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Water Levels On The Rivers Of Europe

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:

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.

August 12, 2022 map data © OpenStreetMap-Mitwirkend Sourced from Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde

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.

2,271 Responses

  1. We are joining Scenic Jasper in Amsterdam going to Budapest on 12th Sept any info as to if we are likely yo be diverted. Scenic have told us no problem with water levels, but this does not seem possible as many boats stuck.

  6. Happy to see that our ship, the River Duchess, is moving again. There is a lot of rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. Hopefully, it will make it to Amsterdam by next Wednesday, Sept. 14, when we are supposed to board. I think from others postings that there are no passengers on board so they won’t have to stop at ports.

  8. Are they supplying transportation to Passau for you to join the ship? We are booked to cruise with Scenic departing from Nuremberg but not until October. However we are heading over early and making our own way to join the ship in Nuremberg. Hope your trip is amazing.

  10. ITS SEPT 9 – I am On Viking Tialfi, we started in Basel Sept 3 and we went through the Rhine Gorge two days ago. No problems in the KAUB area but the boat did briefly scrape the river bottom as we arrived in Koblenz. Rain is in the forecast around here the next 3-4 days. So water levels should improve for next week or so. We’ve had a good cruise with no rain during the day until today – near Kinderdijk in Holland.

  12. We had our bivalent inoculations yesterday (our 5th shot each), with no ill effects. However, a friend, who has had bad reactions to all covid shots, had hers yesterday and had a bad night last night with a 101 fever, back almost to normal today.

    Our observation from anecdotal evidence gathered since January 2021 is that effects can vary widely, even among siblings. Our view is that any reaction to the vaccine is no deterrent to the safety of an elevated immunity response (even if not guaranteed to be absolute immunity.

  14. Thank you. We are scheduled to be on the Scenic Amber beginning on September 22nd.

    This is our first cruise with Scenic. In the pre-cruise information, it sounded as if we are limited to one suitcase and backpack per passenger. Is this true? Generally, we each take a carry-on suitcase and then check one bag for the two of us – a total of 3 suitcases.

  16. Wally, thanks for the information. We have contacted them everyday and they keep saying they are having no problems and that the River Duchess will be there on 14th! I have been looking and cruisemapper.com and that is why I have been so concerned.

  18. Hi, best you look at https://www.cruisemapper.com/ and insert river duchess. It arrived 3 Sep and still hasn’t passed Regensberg… they are putting passengers on buses to Frankfurt for 3 days, then bussing them to Amsterdam for 2 days. Best you contact Uniworld again…

  19. We are in the “boat”
    Canceled river cruises for 2 years because of covid
    Do not want to take bus trips
    Scheduled to get on the boat in Constantina near Bucharest on Sep 25
    It is also Tauck
    It is East bound from Bucharest to Budapest
    Updates appreciated
    Ganesh

  20. Thanks Bob This information is very useful
    We are booked for Tauck river cruise from Bucharest to Budapest
    We are starting the river cruise part of it on September 25th
    Please update your experience
    Appreciate your help
    Ganesh

  21. We’re on a AMA Amesterdam – Basel in November. Hopefully the water levels will raise. Best wishes for a wonderful trip.

  22. The CDC is recommending the bivariant covid vaccine for anyone who has not had a recent booster. This can be taken at the same time as the flu shot. The new bivariant is the vaccine that has been tweaked to include more protection from the B4 and B5 variants which may be important in close quarters. I plan to do this tomorrow for my trip leaving Oct 9.

  24. Marylou, Thanks for your continued updates! We appreciate you keeping up posted on your progress on the river!

  28. We have reservations on the Amadeus Queen Oct.6 for Bucharest to Vienna. Has anyone done this route and was there any disruptions? Would really appreciate any information. Thanks

  29. We’re in Bamberg now. No new updates of any further issues. Showered this morning so every drop helps. Will keep updating

  30. About 3 hrs. Arrived at new ship and went to lunch. Rooms were ready so we could freshen up before going out in tour. Seamless. When we got back prior to dinner bags were in room. Didn’t take long to unpack as the setup is identical and we’d already worked out where to put things.

  33. Let’s think positively……….Bruce and I (Becky) will also be meeting the River Duchess group (you, Ken & Karin, Lisa & Jeff) hopefully on Sept. 14.

  34. I am booked on Viking for Oct. 8th
    Basel to Amsterdam. I look forward to your comments at end of your trip. I can’t decide if I want to cancel. I look forward to your post cruise comments.

  35. Please put out an update after you reach the Rhine Gorge. Booked on Oct.8th Viking from Basil to Amsterdam. I have until 9/24 to cancel. I don’t see any long range forecasts for heavy rain.
    Thanks

  36. I notice from cruise mapper that Scenic Amber plus all the other cruise line boats heading north are stuck in Passau. Not heading on to Regensburg or Nuremburg

  38. Thanks very much, Jim. I really appreciate the update! We were just notified today that our trip from Amsterdam to Basil, beginning on the 10th, would be on the Tialfi rather than Aruna. I expected as much since they probably experienced a ship swap a few weeks ago. I hope the rain is just enough to help the water levels without impacting your sightseeing too much. If you have a chance to update once more regarding weather, that would be great! Enjoy the remainder of your trip.

  42. Having been a “victim” of 2018, October is too far away to anticipate any water level. I would advise not booking any individual ( not associated with cruise tour ) tours that cannot be cancelled within 48 hours of tour. We had post cruise days at our hotel in Amsterdam prior to our embarkation date. These were independent arrangements, food tours, Ann Frank, Museums, transportation etc. Unfortunately we were not advised that our river boat would not make the anticipated itinerary until 7 days prior to our embarkation date! An alternate itinerary was offered, which was basically 11 days Amsterdam and Bruges ~ a combination of limited river bus & hotels. We declined, due to the independent bookings we made (some are a must such as Ann Frank, other museums, private food tours) with notice that we had to cancel we were outside the cancelation window and lost over $700. We also had independent air and lost an additional $700 on seat upgrades (not transferable) . We were able to cancel the hotels,
    private transportations, tours and all our post cruise plans. Please be careful with your individual bookings. I wish you a climate change miracle !

  43. We board the Vili on 10/7, A to B. Please keep these updates coming because they are very much appreciated! Wishing you a wonderful cruise experience!

  45. One word. NO.

    Dock in Passau and bus to Regensburg (about 1-1/2 hrs each way). Trip is worth it. Day trip to Munich was same day so you have to choose between the two.

  46. We were on Viking Lif from Amsterdam to Nuremberg – now transferring by bus to Viking Vidar in Passau. All being handled very smoothly.

  47. Karin, hope to meet you, Ken, Jeff and Lisa on the River Duchess. We live in Arizona…originally from Kansas.
    I see on the cruise mapper website that the ship is finally moving!!! Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that they make it to Amsterdam by the 14th.

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