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. 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 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, and I have cruised in both. 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. Others had their trips scuttled altogether because the river cruise companies could not operate. 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.– 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.
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.
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.
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 loosing 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.
Several cruise companies maintain pages about current sailing conditions:
- Emerald Cruises: https://www.emeraldwaterways.com/current-sailing-conditions
- Scenic: https://www.scenicusa.com/current-sailings-conditions
- Viking River Cruises: https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/current-sailings/
To see what our readers had to say about how their trips were impacted by low water levels, click here.
Hi, We are supposed to be sailing on Viking from Vienna to Bucharest starting on Oct 29. Does anybody have an idea of how the water levels may impact our trip?
We received the following message this morning….our Emerald cruise was suppose to start today. Very late notice.
“due to low water between Bratislava and Vienna, Emerald Sky is unable to reach Budapest for the embarkation of your cruise. Therefore, we have had to make the decision to move the first night of your cruise to a hotel stay to allow for the commencement of your itinerary”
Plans are to bus us to Bratislava for a tour and then continue bussing to Vienna where are cruise is suppose to start.
Hi there, as of the past 2 days there are no ships travelling to Budapest from Vienna as the water levels are too low. Also between Nuremberg and Passeau. So a change of ships is required and some bus trips between ports. We have just disembarked from an Amsterdam to Budapest Cruise.
We sailed from Budapest to Amsterdam, starting on October 4th, arrived in Amsterdam on the 19th.
Water was low in Budapest, so all ships were forced to leave early; we left a day early, docked in Kamarom, and then excursions were run by bus from there.
Then in Passau, we had to swap ships because of low water; it wasn’t as bad as I expected, but forced a 2-hour bus ride.
Finally, a lock workers’ strike stopped us for 7 hours in the middle of the night.
We are on a Viking cruise from Passau to Budapest. Left Passau today with no problem. So far no problems anticipated for low water levels per Viking. It’s drizzly today but mild temps. We were able to get our walking tour of Passau in today with no rain.
Thank you Patti. We’re traveling Budapest to Regensburg starting Nov 4th. Any further updates are appreciated. Enjoy your trip!
We are sailing Budapest to regensburg boarding on Oct 29. Any updates would be appreciated. At this time, Viking is saying we will board in Budapest. No interruptions to itinerary.
We continue to have no disruptions to our Passau to Budapest Viking river cruise. Our captain says he doesn’t anticipate any problems with low water levels. We are enjoying Krems today.
In Budapest now. Getting on our ship tomorrow. Our ship is here as are many others. Looks like the water levels are fine now
Thanks for the update!
Got on Viking in Budapest Nov 4th, heading to Vienna for tomorrow. River levels are fine. No disruptions.
Any current updates are appreciated. We leave November 17 and was curious about any disruptions. Thanks.
Hi Julie
We finished the cruise in Regensburg on Nov 10th. No issues with water levels from Budapest. It was a fantastic cruise.
We leave on emerald on Nov 24 from regensberg to Vienna. Does anyone know what’s happening with the water levels at the moment?
We are currently on an Ama Waterways ship and unable to get between Regensburg and Nuremberg, where we disembark. We have been advised that the water is too high, so we will lose a day of cruising and will remain in port at Regensburg. We will disembark here and the crew is working on getting everyone to where they need to be at disembarkation.
We are sailing from Nuremberg on Dec 12, 2023. How are the water levels at this point?
On a cruise now and stuck in Passsu. Should be on way to Regensburg but water level is too high to get under a low bridge!
Did you make it through?
I am sailing on Viking from Budapest to Regensburg Oct 28-Nov 5. Is anyone sailing on the Danube now? How are the water levels? Are there any problems?
Was due to sail Budapest to Vienna on Monday 9 Oct with Titan. Told today water too low for Budapest so cruise will start from Komarno and we’ll be bused from Airport to Komarno then following day be bused Komarno to Budapest for city tour before being bused back to start cruise from Komarno!
Can you update the low water situation as you cruise please? We leave out of Budapest on October 28th.
See my comment today
Can anyone update water level from Koblenz to Basel on the Rhine? Thank you
On the Viking Grand European Tour Amsterdam to Budapest 9/26-10/10. Water was too low Regensburg to Passau. We switched ships. Just received word tonight that Danube is too low for us to reach Budapest. We will do Vienna tomorrow and the next day. The remaining trip will be busing from the ship at Bratislava to Budapest 1.5hr each way.
May be bused from Komarno, not Bratislava. We were told it would be 1.5 hour trip by bus.
Helen, I’m looking for the same information as Bill. Since the boat is docked in Komarno, does Viking provide any type of transportation Budapest and back for people that want to tour the city on their own? Not part of one of Vikings organized excursions?
Hello Helen, Since you are not arriving in Budapest did Viking provide transportation into Budapest so you can tour the city and get back to the ship?
Viking provided a bus for the Budapest excursion; we had done that excursion before so we stayed in Kamarom for the day. Not much there to see, but it’s a nice little town; had a coffee in the town square.
Considering all the issues, Viking did a great job taking care of us, but it definitely affected our trip, sad to say. Two hours on a bus at Passau, and we weren’t able to do a morning excursion in Nuremberg. We also lost a day in Budapest, and then a half-day because of a lock workers’ strike.
Sailing on Viking 10/13-10/20 Budapest to Regensburg. Was just told Budapest water levels are too low to sail, so ship will depart from Komárom, with tours bused from there. Also this: “due to low water levels near Passau, there is a possibility your ship will be unable to reach its regular disembarkation port in Regensburg. If this occurs, on Day 7 your Regensburg shore excursions will operate out of Passau (75 miles east of Regensburg) by motorcoach, and on Day 8 you will disembark from Passau. Your Program Director will have more information once you are onboard.”
Thank you, any information is appreciated
We are embarking from Budapest on Oct 24. Does anyone know if water levels will still be low. We’ve never done a river cruise before and are wondering how this affects the entire cruise. Seems like you would miss a huge part of the trip . Todays the 10th for you and I’m wondering how it the process. Seems like a let down..
We are also embarking in Budapest on Oct 24th with Avalon Waterways. I haven’t heard anything yet about what’s going on. What company are you travelling with.
Scheduled to depart Regensberg October 21 s@7:00 PM. Between now and then there is rain in the forecast. This will likely raise the river levels a bit.
We are embarking in Budapest to go to Vienna on 24th with Tui we had an email last Wednesday to say they were monitoring the water levels and would let us know if they have to change the itinerary We have heard nothing since with 4 days to go !
Hello Barbara we are embarking from Budapest the 24 for the grand European cruise
I just got an email that we have to embark at Komaron 60 miles up .
I called the Viking asking more questions but no clear answer.
Please if you hear something else please let me knows
Can you please keep us updated on this as you cruise? We sail next week and have been told nothing.
We are sailing then, too (Oct 28-Nov 5), and I’m curious about the water levels, also. We took a Viking trip on the Rhine a few years ago, and it was great! Looking forward to another memorable trip!
I’m also on that cruise Fred. Hoping no issues but I haven’t seen anything
Hi everyone about to embark on a Danube cruise to Budapest.
We returned yesterday from an Imagine Cruising holiday on the A-Rosa Donna starting on 7th October and finishing on 14th October. We started at Englehartszell near Passau and we were supposed to go to Budapest and back to Englehartszell, but we couldn’t go past Bratislava due to low water levels and were unable to visit Budapest. This caused significant disappointment and disruption to our holiday.
We understand this problem also occurred the previous week. We feel we should have been told and given the opportunity to cancel. Be warned if you are about to embark on a Danube cruise.
Please keep posting on water levels and how the cruise lines are handling the changes to itineraries. I’ve asked Viking what their contingency plans are and am not getting any information. I’m trying to find out if they will be running shuttle service back into Budapest or if we are on our own.
We are leaving from Passau to Budapest October 23rd on Viking. Is anyone on the Danube currently and have a water level report?? Just received an email from Viking stating low water levels.
Same! Also curious.
We are supposed to board in Budapest on Oct 24th. Not sure what is happening
Please see my comments below
Thank you for the update. We appreciate hearing the latest information.
Update we received an email at 6.30 pm today to say our itinerary had changed (36 hrs notice) the new itinerary was for 5 days in Austria with the option of going to Bratislava by coach on day 3 If we accepted grey would give us a 10% refund and £50 holiday voucher The other option was to rebook betweenNov 23 and Oct 24 We didn’t want either of these options and when we rang asking for a refund The guy said he would have to discuss with his senior and would ring back Half an hour later he did and said it had been approved. So we will be refunded but very disappointed as it’s too late to book anything else for our planned dates
Have there been low water levels on the Douro River? River cruising the end out Oct. 2023.
We just finished Avalon Danube Dreams with 2 Nights in Prague (Eastbound). We boarded the Avalon Impression in Vilshofen and ended in Budapest with no water level problems. The temperatures were in the nineties all week with just a brief shower one morning.
Anyone on a Viking River Cruise Basel to Amsterdam? Wondering about the water levels?
Hi Joy – yes I am wondering too. We are travelling Budapest to Amsterdam in September so, I have everything crossed that the levels will be perfect 🙂
Yes, what can you tell me? Thanks………Nick who is scheduled to depart Basel on Sept. 1st
Hi Nick! We are doing the same route, but departing on Sept 15th. I’d love an update from your trip if you’ve got the time when you return. Hoping all is smooth sailing!
Left Basel on August 28th, will be in Koblenz in a few hours. Water levels are fine and actually have been rising. We head west on the Mosel, so can’t say for the northern Rhine.
Thank you!
How are the water levels ,currently, on the Mosel?
I’m currently on the Viking Vili halfway into our trip travelling Budapest to Amsterdam. We have been very fortunate as we will make it the whole way on the same boat. Though the water levels are very high so we are not allowed on the top deck (all the railings have been removed) because the bridges are low. There isn’t a way to predict what it will be like on your trips as the weather makes the determination and conditions can change quickly. We have been lucky, sunny weather every day but hot.
I’m wondering too. We cruise on Alruna this Saturday
I’m wondering about Rhine water levels too. We cruise on Alruna this Saturday from Basel
I also am curious where the Rhine water levels are at. We leave from Basel on October 2 to Amsterdam
This looks like to be a potential bomb under the EU power generation during summer 2023 as well. We saw it in 2022 due to low levels able to cool nuclear power plants, but it looks even more severe in 2023 with low levels already.
We will be cruising the Danube April through First of May with Amawaterways (in a couple weeks). Do you think the water levels will be ok?
How did the cruise work out. We are scheduled mid June
We just did Budapest to Amsterdam and there was a stretch that too low so it impacted several days of our trip, we were bussed (5hours on bus) and had to switch boats. Still had a good vacation and they really worked hard to make it smooth, but that part wasn’t ideal.
Where did you swap ships. We are doing the same trip late August
Do you do the Danube? We are going 9/3. We are worried about low water
We’re boarding the Viking Atla on 9/3 for the cruise to Budapest. I don’t think that low water will be a problem. I’ve been keeping an eye on the water levels using this site… https://www.pegelonline.wsv.de/gast/karte/standard
You can check the Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany 10-Day Weather Forecast here… https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/de/regensburg
We rescheduled our Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest from last summer to this July due to water levels. Was really hoping to hear what conditions are like currently? Anyone out there cruising now?
What have you found out, we are doing the same cruise Sept 12. Craig N
Hi Craig,
Not travelling until November on the Seine, but nevertheless very interested in all rivers levels. Last year travelled from Budapest to Amsterdam in mid October and had no problems with water levels.
Hi
Had dreadful experience. 2018 October (early). Amsterdam to Budapest with AP.
Glorified bus trip and 2 boats used, many alternative last minutes hotel stays, and long bus trips to new desitnations/hotel accom. Very little river cruising.
With great difficulty finally got a 30% refund. Crew did their very best, it was dealing with the company that left its mark, a traumatising and difficult time which we will never forget!
It’s a bit strange that we’re not seeing a lot of response by this time in the season! I’m hoping that rivers are flowing well!
Our neighbors just got back from a Viking Danube cruise and had to disembark at Passau. They were then bused to another ship to continue. The passengers on the other ship did the same, basically just swapping ships.
We just returned from a Viking cruise Amsterdam to Budapest May 5-22, 2023. There were showers most days and water levels were high. We had to swap ships in Regensburg but Viking made the swap very easy. All in all a great cruise.
Thanks Sylvia! Good to hear! I was worried the water levels were dropping more quickly than last year. I realize a lot can change between now and mid July but hopeful our timing is right!
Hi
Just returned (27 may) from Amsterdam Budapest cruise with Amadeus. No water level problems or any “talk” of problems. Water levels in all rivers look to be “high” we had one small scrape under a bridge on the Main but that’s all. Weather brilliant with both warm (24) afternoons and cold mornings/nights (10).
Hope you enjoy your trip
0
We are on a Basel to Amsterdam Viking cruise right now. We did the Lake Como pre trip which was terrific and enjoyed a spectacular ride over the Alps to Basel on Friday, with a lunch stop in Lucerne. The Rhine water level is fine and the ship and crew are amazing! We dock in Strasbourg tomorrow and the only glitch is we can’t dock downtown due to construction on a pier or bridge, can’t remember which but I guess it’s going to be that way all season. Viking will be running shuttles all day to accommodate the passengers.
Thx for sharing Mike!
We just completed a Viking Budapest to Amsterdam cruise and water levels were perfect. No delays, no ship changes, no bussing! All was perfect.
Thanks for that great up-to-the minute news. I sure hope things stay this way throughout the summer.
Could not cruise from
Passau to Regensburg
at very end of June 2023.
Hi Ray. Thanks for the update. Were water levels too low? Which cruise line? Did they do a ship swap?
We leave cruise on July 13 Amsterdam to Budapest on Viking. Any updates would be appreciated!
Hi, Just finished a cruise with Travelmarvel from Amsterdam to Budapest. Low Water passed Nuremberg so we had our tours of Nuremberg and then carried on by coach to Passau and joined a sister ship, completely identical, we had the same cabin number etc. A very smooth transition and carried on to Budapest.
Viking Var June 30 docked at Passau. Next day 90 mins Bus to Regensburg for the day trip. Smooth cruise from there to Budapest. Lots of ships in Passau waiting it out. Levels varied day by day
Will also be cruising in July. Was scheduled to board the Viking Vidar on July 19th in Amsterdam. Just received an email from Viking – we will be boarding the Viking Lif instead. I have been tracking the Vidar for 2 months now and it looks like they can’t get past Passau. There’s a post below that mentioned they had to leave the ship Regensberg and bus to Passau. Looks like this is what will probably happen unless some of you know a good rain dance.
Hi Roberta
I have been monitoring your blogs for some months now and you always offer ideas and sound advice, for which I am very grateful.
Although this year I won’t be travelling till November and on the Seine, I am always interested on how the water levels are on the Amsterdam to Budapest trip, which is my favourite
Thank you again Roberta for your reports. I’d be very interested to see how your cruise goes.
Well here’s an interesting development. This was one of the news feeds that came up today and caught my attention – https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/amsterdam-bans-cruise-ships-to-limit-visitors/ar-AA1e8Krs?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=37edc269667b4fc4823ec99f5a8ef33f&ei=8
Looks like Amsterdam is going to close their cruise port. The article did not clarify if this was only to LARGE ships, or ALL ships. The only thing I can say or add is the pot smoking is really prevalent and if you don’t like the smell, it’s sometimes overpowering. And it was wall-to-wall tourists until you got off the main streets.
As far as the cruise goes, it’s only day 3 and we hit Cologne today. Unfortunately, the Viking Lif had to dock a 45-min bus ride from the City Center. No real explanation was given. And when the ship caught up to us IN Cologne, it was not a walkable distance from CC to the ship, but Viking arranged bus shuttles – on the hour going INTO Cologne, on the half for the return to ship, from 2p until 5:30p being the last shuttle back.
Then we set sail again around 6:30p and not the expected 10p, but docking once again in Wesseling to pick up the folks who took the Optional Dinner w/Beer Excursion, who were bused from dinner to Wesseling.
All-in-all, I think this is going to be a “go-with-the-flow” trip because there’s not much you can do about it.
new update – according to my fantastic cabin lady (housekeeper) Eva, they reported light rains in Amsterdam and parts of Germany. She said the crew has been told that this might be enough to keep us from changing ships. They are monitoring it daily. Fingers, toes and eyes are crossed.
Water levels have been good, but we are still on the Rhein. Yesterday, instead of being docked in Miltenberg, we were docked in Freudenberg – a 15-min bus ride away. Again, no explanation and there were no other Viking and/or other cruise ships docked in Miltenberg.
Today, unless you take one of their optional pay excursions, you are stuck on the ship a full 5-hours longer than those who took an optional tour, even the one that is IN Wurzburg. A total rip-off.
Hi Roberta
Hopefully as you weren’t able to dock at Miltenberg, you maybe able to dock in Bamberg close to town and enjoy a bit of a walk around and not have 5 hours docked in middle of “nowhere”.
I guess the big test is coming up soon when you arrive in Passau.
Thanks for all your reporting. I’m very interested in how your cruise is going.
Have been watching the European weather and have my fingers crossed for you.
Meg! You must have been our good luck charm.
Our Viking Program Director told us yesterday, that with the rains the area has been having, the home office has cleared us for a direct sailing – NO BUS TRANSFER! Yeaaaaaaaa!
And with the rains we had in Bamberg yesterday, all day, the rivers must be even higher.
Roberta,
I’m so glad it has rained for you. Hopefully by the time you get to Regensburg, the sky will be blue and you can wander around the town, as I think the cruise ships dock very close to the centre. Hopefully all good till you get to Passau.
Update – Sun July 30 – Vienna Austria
We made it past the point of no return – Regensburg to Passau. More water in the river than just the minimum depth needed. Melk and Krems were a breeze and we had good docking locations in both, with Viking offering several shuttles to City Center in Krems.
Today in Vienna – We docked a full 2 hours ahead of schedule. So far (1723 Vienna time) we have had two HUGE rain storms. Came down in buckets for a good 15 minutes each time. I think we will be alright for the rest of the trip to Bucharest, and anyone who started a cruise in Amsterdam or Bucharest in the last 7 days should have more than enough river depth to cruise through easily. If the rains do not keep up their daily appearance, no matter the volume, then it might be back to touch and go. I’d teach you all my rain dance if this was a video. Of course, you would also need Meg as a good luck charm.
We’re planning a trip from Budapest to Amsterdam next May (2024). Does anyone have any reliable forecasting tools so we can make a decision this month, before we finalize our trip?
We did a trip from Amsterdam touring through the Netherlands and into Belgium with Avalon Waterways. It included a tour to Kuekenhof Gardens. It was excellent although be prepared as our weather was fairly cool. I think there’s less chance of low water levels in the spring.
In 2022 we did a river cruise in July with Scenic. It was exceptional with a number of excellent Signature experiences but we did have to change boats due to low water levels. However, the experience was painless . We were bused between ships and the crew handled the luggage transfer. Slightly disappointing not to cruise into Budapest, but we were bused in from where we’d docked, about an hour on the bus.
That was our first river cruise and it was a first rate experience.
Travelled from Amsterdam to Budapest leaving Amsterdam 15th May on Emerald and completed the whole trip without issue. It was amazing, weather was about mid 20’s most days, pleasant to walk about and enjoy the lovely villages.
I decided that May would be the best time to travel as the river levels would be quite good after the winter and it proved correct.
GREAT NEWS! Our Viking Program Director told us yesterday, that with the rains the area has been having, the home office has cleared us for a direct sailing – NO BUS TRANSFER! Yeaaaaaaaa!
And with the rains we had in Bamberg yesterday, all day, the rivers must be even higher.
Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted on the water levels when you are onboard the river cruise ship.
The Viking Lif (Amsterdam to Bucharest) has had no problems with the water levels as the rains have been daily – light showers to 15-min downpours. We are approaching Budapest today (Aug 1) and the crew does not anticipate any trouble to the end. But then again, we are past the crucial Regensberg-Passau stretch.
Thank you Roberta for your updates on the water levels. We are cruising Budapest on Amsterdam the end of August so keeping a close eye on how the levels are affecting cruising. It does seem to be a day by day thing though.
We took the Amsterdam to Basel cruise July 12-19 and water levels were normal. They told us as water levels sink, certain areas of the Rhine will be impassible as soon as the following week. All in all great cruise and breathtaking scenery through the middle Rhine valley.
Is there anyone on the Basel to Amsterdam VIking now that can tell me how the water levels are?
I am supposed to cruise the Rhone and Seine in August 2023. How concerned should I be about water levels impacting our itinerary.
Scroll down this comment section to the date your cruise starts on – or even before – for last year. Check the comments on those posts. But as these great folks here at River Cruise Advisor say – every year is different.
Hi Roberta, reading all the comments on here – did anyone actually manage to get ashore in Miltenberg this year?
Yes I would be concerned about any river cruise in Europe in August… with the growing world wide drought that’s been happening increasingly for a decade now I personally will never ever book any river cruise later than the 1 week in July and that’s a finger crossed sailing… June should be the latest month for Europe river cruises with these current ongoing conditions as year after year I keep reading how people had to port and bus to the next stop and on and on it goes seemingly always with these late July, August and September sailings… I’m from Michigan and am used to cold so cool June Europe weather doesn’t bother me at all and I will never book a river cruise in Europe after 1st week in July for the best chance of success of a pretty expensive trip… hope this helps !
It is difficult to say! We did the same last year & although people on river cruises were complaining about hotels & being buses, Viking spoke person always said there were no problems… when there is outright lying it makes it difficult to make a sensible decision… as it turned out, if we had gone last year we probably would have changed ship once and bused for a few hours….. but with the misinformation we could not trust Viking… the sad part, practically criminal is they keep your money for a year, then increase the cost of the trip by 50% for the next year…
Bernard – I was sure hoping that this would not be the case, but you are correct. The lies, misinformation, concealment of information has really saddened this trip. I inquired numerous times to different Viking Reps – when and where do we dock so I can plan my day accordingly. Although I knew times would be approximate, I was NEVER told that unless you take one of their optional pay excursions, you would not be getting off the ship until hours later, thus eating up the time you have in a particular city. Also, chances are you will not dock close enough to walk to-and-from the ship to break up the time there, use the restroom, rest your tired feet and legs, etc. I have already commented on the Cologne disaster and today’s visit to Wurzburg had me in tears. If you took the Hiking the Hills PAID excursion, you were off and exploring at 8:30am and getting into Wurzburg a full 5 hours before the rest of us. I asked if I could hitch a ride to the starting point and NOT go on the tour – NO!
I guess the biggest disappointment is being LIED to. Do not lie to me and do not ignore me are my only two rules. I can handle NO and I can always work around what I find out. Also, it would have influenced my decision of what shore excursions to take and IF I would take Viking AT ALL. Maybe that’s their point – hide the bad. So sad. If you are booked for a Viking cruise, get out now. Rebook with River Cruise Advisors and DO take their advise, their suggested cruises, and more importantly, maybe ones that they will be on themselves.
Will be sailing with Viking Amsterdam to Bucharest and it is like pulling teeth to get docking locations – even just a generalization – out of Viking. An acquaintance of mine sailed the exact cruise I am doing, but in reverse, last year. She mentioned that many times Viking docked so far away from the towns, if you didn’t take their included tour or purchase an optional one, you spent a lot of time on the ship and boredom was the word of the day. I would like to know what other Viking passengers are saying about this topic. If you are docked miles away and it is too far too walk or there is no local transportation services, does Viking provide shuttles to and from the town several times during the day?
Sounds like your friend likes to complain and presents as helpless. First, you need to take responsibility for your trip yourself. The”included” tours at each port are free and a no-brainer! That easily gets you off the ship and then one can move on from there. The optional excursions are elective. We are heading out soon on our Viking trip and have found our agent to be a wealth of information on “alternative” options including transportation. We’ve taken other tours as well over the years and have had no issues. Look at your alternatives ahead of time and contact your helpful agent. As a fyi, I have no affiliation with Viking or any other operator… just stating the obvious here.
Your comments about alternative information sources are irrelevant. Cruise operators should give anticipated docking locations. Period. When you fly to New York do you expect the airline to tell you which airport or are you OK having to figure it out on your own?
Low water can force change in docking location. Airport runways are in fixed locations, so the analogy does not apply.
Agree w/ CD.
Exactly!
Viking needs to get their act together, it’s Americans who keep those River cruises floating. We have done several
That is it, blame the customer!
CD – guess I am finding out that my friend was correct in a way, and that you are correct in a way. Viking does NOT always supply hourly buses from docking to city center. I contacted Viking time and time again asking for specifics. In Cologne. We were 1st docked a 45-min bus ride to town. The ship moved while we were in town on tours or doing your own thing, but you still needed to catch one of the buses to return to the new docking area which was still a good 15-min bus ride away from city center, in the middle of an industrial area, and not ON the Rhine or Main River itself. And we only learned of the docking locations the night before we hit Cologne.
For the Miltenberg docking, we docked in Freudenberg, a 15-min bus ride north, and there was only one bus to go there and one bus to return to the ship.
Bamberg – docked a 25-min bus ride away with only one bus to go back to the new docking location 10-mins away. Most of the passengers were at the bus pickup point 1 to 2 hours earlier than the scheduled pick up time – not convenient at all. Because the ship was on the move between the docking times, there could be no other shuttle buses arranged.
So if this is complaining, I am of that group. If Viking had been honest and forthcoming in answering my scheduling questions, I would not be AS upset. I could have planned my time accordingly, rather than be shocked that instead of being in Regensberg at 8:30a with time to do a self-tour in the morning after breakfast and then joining the included tour at 2p after lunch, with free time in Regensberg until 6p,.But we did not dock there until 12;30p – only finding that out the night before. It was a waste of my time to research things to do, to plan and print a routing, only to be disappointed.
I’m just stating the obvious. Viking should be upfront with a paying customer before a trip when asked a direct question.
you can always go to google maps and scroll in to see docks on the river, many will be labeled with the cruise line.
However, be aware that river levels at the time of your cruise dictate where you dock. If the usual dock is dry ground, you may already be on a bus. That happened a lot last year. If you are taking the included, or an optional tour, they will provide buses to and from. Outside of those, if you are doing your own thing, you will need to arrange your own transportation, but i understand that the Viking concierge can assist with that also.
River levels have improved generally.
Yes. This is what I have been doing – studying GoogleMaps – and it has been helpful. Sometimes they show up to 6 possible docks and not close to each other, but I can at least look into possible transit lines that are close to the dockings. Guess I’m just wishing I could nail something down. I have several water-level websites I am watching and have found another great website where you can enter the ship’s name and their location comes up. I am going to be tracing the Viking Vidar on the trips before mine. Might get an idea of where they put us. Thanks for all the info so far. Please continue if you/anyone have more thoughts.
Viking is not cruising this time of year. They don’t begin until mid March. You may be seeing boats move between winter docking stations. You need to look at MarineTraffic.com beginning in mid March when Viking begins cruising again.
thank you for the website. I will start watching that.
Roberta,
We are planning a Viking Antwerp to Amsterdam trip in late October. Obviously, concerned about water levels. Can you tell me what “water level websites” you have used?
The following are several of the websites I am watching. Each has information that is different and may/may not be relevant.
http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/current-sailings
http://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/water-levels
http://www.cruisemapper.com
https://www.rhineforecast.com
http://www.cruisehive.com
This last one is very interesting. You can put the name of your ship into the search box and it shows its real-time location. I am going to be watching this one daily in order to see where the ship I am on keeps docking.
http://www.marinetraffic.com
you can also just keep Googling different phrases and something new may come up
Good luck, Ro
You must take advantage of the spring snow melt for the highest water levels to insure you dock as close to town as possible.. I will never book a river cruise later than the 1st week of july for this very reason… Vlog after vlog about docking way out or impassible rivers all together and being bused to the next port and so on… I’m going when the water is the highest as a rule (spring snow melt) to have the best chance of the best sailing conditions…
Viking always gives the ports they will be docking at in their itinerary. Included walking tours are easily accessible from by he boat as are the extra excursions. The ship’s concierge can assist you if you would like to do something other than what is offered by the cruise line such as renting a bicycle. IF the water levels are low the boats my require docking at other ports and the Viking offers alternative ways to see the itinerary ports of call. My husband and I have cruised with Viking twice and will be embarking on our third cruise in April. We have been impacted by low water levels once and Viking provided alternative transportation to our port of call. I am not affiliated with Viking.
That’s Budapest, not Bucharest…
If you’re up to it, a lot of ships have bicycles you can take.
On the Rhein from Amsterdam to Basel right now. Trip has been wonderful! No problems at all. Weather cool in the mornings to 70 in the afternoon. Viking staff and accommodations far exceeded expectations
Glad to hear water levels are better now. Sailing out from Amsterdam November 3rd
Made in home last night. Our trip was perfect! Viking handled everything seamlessly We got our complete package through them including air, transfers and excursions. This was our third trip with Viking. Already planning Portugal for next spring.
We are going on Viking on the Rhein from Amsterdam to Basel on Nov 9th. Glad to here that all is well, and the weather is holding.
We just finished Sunday Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. Our only issue was we could not dock in Boppard. Water too low for docking there. We just continued to next port.
Uniworld was wonderful
We sail in April from Switzerland or Amsterdam. I’m hoping the water levels are good in spring. We’ve had to put it off for four years due to Covid
water levels are (best in the spring) from winter snow melt… always sail late spring early summer for the best water levels as the summer heat and drought will lower levels and sailings in late July and August can be sketchy.
We are in Vienna( on Viking Baldur)
On way to Melk and warned that low water may require switching ships in Passau and Nuremberg. More information to come tomorrow.
yeah everyone travels at certain times for there own reasons but most of these posts are the exact reason I never sail outside of may,june and mid july (spring snow melt water levels at there highest for the year) the world wide drought conditions make these rivers sketchy anytime outside those months and for $20 I’m gonna be pissed to keep switching boats and or taking buses… It may happen to me in those months stated above but the odds are grossly in my favor that they won’t…
We’re on the Viking cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam starting October 16th (2022). Anyone else on the south to north cruise? What’s the latest regarding the water levels in the Rhine and the Danube? Anyone currently on either river? Any problems?
Yes, on the Budapest to Passau leg on that same Viking cruise (Viking Kadlin boat) starting 16 Oct. A buddy who lives in Germany told me this morning that it’s rained a lot in the area over the last month or so. Hopefully enough water in Danube to avoid any busing between stops.
We currently on Viking’s Budapest to Passau cruise. We are on day 4, so just left Krems and are headed to Linz. No issues with the water level and I have seen Uniworld and other cruise lines operating also. It has rained all afternoon today, and has drizzled off and on on prior days, so I think you should be OK.
Touring Nuremberg today. Day 8 on Viking Modi Amsterdam to Budapest. Water levels are fine. We will enter the Danube this evening. Other than a cold rain while touring all is wonderful! The rest of trip looks like sunny and warmer. Should be smooth sailing for anyone sailing the month of October.
Thanks for your updates. We are sailing in a couple of weeks and good to hear of your trip experiences. From the lack of posts it appears that maybe cruises aren’t having problems. Connie, thanks again to you and all the others who posted. It was appreciated. Happy Trails to all. 🛳
We are sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam with Travelmarvel 21st
We are sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam with Travelmarvel 21st October
Hi Dennis, we are sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam on 19 October this year with APT. I will post how the weather conditions are for us at each port.
We are travelling APT 16th november starting budapest.so thanks Meg looking forward to your reporting
Hi, doing Amsterdam to Budapest in June 2023 with Travelmarvel. Hope all goes well.
Hi Dennis
I have travelled with Travelmarvel twice from Budapest to Amsterdam and now I will travel with them in reverse leaving Amsterdam on 21st October. I have been watching the water levels but it appears not to be a problem. This will be the coldest weather I have done the cruise, looking forward to it. Cheers
Hi Dennis and Tina, We commenced APT Budapest to Amsterdam cruise on 19 October. So far river levels all good. No problems at all. Only around 40 guests on Amareina, so not at full capacity. Staff very attentive. Will report further after a few days.
Thanks so much Meg for your update.
Was that 140 passengers? Or only 40?
Have fun.kind regards tina
Hi Tina and Dennis,
In answer to Tina’s question – there are only 40 (forty) guests on board the AmaReina. Getting plenty of individual service. So no complaints there. We have just docked in Durnstein. There is fog, but it is lifting to reveal a sunny day. The only rain we had was yesterday in Vienna..
Thanks so much Meg.
We will be on amavenita.our 3rd apt trip. Durnstein is my favourite stop.our nov 2nd trip got cancelled so it will be chilly when we go on nov 16th.cant wait.
Hi Dennis and Tina,
Had a wet day in Passau, travelled through the night and had a wonderful sunny afternoon in Regensburg, which is one our favourite towns. Water levels are fine. On continental divide now. Lots of locks heading for Nuremberg. Instead of going up in the locks we are now going down. Wonderful service on APT.
Thanks so much Meg for the posts and continuing to wet our appetite. Happy sailing
Hi Tina and Dennis,
Just arrived in Wurzberg after sailing through the night. Looks like it will be a sunny day. There’s a bus trip to Rothenburg this morning, but as we’re docked right in town we have decided to explore on our own. Today we’re having a bbq lunch on sun deck.
We passed AmaVenita at Nuremberg and Travelmarvel Vega just outside Bamberg. Bamberg was covered in fog, which only started to lift as we were leaving. Thoroughly enjoyed it though. I must say the weather is warmer than I thought. Hopefully it will continue till your trip in November.
Thanks again Meg.so wonderful to have on the spot updates.we just have our updated itinery and are excited to see christmas markets along the way.will be worth the chill factor of a winter cruise. It is such an amzing trip.cheers tina
Hi Tina and Dennis,
Water levels an weather have been fine. We arrived in Miltenberg in time for lunch, then had a walking tour around this interesting little town. Lots of people about enjoying the sunny weather. Picturesque houses.
Yesterday we arrived Rudesheim. Very foggy in morning. The fog lifted around lunchtime, which was good as we had an ice cream party on the sun deck whilst sailing through the Romantic Rhine Valley. On our way to Koblenz. Some towns we have visited have started to set up for their Christmas markets, so by the time you arrive Tina they’ll be everywhere. We for walking tour of Koblenz last night as we were docked overnight.
Thank you so much meg for taking the time to post.we have so appreciated it.take care. Warmest regards tina
Just returned last night from Budapest and was on Gate1 river cruise on Danube from Sept 22-Sept 29th ( Ragensburg Germany to Budapest). Since there was a fair bit of rain in the preceeding weeks, there were no issues with water levels, they looked quite high to me and no delays or portaging!! We were very fortunate with very little rain, monings only for an hour or so then mainly sunny afternoons 13-18 celcius. Its an amazing experience have fun!
We just got off the Rhine, went from Basel Switzerland to where it met the Moselle in Trier Germany, no problems, on the Herja, Viking long ship..
Great crew and sailing
Hi
We did Budapest to Cologne 21 Sept to 5th October. Had to get a pilot after Passau as level getting low. Did the full length with no issues. Two rainy mornings and rest nice. Getting chilly so take hats, gloves and scarves. Music museum at Rudesheim was wonderful. So many wonderful places visited in the fifteen days.
Hello fellow travelers! Anyone booked on Scenic’s Danube Delta Discovery cruise with Turkey land tour October 06 – 28? We’d love to make acquaintances ahead!
Hi, we are on the Viking Cruise: Passage to Eastern Europe sailing from Budapest to Bucharest soon. Anyone know what the current water levels are on this stretch of the Danube?
Hi Dee, I just completed the that cruise on Viking from Bucharest to Budapest. The only change in our itinerary is that we were bused to a different point of embarkation outside of Bucharest. There were no disruptions on the trip. Have fun!
Sailing on the Viking Eir starting Oct 7, Amsterdam to Basel. We would appreciate hearing from anyone that is on the Rhine before then. We have been watching the comments on this page and conditions seem to have improved quite a bit. We are getting excited about the trip.
I am on the Rhine now going from Basel to Antwerp. Water levels are fine and we are told there should be no issues.
FRED We are sailing Viking Amsterdam to Basel October 14. Would like to hear from you about your experience. Hope it is good for you. Also any suggestions about excursions and restaurants. And comments about Basel hotel/ restaurants? Thanks Jim
I will be posting updates once we are on the river. Information on this site has been a big
help with our planning.
Looking forward to your updates FRED and JIM.we sail A to B on 10/25. This site has been very helpful. Thanks
We are leaving Amsterdam to Basel on Viking Oct 2. From this website it looks like water levels won’t be a problem. Excited about our trip now!
leaving Oct 19th Amsterdam to Budapest…appreciate any info for westher snd water levels
Water levels good, weather cold.
Left Amsterdam on Sept. 26 on Viking Modi heading to Budapest. Water levels are fine but it has been cold and rainy. Just had a lovely day with some strong fog in the morning but lifted just before we traveled through the castle area on the Rhine. Absolutely stunning! We will enter the Mein River this evening and it looks like smooth sailing all the way to the Danube. More rain predicted this week so water levels should not be an issue for those departing within the next couple of weeks.
Hopefully Bronwyn and Connie will provide an update as they get close to Budapest. I know of some recent Viking cruises in which the passengers had to bus into Budapest.
Can somebody help me with info on how I can post on this site? I can reply to posts but can’t figure out how to originate a post.
Nevermind. I think I found out how to post. Question about Viking Amsredam to Basel: How is internet? And cell phones. I have Sprint cell service. TIA
We just returned from our Viking Basel to Amsterdam. No issues with water levels. It was an amazing journey. Great ship, staff and tours. Everything was wonderful.
No problem with internet or cell service. We had Verizon international package.
Hello,
Been to Amsterdam twice – these are some of our favorite restaurants….
Casa di David @ Italian
Ristorante Savini @ Italian
Full Moon Garden @ Asian
Radisson Blu Hotel was nice
Take an evening canal cruise……
Basel is much smaller and more quaint.
Stayed at the Gaia Hotel (near the train station) in 2019 and loved it. First time we stayed near the convention center and we didn’t like that side of the river as much…..
A few yards from the Gaia Hotel was a casual restaurant with fabulous schnitzel and other food…..and German beer. Loved that little place but I can’t locate the name – Hotel referred us there……
If the weather is nice, an open-top bus ride around Basel is nice….
Find a Laderach Chocolate shop – best in the world! But now also available in the US…..
We just returned from our Viking Basel to Amsterdam. No issues with water levels. It was an amazing journey. Great ship, staff and tours. Everything was wonderful.
Which ship were you on? We are on the Eir from Amsterdam to Basel starting Oct 7.
I am currently on the Rhine from Basel to Antwerp. No issues, water levels are fine. They do not anticipate any departure from the schedule due to low water conditions.
On the Viking Eir Amsterdam to Basel, approaching Speyer Tues 27 Sept.
No problems encountered (possibly also due to the fine efforts of our captain) and we have been assured that we will not need to change ships etc.
Enjoying the cruise hugely!
Thank you for the update. 10 days and counting down!
Fred, we are traveling B to A( Viking) Nov 5. Looking forward to your reports
Thanks for the update Cathy as we will be leaving on that same voyage Sunday! Keep us posted also with any tips!
I am sure you will enjoy that ship. I. I cruised that ship 2 different occasions in 2018 and in 2019….. specifically the same crew was on there and they even remembered my name. They’re really a great crew there……Enjoy
We were a day or two behind you on Tialfi. River is rising in general. Monitoring rivers is what I do professionally. Other than the reality that the season is now about cold and rain coming on, the cruises should be in good shape. We extended to Lucerne and saw snow on the hills around.
Just completed part of this leg on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Budapest. No problem with water levels the whole way. More rain too, so should be all good for you.
Would love to hear how the Danube water level is doing as you approach Budapest. Had two friends do the trip and both got bussed when the got close to Budapest.
Steve, we just left Regensburg heading to Passau. The water levels have risen so much that it will now be a challenge for our captain to navigate under the low bridges even with the sun deck collapsed. Our cruise director said we may have a short delay waiting on the river to lower but we have a very experienced Captain who is confident that we will arrive in Passau as scheduled. Weather has improved this week with sunshine and comfortable temperatures. All should be good for your upcoming trip! Enjoy!
Great news. Enjoy the trip! Looks like everyone should be good to go from this point on. I am been checking the weather reports, and it will continue to rain in the Black Forest region in Germany, and that area feeds the Danube.
We are sailing from Amsterdam to Budapest on Viking Skadi. Left Amsterdam Sept 24 and we are currently in Wurzburg on Sept 29. The water levels are good except we couldn’t dock in Cologne and had to bus in from 15 minutes away for tours. Another Viking ship was docked in Cologne but there were 5 in town on the same day so 4 of us were docked outside town in an industrial area. Other than that, everything has been good and looks good to the end of our voyage. It has been cold and rainy for most of the trip.
Also left Amsterdam September 24 on Tialfi, following Skadi up the river. Issues as noted above at Cologne, but saw rising river levels all week. Docked next to river gage at Kehl and saw the river come up 0.5 m in the morning. Some rain here and there, but generally decent weather.
Just traveled on the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. No problems with water level. 9/16-29.
We are currently on a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel beginning Oct 2nd. We are on the Rhine currently with sunny sky’s and temps in the upper 60’s/ lower 70’s at 2 pm viewing the beautiful castles! No water level issues and no rain during our trip so far! Very chilly in the mornings with temps in the 40’s and low 50’s. Wearing layers is very comfortable. Morning excursions I have been wearing a light puffy jacket. Wear comfortable shoes for walking. The staff is excellent! The food is delicious! We are having so much fun! Great experience!
We appreciate the update. We are scheduled for the same trip Starting Oct 7 in Amsterdam.
We are just finishing packing for our Viking trip Amsterdam to Basel on Tuesday the 11th. Just discovered this site and finding it incredibly helpful.
The note about five Viking ships in Cologne at the same time was quite interesting. Could happen to us.
The comment on dress code for onboard dinners came in very handy as we’re selecting what to pack.
Thank you to all who have taken the time to report.
Hi Pat, we are taking our first River Cruise, Viking, November 18th. It will be cooler for sure. What do you wear on the ship?
Thank you so much!
Very casual on the ship except for dinner. Jeans, leisure wear, etc. Dinners are business casual, no jeans. Casual dresses, slacks, blouses or sweaters.
Wearing layers throughout the day has worked best. We have had sunny days every day at port, cool mornings and low 70’s by 2pm. We brought light rain jackets but have not needed them yet. We have had a wonderful time! Enjoy your cruise!
Any updates on the Danube? We leave Sept. 29th! 🙂
We left Amsterdam on September 13th on a Viking Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise. We are about to dock in Melk, Austria and have had smooth sailing all the way through. Weather has been quite cool and rainy, but we welcomed this as we were hopeful that it would improve water levels. The crew has been amazing and we are fortunate enough to have Dominic, the most fabulous program director. We are very grateful to this website and all the positive posts, as they made the decision to go ahead with our trip easier. We are so glad we did, as Viking has exceeded all our expectations. Good luck everyone.
Linda and Mike
Wow, that’s so good that you guys enjoyed yourself so much. Thank God for the water levels rising for everyone. Viking does a absolute fabulous job all the way around. Always going beyond your expectations and proving they will do better.
Thank you to everyone for the posts keeping us informed of the trip progressions on the rivers.
Sounds great.
We are leaving with Tauck in two weeks Budapest to Amsterdam.
Since we are staying 2 extra days in Budapest before the river cruise I am wondering if they take Euro dollars, or do I have to purchase their Forint (HUF) dollar to even buy a coffee?
I had to purchase Korunas, while staying in Prague, Czech before a river cruise.
We were in Budapest a couple of years ago. You will need Forints. We just used an ATM as soon as we got in.
Thanks Fred, I’ll have to go to the bank and get some.
It looks like 400 HUF is equal to one dollar US
Budapest uses the Forint. We were there in 2014 and that was all it would take.
We are taking that cruise again soon.
HI Michael,
I just returned from Budapest last night after a 1 week Gate1 River cruise. Some locations show pricing in Euros, but most smaller convenience store locations only take the Forints and not Euros. I just used my Visa for all purchases in the city for large and small purchases and had no issues.
Sounds great and you are having a good time.
Quick question about currency needed.
We are leaving with Tauck in two weeks Budapest to Amsterdam.
Since we are staying 2 extra days in Budapest before the river cruise I am wondering if they take Euro dollars, or do I have to purchase their Forint (HUF) dollar to even buy a coffee?
I had to purchase Korunas, while staying in Prague, Czech before a river cruise.
Did you have to bus to any port, or any ship swap as you got close to Budapest?
Just arrived in Budapest from Regensburg, great trip with Emerald.
No water level issues, thankful for the recent rain.
Hi
On a Titan tour Budapest to Cologne 14 days. Started 21st. Due to stop at Passau but carried on as river levels are dropping. Getting pass felling critical stretch on the Danube around 12. Get through this and should be clear sailing up to Cologne. Partial cloud and dry. Nice temperature and enjoying the trip. Looking forward to Regensburg.
On Titan Budapest to Cologne 15 days. Arrived 21. Should have stopped at Passau but motored on to pass felling a critical stretch on Danube due to river levels dropping. Cruise amazing and weather has been kind. Once we pass it should be clear sailing.
Thank you to everyone writing about their river cruise and keeping us informed. We don’t leave Amsterdam until October 9 traveling to Budapest. Appreciate your time and efforts in our behalf. Keep sailing and enjoy your cruises.
We started this same journey on September 26th. Smooth sailing all the way to Nuremberg ( day 8 ) entering the Danube this evening. Due to recent rains our cruise director doesn’t expect any problems all the way to Budapest! Wonderful cruise and staff!
Does anyone know how is the Po River right now? Showers are expected in the coming week. I have a cruise with Uniworld on the Po River.
Don’t know about the Po river but we have just successfully completed a week from Budapest to Regensburg on the Danube. Program director said last night it is the 1st time they have completed the journey without issue for 3 to 4 months. Will say the weather has been excruciatingly bad. Program director states that temperatures the whole week have been around 30ﾟ below normal. Pack your long underwear! It has been COLD (30’s in the morning, 40’s in the afternoon) along wirh daily 25 MPH winds and 5 days of rain.
Thanks!!
Thank you for the information. We sail the same itinerary in a couple weeks.
We are on the Emerald Sky, sailed from Mainz on Sept 18, now heading up the Moselle. Ship and crew have been delightful! No problems with river levels. Weather has been cool with showers mixed with sun. Great trip so far!
Very helpful. Will be on the rivers you mentioned in a fortnight. Appreciate your update.
Leaving on 9/18 upstream Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine.
Should we expect some busing or are water levels stabilized enough with recent/fcst rain?
On this trip now. We have made it all the way. Today, we are in Strasbourg. We cruised a little more slowly than scheduled, but only bused 1 day for about 30 minutes. The first few days were sunny, but there’s been rain this week, so I expect you will be fine.
Thanks!
when you were bussed did you have to pack up and move to another boat?
We just left the Mosell and are on the Rhine just past Koblenz heading to Basel and the water levels are high enough for a normal cruise! Enjoy!
Thank you! Ours is coming up soon.
I think it depends who you are sailing with. We boarded Scenic Opal on Sept 5th. We went from Amsterdam and are currently sitting in Durnstein heading towards Budapest. We have been successfully able to navigate the rivers with little to no disruption.
We did have to change a drop off point on one of our excursions because a Viking ship had hit a sandbar and had blocked the river for a period of time. Other than that just some time adjustment disruptions, but not spending hours on a bus or having to change ships.
Apparently our ship will be one of the first ships to successfully travel from Amsterdam to Budapest
We are considering the same cruise on the Scenic Opal next year, did you feel that Scenic was worth the money? Did you enjoy the boat and crew? Thank you for any and all info, tough to get honest current reviews. Hope your having a great cruise.
Just arrived in Amsterdam from Basel on Viking Mani. No problems at all. Slowed down at Kaub but no buses or boat swaps, or changes to our itinerary.
Thanks Gary
We sail Amsterdam to Basel on 10/25. Hoping water levels continue to improve. Glad you had a successful trip
How do I comment here? We are sailing from Basel to Amsterdam on Oct. 4 – Viking Hermod. Looks like rain is happening and the river is good. Now hoping for some sunny days on our cruise!!
Just passed Kaub. Water levels on the Rhine look normal .No problems.
This great news! Thanks Keith
Thanks Keith
This is great news.
Please keep us posted.
Great news. We sail from AMS Oct 6th. Hope the water levels stay healthy. Enjoy your trip!
Sailing from Amsterdam to Basel on Oct 6. We’re watching all the posts and getting excited for the trip. Third time with Viking and we’ve always had a wonderful experience.
Hi, we are doing the same cruise October 12, can you please post water level updates? I hope you have a great trip!
Shelia
Fred, we’re on the same ship and also our 3rd trip!
We just finished the cruise from Basel to Amsterdam and there was no problems with water levels. You will be fine. Have fun!
I’m on the Rhine right now; just left Mannheim on my way to Basel! A little rain everyday but water levels have been fine. No changing of itinerary at all. Been a great trip!!
Hi, we are doing the same cruise in October, can you report the water levels you are seeing?
Ed
Let us know how the trip is going when you get a chance.
Thanks
We are on Viking Herja sailing from Paris to Zurich on Moselle river then the Rhine tomorrow at Koblentz. No issues with Mosselle water levels. We were told that they do not anticipate any ship swap on the Rhine. Will update if this changes.
Thank you CJ, we are on same Herja itinerary 10/22 , looking forward to your posts, have a great time ,Allen
Allen, it has been raining on and off this week. We just left Koblenz for Mainz and are currently enjoying the castles of the middle Rhine. We are told that the river levels continue to rise with no anticipated issues all the way to Basel.
Thanks for update. That is great news. Enjoy the views and sightseeing
CJ, we are on the same Viking cruise as Allen leaving on 10/22. Thank you for the updates. Good to know there has been some rain. Have a great trip!
Watching the river levels before an Oct. 7 – 13 (cruise portion, not hotel) Viking Cities of Light journey from Prague to Paris. Hoping the rain forecasted is helping. Anyone been on this itinerary recently? Any issues/swaps/coach substitutions?
Just came up from Budapest. Left the 12th on the Viking Baldur to Amsterdam. All fine so far time …heading into Passau tonight.
Thank you, Rob.
Thanks Rob, please keep us posted on your progress! We are doing the same trip starting 9-26.
Now approaching Nuremberg….no problems…..lots of rain the last few days and it’s coming down now.
Good news!!
On a Scenic Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. Cruise has gone ahead as per itinerary and no ship swaps or bussing. Leaving Regensburg tonight, 13 Sept, heading to Passau, no talk of any issues going forwards.
Update. Viking ship apparently got stuck on a sandbank before Passau (A to B) , ship was moved but river closed until inspection of riverbed completed. Looks like once reopened tomorrow we can continue as planned.
Maj, thank you for the update! Very interested in the sail from Regensburg to Budapest.
We will awake in Budapest tomorrow morning. Perfect cruise all the way through from Amsterdam, we were very fortunate no ship changes or bussing.
That’s wonderful!!! We are leaving soon!
Thank you for your updates
Thank you for the updates. You’ve given us some positive news and calmed some concerns. While we know the water level goes up and down maybe with the cooler weather and rain water levels will be high enough for a hassle free trip. Thanks.
Steve
Thanks for the update MaJ. If you can please continue the updates as you approach Budapest. Worried about reported low water levels there. thanks. Have a great trip!
Steve
9/15. Baldur sailing Budapest to Amsterdam. Dep. Budapest on 12th water levels good. Cruise Director just advised tonight we have clear sailing from Passau to Ams. We arrive Passau tonight. We have had some rain showers today, earlier in the week Munich and Nuremberg looked like they had some good rain. Hopefully signs of good things to come.
9/19 Viking Baldur sailing into Wurzburg tomorrow, headed to Amsterdam from Budapest, no water issues on the Danube or Mainz canal. It has rained several times during the week. We have been advised this is the first time since early June that the Baldur has been able to reach Amsterdam.
Looks like we are continuing through to Budapest as planned. No bussing or ship swaps. Very happy.
We will awake in Budapest tomorrow morning. Perfect cruise all the way through from Amsterdam, we were very fortunate no ship changes or bussing.
Thanks Maj, appreciate the update.
On scenic Jade left ams on Tuesday. Entering Rhine Gorge this morning. No problems as yet.
No water problems a to b on scenic Jade .will be one of the first ships to do the sightseeing trip in Budapest after the accident 4years ago.great trip so far although weather could have been better.
Changing the subject, I am wondering what plug I will need to charge my phone? Or is there a USB outlet? I am sailing with Scenic Oct 4th.
Update September 15 A to B. Heading to Melk then Durnstein. Happy sailing no issues at all. Fantastic cruise.
Isn’t that a great trip? We did that cruise 3 years ago. Headed back to Budapest next month for the trip to Bucharest. Have fun.
We are sailing Bucharest to Budapest beginning of Nov.
Any issues with low water on that route? Any inconveniences?
Keeping our fingers crossed for lovely trip
Leaving on Sept. 29th for the Romantic Danube. Are the ships making it all the way to Regensburg?
Dede:
We are headed Budapest to Amsterdam, we are currently in Vienna Melk tomorrow and Regensburg on Saturday. will let you know how it goes.
Thank you!
We sailed on Viking Atla on 9/4 R to B. Did P to B instead as passage between Regensburg and Passau was not navigable. All fine east of Passau. Regret if this is a duplicate. First post was wonky.
Further update on our Budapest to Amsterdam journey on Viking. This morning we have reached Cologne. The middle Rhine was low but we got through as there has been some rain. We have now been told we will make it to Amsterdam 👏👏. The water is low here with a steep gangway but we made it to this point with only one ship swap (Passau to Nuremberg).
Thanks so much for all your updates. Hope the rest of your cruise is smooth.
Marylou,
Thank you for the update. How was the ship swap process? what did you do on that day?
I travel the same route on Viking in mid October. Please update when you can.
Steve
Hello Steve,
Just observing that Marylou has been a huge contributor on this site (thank you Marylou for taking the time out of your vacation to brief us!). If you scroll through past postings, she does detail the ship swap process.
Thank you for your updates. They are very helpful.
Sept 13, We left Budapest enroute to Amsterdam aboard the Viking Baldur. Water levels in Budapest were approximately 4.5 feet. According to Viking the rivers are passable but day to day. I will keep you updated as we sail through Bratislava today and arrive Vienna tonight. We had good rain on Sunday all day in Munich while we waited at the airport and also Budapest. Yesterday, Sept. 12 was clear in Budapest but threatening weather loomed all afternoon and may have rained farther south toward Bucharest.
We are now sailing towards Kinderdijk and the water is clearly very low. A slow sail but no problems. Other traffic on river including lots of freight. A note on ship swapping (something I dreaded ahead of time). While I’m sure all the lines are great, Viking has a big advantage of having so many ships so you don’t get stranded. We just had the one swap which I reported earlier. What I cannot stress enough is how much the situation can change in even a day or two. Therefore, it’s virtually impossible to predict even a week or two out. What helped us was a huge storm that came across the region just as we were entering. I’m really happy I didn’t cancel but it is always a gamble when there are climate issues like we are encountering. We get off in Amsterdam tomorrow when I will rent a car and see a bit of holland and Belgium. Best of luck to all planning the journey. Lots to see along the way.
Thanks again, Marylou! Your post have been very helpful! We are getting excited to leave Amsterdam to Budapest in 2 weeks. Looks like some more rain for the next week. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!
We are on Scenic cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Left on Sept 7. River levels are good right now but change fast. No ship swap expected but heavy traffic because the rivers are open. Arriving late in Regensburg today.
Thanks! Please keep us posted when you have time!
We are on Scenic Jade and just left Amsterdam today travelling to Budapest. Originally we were booked to be on Scenic Jasper but that was not available due to ship swaps on cruises in the last few weeks.
At the first briefing last night whilst still in Amsterdam the cruise director assured us that water levels will not be a problem for at least the first week and he is optimistic about the second week, but cannot give a guarantee just yet.
This is the first fully occupied boat for Scenic Jewels of Europe since pre-pandemic.
Hello Bill and Louise
Very pleased to hear that the water levels seem to have improved.
However, we are very confused that you are taking Scenic Jade to Budapest as we are expecting to board Jade in Basel on 21 September!
Enjoy your cruise and we will just be pleased to board a ship next week whatever her name !
Sailing on Scenic Crystal from Basel to Amsterdam. No problems whatsoever. Great weather so far but a bit rainy as we approach Amsterdam. Hoping for a decent day tomorrow when we sail through the Rhine Gorge .
Thanks for your update. We are going Budapest to Amsterdam with Scenic from 12 October, starting to fell more confident
Left Koblenz this afternoon and have just come through the Rhine gorge this evening fairly slowly but with no problems. A few little islands visible in the middle of the river which shouldn’t be there and some fairly narrow channels but all fine.
Thank you for taking the time to post the update – much appreciated!
No problem. We had a very interesting chat with our captain today, who said he had been concerned we may not get all the way to Strasbourg, but he’s confident now we have had a bit of rain. The level changed 50cm in 3 hours! We’re in Frankfurt now.
Great info – thanks for sharing!
Interested if anyone has updates regarding the Elbe river levels? We are scheduled to go on the Viking Elegant Elbe trip starting on September 24, 2022 on the Beyla.
We are booked on Scenic Jade leaving Basel to Amsterdam on 21 September . Does anyone know where she is at present?
https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Scenic-Jade-1086
Ann, we’re currently on the Scenic Jade, Amsterdam-Budapest. We arrive in Cologne today and disembark in BUD on Sep. 26. We were supposed to be on the Jasper but had a last minute change due to earlier ship swaps. You may get Jasper since she’s not on her normal itinerary. Scenic will have a boat to meet you, but may not notify you ahead of time. Check the ship tracker sites (marinetraffic.com, etc) to see which ships are in the area closer to embarkation. Enjoy your trip!
Just seen this , Stacy.
Thank you for the update . As long as we have a ship to board next week I don’t mind which one !
Have a great trip !
If you have a Facebook account join Viking Danube River Cruises – 2022 and beyond. The site has pictures and lots of information concerning the water, attire, food, and much more. Enjoy!
We are booked for Elagant Elbe on Oct. 25, 2022. I am wondering if the water level is good and if there are any restrictions put in place regarding Covid.
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.
We are currenty docked at Giurgiu, Romania on Tauck Esprit with remainder of group taking a bus to Black Sea with overnight hotel with bus return tomorrow to Bucharest due to lack of navigability. Some of us have elected to remain on the ship for a relaxing day and massages instead of taking the 4 hour bus ride because the room, food and service are just so outstanding on the Taucj Esprit.
We are currenty docked at Giurgiu, Romania on Tauck Esprit with remainder of group taking a bus to Black Sea with overnight hotel with bus return tomorrow to Bucharest due to lack of navigability. Some of us have elected to remain on the ship for a relaxing day and massages instead of taking the 4 hour bus ride because the room, food and service are just so outstanding on the Tauck Esprit.
Thanks for the update!
Fingers crossed! Uniworld has assured us that the sailing is planned to operate as scheduled. Bruce and Becky and Ken and I will see you there … and we won’t complain about the rain!
where is this sailing going? we are booked on castles of the rhine amsterdam to Basil and Uniworld saying A -ok at present time. ty
Anyone on Viking Jarl? Wondering how your cruise has been. Any busing or ship swaps?
We are on a viking boat on the Danube. We are traveling from Budapest to Regensburg. We are finishing in degendorf today as the water level is too low in Regensburg. The crew has handled things very well and there has been little disruption.
Thank you, we are scheduled on the Viking Baldur leaving Budapest to Amsterdam on 9/11. Any updates on Danube, Mainz and Rhine are appreciated, as well as how Viking is handling the low water. Plus any rain updates would be appreciated.
Hi Steve we are doing the same cruise the beginning of October. Would really appreciate knowing how much, if any you spend on a bus. Too much money spent for a bus tour when you pay for a river cruise. Best of luck hope all goes well
Hi Susie and Steve
Wer’e scheduled for the Oct 12 viking cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Would love information on adjustments to the plans. Ship swaps and hotel – Bus trip modifications. Please post what is happening on your cruise. Have not been able to get Viking to say what modification are in place for current cruises underway.
Steve
Did you get to tour Regensburg?
Thank you so much for your help and providing input on this blog we are scheduled to be from Budapest through regensburg nov 13
We have never visited this area our concern is not as much that the boat might have more water coming over the next 45 days what were concerned about is we’re looking for a picture ask for wide river and that’s what our concern is could you comment on that
Did you make it from Budapest to Degendorf by boat all the way
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.
We have just come off a Scenic river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. No luggage restrictions.
Debbie.
Did your trip go as planned or were the bus days? if so, where and how many?
Steve
Thank you
How were your water levels? We are doing the reverse itinerary on October 3 rd. Is scenic well organized ( ie airport transfers , boarding etc)
Thank you!
You’ll be fine. That’s what we took on Scenic and had plenty of room to store them.
Hi – You can each take a carry -on and a suitcase. We had no problem fitting our suitcases under the bed ! As a matter of fact they sent us 4 luggage tags Have a great trip!
We completed two cruises with Scenic this summer. One was on the Douro and the other was on the Rhone River. We did not have any baggage issues on Scenic at all. Scenic is a fantastic
company to travel with.
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
Where can I get current up to date information on water levels.
Terrie Adams
9-9-2022
Its too bad that there is not an easy way to search these comments as its been addressed before, but here is one site…just click each city and it will give that info about water depth…..this is for the danube.
https://www.danube-cycle-path.com/danube-flooding.html
This site is about the rivers within Germany….
https://www.bafg.de/DE/06_Info_Service/01_Wasserstaende/wasserstaende_node.html
Cheers, Doug
Thank you. Is there a site for the Dordogne & Garonne rivers through Bordeaux? I can’t seem to find any info. I am surprising my husband for his 70th birthday.
https://rivercruiseadvisor.com/water-levels/#comment-31044
Just Google Rhine River levels, there is a website. Levels seem to be increasing. We cruised Basel to Amsterdam on Amadeus Imperial 25/8 to 2/9 with no problems.
Left amsterdam on September 6th headed for Budapest. Been great so far. Went through middle rhine valley yesterday . Awesome views. On main river now. No ship swaps and all tours have been as scheduled. Will be on Danube in a couple days so will update then.
Thanks! We appreciate all updates!
Thanks Greg. Await your news eagerly as I sail on 28th Sept
We are in Nuremberg today as scheduled. Tours cut short because we have to bus to Passau this afternoon to swap ships from viking idun to gefjon. They say it will be 2.5 hrs bus trip. We will then bus back to Regensburg tomorrow for tours then back on schedule Wed at Passau. Weather has been great and trip smooth so far until this. They are taking us to lunch today at German restaurant in Nuremberg since we can’t come back to ship. They say this is not due to low water but to another ship breaking down near Regensburg and closing of the danube but I am not so sure it doesn’t have something to due with water level.
We are on Spirit of the Rhine having left Arnhem on 5th. We have been through Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz with slower speed but no real problems. Now on Moselle heading for Cochem today. Not due to do Rhine gorge for some days so hoping river maintains its level, nothing has been said to indicate if they foresee any problems. Stunning trip so far.
Thank you Sue for the update. Glad you are enjoying your trip, have a wonderful day!
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
Yes I think it’s Sunday.
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.
Please let us know about the Rhine as you continue your travels. Thanks!
Thanks for the update, Jim! Wishing you safe travels!
We left Amsterdam on Sept 6th. We are now Sept 9th – just passed Mittenburg with no issues through the Rhine Gorge. Rained today and a little bit yesterday. So far smooth sailing with no issues. We heard there might be some issues on the Danube, but will wait and see. We are on Scenic Opal.
This may help people travelling soon on the Danube. We’re joining Scenic Amber on Thursday 8 September. Was originally due to join ship in Nuremberg, but now told it will be Passau. Will do a bus trip to Nuremberg on day 2 for a tour, and a bus trip to Regensberg on day 3 for a tour. Rest of itinerary (Passau to Budapest) not currently affected.
Thanks Sharon for the update. Due to leave Budapest on 11th so we can plan a little bit.
So river still low and bus trips inst as of cruising is to be expected?
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
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.
Your ship has been changed to the Jade. Could have water problem around Passau. I’m in Paris now and will join you on Sept 12 on Jade. Maybe we get lucky on water kevel.
The weather forecast shows Passua will begetting alot of rain before we get there.
Flying to AMS early Monday morning, we will see what transpires. We are determined to have a great trip.
Yes, you’re right, Scenic Amber is stuck in Passau. It’s been unable to get to Nuremberg because water levels around Regensburg are about 4 feet and the ship’s draft is 5 feet. As such, Scenic is bussing people to Nuremberg and Regensburg. We should be departing Passau this evening and will then be back on schedule.
Thanks, Sharon, we are leaving on Viking Var on the 9th. looks like we have been re-routed to Passau as well.
Thank you. We are scheduled to be on the Scenic Amber beginning on September 22nd.
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.
Thanks for this info, we are joining Scenic Jasper in Amsterdam on 12th Sept and wonder if the low water levels are going to cause us any problems, I have spoken to Scenic and they said all river levels were OK and no disruptions??????.
Hi, Ian – we’re also supposed to be on Scenic Jasper Sep. 12th, but AIS says the boat is arriving in Budapest tomorrow. The only Scenic boat near AMS is Jade. Have you heard anything about a possible boat change at the start of the trip? We just need to know as we’re getting ourselves to the dock. Thanks for any info!
Hi Stacy,
Have not been contacted by Scenic at all. We spoke to them a few days ago and were told no problem with water levels???. Its a pity these company’s are not open and honest with the customers as for warned is for armed. Will post if I get any info.
Not Heard anything from Scenic, flying to AMS early Monday morning, so will see what transpires then. Determined to have a great Trip.
Any Amawaterways folks out there? We are supposed to be in Budapest for the weekend of Sept 10-11, boarding the Amawaterways Ama Bella on Monday, Sept. 12. Ama has not updated its Travel Update page since August 25, and I am hoping that the Lower Danube will be navigable to the conclusion of the trip in Romania. Does anyone have any info on the Ama cruises on the lower Danube? I would hate to have to move about any more than originally scheduled by bus, since there is already a fair amount of that on this trip.
We are on Scenic Basel to Amsterdam Sept 14 – 21st. Thanks for all of the very helpful insights with these post. We are getting cautiously optimistic that the water levels will float our boat throughout the full journey!
A side question for us as 1st time Scenic cruisers — Dress code for dinners!! Should I pack a sports jacket (no tie)……or is a nice shirt or smart sweater ok?
TIA
We are just arriving in Budapest aboard Scenic Pearl. First Scenic ship in a number of weeks to get through from Amsterdam without any ship swaps. We are first time Scenic cruises so made my husband bring a tie and jacket. Really didn’t need it. Maybe half the men had a jacket but really very casual dining clothing. Even the night out to the Palace was pretty casual.
Thanks for the info. Helpful as we pack!
nice colored shirt will be perfect
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.
We took the Viking ship Sigyn Sept 6 – Sept 13 and made it all the way. It was a wonderful cruise. The best!
We’re on a AMA Amesterdam – Basel in November. Hopefully the water levels will raise. Best wishes for a wonderful trip.
Smart casual only.
Currently on Viking Vader from Budapest to Amsterdam. No issues at all at this point. Tomorrow is Regensburg. Staff wears masks. Not required of passengers. One covid case relegated to room.
Thank you for the update!
Thank you so much for updating
HI, could you please tell me what temperatures you are experiencing as we travel Budapest – Amsterdam 16th September and wondering what to pack
Quite warm actually. Around 75 to 80 during day. Been sunny so far
Thanks for the update. Doing A-B in two weeks. Haven’t heard anyone else mention Covid.
Was this your original scheduled ship? We will be doing the return trip Amsterdam to Budapest beginning 9-25 on Viking Modi but it looks like the Modi has been docked in Passau, Germany for the past couple of days. Cruisemapper still list it as shecduled as heading to Amsterdam. I’m curious if anyone on this site has any information regarding if the Modi did a ship swap.
Thanks!
Re Danube water level, can you speak to situation from Budapest to Passau? Have they had to bus you or switch ships at all. I have Bud.>Passau cruise starting in mid October. Thanks
Budapest to passau not an issue. Going forward we have to bus from passau to Nuremberg tomorrow
Many thanks for the info. Hoping you have just the one switch to bus.
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 !
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.
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.
We just got our new and improved booster.
That sounds awful! Hope you get a refund!
An update. We now have to get off tomorrow and bus from Passau to Nuremberg. Fingers crossed that’s the only switch.
What cruise company are you with?
Viking
Does anyone know if Viking is sailing between Regensburg and Passau? I heard they were boarding everyone in Passau instead of Regensburg, and bussing people back for tours the last couple of trips. We are scheduled to board the Viking Var this Friday, 9/9 in Regensburg to Budapest. Hope we don’t have miss Regensburg since we have a Munich day trip planned. Thanks for any updates 🙂
Short answer is no. We were skedded to be in Passau for the day (all ok) and Regensburg the next. We did a bus tour from passau to Regensburg (about 1-1/2 hrs) while others did the Munich trip (also from Passau). We are now bussing to Nuremberg to change ships.
How long was your bus trip to the new ship?
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.
Marylou, Thanks for your continued updates! We appreciate you keeping up posted on your progress on the river!
We are now sailing to Koblenz from Wertheim with no drama. Captain left Wertheim ( tour group left and joined up with us further down river) early to get through a “ touchy” area which experienced heavy rain today. He wanted to take advantage of slightly higher water. This is on Viking.
We were on Viking Lif from Amsterdam to Nuremberg – now transferring by bus to Viking Vidar in Passau. All being handled very smoothly.
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.
Hi Donna, we are doing the Viking Var on the 9th as well. Looks like we will be getting bused to Passau. Hopefully, all will go smoothly after Passau.
Marylou, please update when u can Regensburg north. Sharon on scenic reported joining her ship in REGENSBURG INSTEAD OF Passat due to water levels and bussing to Nuremberg. We are leaving Budapest on 9/11 and would appreciate further updates as you travel. Thx Steve.
We’re in Bamberg now. No new updates of any further issues. Showered this morning so every drop helps. Will keep updating
Thanks so much!
We are now sailing to Koblenz from Wertheim with no drama. Captain left Wertheim ( tour group left and joined up with us further down river) early to get through a “ touchy” area which experienced heavy rain today. He wanted to take advantage of slightly higher water.
Thanks for the info. Have a great trip.
We have just cruised on the Rhine with Avalon 27thAugust to 3rd September, Basel to Amsterdam. Fantastic cruise. Water levels were low but improved enough to avoid any disruption. Hope all goes well for you
Thank you for the update!
We appreciate this update.
We are on this same cruise on Sep 8th. Thank you for this update!
Reza,
Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Janet
Thank you for sharing your update! Appreciated 😁
Is anyone on the Viking Tialfi or Viking Aruna this week—September 3-10. We are scheduled to cruise next week from Amsterdam to Basel, and I’m wondering if our ship has changed. It appears last weeks cruises from A-B and B-A were able to make the entire trip without busing or ship swaps. Please update on water levels, rain, and temperatures this week. Thank you.
Yes, I am on the Viking Tialfi this week. We left Basel on Sat Sept 3. As of last night (Sept 5) it was indicated to all of us in the pre- dinner meeting that we would be going all the way to Amsterdam with no change of ships. A lot of rain seems to be in the forecast for the next 4-5 days, which should help with cruises next week. So far everything on our cruise has gone as planned and expected. ONE DAY LATER THAN – cruising through Middle Rhine with all of the castles. Passed through KAUB area with no problem.
Thanks for the encouraging update, Jim!
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.
Boarding Uniworld River Queen on Sept. 12 for 12 days (hopeuflly) cruising the Rhine and Moselle. Any comments from those who have been on Uniworld in the last few weeks regarding the river levels?
We are boarding the Uniworld River Duchess on Sept. 14 Amsterdam to Budapest for 16 days. So far, I have not seen anyone else mention being on a Uniworld ship. We will be traveling on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. Our friends who are going with us called Uniworld and asked about the river levels and they said so far they aren’t experiencing any problems.
Currently on the Amsterdam to Vienna cruise on the River Princess from Amsterdam to Vienna. Low river levels around Cologne, but so far so good.
We will be on the same cruise on Viking beginning 9-25. Would love to hear information about your journey.
Stuck on River Duchess at Passat; by tomorrow we have been here 5 days. (Low water levels).
Very nice crew and ship, but we won’t get to Amsterdam by 14th.
Uniworld formulating some kind of plan, due out today. No rain due til the weekend.
Oh my! We are supposed to get on th River Duchess on the 14th. Uniworld told us everything was okay!!! Now what??? Thanks for letting us know.
Wally, please let me know when the tell you what they are going to do. We called today and they claimed the ship has not been sitting in Passat for 5 days. They claim there are no problems. We are flying out 4 days before our cruise begins so if they cancel at the last minute…we will already be in Amsterdam! Our travel agent hasn’t been able to help us either. I am very disappointed in Uniworld!
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…
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.
Hi, River Duchess still hasn’t progressed passed Regensberg.
They have 1,000km to go and 50+ locks.
We are in a nice Sheraton hotel in Frankfurt after a long bus journey. Preston (tour manager) is fantastic, but with 80 passengers initially on the cruise, 10+ are now ejected off of the (now bus) tour with COVID.
I am going to guess on Sat or Sun you will get an email stating a deviation has occurred due to water levels (which is beyond their control). The Duchess can only make Frankfurt or Cologne, you will arrive in Amsterdam and get a free transfer from the airport to a posh hotel, after a day visit in Amsterdam you will be bused to the Ship (Cologne/Frankfurt). That fact the river levels are unpredictable is true, Uniworld knew this on 3 Sep when the Capt told us we couldn’t reach Amsterdam on time.
When you get on the ship, where ever, it is lovely and the crew are great.
Hope this helps
Elise – my wife Lisa and I will be on this cruise with you! Hope we have a great time.
Great! I hope this happens with out major interruptions. I’m not sure how they are going to get the ship to the port in time. I hope we see you on the boat!
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.
My husband’s name is Bill. We are traveling with another couple, John and Judy.
My husband Ken and I will be there too. Let’s hope the River Duchess makes it to Amsterdam by September 14!
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.
I’ve been on the river duchess. I remember the captain saying that the ship had a low/ shallow draught and had better luck getting through in shallow water. Fingers crossed it’s the case for you guys.
We are on an Emerald ship mid October. 🤞🤞🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏
We have just cruised on the Rhine with Avalon Basel to Amsterdam. Fantastic cruise. Water levels were low but improved enough to avoid any disruption. Hope all goes well for you
Thank you!
Thank you for the update. We are on Avalon from Amsterdam to Basel in early October and this is encouraging.
We are currently on the Uniworld River Princess, docked in Wurzburg, heading for Vienna. River was low around Cologne, but Captain managed to get through OK. So far so good, with rain expected in the next few days, which will improve river conditions significantly.
Hi Katherine! Glad to hear of someone on a Uniworld ship. We are traveling on the River Duchess Sept. 14, Amsterdam to Budapest. We are very concerned about the water levels. Looking on the cruise mapper web site, it looks like the River Duchess hasn’t moved the last few days from near Passau. Uniworld tells us everything is fine…whatever that means.
I am wondering how formal the dress is in the evening. And if it’s very cool one the ship. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Thanks, Elise
just dress smartly not like an Ocean Cruise
Hi Katherine! Glad to hear of someone on a Uniworld ship. We are traveling on the River Duchess Sept. 14. We are very concerned about the water levels. Looking on the cruise mapper web site, it looks like the River Duchess hasn’t moved the last few days from near Passau. Uniworld tells us everything is fine…whatever that means.
I am wondering how formal the dress is in the evening. And if it’s very cool one the ship. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Thanks, Elise
Charlie says
We are supposed to be in Budapest for the weekend of Sept 10-11, boarding the Amawaterways Ama Bella on Monday, Sept. 12. Ama has not updated its Travel Update page since August 25, and I am hoping that the Lower Danube will be navigable to the conclusion of the trip in Romania. Does anyone have any info on the Ama cruises on the lower Danube? I would hate to have to move about any more than originally scheduled by bus, since there is already a fair amount of that on this trip.
We are currently sailing on Viking Lofn Budapest to Bucharest. All going great. We have been told that our last stop will be 80 kilometers short of the planned stop but really has no impact on our cruise and just a minor change are related to shore excursions. Happy sailing.
Thanks for keeping us updated Bob. Please bring that boat safely to us : ) We board on Weds. and yes, they changed our embarkation to Turnu Măgurele but seems like a minor change so far.
Nancy, Could you provide water level updates as you travel back to Amsterdam? We will be joining the Lofn in Amsterdam on 9/27. Hope your trip is uneventful…..
Thank you!
We are on the same Viking European Sojourn Lofn starting Amsterdam 9/27. Hope all goes well for you, please keep the updates coming we really appreciate any news.
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
Hi there! Did you make it along the Danube? We are leaving on the Jarl Oct 1 in Budapest to Regensberg. First river cruise….did not
know about the risk with the water levels.
Had a similar question. Have a Viking B-A cruise departing 9/23. Looking at Cruisemapper it does not appear that much traffic is making passage between Regensberg and Nuremberg along the Main-Danube canal. Our ship, the Vili appears to have made the southbound trip to Nuremberg and then returned along the back course, suggesting to me a ship swap?
Anyone successful transmitted this section in the last week? Thanks SO much to all for your time n providing these updates
We board the Viking Vili on 9/23, is this your cruise, also?
Yes it is. Boarding at Amsterdam on 9/23. Guardedly hopeful. Going to wait to the last second to make a go-no-go decision. Recent rains are positive, upcoming rains welcome. Thinking happy thoughts.
Sorry, meant boarding at Budapest, old fingers!
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!
First time I’ve ever hoped for rain on a big vacation! We leave for our pre-cruise extension in Prague in 9 days, so we are a “GO” for this trip. Fingers crossed🤞
We got as far as Passau ( on Viking Budapest to Amsterdam). Did day trip by bus to Regensburg. Took bus from passau to Nuremberg and sailing towards koblenz now. A fair bit of rain in area so we are good at the moment.
We are going on the Romance of The Rhine and Mosel with Grand Circle Cruise. We leave the US on Sept. 9. Our IT is as follows:
Belgium: Antwerp The Netherlands: Willemstad, Kinderdijk, Nijmegen Germany: Bonn, Cochem, Trier, Bernkastel, Boppard, Speyer France: Strasbourg Switzerland: Basel
We would appreciate an update on current water level conditions along the Rhine. We have heard of “bus tours” and disembarking if the water level is too low, and are not particularly looking forward to it. We are thinking about cancelling but would like to hear about water level conditions from people who have cruised along the Rhine recently. We know that this is a once in a lifetime experience and would not really want to miss out unless necessary.
We are currently on the Scenic Pearl cruise (boarded 25th Aug2022). Amsterdam to Budapest. Stopping in Bamberg today the 30th Aug. Have not had any issues thus far. All cruising and tours operating as expected. No issue with water level and no coaching anywhere. Great weather, awesome cruise.
Thank you, Colin, for this information.
Is anyone on the ‘Emerald Luna
Supposed to be in Vienna today Aug 30
Can’t find it on cruisemapper.com
I have found the Emerald Luna at Regensburg. I use MarineTraffic to follow any marine traffic.
I see that also on cruisemapper
But it has been there for two months
We supposly leave on sept 16 from Budapest
We are currently on the Emerald Sun. We left Budapest August 27 and will arrive in Passau on September 3. We docked next to the Luna in Vienna on August 30th and I spoke to some passengers on the shuttle to our ship. The Luna had made it through from Amsterdam to Vienna without a hitch and they were having an awesome time. I can say the same for our trip travelling in the opposite direction. No issues with water levels, no ship swaps. The crew is amazing and everyone is happy to be here.
Thanks Monica!
Thank you Monica!
We depart from Budapest to Amsterdam on the 24 September, hope there is a bit or rain so we can go all the way.
We are also on that cruise, theoretically on the Viking Bragi. However, looking at the Bragi’s current track it will be in Amsterdam on the day that we should be joining it in Budapest! Looking at the river level forecasts, it does look like things are improving – so fingers crossed.
The Viking boats and locations are all mixed up because of the boat swaps of the previous weeks. Many people are finding out that they are assigned to a different boat than the one originally assigned. You will have a boat waiting for you, but possibly a different name. No worries! The boats are all the same.
Have a good trip!
We are supposed to be in Budapest for the weekend of Sept 10-11, boarding the Amawaterways Ama Bella on Monday, Sept. 12. Ama has not updated its Travel Update page since August 25, and I am hoping that the Lower Danube will be navigable to the conclusion of the trip in Romania. Does anyone have any info on the Ama cruises on the lower Danube? I would hate to have to move about any more than originally scheduled by bus, since there is already a fair amount of that on this trip.
Hi all, this site has been awesome with such great, timely information! I’ve been stalking the Viking Gersemi on its voyage down to Basel (we leave Amsterdam on it September 15) and was wondering if anyone checking this site is on it. I noticed it was docked in Braubach today rather than Koblenz. Does anyone know why? Water level problems? Port problems? Thanks!
Thank you very much! It is really precious for us to have your inside information. A couple more questions. Are there any cases of Covid-19 on board? Is the staff wearing masks? It seems that they are no longer testing the passengers.
I believe different operators have different rules. I’m on Scenic Pearl Amsterdam to Budapest. Have just left Nuremberg. No issues with water levels, no changes to itinerary. Scenic require you to be fully vaxed. No masks on board. Request to wear mask if you don’t feel well. Have seen the Viking Cruise staff wearing masks, as well as their passengers, though not sure if it is a requirement.
I’m very happy for you! We are doing the same tour starting on Sunday ..my fingers are crossed!
Thank you for the info. I appreciate everyone posting. Have a Viking cruise next week so appreciate all the updates on Danube, Mainz and Rhine.
Hi Colin,
Please keep going with you updates, will be very interesting to know river levels for the rest of your journey.
cheers
Jasper
Still on the Scenic Pearl. Have reached Vienna without an issue. We were informed that water levels dropped a bit from Regensburg through Passau and Melk, though made it through. Weather is amazing. I packed too many warm clothes. It’s been a shorts and t-shirt trip thus far. We have another day in Vienna then heading to Budapest. No indication of delays.
Thank you Colin!
We are booked with Tauck on the Budapest to Amsterdam Cruise leaving on the 16 of October. We’ve had 2 trips canceled due to Covid and I’m 74 with the concerns about being bused everywhere, was looking forward to a relaxing cruise not sitting on a tour bus for hours looking out a window.
Been watching water levels rise and fall weekly.our cruise line, Tauck, has been somewhat informative.
However my concern is, even though I’ve purchased travel insurance with them, their spokesman said if I cancel I get only 50 percent refund, if they cancel it’s 100 percent.
They can cancel up to the last minute, leaving us in limbo up to the last minute.
We’ve been on 5 river cruises so far, and love them, just don’t want to pack and unpack, have done that on various other tours, it’s a hassle.
Anyone else in the same “Boat” as far as being undecided what to do?
Thanks for the update on your trip.
Michael we are booked to leave Amsterdam on 19th October with APT to Budapest so understand how you are feeling. I guess we have to hope that more rain falls during the next 6 weeks!
I think most companies only cancel a few days beforehand, most travellers who book a river cruise want exactly that not a hotel/bus trip.
Let’s all hope for good outcomes in the coming weeks and thank you to everyone for your reports keep them coming!
Hi Sandy, we are booked to leave Budapest on 19th October with APT to travel to Amsterdam. Hopefully our boats will pass each other at the halfway mark.
Fingers crossed for rain over the next few weeks, as we definitely don’t want a bus trip around Germany.
Thank you to all the reports that keep coming through. I really appreciate them.
My husband and I are booked on the Viking Magni, leaving Amsterdam October 9, to Budapest – 15 day trip. The recent article in the NY Times (Aug. 29 by Jenny Gross) left us feeling concerned. At ages 76 and 80, we DO NOT want to be bused around Germany. We want a River Cruise…a relaxing trip! Right now we are monitoring the water levels and hoping for the best, although my husband’s least favorite word is “hope.” Good luck with your Tauck Trip. My sister just returned from a Tauck Tour of England and Scotland; she said it was hot.
We are booked on Viking Aegir from Budapest to Amsterdam about the same time – and in our mid 80s are also not eager for bus trips. Been many time to Europe so could easily skip some scenic tours (can you stay onboard during the day ?) but have been looking forward to our first river cruise. Fingers crossed for early fall rains. Closely reading all the river updates – thanks a lot for the feedback.
Anxiety aside about the water levels, our next concern is the booster shot required for the Budapest to Amsterdam trip with Tauck.
Our initial shots were over a year ago, we both got real sick.
From what information we get from Tauck your last shot cannot be more than 270 days old and administered not less than 14 days old.
If they are going to cancel the trip we would rather postpone the shots.
We have 3 trips planned for Europe and the boosters would cover all in the 270 envelope.
After checking it’s the cruise line Tauck that requires the booster not the European countries.
Anyone have any thoughts or same concerns?
We put off getting our shots because I got very sick after my second Pfizer shot. We are sailing on a Uniworld River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest leaving September 14th. We are also required to be vaccinated between the time frame you mentioned. After doing some research I opted to get a Moderna shot this time. I had no reaction at all! I don’t know if the same would be true for you, but you might consider switching brands of vaccinations. It is allowed. Talk to your doctor.
We have the bivalent vaccine boosters (Moderna) scheduled for Wed. We started with the two-dose Moderna initial series in 1/21. In fall 2021 we had a third full dose (Moderna). In 4/2022 we had Moderna boosters. With the bivalent vaccine booster on Wednesday, we will have had five Moderna shots. The only reaction a couple of times was a mildly sore arm, and we are in our mid-70s.
We insisted on Moderna from the beginning and are glad we did. We take no chances.
We are traveling with Viking. According to their information, they only require the full vaccination at least 2 weeks prior to sailing. Of the countries we will be visiting, only the Netherlands requires the booster if the last vaccine dose was more that 270 days prior. Fortunately, I’m just under that window as I recently had COVID and the CDC recommends against getting a booster within 3 months of having COVID.
We are booked on Scenic Jade from Basel to Amsterdam on 21 September . We were hoping for a leisurely cruise down the Rhine with a few stop offs in interesting towns , some good food and company. Certainly not a glorified coach trip with all the COVID implications! Praying that the itinerary sticks to schedule and we are not required to swap ships or expected to endure long coach trips.
We did an Emerald Rhone cruise a few years ago and it was exactly what we expected taking us into the heart of some beautiful towns with no need for coaches. I realise that these are exceptional circumstances and we need to go with the flow ( hopefully) . We will watch with interest any posts from Scenic Jade passengers in the next couple of weeks.
We are taking the opposite route beginning Sept.29. If you hear anything we would appreciate it if you would let me know.
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
Hi Colin,
Have you been able to sail the whole way? We are leaving on the 18th September, Amsterdam to Budapest. Flying from Australia after having to cancel in 2020.
Kathy
Still on the Scenic Pearl. Left Regensburg yesterday, sailing to Passau today. Small change in itinerary for those wanting to do the Salzburg Sound of Music tour. They left early on the bus and will be meeting us in Passau. Crew wanted to make up some time. Didn’t bother me as I hate the Sound of Music (the film, not the sound of music). No mention of ship swaps, beautiful sunny day. Drinking wine on the top deck after lunch.
Awesome 👌 Keep on enjoying 😉
I am currently on Emerald Dawn sailing on the Rhine between Rudesheim and Koblenz and the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier – water levels OK so far. I think rain in Switzerland has helped!
Thank you, Caroline.
Thanks Caroline for the update.
Thanks You!
We are doing the return cruise departing 9/23. Looking forward to updates.
Check out cruisehive.com for live updates concerning boats and water conditions all around the world. Best of luck!
We have embarked today on Viking Ve in Amsterdam, sailing later tonight up Rhine and onward to Budapest. The Cruise Director has told us there will be no problems at least until we get to the Danube. As she said, that is 10 days away and she cannot tell us what it will be like then.
We are on the Viking Ve from Sept 13th -28th leaving from Amsterdam. I’m confused, when do you arrive in Budapest? Can they get the ship back to Amsterdam for that quick of a turn around.Thank you, Bruce
How is your cruise going, Iain? Would appreciate any updates if you have time to post! Thanks! Enjoy!
Ruth, wondering if you received any responses from any currently on your similar itinerary as we had hoped to around the same time, multiple bus hours and switches would be difficult for us.
As departure looms looking for timely info from those on Rhine and Mosel, scenic gorge, Frankfurt to Strasbourg. Thanks and wishing all travelers and navigators well in these times.
Currently on the Mosel and all OK. Sailed from Rudesheim on Monday pm to Bernkastel and that was fine. On our way to Cochem tonight. Having a fantastic time!
On the Rhine, Riviera G Chaucer arrived in Basel Aug 31st.
Captain said that there will be no changes to Itinerary.
Wonderful day yesterday in the Swiss Alps. Absolutely priceless. On the cog railway. Wish I could show a picture. Weather wonderful.
Just returned from a Rhine cruise 24/8 to 1/9. No problems with water level Basel to Amsterdam, cruised all the way. Cargo ships are light loaded but cruise ships in the main seem ok.
Thank you, David!
Is the weather cool?
We are departing Sept. 11, 2022 from Prague to Budapest for seven days on AMA Waterways. Any ideas how the water levels have been recently?
I am scheduled to cruise the Danube on the Viking ship Lif from Budapest to Bucharest. I will arrive in Budapest Sep 8 and begin cruising on Sep 13. Is anyone on the Danube in this area and can give me current update on how water levels are affecting your cruise? I have to cancel NLT 1 Sep.
On Emerald Destiney. Started in Budapest on August 20. Arrived in Regensburg yesterday without any trip disruption. Rained several days after arrival and the water level sufficient for navigation. Captain said this is the first trip in several months that was able to complete the cruise as scheduled. Feel very fortunate. It is August 27 and departing for Prague extension this morning. Forecast calling for rain today.
That’s great news.
We are doing the same trip, but in reverse with Gate 1.
Starting in Prague on Sept. 8
Hopefully the rain keeps up till then.
Thanks for the update
It is good news. We start 10 days after you so it would be great if you do an update on your cruise Garry.
Never thought I’d be hoping for rain but we cruise the Rhine in October and perfect would be rain before and stopping when we start!1
We are doing the same and feeling just you do.
We sail 9/28 Budapest to Amsterdam and also hoping for some rain before we get there….not enough to disrupt anyone else’s trip…..
Awesome news!!
We are doing same route on Emerald departing 9/10. Hope the rain keeps up!
We are doing the reverse, Regensburg to Budapest starting on September 4th on Viking. We are hoping that we will have an uninterrupted trip with no ship swaps. If anyone has information in regards to the area around Passau I would like to know.
we just received notification that our Viking R to B departing on SEP 4 on Viking Atla has an itinerary change. Boarding will occur in Passau and we will bus to Regensburg for our excursions. This change seems inconsistent with all I’ve been reading about water levels the last 7 days
I got that notification also, I thought the river levels were up and I was surprised. Let’s hope it changes before Sunday.
We are currently stopped just past Regensburg waiting for water to rise sufficiently to get to Passau. Not sure yet what will happen if river doesn’t rise!!! I imagine ship swapping
I find that interesting as well…keep us posted! We will depart B to R Oct 1
Can you share.more about what this means exactly? Where you supposed to start in Budapeat, and now you are finishing there inatead?
Susie and Mac, Please give updates on your progress along the river when you have time! It looks like Biking ships are off schedule as they have had necessary ship swaps. We are on Viking Sept. 26 departing Amsterdam and arriving Budapest on the 10th. Praying for more rain!
Today is 29th Aug and we have just left Nuremberg on Riviera Emily Bronte….no water level problems at all from Cologne….we have had rain,some torrential, which must have helped. Still on Main- Danube Canal but will reach the Danube tomorrow at Kelheim above Regensberg. No talk of any difficulties.
Good news re the Danube !
On Emily Bronte – see earlier post but ignore time of post. I put the post on at 2-45pm but the time shown is hours earlier……Now it is 5-30pm.
Just had another briefing from Cruise Director who told us that no problems all the way to Budapest so Danube levels are fine.
Thanks to Riviera for excellent organisation and information, and superb service from everyone involved in this cruise.
Thank you for the update! We are nervously watching because we are cruising Amsterdam to Budapest September 14th.
Thanks Bob. Great info for lots of travelers. Were you still able to go on all the planned excursions?
We leave Sunday night for Prague down the Danube to Budapest on our first River Cruise – I think these communication threads are hilarious as we are all praying for rain. Hopeful we will get to stay on the river.
Just received itinerary change for Viking Atla R-B departing 04 SEP. Will now be P-B vice R-B. Boarding in Passau. Surprised only because of all the real time reports I’m reading here about navigable waters between Regensburg and Passau.
We are on Scenic Pearl and had to wait just south of Regensburg for a “wave” to come down the river to get to Passau. Our Cruise Director showed us the graphs they use to determine river levels. Our captain had a very small window of opportunity to get through before they closed the river again. We were able to reach Passau with 30 cm to spare under the ship so the river levels change on an hourly basis! Good Luck
I am traveling Bucharest to Budapest on Viking Lofn beginning 9/6. I am wondering the same thing Jeff, as I hear the lower Danube is day by day on water level. Any current information from those traveling between the 2 ports would be appreciated.
We are bringing your ship to you from Budapest on 8/31. From what I see looks encouraging except perhaps the last day to Ruse. Will let you know how it goes.
Thank Bob. Finger crossed for us all. Happy sailing!
Update on Viking Lofn. Left Budapest last evening with a wonderful night view of the Budapest sky line. It seems that all will go as planned except for our last day due to water levels near Ruse (Bucharest disembarkation point) but it’s been raining all day. So we may have a slightly different disembarkation point but I believe the best portions of the trip will be fine. I’ll update again as I’m able.
Thx for the update Bob. I saw Lofn on cruise mappers.com and thought it looked like you were moving fine along the Danube. Here’s to hoping the water levels near Ruse rise with the rain that is predicted for this weekend. Best!
We are officially docking for Bucharest about 80 kilometers short of Ruse but has no real impact other than juggling shore excursions so you’ll be fine boarding near Ruse to head for Budapest. Have a great trip.
We are traveling Bucharest to Budapest Oct 1, do wondering the same. Will you all keep me posted if you hear anything?
I am thinking of going from Budapest west to Deggendorf with Avalon on 15 September. Does anyone have news of Avalon on the Danube?
You may have read my other comments. We left Budapest last evening on the Viking Lofn and all looks like an unrestricted cruise with the exception of perhaps not being able to make it all the way to Ruse (the Bucharest disembarkation point.) From what I hear the only impact is disembarking a bit up river from Ruse but no real impact on the itinerary other than perhaps longer excursion bus rides. It’s raining all day today so that bodes well.
Sailing the lower Danube from Budapest to the Black Sea and back, no problems in Budapest now heading to Belgrade on Riviera William Wordsworth, river low but “No” problems anticipated according to cruise director. Great ship and staff very good. Will keep you all posted
Today is Friday 8/26. On Viking Kara. Left Basel 5 days ago and are now in Cologne, heading to Amsterdam. Made it all the way without busing, due to providential rain in Switzerland days before we left the States. Yesterday was the Middle Rhine and the glorious castles. Captain said we were the first Viking ship in about a month that could sail through this area. Incredibly lucky. Hopefully more rain will fall to allow trips after us to do so. Not sure if that’s going to happen. Sailing in our direction gives them the best chance (downstream) of not having to bus. Has been 90+ every day until today. Good luck everyone.
Thanks for the update- we cruise on Viking Sept 13 from Basel. End in Amsterdam. Forecasted temps in high 60s. Is it cool or still fairly hot? River level sounds encouraging! Nancy
We are scheduled foe the same cruise. Hopefully we will have the water levels we need.
We are booked on the same cruise leaving Basel Oct. 4. Keep us posted!
Susan,
Thank you so much for your post. Have been watching water levels for a mid-Sept B-A on Viking. Great to know that current and predicted rain in Basel can help us as we sail downstream through the areas with less rain. Hope you enjoyed a fantastic trip!
Is anyone currently on the Viking Alruna or Viking Tialfi? Did the two ships swap itineraries this week? It appears from their current locations on cruisemapper.com that they may be traveling opposite their original itineries. Are they expected to sail through their respective itineraries, or are ship swaps and busing anticipated?
Is rain expected in the next week to help alleviate the current low water levels?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can respond! I hope you have a wonderful experience!
We’re on Alruna now. We were scheduled to be on the Tialfi but when we arrived at the dock it was the Alruna. I posted an update about the trip but they said it appears that we’ll be able to make the whole trip to Amsterdam without a ship swap.
Thank you, Kevin. Would love to hear additional updates if you have time. Have a wonderful trip!
In Strasbourg today. Beautiful weather with cool mornings and warm afternoons. We passed another Viking ship in a lock last night and they yelled across that they had made it all the way with no ship swaps or bussing. Our fingers are still crossed!
We’re on Alruna now. We were scheduled to be on the Tialfi but when we arrived at the dock it was the Alruna.
It’s 8/28 and we left Basel yesterday on Viking Alruna to Amsterdam. We’re in Breishach today. The evening was cool on deck when sailing and today has been fairly warm. Water levels are still holding with the cruise director saying she’s 99% certain that we will be able to go the whole way without a ship swap or have other excursion disruptions. I hope she’s correct! I’ll post updates on the journey as I can.
Thanks for the update Kevin. We are first time cruisers and will be taking the same ship on 9/9. Do we need to bring Euros with us? If so, how much do you recommend?
It would be a good idea to bring some euros with you. I recall reading that you can not exchange money on the ship. Your other options would be to use an ATM or bank off the ship.
If it’s a Viking cruise ship they do extra exchange currency there. But I would recommend exchanging it somewhere cheaper.
The ship charges 10% to exchange so it’s pricey to use them. I didn’t bring Euros but just used one of the ATM’s in town at our first stop. You will need some for incidentals in town and tipping the guides. There are a few places that don’t take credit cards but not many. I just got $100 and if I need more I’ll just hit the ATM machine at one of the stops.
Your going to be in Europe! Might be a good idea to have European money!
Yes definitely bring some euro’s
They charge a lot at the ATM’s
As we are going to Prague first and ending in Budapest we are bringing some of there currency also
A lot of small restaurants and shops only take cash
I would say definitely bring some Euros, especially with current favorable exchange rate (assuming you can get them from your bank with no/minimum charge). Some shops prefer cash, plus many places I’ve been charge a half Euro to use their restroom…ie. exchange some paper Euro for 50 Euro cent coins before you head out to explore. If you’re staying in hotel before cruise I’ve always gotten a good exchange rate from the better ones. Amount you bring depends on spending plans, but ATMs are usually a good choice if you need more cash.
Thank you for the helpful replies!
My strategy has always been to get Euros at an airport ATM as soon as I arrive in Europe. I think getting Euros from an ATM is cheaper than a currency exchange facility. Moreover, many banks, such as Schwab do not charge ATM or foreign currency fees.
We were on Viking European cruise last year. Our ship did not do exchange of money. If you need Euro’s either bring them with you or go to an ATM. We usually bring $200 with us and we always come home with some because we mostly use our credit card. The airport is the worst place to buy them. They have bigger fees associated. Try your bank.
We take a small amount of Euros, like 500. always nice to have cash for small purchases like a snack or refreshment. Restaurants and stores take credit but not most street merchants, of which there are many. There are lots of ATMs if your cash runs low.
Do we need to bring Euro’s?
Sailing 9-10-22
Thanks,
Janet
It’s always best to carry some of the local currency with you when travelling. You can use an ATM as well for small amounts of cash in those countries. However, we are bringing Euros and Hungarian Forint for our cruise beginning in Budapest as we overnight, before the cruise begins and will need cash for dinner and incidentals while in Budapest for 2 days.
We are going a day early in Amsterdam, and staying an extra day in Budapest. Any recommendations on how much in Euros and forints to bring?
Sailing Amsterdam to Budapest Sept 4, any updates on the Rhine, Main, and Danube?
Thank you Joanne
As mentioned above you will want to have some Euros for places that may only take cash. And you may need change for restrooms. If you are in a town big enough for a McDonalds their restrooms are free but you need to make a purchase and keep the receipt for the bathroom code.
Yes. I forgot about the bathrooms. You do need euro’s for that. Also, some ATM’s do not charge more than 3%, which is not a real big deal. Better than a foreign exchange place or the airport. Good that the dollar and Euro are on par right now. I have not seen that in the last 20 years. Have a fun trip. We leave September 22nd for the Zurich to Paris trip. Hoping for good water.
The euro is the lowest it’s been in years so I bought some from the bank.. I’m from Canada so I used Canadian dollars..
Hope the remainder of your trip went well, Kevin. Were you able to sail all the way through? Any speculation as to whether water levels on the Rhine will be adequate for the next two weeks?
We have finished the cruise and are home now. We made it all the way through with no itinerary changes, bussing or ship swaps. In talking to the cruise director, she said it is usually a day to day decision as the levels can change quickly – up or down. She said they sometimes don’t know what Viking corporate decides until last minute. I used some of the resources on this site to track water levels with one of the best being the map showing all the gauges (the Kaub gauge is important because that’s the critical section) and the 14 day forecasts. We’re glad we didn’t cancel now but it was sure stressful in the days leading up to our departure.
Thanks! Your comments have been very encouraging!
Thanks so much, Kevin. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and returned safely. I have been monitoring the sites as well. It also seems that rain is in the forecast this week and next, so I’m hopeful we will cruise, not bus, down the Rhine.
Hi Kevin were boosters required at any stops on your trip
Thanks for the update. We are doing
Basel to Amsterdam on Viking Oct. 4. Hoping the level is good but not crazy about a lot of rain when traveling. What is that like?
We left Basel on Aug. 18, on the Viking Hervor. We sailed all the way through to Amsterdam.
I sailed on the Viking Hervor leaving Basel on Aug. 18. We sailed all the way to Amsterdam. Great time!
I sailed on the Viking Hervor from Basel on Aug. 18. We sailed all the way to Amsterdam. Great trip!
Anyone on the Rhone this week? What are the levels between Lyon and Arles?
Any updates from a Viking European Sojourn? Need to make a decision about canceling within days…
Any updates on Viking’s European Sojourn? We’re within days of deciding about canceling…
We are scheduled on Viking’s European Sojourn Bucharest-Amsterdam with a pre-extension in Bucharest. Any water level info would be great on this trip boarding Lif on Sept.20th
Set out on Viking on August 20. We’re told we would be the first for underrated sailing. It has been the case. End in the Netherlands tomorrow the 27th. We were so lucky
That’s wonderful! We don’t set out until September 26th. How are the water levels in Amsterdam? Looks like no rain predicted this coming week but the week after looks promising for more rain. Would appreciate any advice for future Viking River Cruisers.
We board Sept. 26th in Budapest to Amsterdam on Oct. 11th on the Viking Ve. Looks like if we swap ships it will be yours!
It sounds like the ship swaps are fairly easy with Viking but let’s hope we end up just passing in the night! Hoping for more rain!
Which cruise on Viking? Can you provide any more details?
This is encouraging as we set sail off to Amsterdam from Basal Sept. 28. Touck Tours.
Getting info on the Rhone is not easy. We are going next week. As far as I can tell the level is low but OK. The water is exceptionally warm – too warm to cool the nuclear reactors – and the salt level is going a long way upstream but I can’t find anything about cruises being affected.
Fingers crossed!
Hello Graham, check out Cruisemapper.com for real time photos of the water levels and boats. It is a very helpful website. Best of luck on your trip!
Hi Michelle, thx for the link to Cruisemapper.com, I can see the ships, but don’t see where you can see water levels real-time. If you could elaborate for us we would be grateful!
There is a Water levels site at the top of this page. https://www.bafg.de/DE/06_Info_Service/01_Wasserstaende/wasserstaende_node.html
This opens the map you see above the link. You can zoom into the different locations on the river. Once you open the window for a particular location, there is a graph in the upper left corner. Click that and you see water levels in real time updated every 15 minutes.
I am leaving this week too and have the same concerns about the warm water.
Thank you Michelle for the cruisemapper link.
Is there anyone sailing now on Rhine and Moselle, between Frankfurt and Strasbourg with updates on water levels, announcements on planned switching to buses and/or ship swaps during the next 10 days?
Anyone currently on Uniworld’s River Queen?
Thanks for your updates.
I discovered a new website with helpful information. Check out cruisehive.com, it also shows real time images and water conditions all around the world.
I am also concerned about the warm water. Leaving soon for our cruise
I’m travelling from Nuremberg to Budapest with Scenic from 8 September. I’ve seen a Viking ship managed to arrive in Budapest yesterday from Passau, but does anyone have any news on the Nuremberg to Passau stretch of the river and/or how the Scenic cruise ships are progressing along the Danube? Thanks in advance.
We are on the Scenic Amber in Regensburg today& just received word from the captain that we cannot make it to Nuremberg tomorrow due to low water levels. That would have been the disembarkation point for us.
Thanks for the update Karen. Did you originally embark in Budapest? If you did you’ve done really well to get that far. With a couple of weeks to go before I join Scenic Amber, and a bit of rain on the way, it’s encouraging news. I hope you have had a lovely trip and Scenic met/exceeded expectations (I’ve only cruised with Viking previously).
No we were not able to get on in Budapest as scheduled. Got on in Komaron which is 90 minutes away.
Scenic is just an awesome company & the staff on the Amber are outstanding!
Since water levels can change so quickly, they don’t want to say very much in advance.
Thanks Karen for the update! We are going on Emerald on 9/10 from Budapest.
Please share updates as the cruise goes on. Hope you have a wonderful time and it goes smoothly!
Thanks Karen. We are taking Scenic in Amsterdam next week. Did you feel safe on board? Any cases of Covid?
Thank you,
Julie
Keen to hear anyone travelling on Emerald Waterways as we travel Budapest to Amsterdam from 16th Sept. Hoping some rain by then. Sounds like the issue is mainly the Budapest end??
We should be passing you heading in the opposite direction Regensburg to Budapest.
All the best, hoping for rain.
We are traveling Amsterdam to Budapest beginning September 26. We would love to hear how your cruise goes. Thanks in advance and happy cruising!
On Emerald Destiney. Started in Budapest on August 20. Arrived in Regensburg yesterday without any trip disruption. Rained several days after arrival and the water level sufficient for navigation. Captain said this is the first trip in several months that was able to complete the cruise as scheduled. Feel very fortunate. It is August 27 and departing for Prague extension this morning. Forecast calling for rain today.
Hey Jan.F
We are on same boat
Fingers crossed
Tony B
Did you board in Budapest? We will be on the Amber 9/15. How has it been?
We’re on the Amber Sept 15. Do you embark in Budapest? How has it been overall?
Thank you
We are on the Riviera Emily Bronte….travelled today from Boppard to Rudesheim via Rhine Gorge without difficulty and going to Maintz tomorrow. Have been told no water level problems for next few days but levels on the Danube not yet known.
Have seen a variety of different boats from various companies.
Will post every couple of days if this helps.
Is anyone currently on an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise?
Currently on Scenic Amsterdam to Budapest. Just north of Rhine Gorge and should enter in the next couple of hours. No problems or itinerary changes. Only change was we left Amsterdam early afternoon instead of night which was great because we cruised in daylight hours
Currently on Scenic Pearl, left Amsterdam on the 25th Aug. About to stop a Miltenberg. No issues, no itinerary changes thus far. No indication that there will be. Awesome cruise thus far.
I am travelling with Emerald Cruises from Passau to Budapest on 10 September. Emerald have told me that “no changes or adjustments have had to be implemented”. Fingers crossed that remains the same for when we travel. Additionally, the website Cruisemapper.com enables you to track (in real time) every ship. Enter name of ship in search and then click on “position”. Been doing this past few days (very sad, I know !) and this shows all cruise ships and, from what I can see, all ships are moving and docking as per their itinerary. Nuremberg to Passau seems to be a possible pinch point.
I have been glued to Cruisemapper at least twice a day for a couple of weeks now. Very sad. I don’t cruise until the end of September 😊
Thanks for the website cruisemapper.com Nice to be able to see the ships location. We are on the Avalon Impression Budapest to Amsterdam on September 2nd. We are hopeful the are no problems, have not heard anything from Avalon yet to the contrary, so fingers crossed.
We are travelling Budapest to Amsterdam 16th Sept – Emerald Waterways, but not holding my breathe as I think the Budapest end is the issue. This trip has been rebooked twice as we were origianlly booked for Sept 2020. Fingers and toes crossed for rain
Thank you for this information! I am now (unfortunately) obsessed with cruisemapper! I have been watching weather forecasts along the Rhine as well as watching the water level forecast here. https://www.rhineforecast.com/
We cruise Mid September!!
Hello Jackie…check out cruisehive.com it is a great website with real time information. Best of Luck! We cruise October 5th and looking forward to a great vacation.
We are currently on Scenic Pearl heading to Budapest. Left Amsterdam yesterday and about to arrive in Cologne. We have been told that they are hopeful of no ship swapping!! Also going through Rhine Gorge tomorrow and will be the first Scenic ship for weeks to get through. Will keep you posted.
Hi Debbie, thank you for your post. I’m following closely. This has been a good site to follow.
We are boarding on the Scenic Opal on September 5, Amsterdam to Budapest.
Hope the best for you! Happy travels!
Thank you, Debbie. I will be following your feedback.
Thanks for your comments Debbie this is good news. We are on Avalon Waterways leaving Budapest to Amsterdam on September 2nd. Hopeful for a smooth cruise. All the updates and comments are appreciated.
Thanks Joanne, keep us posted as we leave Budapest to Amsterdam on September 16th
Will do Jan
Thanks for this update. We are going Scenic Jewel from Amsterdam on 7th Sept. and keeping our fingers crossed for rain!
First time cruising with Scenic after trips with Viking and AMA.
Enjoy your trip!
Hi Judi, we are travelling the same day from Amsterdam with APT. 🤞as I have not seen any comments from APT travellers
Hi Di, good luck with your cruise. We are travelling with APT in October and would love to hear how your trip goes in September.
Hi Di. We are cruising APT Amsterdam to Budapest on 21 st Sept – would be good to get an update from you when you embark on your cruise. Enjoy !
thanks keep us informed about traveling to Bucharest. 24 days Scenic depart 21 Amsterdam, can some mainly light rain with the odd heavy showers forecast till the end of this month and start of August
Thanks steve carol
We have a party of six scheduled for a Christmas Markets departure on Uniworld (Passau to Bedapest) on December 1, 2022. We will be on the River Princess.
We would like to have any information on Uniworld cancellations or diversions by bus on that itinerary and river up until our departure date.
Thank you so much for your help.
David
We are departing from Vienna on the same date heading to Nuremberg. We have made plans for a few days in Vienna prior for departure on the Beatrice that might also need to be cancelled, not to mention the night mare of dealing with fights. Might we be exchanging ships?? After 2 plus years of waiting through Covid this is exasperating to say the least. Guess we will not know anything until right before sailing. Please pass along any updates received.
Hi,
Best check to see if Christmas Markets will be running. The governments may curtail these due to energy crisis iin Germany due to lack of natural gas.