When all is said and done, there is no way to accurately predict whether your river cruise will be affected by low-water or high-water levels for river cruises in Europe. But in general, high water occurs in the spring while low water occurs in heat of the summer, usually August. The summer of 2018 saw record low water levels for river cruises in Europe on the Danube. However, contrary to the conventional wisdom, I saw record lows on the Rhine in November of 2015. While high or low water can impact your river cruise, in 50+ river cruises, I’ve never experienced a major disruption because of high water or low water. I should add that I did not river cruise in the summer of 2018. In the comments below, some readers say their dream vacations were disappointing because of low water levels for river cruises in Europe. Others had their trips scuttled altogether because the river cruise companies could not operate due to high or low water levels for river cruises in Europe. My hope is that this page will serve as a useful forum for sharing information about the conditions on the rivers and how the cruise companies are handling adverse water levels for river cruises in Europe.– Ralph Grizzle
Whether a river has high or low water levels is something you’re unlikely to consider when planning your river cruise – until it happens to you.
Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising is all about narrow margins. Low bridges make the air draft of a ship – how much of it sticks out of the water – critically important. Most river cruise ships have collapsible upper deck railings, removable furniture, and even navigation bridges that lower completely into the floor.
Being aware of water levels for river cruises in Europe can greatly enhance your travel experience.
Understanding water levels for river cruises in Europe is vital for ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey.
Monitoring water levels for river cruises in Europe is essential for a trouble-free adventure.
What’s under the keel – or hull – of your river cruise ship also makes a difference. In some cases, there can be less than a foot of water under the keel. River cruise ships have incredibly shallow drafts to begin with, and river cruise operators construct their ships as efficiently as possible. They’re the high-performance sports cars of the cruising world.
Understanding Water Levels for River Cruises in Europe
Understanding the significance of water levels for river cruises in Europe can help travelers make informed decisions.
Unfortunately, low water and high water conditions can exist – and they can throw a real wrench into an otherwise flawless cruise.
For current updates from river cruisers currently on the rivers (or from those who have returned recently) be sure to see the comments at the bottom of this post.
In fact, keeping an eye on water levels for river cruises in Europe could save your trip.
The Rhine is perhaps the most dependable river when it comes to being able to continue navigation due to low water. I felt the boat scraping the bottom of the Rhine in Rudesheim in November of 2015, but we made it past. See Is AmaWaterways The Champion Of Low Water?
Water levels are unpredictable. In many cases, the cruise line may only find out on your actual sailing, or a few days beforehand, that a particular stretch of water isn’t navigable.
See related article: Low Water Levels Continue To Affect River Cruises; Plus Why This Happens In The First Place
Water levels aren’t uniform. That is to say, if there’s low water on the Danube, the entire Danube isn’t affected. In 2014, water levels were too low for many ships to pass between the German cities of Passau and Regensburg. In past years, the stretch heading across the Austria-Hungary border has been problematic.
History isn’t a good indicator of high or low water. In June of 2013, Passau was hit by the worst flooding – and the highest water levels – since the Middle Ages. In 2018, the Danube was so low that many cruise ships terminated their journeys in Passau.
What happens if high/low water levels affect my sailing? River cruise lines will typically attempt to keep your itinerary as operational as possible. Generally, when high/low water levels hit, three options are available to cruise lines:
- Continue the affected itinerary by having guests ‘swap ships’ – typically, being bussed from one town to the next, where you will embark a sister-ship or similar vessel to continue the rest of your journey. Read about our ship swap on Viking.
- Complete the itinerary as far as possible aboard your ship, and then transition to hotels (on the company’s expense) to complete the remainder of your itinerary.
- Outright cancellation. This is the rarest option, exercised when no other options are available.
I’m not sure if I should cancel my river cruise because of high/low water levels. What do I do?
Unless you have travel insurance that covers cancellation, do not cancel your river cruise over high/low water. Wait for the cruise line to either pull the plug or offer alternatives. If your sailing commences in a few weeks, cancelling your sailing will result in you losing all monies paid. If you wait for the cruise line to pull the plug, offers typically include the ability to switch to another sailing at no cost; the offer to complete your cruise as scheduled at a discount or rebate; or the offer to cancel with minimal or no penalties. Of course, such offers are determined by the cruise line, but typically favor the guest.
Curious as to what the current conditions on the rivers of Europe are? A reader has provided us with a map showing the water levels on rivers in Germany. From reader “Sabine” see this link: https://www.wetteronline.de/pegelstaende?gid=HES
We have found the Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde (BFG) to be helpful. The organization published maps like the one below and forecasts. Find BFG’s 14-day water levels forecasts here and the six-week forecasts here.
It’s advisable to check the latest updates regarding water levels for river cruises in Europe before you travel.
To see what our readers had to say about how their trips were impacted by low water levels, click here.
Additionally, understanding how different seasons affect water levels for river cruises in Europe will enhance your planning.
In summary, staying informed about water levels for river cruises in Europe is crucial for a rewarding travel experience.
Viking is the Walmart of cruise lines. Sometimes you get poor materials. Don’t believe the advertisement and reviews
Thanks for the encouragement.
Just cruised into Budapest from upriver. No problem. But had to board in Passau as not enough water to start cruise in Regensburgh last week. Was in Viking. Great cruise & crew.
I fail to see any similarity between Viking and Carnival. Viking is not cheap, but their cruises provide a very rich experience for a very decent price. The focus is on good food, cultural/artistic experiences, local history and a comfortable, sophisticated-but-not-pretentious journey. In my experience, customer service is superb. Viking is handling an even less predictable situation – Covid – generously and responsibly. As to water levels, I’m aware of the problem and willing to take my chances. It seems ungracious to blame them for changes that this natural problem may require. For goodness sake, you are traveling through beautiful and historic places, in comfortable accommodations with good food and supremely helpful people. That is pretty good travel experience!
Gaius Check out the comment from Jack Swertfager on July 22 at 2:01 pm. Recently were were holding up Tauck as a good example for customer service. So Tauck cut the the 15 day cruise off after six days. Viking would have been able to move them to a boat, maybe in Nürnberg or certainly across to Wiesbaden and put them on another boat to finish the trip to Amsterdam. I’ll bet they could have hoteled on the boat in Passau and done tours to Regensburg, etc. whatever was planned before moving to another of their ships.
We have been with Viking a number of times and they are always very good with compensation if there is a problem even if it hasn’t been asked for. Also you do not have to pay 2 years in advance you pay the deposit when you book and then the balance 12 weeks before .
We had a problem in2019 with a different cruise company and could not get down to Strasbourg due to low water but a coach was provided from the nearest point.
agreed! Viking was amazing, the ship swap barely disrupted our (july ’22) river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest! Viking handled it flawlessly!
agreed!
yay Viking!
Our recent Viking river cruise was affected by low river levels, but the ship-swap procedure went flawlessly, barely interrupting the trip!
I worked as a travel agent and Viking has a poor reputation. They spend $$$$ on advertising and if people are influenced by ads and don’t do their research this is what they pick. The carnival cruise of river boats…cheap for a reason
We are booked on Viking Tir for Grand European departing 7/28/2022. Anyone have water level info?
It’s in the Passenger Ticket Contract. I know, nobody reads those things.
The Rhine is the least likely river to experience high/low water fluctuations; however, that said, it is experiencing low water levels right now which can affect commercial traffic. Since the commercial ships have a much deeper draft than any of the river cruise boats, I don’t think there will be a problem.
We are leaving Basel on July 26 on Viking. Any update on water levels?
Read the comments chronologically and you’ll get an idea of current conditions. We’re unable to provide today’s water levels on all rivers. There’s a comment from today, for example, that says the Danube is low.
What is the value of producing 3-4 year-old comments – water levels are not predictable . What are eth river levels TODAY please.
I spoke with Logan today from Viking. He acknowledged on the Danube the are having to bus certain segments due to low water. We have a Danube cruise coming up soon
I’m sorry to hear this. How was the cancellation handled? Were you offered any refund?
I pray your trip goes well!! I have a trip for August so I can only hope all goes well.
Tauck just cancelled our July 10, 2022, 15-day tour from Budapest to Amsterdam on July 14 (Vienna). Low water levels. All guests had to vacate in Passau (July 16).
John, which cruise?
Ugh! We are scheduled for the August 11 Oberammergau cruise on Viking. I understand they can’t control the weather but if you are selling a river cruise it would seem they should offer other options if they cannot deliver on what they are selling. Appears all the risk lies with the customer.
We are also set to sail on the 23rd. We received an email yesterday from Viking. Low water level expect busses and possible not swap. Not happy !
My brother is on a Viking cruise right now. 10 hours on a bus yesterday, and preparing to get off the second boat and back on the buses. Total bummer of a trip
We are also on the July 23rd cruise. Just received email to day to expect bussing & possible boat swap. NOT thrilled!
August 31st by chance?
No. I called Viking twice. I was told there have not been any alterations and all ships are sailing as scheduled. However, I have read different information on social media.
My parents are currently on a Viking River Cruise through the Danube (started 7/17/2022), they have been forced to use buses two days already due to “low water levels” and there’s no end in sight. Viking never told them about low water issues beforehand. I doubt Viking will even offer to give them any refunds, probably at most give them discount off their next cruise, which would be worthless.
And who are we to believe? It’s important to us. We have a cruise with Viking on the Rhine end of August. With all the research I’ve done and will continue to do it seems that You have a better chance to stay on the river as much as possible due to the number of vessels they have.
Have you heard anything
QUOTE:
“Keep in mind that your cruise line may not even be required to tell you of the rescheduled vacation until you arrive at the port. (Some river cruise lines, including >>> Tauck River Cruising <<<and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, belong to the Cruise Lines International Association, whose new passenger bill of rights requires them to offer “timely information updates” as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship resulting from an emergency.)"
LOL! Sure, if you don’t like or agree with someone’s post it MUST be a fake review!
You must work for Viking… either that or you are just a nasty, name-calling troll.
Ewwwwwhhh….. troll must be working for Viking?
Clearly it is not a fake review.
So if you don’t agree with someone else’s perspective, you feel the need to do some nasty name-calling and trolling…. LOL!
Grow up, Steve.
We have a Viking cruise scheduled for this coming Saturday 7/23/2022. Seriously concerned about the current water levels and what is going to happen.
Here here Steve …. Viking second to none
Utter rubbish!!! No cruise company is better placed to deal with low water issues than Viking due the fact that they have 4 times as many ships as everyone else. You might get swapped to another ship but at least you’re not stuck down river for days on end.
Tauck? I don’t where you got that from. Average reviews everywhere you look and way overpriced.
Clearly, you’re still a little peeved because you had to pay so far in advance (as if that ever really happened) but you had the choice of not booking or choosing another cruise company.
Ignore this fake review. It’s total BS.
Utter rubbish! No cruise company is better placed to deal with lower water issues than Viking, due to the fact that they have 4 times as many ships as anyone else. You may get swapped to another ship but at least you’re not stuck in one place for days on end.
Tauck? I don’t where you got that from. Average ratings everywhere you look.
Clearly, you’re still a little peeved at having to pay up in advance (as if that ever happened) but you had the choice if not booking or finding a cruise with another company.
Please disregard fake review from this nonce, it’s total BS.
Yes, the reputation of Viking is abysmal when it comes to customer service, especially in cases of low water issues.
Tauck does a good job and apparently Grand Circle.
If there is a chance of low water, Viking is the last company you want to book with. Not to mention their shady habit of demanding full payment over 2 years in advance of the cruise (when we had to pay ours).
Agreed. Went on Viking Romantic Danube over Thanksgiving 2021. We dealt with low Danube levels as well as covid lockdowns.
1. We were supposed to bus about 2 hrs or so to Regensburg from Prague to start the cruise. The water was too low, so we had to take a bus about twice as far to Passau where our boat was. We didn’t leave at 11am like we were told. We left at 1pm so most of the day was wasted. Got to the boat about 5pm. They weren’t in a normal cruise ship dock, it was an industrial dock. so we couldn’t go ashore in Passau the first day when we arrived. We weren’t within walking distance of town.
2. We were bussed to Regensburg the next day, but only got to stay from about 9:30a-5p. It was a 1/2 hour walk from the bus to the center of town. We ended up with only an hour or so at the Christmas market at Thurn & Taxis because it didn’t open until 3pm and we had to walk 30 min to get back to the Viking bus.
3. It’s too bad because the Christmas market was big and the town was great, with terrific food. Don’t miss the sausage at Historische Wurstküche. You won’t be sorry!
3. We completely sailed past Krems & Vienna Austria due to covid lockdown.
4. We were supposed to try to stop in Bratislava as a consolation but the next morning, we were informed that they had locked down also. We ended up at Komarom, Hungary in some random little dock not meant for cruise ships. They took us to a wine tasting by the Estergom Basilica. It was an hour bus ride each way and I don’t think we spent more than a couple hours touring the basilica and doing the tasting.
5. We were told when we got back to the boat that water levels were also too low to sail to Budapest, our final port. We were set to spend a full day there and then go to a hotel after for a post-cruise stay on our own. I had picked a hotel (Kempinski, we LOVED it) that was really close to 2 Christmas markets. Since Viking planned to bus everyone for 2 days to Budapest, an hour and a half each way, we left the cruise early. We took the first bus they had to Budapest the next morning and exited with our luggage. We checked into our hotel 2 days early. Since we’d missed so many ports, we were a day early to Budapest. Instead of the planned 2 full days in Budapest, we got 3. We had a great time.
Viking keeps every bit of news under wraps until they have a revised plan to execute. At that point, no one has a choice really to do anything different. I had to scramble at the last minute the night before to get my travel agent to book us additional nights at The Kempinski in Budapest. Luckily, she was 8 hours behind us and had time to make it happen. We immediately, after the meeting about how Budapest was going to be handled & speaking to my agent, informed them that we were exiting the cruise early.
We sailed December 5, 2019 with Ama and had no issues at all. What a wonderful trip!
Check on Amazon,I 0lan to get some. It’s like smaller packages to pack your clothes 8n and you take them out to put in drawers. Makes it easy to repack.
Thanks for this great info. I’m researching to book Budapest to Amsterdam around this timeframe for my hubby’s 60th birthday. Viking looks to be the way to go based on how well they treat passengers if there has to be a ship change.
How was Gate 1 cruise. Looking at monarch governess for end of May.
Myra,
I will be a first time cruiser next year. What is a packing pod? Sorry for the ignorance. I am getting a bit concerned about water levels, seems it hapens more often (climate change?) Anyway, any packing ideas would be great. Thank you.
No one can control the weather. If you want perfection in every way, then cancel.. otherwise go with an open mind to go with the flow and enjoy whatever the experience gives you. There is nothing worse than being with fellow travelers who complain about changes when they knew it may happen..if you’re unsure please do not go , others will enjoy even if you will not. Having done a cruise in 2018 when the water levels were extremely bad, and not being in top health, I went open to anything as I traveled from NZ and do not regret one minute, but I am a very positive person. . Others were not
Now sitting at the dock in Budapest, still on the same boat as we boarded in Nuremberg almost a week ago Viking ATLA). Water levels have been fine all the way down the river. The weather for the past 3 days has been very nice, with a few clouds and temperatures in the 35-40 degree F range.
My sister and I are planning our 5th river cruise next year – this one on the Mekong River (Vietnam to Cambodia); however, we keep hearing in the news about the water levels being quite low – the lowest in 100 years. Does anyone know if the ships are still able to pass or if they are docked and bussing people to different stops? Want to know anyone’s experience to determine if we should reschedule and travel elsewhere. Definitely do not want to end up taking a bus tour.
Sitting in Regensburg Germany on the Viking ATLA, enroute from Nuremberg to Budapest. The water levels on the Danube are fine and everything has been on track so far. The weather has been cold and a bit rainy at times, but Christmas time in this part of Europe is magical.
Hi Bob..may I ask what cruise ship were you on? Thanks
We are currently on the Budapest to Nuremberg cruise on Emerald Waterways, completing December 15th (so we are halfway done now). Water levels are fine. There have been no announcements about any concerns of water levels.