Just weeks after our own experiences with low water on the Danube (which you can read about here and here), diminished water levels on the waterways of Europe are continuing to cause issues for river cruises scheduled to depart in the immediate future.
Depending on your cruise line, these can range from inconvenient-but-preferable ship-swaps, where guests are transferred between two ships in order to complete their voyage; to outright cancellation.
Below is the most current list of sailings to be affected. Guests booked weeks from now don’t have anything to worry about just yet; the water level situation in Europe can turn on a dime following a few good days of straight rain. Guests who are booked on a European river cruise along the Danube or Elbe River in the next few days may wish to check with their cruise line before departing from home.
Avalon Waterways
On their Facebook Page, Avalon Waterways said they’re monitoring the situation closely:
Low Waters Update: July 29, 2015
This week, the Avalon Panorama was able to pass through the critical stretch of low water without incident (yay!). All ships are currently operating normally. We are anticipating rain in the Alpine region of Europe this week and hope that we receive the water needed to continue to run cruises as planned. We will provide additional posts on this page as needed. In the meantime, rain dances are welcome!
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Uniworld has set up a special page on their website that outlines currently-affected departures, some of which stretch back to July 12. The worst affected ship has been the S.S. Maria Theresa, which has seen two back-to-back departure cancellations. The full list:
- River Princess, July 15, 2015 sailing – This cruise operated normally with the exception of two days without sailing. The itinerary was delivered in full.
- River Princess, July 20, 2015 – may experience a delay in sailing of one or two days; however, the program is expected to be delivered in its entirety.
- S.S. Maria Theresa, July 12, 2015 sailing – this cruise has ended prematurely. The ship is currently docked in Vilshofen, Germany, and Uniworld is assisting the guests to make alternate arrangements. Uniworld has notified all travel agents about this matter, and the guests may remain onboard with full services until their departure.
- S.S. Maria Theresa, July 26, 2015 sailing – this sailing has been canceled. We are in the process of contacting all guests, and we will issue full refunds and a goodwill future cruise credit.
Viking River Cruises
Viking has been the hardest-hit this time around, though in most cases the line has been able to swap guests from one Viking Longship to another. (Read about our firsthand account of a ship-swap here).
Low water on the Elbe River – already notoriously shallow – has resulted in the cancellation of sailings aboard both Viking Fontane and Viking Schumann.
The full list of currently-affected sailings, as of July 30:
- July 30th Elegant Elbe (Berlin to Prague) aboard Viking Schumann – This cruise has been cancelled.
- July 30th Elegant Elbe (Prague to Berlin) aboard Viking Fontane – This cruise has been cancelled.
- July 30th Romantic Danube (Nuremberg to Budapest) aboard Viking Gullveig – Low water on the Danube is preventing Viking Gullveig from reaching its regular embarkation port in Nuremberg (Erlangen). Embarkation will instead be in Vilshofen. A welcome center will be organized in the Hotel NH Nuremberg City Center on Day 1 of the cruise, and guests will be transferred to the ship in Vilshofen. Please click here for a Google map of the new docking location.
- July 31st Grand European Tour (Budapest to Amsterdam) aboard Viking Gefjon – You will embark Viking Ve in Budapest (see the Itinerary Booklet for port details). This also means you will have to swap back to the original ship Viking Gefjon midway through your cruise. Details regarding the “ship swap” will be communicated by the Program Director at an evening briefing.
- July 31st Grand European Tour (Amsterdam to Budapest) aboard Viking Ve – You will embark Viking Gefjon in Amsterdam (see the Itinerary Booklet for port details). This also means you will have to swap back to the original ship Viking Ve midway through your cruise. Details regarding the “ship swap” will be communicated by the Program Director at an evening briefing.
- August 1st Elegant Elbe (Berlin to Prague) aboard Viking Beyla – This cruise will have an itinerary adjusted to the low water conditions. All included excursions will operate. Details will be determined by the nautical team and communicated to you by the Program Director at one of the evening briefings while you are onboard.
- August 1st Elegant Elbe (Prague to Berlin) aboard Viking Astrild – This cruise will have an itinerary adjusted to the low water conditions. All included excursions will operate. Details will be determined by the nautical team and communicated to you by the Program Director at one of the evening briefings while you are onboard.
- August 1st Grand European Tour (Budapest to Amsterdam) aboard Viking Alsvin – You will embark Viking Ingvi in Budapest (see the Itinerary Booklet for port details). This also means you will have to swap back to the original ship Viking Alsvin midway through your cruise. Details regarding the “ship swap” will be communicated by the Program Director at an evening briefing.
- August 1st Grand European Tour (Amsterdam to Budapest) aboard Viking Ingvi – You will embark Viking Alsvin in Amsterdam (see the Itinerary Booklet for port details). This also means you will have to swap back to the original ship Viking Ingvi midway through your cruise. Details regarding the “ship swap” will be communicated by the Program Director at an evening briefing.
- August 2nd Grand European Tour (Amsterdam to Budapest) aboard Viking Bestla – You will embark Viking Eistla in Amsterdam (see the Itinerary Booklet for port details). This also means you will have to swap back to the original ship Viking Bestla midway through your cruise. Details regarding the “ship swap” will be communicated by the Program Director at an evening briefing.
Viking notes that these are currently the only sailings they expect to be affected by the current low water.
More updates will be provided here on River Cruise Advisor as we get them.
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