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

[Yorkieboy1972]

2 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

The TUI Isla has moved and is in, errhmmm, Deggenau, next to Deggendorf. She has moved from the excursion boat landing stage to the harbour:

 

Eagerly awaiting the go-ahead for river traffic? Or logistics for the next itinerary?

 

Hofkirchen at 488cm, 8cm to go.

 

notamermaid

 

 

The Schwarzach was the boat that “rescued” us.

[notamermaid]

1 minute ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

The Schwarzach was the boat that “rescued” us.

Then we should complete your mention of her with a photo of the trusted work boat (and technical details in German). Here it is: https://www.wsa-donau-mdk.wsv.de/Webs/WSA/Donau-MDK/DE/04_Donau_MDK/Unsere_Schiffe/Motorschiff_Schwarzach/Schwarzach_node.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Yorkieboy1972]

6 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Then we should complete your mention of her with a photo of the trusted work boat (and technical details in German). Here it is: https://www.wsa-donau-mdk.wsv.de/Webs/WSA/Donau-MDK/DE/04_Donau_MDK/Unsere_Schiffe/Motorschiff_Schwarzach/Schwarzach_node.html

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

How about this.

[notamermaid]

That leaves one more ship and her story I would like to mention before we return to a kind of normal. First, the approach at Straubing lock , exciting hours, they are all waiting I think:

 

I have marked the river cruise ship MS Amina. She has had a rocky start to her life, she is a real baby among the ships, only christened this spring on a rather rainy day. She had just completed her first runs on the Rhine, and then was scheduled for the itinerary that would transfer her to the Danube. So she did that on the Main river, sailed through the Main Danube Canal and that was it. At Dietfurt on the Altmühl River (remember, the Canal is partly the engineered Altmühl) she was stopped in her tracks and had to wait there for over a week. Then when that first section of the Danube was reopened she moved to Straubing. The passengers left the ship soon after she got stranded, the cruise was cancelled. Story courtesy of the great guys on Binnenschifferforum: https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?117680-Amina-KFGS-02340166&p=473349#post473349

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

12 minutes ago, Yorkieboy1972 said:

How about this.

Wow. I saw from other footage as well, that they took you in the lighter that normally carries the buoys. What a great idea that was. Any small rescue boat would have taken even longer to get you all off the ship. I hear someone say 30 people. I guess that is what they had told you it would take as one "load".  I see the police launch in the background. It all looks professional and dare I say it relatively laid back.

 

And that railway bridge does look really low.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[WorldCruisers777]

4 hours ago, Lazirus65 said:

Received an email today from Viking regarding our 19th June sailing from Amsterdam to Bucharest. They are swapping boats we will now be on the Viking Lif instead of the Viking Lofn.

We just got off this morning from Viking LIF.  Did our tour in Nuremberg.  We then spent 5 hours on a bus to Linz and boarded the Viking Lofn.  We are heading back close to Passau to complete our tours in Regensburg tomorrow and then Passau the next day.  End point is Bucharest.  So far Viking has handled the situation smoothly given the circumstances.  Tired but happy.

 

[Newby2272]

Hello,

We are supposed to fly out Friday for our Romaric Danube cruise. It starts in Regensburg June 15th. We haven’t heard anything from Viking. When I call and ask, they say no changes as of right now. Will we be able to cruise the whole trip?  We also have a walking tour in Passau.  I’m wondering if that will happen.  So many questions but Vikings customer service isn’t saying anything. 

[notamermaid]

40 minutes ago, Newby2272 said:

When I call and ask, they say no changes as of right now.

I am sure that is correct if they say that. And we have seen in the last two days a vast improvement to the situation.

 

40 minutes ago, Newby2272 said:

Will we be able to cruise the whole trip?

Very likely. But the details of what may need to be changed still, you will probably only learn on board, as the people actually on the ground know much better what is happening on a daily or even hourly basis than the office people.

 

I am sure you will have a ship in Regensburg and it will likely be the one you were scheduled to go on. Have you had a look at the info on the website, the special pages for the actual cruisers? Something with "myvikingjourney" I think.

 

Welcome to Cruisecritic.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited June 12 by notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Hofkirchen gauge at 483cm, 3cm to go.

 

notamermaid

 

[Lovely1234]

5 hours ago, Newby2272 said:

Hello,

We are supposed to fly out Friday for our Romaric Danube cruise. It starts in Regensburg June 15th. We haven’t heard anything from Viking. When I call and ask, they say no changes as of right now. Will we be able to cruise the whole trip?  We also have a walking tour in Passau.  I’m wondering if that will happen.  So many questions but Vikings customer service isn’t saying anything. 

Same lack of communication from Scenic.  It's a shame.  We have limited mobility, and are very worried about changes to land and bus, and having to pack up and move every day.  It will wear us out, Im afraid.  Long bus shuttles werent what we paid for.  Hoping for last minute offer to rebook after flood recovery ends.

[Kenster]

3 minutes ago, Lovely1234 said:

Same lack of communication from Scenic.  It's a shame.  We have limited mobility, and are very worried about changes to land and bus, and having to pack up and move every day.  It will wear us out, Im afraid.  Long bus shuttles werent what we paid for.  Hoping for last minute offer to rebook after flood recovery ends.

Lovely, when is your cruise? 

[Lovely1234]

Hello fellow Texan!  Embarkation is 6/17 in Nuremburg.  Plans are to fly out 6/15 from Houston to Nuremburg, but hoping for a rebooking opportunity from Scenic.  This whole situation is stressing us out, as we have heard that Scenic is switching up trips to land and bus.  We got an email today without any real updates.  More wait-and-see uncertainty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lovely1234]

6 hours ago, WorldCruisers777 said:

We just got off this morning from Viking LIF.  Did our tour in Nuremberg.  We then spent 5 hours on a bus to Linz and boarded the Viking Lofn.  We are heading back close to Passau to complete our tours in Regensburg tomorrow and then Passau the next day.  End point is Bucharest.  So far Viking has handled the situation smoothly given the circumstances.  Tired but happy.

 

Were the local excursions impacted by flooding?  Cafes and restaurants open?  Or are the local folks busy with non-tourist priorities?  Will be welcome in such a situation?

[Lovely1234]

8 hours ago, CJSANDFS said:

Avalon offered insurance for A$95 to be able to cancel for any reason. 30 days out and you got a refund and cancelling up to 24 hours before sailing you could rebook. October is cheaper than June so I have a better cabin (they say). My panic was my airfare which had to be cancelled 48 hours before flying to get a refund minus A$400 and  as I had booked extra nights in Prague I couldn't wait until the last minute to cancel the cruise. I'm sure the Germans have everything well organised but after floods here, NSW, you wouldn't want to go anywhere near the flooded towns

 Very messy.

Fantastic insurance option, which I wish I had known about.  Congratulations on making lemonade out of lemons! 

[Kenster]

1 hour ago, Lovely1234 said:

Hello fellow Texan!  Embarkation is 6/17 in Nuremburg.  Plans are to fly out 6/15 from Houston to Nuremburg, but hoping for a rebooking opportunity from Scenic.  This whole situation is stressing us out, as we have heard that Scenic is switching up trips to land and bus.  We got an email today without any real updates.  More wait-and-see uncertainty.

 

I totally understand the stress. But you’re five days out. I’m really thinking things should be okay by then. I guess Scenic is expecting that, too. Nearly everything is open now. Another day or two should be all it take's. Scenic doesn’t have a lot of ships, but, hopefully, they’ll be able to position your ship to Nuremberg in time.  
Let us know how things go. 
 

Flying into Munich?  We like Munich much better than Frankfurt. And United’s nonstop out of Houston makes it easy. 
 

Cheers! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brian1]

9 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Wow. I saw from other footage as well, that they took you in the lighter that normally carries the buoys. What a great idea that was. Any small rescue boat would have taken even longer to get you all off the ship. I hear someone say 30 people. I guess that is what they had told you it would take as one "load".  I see the police launch in the background. It all looks professional and dare I say it relatively laid back.

 

And that railway bridge does look really low.

 

notamermaid

 

 

It took 2 passenger loads and a 3rd for the luggage.The narrow gangplank walking to the shore at the rescue end was slowly getting covered with water.With the 30 people boats,I don't think we all would have made it.Thanks for your continuous info,amazing.

[WorldCruisers777]

2 hours ago, Lovely1234 said:

Were the local excursions impacted by flooding?  Cafes and restaurants open?  Or are the local folks busy with non-tourist priorities?  Will be welcome in such a situation?

No impact to any of our shore excursions.  Only issue is not being able to dock in the old towns.  Being bussed from industrial port sites.

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Lovely1234 said:

Same lack of communication from Scenic.  It's a shame.  We have limited mobility, and are very worried about changes to land and bus, and having to pack up and move every day.  It will wear us out, Im afraid.  Long bus shuttles werent what we paid for.  Hoping for last minute offer to rebook after flood recovery ends.

You are obsessing over media click-bait headlines and ignoring all the positive developments that have been reported on this forum since you first posted.  The rivers are recovering, the governments and people in this area know how to clean up after flooding [it's new to you, but they deal with it regularly], and it seems likely at this point that your cruise will have minimal if any changes to the promised itinerary.  Since you can't cancel, my advice is to relax and let Scenic take care of you.  It will all work out.

[notamermaid]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You are obsessing over media click-bait headlines and ignoring all the positive developments that have been reported on this forum since you first posted.

I am happy to add to the good news with what should be the massive headline: SHIPS ARE RUNNING BETWEEN STRAUBING AND PASSAU.

😊😊

check on marinetraffic.com

Not sure if any river cruise ships are among them, but barges are sailing.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

There is still one problem on the German Danube - headroom. The two infamous bridges may still keep river cruise ships from getting through today, but that is of course something I can only mention not specify as per individual ship. Let us have a look at Passau gauge:

 

That looks really promising, if not good enough already. 678cm is a bit high as the authorities speak of "difficult passage" from 630cm upwards but that is a guideline, not a rule. It is literally getting better by the hour.

 

notamermaid

 

[dlf aust]

20 hours ago, Lovely1234 said:

Were you able to rebook or receive a credit for future travel?  Vacation to a flood ravaged area in the process of cleanup is not my idea of a relaxing experience.  The supply chain has been interrupted, and structural stability along the river is being evaluated by engineers according to news reports.  Just because the boats are allowed to sail, doesnt mean they should be at this time.  Our hope for rebooking option on Scenic looks highly unlikely given the "welcome aboard" email I received today.

 

As per previous posts Lovely1234 'dont stress'. These are not the 1:100 type floods you have in mind but more like 1:10 etc and less in some parts. The river towns are generally quite sloping/steep so very few town areas are actually affected. This does not diminish from some parts that did have some issues but in the majority of cases everything is pretty much OK.

 

We were in Passau Monday and the whole town is fine, walking tours etc all as per normal.  In most cases there is little evidence and the clean up is mostly well advanced for the waterfront basements/parking garages and waterfront pathways that got submerged.

 

Basically the summary would be "business as usual for cruises and locals" with minor adjustments because some boats couldn't complete full journeys LAST WEEK and EARLY THIS WEEK with boats out of scheduled locations.  Most companies are well advanced at doing the necessary juggles and by the weekend it is unlikely there will be much bussing/transfers.

 

It is just as likely a tour later in the year will be affected by low water levels anyway. These are a lot more disruptive than a short period of high water levels and sadly much more frequent as the years progress..

Edited June 13 by dlf aust

[dlf aust]

17 hours ago, Newby2272 said:

Hello,

We are supposed to fly out Friday for our Romaric Danube cruise. It starts in Regensburg June 15th. We haven’t heard anything from Viking. When I call and ask, they say no changes as of right now. Will we be able to cruise the whole trip?  We also have a walking tour in Passau.  I’m wondering if that will happen.  So many questions but Vikings customer service isn’t saying anything. 

 

apart from the river activities everything is running as normal in Passau (tours, churchs, shops, cafes, restaurants etc). They are all keenly waiting for you to spend your tourist dollar.

 

There is very little evidence of the high water except at the very water-front areas. Mostly that is cleaned up and there is some municipal works (pipes, drainages etc) that are no different to the disruption associated with pot-hole repairs. 

 

we were there on Monday 10th. No issues with any town or nearby area tours.

[notamermaid]

Ship sailing under bridge!!

 

Okay, about to.

 

By complete chance I have just been able to take a screenshot of the feratel webcam that shows a Viking river cruise ship about to sail under the infamous suspension bridge at Passau.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, dlf aust said:

There is very little evidence of the high water except at the very water-front areas. Mostly that is cleaned up and there is some municipal works (pipes, drainages etc) that are no different to the disruption associated with pot-hole repairs. 

That sounds really good. As you were there on Monday I have had a look at the webcam to see how low the water is now and I would say it all looks pretty clean, back to normal, busses running along the embankment and you can hardly tell now that the water level is still high if you have nothing to compare it to: https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/passau.html

For those who would like to see what it was like, you can go to Archiv in the menu and choose a date to look at.

 

marinetraffic.com signal confirms the ship in the photo above is the Viking Var.

 

Good to see it all. I have been to Passau three times now, okay twice within eight days as it was the embarkation port of my river cruise as a Passau return trip. I really enjoyed the place and would like to go back.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited June 13 by notamermaid
grammar

[Newby2272]

This forum has most helpful!!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!