Danube water levels 2024 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[notamermaid]

8 hours ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

We’ve been told we’re docked here for 3 days😱

So to read that. You managed the bridge at Passau but now have to dock at Deggendorf as I reckon it it the last suitable port for river cruise ships before the bridge at Bogen. Which is not far from you:

 

Not that it is any consolation it is just easy to see what the problem is right now as right at the bridge the barge "Insomnia" has presumably got stranded with the new river cruise ship hull.

 

Hopefully you can get to see the area by coach, i.e. a plan B. At least Regensburg and Nuremberg.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

By the way, waiting on the other side of the bridge at Straubing in the Viking Idi. But when the authorities ban river traffic no ship will sail any where on the stretch with the infamous bridge. The Pfelling area has this figure set at 620cm. The gauge is showing 630cm. I have no confirmation of a ban, the actual situation will be known by those directly on the river from the notification for skippers and direct contact with the authorities.

 

In Regensburg there is talk of calling a state of emergency. The situation has got worse in the last few hours. The famous "Wurstküchl" restaurant is affected. Near Regensburg the Autobahn A3 is impassable. Not looking good at all.

 

notamermaid

 

[Yorkieboy1972]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

So to read that. You managed the bridge at Passau but now have to dock at Deggendorf as I reckon it it the last suitable port for river cruise ships before the bridge at Bogen. Which is not far from you:

 

Not that it is any consolation it is just easy to see what the problem is right now as right at the bridge the barge "Insomnia" has presumably got stranded with the new river cruise ship hull.

 

Hopefully you can get to see the area by coach, i.e. a plan B. At least Regensburg and Nuremberg.

 

notamermaid

 

I wouldn’t call where we are a “Port”. It is basically a pontoon that we’ve tied up next to. You can see the path that is our only way to escape. Instead of TUI calling coach companies yesterday to arrange trips to Passau and Regensburg I was suggesting they should have been trying to arrange coaches to evacuate us.

[notamermaid]

What dock is that at Deggendorf?? I thought this was a tourist town... I am seriously puzzled. Could this be the second docking area because the prime location is occupied perhaps? It does not look comforting at all, especially going into the night.

 

Stay safe @Yorkieboy1972.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited June 1 by notamermaid

[Yorkieboy1972]

13 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

What dock is that at Deggendorf?? I thought this was a tourist town... I am seriously puzzled. Could this be the second docking area because the prime location is occupied perhaps? It does not look comforting at all, especially going into the night.

 

Stay safe @Yorkieboy1972.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

I’ve just been up top and the path is now flooded. 
 

This is TUI at its finest. This unserviced area was obviously cheaper than a “real” port. When we came past yesterday I didn’t see any other ships docked here or abouts.

[notamermaid]

4 minutes ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

I’ve just been up top and the path is now flooded. 

Eeek! Sorry to hear that. I hope the crew are watching this and are confident that this is safe.

 

I need to retire now and wish you a safe night. Hope all goes well.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[RDVIK2016]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

What dock is that at Deggendorf?? I thought this was a tourist town... I am seriously puzzled. Could this be the second docking area because the prime location is occupied perhaps? It does not look comforting at all, especially going into the night.

 

Stay safe @Yorkieboy1972.

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

I’ve just been up top and the path is now flooded. 
 

This is TUI at its finest. This unserviced area was obviously cheaper than a “real” port. When we came past yesterday I didn’t see any other ships docked here or abouts.

 

Yorkieboy1972

It looks like TUI made a very bad choice as to which berth to tie up at.  There are other berths at Deggendorf that seem to have better access for busses and probably other services as well. The berth that you pictured and where Marine Traffic shows your boat doesn't even have a paved approach. The other berths appear to be currently free of ships. I hope they can get busses in there for you or move you back downstream past the rail and pedestrian bridges to another berth (Anlegestelle) or even to the industrial area. 

RDVIK

[Host Jazzbeau]

Wow.  I have been looking at TUI's Frankfurt rt Moselle cruise, but I wondered what level TUI river cruises fall under.  Apparently 'under' is the right word...

[Yorkieboy1972]

23 minutes ago, RDVIK2016 said:

 

 

Yorkieboy1972

It looks like TUI made a very bad choice as to which berth to tie up at.  There are other berths at Deggendorf that seem to have better access for busses and probably other services as well. The berth that you pictured and where Marine Traffic shows your boat doesn't even have a paved approach. The other berths appear to be currently free of ships. I hope they can get busses in there for you or move you back downstream past the rail and pedestrian bridges to another berth (Anlegestelle) or even to the industrial area. 

RDVIK

This is what our birth looks like now.

 

 

[RDVIK2016]

9 minutes ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

This is what our birth looks like now.

I would imagine the river bank has been strengthened and built up a bit higher at the other berths in order to support the access road and promenade - and even more so at the industrial area. Some disruption of a vacation river cruise can be accepted and even expected, but this looks to have been badly mishandled. I hope it is resolved quickly. Good luck!

RDVIK

[RDVIK2016]

During the floods in 2013 even the industrial area of the Deggenau part of Deggendorf was flooded. A Viking Longship looked for refuge there. Still this would have withstood the floodwaters better than that spot where TUI tied up ISLA with @Yorkieboy1972 on board.

[Izengolf]

8 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Quite the dramatic sky. Interesting that you have a bell warning. Church or fire brigade tower?

Neither, it is a little bell tower that was rung by hand when the weather service sent out a warning. In June 2017 there was a devastating storm with hail the size of plums. The bells did not ring and people blamed the damage on this. A fully automated system was installed to ring the bell a few years ago. 

[AnhaltER1960]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Wow.  I have been looking at TUI's Frankfurt rt Moselle cruise, but I wondered what level TUI river cruises fall under.  Apparently 'under' is the right word...

TUI river are a relatively new player on the market. So they might not have the experience yet to handle these extreme situations - and/or not have the standing with the port authorities to claim a more suitable berth.

[steamboats]

First of all, Deggendorf is not really a tourist town. It´s mainly know for it´s location at the Autobahn and the huge BMW factory.

 

Usually river cruise ships don´t stop there. Most of the area along the Danube river is industrial. There´s a small park with a pontoon landing which is for the local boats and not for river cruise ships. There´s a second smaller pontoon landing at the park but no street there either. The TUI Isla is docked at the pontoon landing right above the bridge. And walking a couple of meters downriver (o.k., not right now) there is a street (gravel) where a bus would be able to pick up passengers. The landing at the park is a pedestrian area only. A bus won´t be allowed to drive close to the ship. To sum it up... Deggendorf is not a regular stop for river cruise ship and therefore has no infrastructure (meaning a landing where buses can go). The area the TUI Isla is docked is as close as you can get to any kind of infrastructure.

 

And yes, with a rising river it´s usual that the street at a landing will be flooded too. But you´re on a ship and you´re at a safe place. Please take in consideration that there are a couple of thousand people who had to be evacuated from their flooded homes already. So being trapped on a river cruise ship is an inconveniance but it could be worse than this.

 

As for a rising river it´s not just the water level. The more water there is the stronger is the current. At a certain point it gets harder to maneuver a ship.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

Here´s a webcam from Regensburg showing the Steinerne Brücke (stone bridge). Unfortunately it´s the "wrong" side of the bridge. The Wurstkuchl is hidden on the right side. But you can see that the water is up to the buildings on the right side. Usually you can walk through the first arch of the bridge there.

 

steamboats

[DocHifi]

We are desperately trying to make a decision as to whether we cancel our Viking rivercruise from Regensberg to Budapest. We already know that we will be placed on a ship that is ahead of thr problematic bridge in Passau but have no idea what lies ahead. Anyone with real knowledge of the situation have anything to suggest

[brian1]

30 minutes ago, steamboats said:

First of all, Deggendorf is not really a tourist town. It´s mainly know for it´s location at the Autobahn and the huge BMW factory.

 

Usually river cruise ships don´t stop there. Most of the area along the Danube river is industrial. There´s a small park with a pontoon landing which is for the local boats and not for river cruise ships. There´s a second smaller pontoon landing at the park but no street there either. The TUI Isla is docked at the pontoon landing right above the bridge. And walking a couple of meters downriver (o.k., not right now) there is a street (gravel) where a bus would be able to pick up passengers. The landing at the park is a pedestrian area only. A bus won´t be allowed to drive close to the ship. To sum it up... Deggendorf is not a regular stop for river cruise ship and therefore has no infrastructure (meaning a landing where buses can go). The area the TUI Isla is docked is as close as you can get to any kind of infrastructure.

 

And yes, with a rising river it´s usual that the street at a landing will be flooded too. But you´re on a ship and you´re at a safe place. Please take in consideration that there are a couple of thousand people who had to be evacuated from their flooded homes already. So being trapped on a river cruise ship is an inconveniance but it could be worse than this.

 

As for a rising river it´s not just the water level. The more water there is the stronger is the current. At a certain point it gets harder to maneuver a ship.

 

steamboats

Hi,we're also on this cruise.We are in the bar waiting for the buses to take us to Passau,lol.

[DocHifi]

Brian1, so you are in Regensburg waiting for a bus ride to ship moored in Passau?

[Yorkieboy1972]

6 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Hi,we're also on this cruise.We are in the bar waiting for the buses to take us to Passau,lol.

Hi Brian

 

I’m the Cassandra who’s been warning Jean about this since Vienna. Apparently the Captain wanted to stop in Passau but TUI told him to come here because it’s free.

[steamboats]

8 minutes ago, DocHifi said:

Brian1, so you are in Regensburg waiting for a bus ride to ship moored in Passau?

 

No, the ship is moored in Deggendorf. And currently they are waiting for nothing. They can´t go anywhere and can´t leave the ship.

 

steamboats

[brian1]

12 minutes ago, DocHifi said:

Brian1, so you are in Regensburg waiting for a bus ride to ship moored in Passau?

We're in Deggendorf.Up the creek without a paddle.

[steamboats]

31 minutes ago, DocHifi said:

We are desperately trying to make a decision as to whether we cancel our Viking rivercruise from Regensberg to Budapest. We already know that we will be placed on a ship that is ahead of thr problematic bridge in Passau but have no idea what lies ahead. Anyone with real knowledge of the situation have anything to suggest

 

If you do have insurance covering a cancellation... The problem is nobody can tell you. The situation can change very quickly. As soon as the wave is gone through the water drops rapidly. So your trip might be affected only for maybe 2 or 3 days (and turn into a bus trip) and then go on as planned. But nobody can tell you right now.

 

As for now we don´t have any weather warnings anymore. There´s a pre warning (severe thunderstorms and heavy rain) for some areas. Here in Munich it even stopped raining.

 

What makes it a bit worse it that some major train routes are affected. No train traffic from Munich via Augsburg and Ulm to Stuttgart. Also from Nuremberg to Munich. And another route from Munich to Switzerland. These are ICE train routes. Plus there are a lot of local trains currently not running. Near Stuttgart an ICE train derailed due to a mud slide which went over the tracks but noone was injured.

 

steamboats

[Izengolf]

DocHifi, you are in Passau ready to board today? They would have to nail the door shut to keep me off a river cruise for a week but I do understand if you would be very disappointed to have an adjusted itinerary. 

[steamboats]

28 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Hi,we're also on this cruise.We are in the bar waiting for the buses to take us to Passau,lol.

 

When life gives you lemons make a Lemon Drop Martini 🍸!

 

steamboats 

[steamboats]

23 minutes ago, DocHifi said:

Brian1, so you are in Regensburg waiting for a bus ride to ship moored in Passau?

 

I just checked the webcam and Marinetraffic. Currently there is no river cruise ship docked in Passau. Just the local boats.

 

There's no ship in Lindau but a couple in Engelhartszell: Viking Magni and Vili, Heidelberg, Swiss Crown, Prinzessin Katharina.

 

steamboats