Danube water levels 2023 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[Canal archive]

Well noticed, every one awake for my next boooboooo

 

The full report of the Ever Given is an interesting watch, our new shutters were on board so their installation got set back quite a bit.

[notamermaid]

Scenic Crystal is sailing towards Ybbs as I write. Logged into the AIS machine is Regensburg. While looking around marinetraffic I saw the Viking Modi marked as sailing towards Mauthausen/Enns with destination Amsterdam. A Grand European journey with passengers? Then the ship may be held up at Regensburg as well.

 

By the way, Bad Abbach lock, upstream from Regensburg, currently has the same notification as regards closure as Regensburg lock - 5 April.

 

Kelheim lock is also still closed as per notification by the authorities.

 

notamermaid

 

[Glen Lismore]

We are on the Scenic Crystal and they are putting everyone on buses who wish to stay with them, it will be hotels all the way to Amsterdam from Regensberg.  Many are choosing to end their trip at that point and chase refunds. Then make their own arrangements.  

[notamermaid]

27 minutes ago, Glen Lismore said:

We are on the Scenic Crystal and they are putting everyone on buses who wish to stay with them, it will be hotels all the way to Amsterdam from Regensberg.  Many are choosing to end their trip at that point and chase refunds. Then make their own arrangements.  

Thank you for getting back to us. It is sooo disappointing. And I can understand it if passengers are rather unhappy with this. Have you decided yet what you will be doing?

 

Do you know if Scenic has at least been able to arrange chartering an excursion boat to give you some sailing in the Rhine Gorge?

 

Not sure if it helps anyone, but here is the official data sheet detailing the closure: https://www.elwis.de/DE/dynamisch/mvc/main.php?modul=nfb&action=searchOne&LANGUAGE=DE&NFB_ID=2840/2022

 

notamermaid

 

[CastleCritic]

here is a...somewhat...English version of that...looks like the system did the translation

 

Title:

Blockage cause building work: blockage

https://www.elwis.de/DE/dynamisch/mvc/main.php?modul=nfb&action=searchOne&LANGUAGE=EN&NFB_ID=2840/2022

[notamermaid]

18 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

here is a...somewhat...English version of that...looks like the system did the translation

Thank you. Definitely a machine, but gets the message across. I would not translate "Sperre" as blockage but the end result is the same.

 

Had a look to see if Viking ships are already on the Grand European now but I could not match a ship with a date in March. The websites delete dates as soon as they have passed, at least where I looked.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you. Definitely a machine, but gets the message across. I would not translate "Sperre" as blockage but the end result is the same.

I would not translate "Capon" as "Gelding," as I saw on a Spanish menu – but the end result is the same there too!

[Glen Lismore]

On 3/31/2023 at 9:49 PM, notamermaid said:

Thank you for getting back to us. It is sooo disappointing. And I can understand it if passengers are rather unhappy with this. Have you decided yet what you will be doing?

 

Do you know if Scenic has at least been able to arrange chartering an excursion boat to give you some sailing in the Rhine Gorge?

 

Not sure if it helps anyone, but here is the official data sheet detailing the closure: https://www.elwis.de/DE/dynamisch/mvc/main.php?modul=nfb&action=searchOne&LANGUAGE=DE&NFB_ID=2840/2022

 

notamermaid

 

We are leaving the ship in Regensberg like many others, the idea of packing daily in motel rooms then travelling by bus is not for us, we are now heading to Cologne for an extended stay and the the same again in Amsterdam,  an no there was no offer for an extra bit of siteseeing cruise. 

[reeves35]

6 minutes ago, Glen Lismore said:

We are leaving the ship in Regensberg like many others, the idea of packing daily in motel rooms then travelling by bus is not for us, we are now heading to Cologne for an extended stay and the the same again in Amsterdam,  an no there was no offer for an extra bit of siteseeing cruise. 

What a disappointing outcome.  Like you, I have saved for a one-in-a-lifetime experience for our Travelmarvel cruise in August and would be shattered if it ended up like yours has.  I don't blame you for hopping off; you didn't pay the amount you have to do a bus tour. 

 

Hopefully, Scenic compensates you handsomely even though it won't overcome your disappointment but maybe you can try again sometime in the future though I assume you'll be looking at someone other than Scenic.

[Canal archive]

Trying to track vessels at the moment is interesting as more than a few have turned off their signals but it looks like Scenic Crystal is moored up with a couple of Viking vessels and just upstream of them are two (I think) of the ex Crystal vessels. I hope they all didn’t have passengers and I’m so surprised that Scenic could get into this debacle.

[notamermaid]

If I understand the rules correctly, the machines are not turned off while sailing, but I cannot be certain. There seem to be fewer or less strong masts (or whatever they are) for picking up the signals in some parts along the Danube in Bavaria and making them appear in real time on marinetraffic and others.

 

Thankfully, somewhat, the lock at Regensburg does not affect the docking there, that is on the other side of the Danube. It means that ships going upstream only need to go through the lock when they want to leave Regensburg for Kelheim and the Canal, etc. But if several ships need to wait a day or two for passage, then there will not be enough space at Regensburg I guess. Apart from the locks at Regensburg and Bad Abbach, a few more are not open yet in the Canal or on the Main, scheduled opening is tomorrow mostly, i.e. after the delay that was announced on 27 March. Tricky.

 

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

I hope they all didn’t have passengers and I’m so surprised that Scenic could get into this debacle.

I have not made up my mind how much blame I should lie on Scenic for the tight schedule. They were notified (or informed their people responsible for the itinerary timing) many months ago, the lock closure dates were announced in 2022 (see data sheet some posts above) and if everything had gone according to plan, the lock at Regensburg would have been open for at least 48 hours before Scenic was due at Regensburg on 2 April (today). At lot of fine print reading is in order for the disappointed passengers I would say.

 

notamermaid

 

[Glen Lismore]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

Trying to track vessels at the moment is interesting as more than a few have turned off their signals but it looks like Scenic Crystal is moored up with a couple of Viking vessels and just upstream of them are two (I think) of the ex Crystal vessels. I hope they all didn’t have passengers and I’m so surprised that Scenic could get into this debacle.

Yep that is accurate,  we are sitting on Scenic Crystal tied up behind Viking ships in Regensberg,  rumour on the ship today is Scenic have cancelled the return trip to Budapest due to uncertainty of vessels getting to Amsterdam on time. 

[notamermaid]

Just now, Glen Lismore said:

Yep that is accurate,  we are sitting on Scenic Crystal tied up behind Viking ships in Regensberg,  rumour on the ship today is Scenic have cancelled the return trip to Budapest due to uncertainty of vessels getting to Amsterdam on time. 

Wonder if that is the scheduled Viking trip ending in Regensburg or the Grand European.

 

3 hours ago, Glen Lismore said:

We are leaving the ship in Regensberg like many others, the idea of packing daily in motel rooms then travelling by bus is not for us, we are now heading to Cologne for an extended stay and the the same again in Amsterdam,  an no there was no offer for an extra bit of siteseeing cruise. 

Good to read that you have been able to make other arrangements. Hope you have a great stay in the cities. They are fabulous to explore. What a pity that Scenic has no arrangements for the Rhine Gorge, it is not always easy to get a ship at short notice.

 

I do hope you have a satsifactory outcome as regards refunds for missed cruising.

 

All the Best,

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid I agree, reading of the fine print is certainly required in these circumstances and reading between the lines from other threads it’s different folkes for for different strokes i.e. it could be different from country to country. I just hope all have an equitable outcome.

[notamermaid]

Signals coming through well from Regensburg. Screenshot of the vessels on vesselfinder.com:

 

I mentioned a few posts back that the Viking Modi is on route to Amsterdam. Which I reckon means she will signal from Regensburg for a few more days now unless she turns around. Wonder what is happening with those passengers and what Viking has decided to offer them.

 

notamermaid

 

[floridababa]

Scenic took a very long time with our cancelled  cruise last years we waited 6 .months for our refund and that is just not acceptable. My husband was calling every few days

Would love to go on a river cruise but hearing what is happening now I'm not so sure I want to take  a  chance

[Daisi]

Hearing on another message board that the Scenic Windmills, Tulips and Belgium Delights tour that was scheduled to depart on Monday (I think Amsterdam) has been cancelled. The pax have been offered to sail from Amsterdam on the 12th, with Scenic paying for flight changes and offering a 2 night stay in Amsterdam.

 

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, floridababa said:

Would love to go on a river cruise but hearing what is happening now I'm not so sure I want to take  a  chance

I can understand that. Normally things go well, but there is always a tiny risk. You can check a lot of things and plan an itinerary that is least likely to be impacted by anything. But you can only do this so much. And then there is what Daisi has mentioned - a rather unfortunate knock-on effect from the river cruise on your ship before you not going as planned.

 

My river cruise went without a problem but the I think third one after that on the Belvedere did not. And then there was the flooding at Passau the following month after that.

 

Oddly, as I have hinted at before, the barge sinking in the lock was a mishap with luck involved - it would have been worse on another day and potentially worse had it been outside of the lock.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is April, time to look at what the Danube did at Pfelling in March:

The month started with a pleasant, though not high level. Heavy rain and - later - rising temperatures resulted in a sharp rise with two peaks. It is important to note that with locks not being too far away, a slight effect may be felt from that depending on how much the dams can regulate the flow while keeping the level required by order of the authorities to ensure good conditions for river traffic. I am not familiar with how the big the effect can be. The level returned to the mean (MW) and stayed around there. Much rain in the last three days has made the river rise fast again. 463cm is not flooding and it appears that much higher levels are not expected within the next 24 hours. Rising levels are still expected at Regensburg where the Regen river is bringing much water as it is on flooding level 1 further upstream.

 

The Regen will yellow dots:

 

Which leaves the question: what about that bridge in Passau? Passau has risen to 524cm. That leaves a metre of headroom still until, according to the authorities, the first river cruise ships can get problems with passage under one of the bridges. 630cm is the exact figure they give.

 

This is the official text:

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Regensburg water level is now stable on a plateau, both Pfelling and Passau look to have peaked. It is not clear if the situation at Regensburg will have any effect further downstream still, it looks non-existent in the forecast. All in all looking rather good. Rain has mostly stopped.

 

Now we just need the last few locks to reopen so that ships can get into the Main Danube Canal. The Viking Modi is still signalling in Regensburg.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I see in the notification for shipping that there is an update. One lock will stay closed longer on the Main Danube Canal. But it is only a day or two and does not affect the overall fact that the Canal will only fully reopen on 8 April when Berching lock resumes service:

 

Regensburg and Bad Abbach are still scheduled to reopen on 5 April 1800 hours.

 

notamermaid

 

[ssawjo]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:28 AM, RobInMN said:

We are due to board AmaMagna in 2 moths, Mar 27th, at Vilshofen, Germany. 2 weeks to Giurgia, Romania.

We'll let you know...

 

Please don't forget to let us know how the cruise was.  We are boarding in Giurgia to Vilshofen on May 15.  Thanks.

[notamermaid]

The Viking Modi (see post #115) has turned round and is headed for Budapest.

 

notamermaid

 

[rcaruso]

48 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

The Viking Modi (see post #115) has turned round and is headed for Budapest.

 

notamermaid

 

 

I see the Viking Lofn on the Main, maybe to pick up people from the Modi?

[CastleCritic]

2 hours ago, ssawjo said:

Please don't forget to let us know how the cruise was.  We are boarding in Giurgia to Vilshofen on May 15.  Thanks.

Interesting how many people here are on that route in the short term, I haven't seen many reports on it

 

Im scheduled to leave for Budapest to do it the southern half on the 30th on Amamagna as well(did the rest in 2019 its a good trip).   Was thinking of doing an in depth running thread but wasnt sure how much interest there would be.

Edited April 5, 2023 by CastleCritic