain

[notamermaid]

19 minutes ago, drisro1 said:

IF I have the right link to Pfelling gauge it looks like quite a rise to 273, presumably from the rain a day or two ago? Hoping for more rain

Correct! I was pleased to see that earlier today. The river still manages to surprise me around Pfelling, I expected no more than 260cm. There is the possibility that the several locks and dams further upstream play a part in this kind of rise, i.e. they let more water through rather retaining it to keep those stretches more navigable. Whatever the combination of dam and rain may be, it looks good 🙂. Question is: may a large ship ride on this wave and get through the low stretch? And of course when will Pfelling peak? It looks as if the crest of the wave is now just a little further upstream at Pflatter so I do not expect the good-ish figures to last.

 

Just a small request: should I be absent from this thread for a bit and you, drisro1 or the others using a gauge website, feel like bringing good (or bad) news from Pfelling gauge etc. please go ahead. Good for me to have a "Verschnaufpause"*. 🙂 The heat is getting to me.

 

*A nice little German word to say you need to pause an activity to catch your breath.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

[allenknox]

Is there anyone out there that is on the River Splendor, Vantage cruise lines, right now?  And if so, what are they telling you about the water levels from Budapest eastward?  Have a cruise scheduled and was looking to see if the water is navigable on the Budapest to Bucharest route.

[CastleCritic]

1 hour ago, allenknox said:

Is there anyone out there that is on the River Splendor, Vantage cruise lines, right now?  And if so, what are they telling you about the water levels from Budapest eastward?  Have a cruise scheduled and was looking to see if the water is navigable on the Budapest to Bucharest route.

Can't quite meet that ask but I was watching Amaverde come up from Romania the last week, she made Budapest over the weekend (and is now heading into Austria).

 

Oddly the large (twice as wide)  ship for that cruise line (Amamagna) never made it to Budapest from the other (Bratislava) direction last week.  She stopped about an hour bus out in Hungary (further than where I was dropped off in 2019 and it was an hour) before starting her next cruise back to Germany a day or two ago (she's in Vienna now).

[drisro1]

Also, cruise mapper shows a 135 m ship MS Amadeus Silver III moving from Vilshofen towards Deggendorf, first ship I have seen in that stretch for the last week or so. Two others ships now also in that stretch. Either the gauge is broken or there is much more water, currently stating 286🤞

[notamermaid]

The Amadeus Silver III has just gone past Deggendorf towards Straubing, that means she will be passing Pfelling soon. I think she is attempting the passage, all her 135m . The Geoffrey Chaucer (135m) is on her way to Deggendorf and the Esprit (110m) is following her. See them on the map screenshot from top to bottom (green arrows):

 

Exciting! Who will be where tomorrow?

 

You can try to see on: https://www.vesselfinder.com/

 

Pfatter looks to have peaked, Pfelling is at 286cm and may level off soon.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Oh my, drisro1, we had the same thoughts, thanks for your post, beat me by two minutes .

 

notamermaid

 

[mrschiefopd]

We are scheduled on the Viking Jarl departing on August 21st from Budapest.  We live outside of St. Louis, MO USA.  Yesterday our house received 12-13 inches of rain in an eight hour period breaking all previous records.  Fortunately only a little water got into our basement on the concrete portion.  No carpet or walls were damaged.  Many people near us weren't as lucky.  We are trying to send some water (not a foot) toward the Danube.  We will make the best of the cruise and have an enjoyable time no matter if it's by boat or bus.  We will be on vacation.  

Edited July 27, 2022 by mrschiefopd

[steamboats]

@Seattle1964 I once got stuck in Paducah, Kentucky, for three days... Much better to go by bus.

 

My shortest river cruise ever was lasting on for 23 hours from Passau with a stop in Dürnstein and then we ended up in Vienna. When we left Passau I pointed out the place where we had parked the car for unloading our luggage. It was already flooded. So the rest of the cruise was a bus trip to Bratislava, an overnight bus trip to Budapest, more tours in Vienna and finally a bus trip back to Passau. The crew and the captain gave their very best. But that´s part of river cruising - you can´t beat mother nature!!

 

steamboats

[braemar12]

I will be going on the Amadeus Silver iii next Sunday. It will be interesting to see if she will be in Cologne next Sunday - this cruise is expected to go down the Rhine, to Rudesheim then along the Main/Danube to Miltenberg/Wertheim, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Passau. Hopefully it will go according to schedule.

[dmrbmr]

7 hours ago, braemar12 said:

I will be going on the Amadeus Silver iii next Sunday. It will be interesting to see if she will be in Cologne next Sunday - this cruise is expected to go down the Rhine, to Rudesheim then along the Main/Danube to Miltenberg/Wertheim, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Passau. Hopefully it will go according to schedule.

Hope the water levels lets you enjoy your cruise. My wife and I where to leave tomorrow the 29th but it was canceled until next June with Vantage

[drisro1]

Level at Pfelling gauge at 260. Went up fast after last rain, from about 230 to 288 at 1:30 am, then fell fast to 260 now. Saw several ships passing the low area Straubing-Vilshofen earlier today, none at the moment. Looks like some rain moving in to the watershed of upper Danube, lets hope that helps.

[Seattle1964]

8 hours ago, braemar12 said:

Hopefully it will go according to schedule.

Things are looking better today than just 3 days ago and the Amadeus Silver III  is underway just east of Regensburg.  I think it may be unladen as it's current draught is reported as 150cm, but I'm just guessing and assuming that's accurate.  In any event, there are ships of that class navigating the region you detailed and if things don't get worse, the only iffy section will be Regensburg to Passau.  Anything can happen in those two weeks, though, but it does look promising at this juncture.  I have no crystal ball and not nearly the experience of people in this forum like @notamermaid or @Steamboat, but if it was me, I would be a bit relieved that you're starting in Cologne and not planning on going past Passau. To some extent, they have options with the locks north/east of Passau.

[Seattle1964]

1 hour ago, dmrbmr said:

Hope the water levels lets you enjoy your cruise. My wife and I where to leave tomorrow the 29th but it was canceled until next June with Vantage

Denny, I'm guessing you were to be on the River Splendor from Budapest to Bucharest.

Splendor is no longer holed up in Regensburg and is slated to be in Enns (just SW of Linz) instead of Budapest on the 29th.  In any event, sorry your trip was cancelled and I hope they treated you better than they did us (five in all).  I'll never use Vantage, again.

[steamboats]

@Seattle1964 I think I was less focused on food than other activities like an armadillo race 😂! BTW I purchased a Steiff armadillo later... and still have it.

 

But back to the Danube river. There´s is some rain in the forecast but not really much. It may basically help to water the soil but won´t do much for the rivers. I also expect the Pfelling gauge to fall again as the rain which made it rise will only cause a temporarily rise. We´re expecting another heat wave next week.

 

In Saxonia there are large wild fires. The helicopters are taking on water from the Elbe river (and the Elbe is on an extreme low too). The Czechs even opened up their reservoirs to help with some water. The wild fires are also on the Czech side. There are more wild fires in Germany in the state of Brandenburg. Just to show how dry it is and everyone is waiting for rain. The Elbe paddlesteamers are on an emergency plan - only one itinerary is up and sightseeing only. The paddlewheelers of Dresden are the last ones to stop as they have an extreme low draft.

 

steamboats