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.
An interesting article regarding river cruises
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/europe-drought-river-cruising/index.html
We left Basel yesterday 13th Aug, and cruising to Amsterdam with Avalon. Thought I’d give interested parties the latest, although similar disruption to David.
Original itinerary
Day 1 Basel
2 Breisach
3 Strasbourg
4 Mainz
5 Rudesheim in morning, cruising to Koblenz in afternoon with free time in Koblenz
6 Cologne
7 Amsterdam
8 Disembark Amsterdam
At the welcome meeting we were advised of the (expected) disruptions. The boat will travel as far as Strasbourg where it will stay two nights, missing the stop at Mainz (where we had booked & were looking forward to visiting the Gutenberg museum-an included excursion). Day hiking excursion of Philosophers Way also cancelled. Instead they are bussing us to Heidelberg & offering a city tour and lunch, with an afternoon at leisure in the town, before returning to Strasbourg.
On Wednesday we will disembark the ship at Strasbourg, to swap with the ship that left Amsterdam at the same time. They will bus us to the Rudesheim Music Museum (the excursion we had chosen) & local lunch. They are trying to organise a small boat to do a cruise in the gorge in the afternoon, but this is apparently getting too shallow for even the small local boats. The other two Rudesheim excursion options don’t seem to be running, (not surprising as one was using ship bikes).
We will then continue by coach & transfer to the sister ship waiting in Koblenz, and continue onto Amsterdam. Also joining us will be the passengers of an Italian cruise doing the same route as us, (but don’t have an equivalent ship of their own to swap with). We will then be nearly full. Currently sailing with 92 passengers, with a ship capacity of 168.
We are being offered monetary compensation for the inconvenience. Cruising through the gorge in the afternoon on day 5, (Rudesheim to Koblenz), was going to be a highlight, laying in bed looking out of the full panoramic windows, but if a small ship can be arranged this would be something. They are doing their best, and with drought across Europe, it is just unfortunate timing. Of course, we would have preferred our original itinerary & not having to change boats & spend time on buses rather than relaxing on board. If passengers choose to cancel now they are onboard, they have been offered a proportional refund, but with most passengers having pre-booked flights / connections out of Amsterdam, I very much doubt anyone would take up this option. I’ve not heard any complaining, & having been aware of low water levels before leaving the UK, it was not unexpected. Many passengers are from the US & further afield were joining this boat as part of a larger European trip, so again cancelling at this point would have given them logistical problems too.
Of course this is as of 13th August. There is apparently no rain being forecast over the next 2 weeks, so things may well change further & maybe even for us.
Did Viking offer any refund or similar to you besides the risk free one?
Ours expired yesterday for our B to A cruise on Aug 27. Will we be offered a chance to cancel or discounts?
If I had read today’s postings yesterday morning, I would have cancelled.
Thank you so much for you “on the ground” reports.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I will be on the Rhine Aug. 25, Amsterdam to Basel. It would be much appreciated if you could provide details as to what part of the Rhine you were on.
My husband and I are also booked with Viking Basel to Amsterdam on August 26th. I’ve been concerned about our flights with such tight connections. Now I’m concerned about the water levels. Too late to cancel so we are going knowing that there will be challenges and disruptions. Just trying to keep positive and know that we will be getting to see parts of Europe we would not have seen otherwise. We are taking carry on bags so we won’t worry about airlines losing them.
It won’t be the trip we were expecting, but there will be places to see and great people like your family to meet!
There will be stories to tell and experiences to share when we get home.
Appreciate all the comments and the info.
Jill M
Canada
We took this trip early June, with no water issues. Honestly, the section from Passau to Regensburg is nothing special. This section of the Danube is half the width of the lower part, because of all the water entering from the Inn River at Passau. And you would sail at night anyway. Regensburg and Passau are beautiful and you will still get to see those. That said, having to bus would be annoying.
We will never book a cruise with Viking again!!!
We and 6 other friends had a Rhine river cruise a couple years ago that turned into a partial bus tour…….multiple transfers and packing unpacking, bus to ship, ship to bus. 2 of our friends brought they parents along, both in wheelchairs, what a nightmare! Viking knew days before we arrived in Budapest that the river was too low to navigate in several areas and chose not to inform us until we arrived in Budapest!
Did Viking offer any compensation? Did they tell you ahead of time it would be only bussing?
Which cruise is this…. From where to where. Are you doing any sailing, boat swapping? Is Viking giving any compensation??
We are on the same cruise… I read somewhere that boarding has not been in Budapest but a few miles away.
I think that we are on the same Viking trip. It’s been miserable. The swapped itinerary has us on unscenic bus trips for hours only to spend an hour or so in a town before we have to get back on the bus. My view from my balcony is a concrete wall
I think that we are in the same Viking trip. It’s been miserable. The swapped itinerary has us on unscenic bus trips for hours only to spend an hour or so in a town before we have to get back on the bus
I am in a trip now and it’s miserable. Yes, the food on the ship is decent but I could have fabulous food at the fanciest restaurants at home for ten years for what we paid for this trip. Huge disappointment and Viking should have cancelled
I would cancel if you can. There is no way the river will be high enough in less than a month. I wish viking would have cancelled our trip. I am writing this while in yet another awful bus ride because we can’t sail. I am furious they allowed this trip to continue. The itinerary changes are far from minimal and unpleasant. What a complete waste of time and money. If I could get on a plane to go home early, I would do it in a heartbeat. I would much rather be home than here.
We are in Europe now for a viking river cruise. Frankly, it’s such a bad experience that I am very angry that viking did not cancel. We are docked in industrial areas and my balcony view is a concrete wall. The deck views are shipping cargo containers and road pavement. The itinerary was dramatic and we are spending HOURS on busses only to get somewhere and be rushed through a tour (no time to just enjoy a town) because you have to get back on the bus to get back to the boat for dinner. In my opinion, the cruise lines should be cancelling all rhine river trips for the foreseeable future or at least tell the truth about what a changed itinerary does to your plans. I know that being on a bus for hours in the highway is not my idea of a vacation. We have not had a single day of waking up to beautiful Europe. Due to the way viking has presented information in writing versus experiencing the reality, I will never travel in viking again.
Thanks for update Annette. We have a planned Vienna to Bucharest on 30 September. Hubby didn’t really want to go but I talked him into it!!!!! I also have mobility and endurance probs so packing and unpacking would be difficult. Fingers and toes crossed ‘the rains might come’……….
Thanks, Annette. It’s great to hear first hand what is happening re. insurance policies etc. We’re booked for this Saturday, Paris to Zurich. We also have Risk Free insurance but too late to exercise it now. Hope you and yours manage to have a very enjoyable trip whenever you may go.
Peter
Awaiting your next post as we are on Viking A/B on Sept 10. Do not want to do a bus/hotel tour for half of trip. We are Viking fans but will rebook in spring if River is impassable. Thanks so much for being our “eyes”
I am looking forward to your post. I will be travelling the following week and am curious how far ships are getting past Cologne and close to Koblenz. Thanks in advance.
We are scheduled to leave on Viking Grand European cruise on Sep 9th. I called Viking this morning and spoke to a very nice customer service person. She said that under the Risk Free Guarantee we had until Aug 23rd to cancel this trip. If we decided this we would get full refund by way of vouchers of equal value that could be used on any Viking cruise, river or ocean with the next 24 months. No cash refund. I think this is quite fair. She said we could even rebook for later in September depending on availability of course.
We are doing the European Sojourn with viking on 9/27/22. Would appreciate any info on low water levels, ship swapping and bus/hotel issues from those on that tour. Appreciate all the Rhine updates, but am also wondering about the Danube.
Thanks for sharing this Annette. Wishing you the best. I hope it all works out.
Thank you for sharing this information Margaret. We are travelling in mid sept on the Danube, same cruise ( Scenic ) and are anxious about the water levels. Anyone reading this and have any Danube information , please share.
We will do the same when our trip comes.
We just got back from this trip (3-10 August). We were contacted by Riviera the afternoon before departure to say they had to change itinerary. We missed the first 2 days from Basel: Lucerne/Bernese oberland and Lake Titisee/Black forest. The boat was moored at Ludwigshafen (I think) although we were told it was Speyer. This meant a near 4 hour transfer from the airport. The first 5 days were rearranged and just the last 2 days were as the original itinerary. They added Heidelberg which was good, and Mainz and Frankfurt which was OK. Only in Mainz and Rudesheim were we close enough to town to go out at night.
We’d got a good deal which encouraged us to stick with it. There was also an additional discount for inconvenience.
Many people did cancel. Our trip ran with just 63 guests.
Think carefully about whether you want to do the trip. That said ship lovely, food great and service excellent.
Good luck!
Who were you booked with and did they offer you the cancellation? We are due to do Amsterdam to Basel on 8/26 with Avalon, so very concerned as really wouldn’t want a coach trip.
I am doing a Titan 15 day cruise late September. Budapest up to Cologne. Do hope its ok. Done coach tours for years and looking forward to an just one un pack of the case. . Booked a DS cabin and first trip since 2019. Was originally a Russian river cruise 😂 What will be will be. Interesting reading peoples experiences.
Hi Stewart. So are we!! I have everything crossed it will go ahead. Hopefully see you on board 😄🤞
We’re also watching with interest (and alarm). Booked with Uniworld for August 28 Basel to Amsterdam. Your updates are very welcome
Have you heard anything about the rivers of Bordeaux (Dordogne and Garonne) and the Seine?
Having just heard on the news about the water levels on the Rhine, this is helpful information. We’re booked on a Viking Paris to Zurich tour on the 20th August. We have heard zero from Viking, the contact number in Australia is unavailable until Monday and there’s nothing on their websites. We’re flying from Sydney on Tuesday. We understand from the contract that Viking make alternative arrangements if the water levels are too low. But, we would have appreciated some sort of communication, so that we and others can prepare for the potential of what looks like compromised enjoyment of the river and worst of all grumpy people who haven’t had time to adapt. Having sucked the Kool Aid from Karine’s wonderful promotions on Viking TV during our Covid lockdowns we are disappointed and surprised they haven’t communicated how they are managing the situation.
We were going to be on the same ship in September, leaving 9/12, and after my husband read your comment, we decided on a cruise to the Mediterranean next fall. He did not want to go on a bus tour either. Thanks for your comment. 👍 Henrietta
Thank you for this update! Coming from Australia to sail 23rd September, so will be watching this all very closely. Cathy
Cancel, but reschedule your trip for a non-drought period. The river is the highlight of the Viking River cruises and too beautiful to be missed. We just returned last month (pre-drought) and a swapped bust tour wouldn’t have been the same. The river experience was incredible!
Thank you for your post Ralph. I was excited to see the graphs showing some improvement in the water level predictions over the next two weeks. Today I spent 6 hours on the phone with Viking and the insurance provider TripMate. If we are unfortunate and both the section of the Rhine from Strasbourg to Koblenz (happening now per Matt below) and Amsterdam to Koblenz (happening now per Peter Magnusson below) are not navigable when we sail, we will only sail from from Basel to Strasbourg and only at night. My siblings walk with canes and cannot do walking tours. One ship swap and missing one or two stops would be fine. But living out of a suitcase between hotels and ships and buses is not easy for them or relaxing. I learned something about the cancellation policy I wanted to share. We booked with a risk-free guarantee that ends today. No cash refund, but the option to rebook for 24 months without losing any of our investment and the option to transfer the trip to someone else if any of us were unable to travel. We also purchased the Cancel for any reason travel insurance Waiver by Viking that allows us to cancel right up until the day of travel. I was going to wait and see how the river was doing. Today I learned that the purchased Cancel for any reason waiver refunds the same vouchers BUT they must be REDEEMED, not rebooked, in 12 not 24 months. Additionally they are NOT transferable or ever refundable for cash under any circumstances if someone cannot make the trip. I hope this will help those of you who were uninformed of the details of your insurance and how it will impact your decision.
To all of you I wish happy sailing and a wonderful trip.
We are scheduled for August 22 and I am very nervous and anxious to follow this thread.
We are also going Viking from Basel to Amsterdam first of September.. I actually regret that I started reading all these comments about water levels… oh, the things we have no control over! Rain is certainly one of those things! I live on a lake in Austin TX and it is so low. Been praying for rain for months… just didn’t think of praying for rain along the Rhine until now.
Brian,
Just found this forum. We are scheduled on Viking Basel to Amsterdam 8/30 to 9/6. Talked to Viking Customer Service 3 days ago and were told no disruptions presently. If you could update this during your trip it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Viking is a wonderful cruise company and have been voted the best river/ocean cruise company by Conde Nast and Travel & Leisure. We never had any major issues on our 10 river/ocean cruises and have been really well taken care of. Certain things like water levels are not under their control and people have to be flexible or rebook their cruise. And it is certainly not the carnival cruise of river boats – some travel agent you are giving erroneous information and bad mouthing Viking.
We’re on the same itinerary (Scenic Jasper from AMS 9/12). Hopefully water levels will improve by then. Worst case, hoping to coach to Frankfurt and board there for the last 9-10 days to BUD. Water levels on the Main look good. Thanks to everyone for all the info on this site.
Thanks for these posts. They have been a huge help. We are scheduled to depart Amsterdam to Basel on 5 Sept. Obviously looking increasingly dicey. We have about a week to cancel, with vouchers for a future cruise but not refunds. Have you heard anything from Viking about future cancellations of entire cruises (as opposed to using buses)? If they cancel, our trip insurance kicks in. If they don’t, the voucher option seems to be all that is left.
Britton and I would like to thank all of you for your reports and insights from the rivers. We’ve posted a new article this morning that many of you may find helpful, with links to some good resources. https://rivercruiseadvisor.com/2022/08/crisis-on-the-rhine-how-river-cruise-companies-are-responding/
our sailing date is September 9th.
Looking forward to reading your post
We were on the fence until reading your post! A bus tour is exactly what we wanted to avoid. I would be okay with shuttling from ship to ship, but it’s becoming clearer that we will be bussing most of the way from Basel to Amsterdam. Did Viking offer you a credit for a future cruise?
We’re traveling the Amsterdam to Basel trip Oct 7. That’s a ways off and we are hoping things improve. We will keep checking the updates to see how Viking is handling it.
Let us know how it works out.
We are sailing Basel to Amsterdam September 18th. Please update after your trip
Thank you so much. We’ll be with another cruise line and would really appreciate current conditions of the Rhine and where it is impassable. Please keep updating. We will be leaving Amsterdam on the 25th. Trying to forecast how much time we’ll be on a bus for our river cruise. 🤨😏
I’m taking the same Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on 8/26 and suspect we’ll have a similar experience. Sad to miss Rudesheim and Heidelberg. Can you let me know what Viking schedules for that extra day?
Annette…Your post brought tears to my eyes…I hope you get to have a fabulous trip. We are doing A to B the 4 of Sept. Hope things improve!
We’re booked on to the Riviera Rhine cruise to Switzerland starting August 24th. With ten days still to go, I wonder whether this can happen with the low water levels. Has anyone any recent experience of this section i.e. Cologne to Basal?
Gabriella. Thanks for posting on the trip from Basal to Amsterdam. I booked a life time trip for my elderly siblings and their spouses that leaves Basal on Aug 26. I booked many excursions outside of Viking when we were supposed to be in port. I have spend hours calling Viking daily begging for information, not about my trip….they obviously cannot predict the future. I just needed guidance about what to expect based on how your trip is going and what Viking is currently doing. At all levels, they have refused to give me any information. If it wasn’t for your generosity in posting, I would be clueless. I have until Aug 12 to cancel but that is not what I want to do. Life is fragile at 75. Who knows if they will be healthy enough next year. But I need to know whether to cancel my excursion in Strasbourg in the pm. When did they bus you to Speyer? In the morning? I cancelled the Rudesheim evening activity but need information about when you got to Koblenz and left.
Thank you in advance for taking time out of your trip to help. I saved for 10 years to give this gift to my siblings. I just want to make this the best I can for them.
Thank you.
Annette