notamermaid

Now that is unusual. We are certainly okay with minus three here, just plain proper cold. It was too warm in December. In the hills it is minus ten at night. That is a bit cold but he have had lower temperatures in the valleys in recent years, you know, just occasionally. All in all the Rhine valley is a warm area of Germany. By the way, yesterday morning there was some snow in the Rhine valley I have been told. Did not see it myself. It is generally dry weather though, a high bringing cold temperatures from the Northeast of Europe. notamermaid

The situation on the Main has much improved now and the river is well returning to normal winter levels. Würzburg: A quiet time on this river for river cruising, but busy with commercial traffic always. notamermaid

Yes, barren branches and a full bag in the vacuum cleaner. 😁 I think most people try to avoid that... That is indeed the more common use of Mariä, i.e. the one we hear most. We have already talked about the male version, like in Martini and Michaeli, the latter being Michaelmas in English (29 September). I happened to be in Kent for a Kristingle service in a small village church many years ago. That was very nice. Really cold here today, frost day and night. Just sheltered places in Germany in the warm regions see the thermometer climb to zero or one degree Celsius. Proper January. It will change soon and get a tiny bit warmer, and then, next week, rain again. notamermaid

Let us have a look at how the river at Pfelling did in December: While the level recovered after the November rain it did not go back to the mean so we started December on a relatively high baseline. From there we see a bit of standard fluctuation and then the sudden rise bringing the river over the line for the highest permitted level for river traffic (HSW). The level dropped fast but not enough. The second wave followed over Christmas and brought the level up even higher. This is how the river reacted further downstream at Passau. Note that between Pfelling and Passau is a lock and two rivers with potentially high volumes of water, the Isar and the Vils, joining: It is the same pattern but the first wave is minimally higher than the second, contrary to what we see in the graph for Pfelling. None of the years from 2010 to 2022 show any level of this height or a level pattern of two extremes in November/December at Passau. It has been an exceptional season. notamermaid

Viva Cruises is going from strength to strength. Now due to popular demand - as a German website says - they have made an early release for 2025 river cruises. All are bookable now: https://www.viva-*****/en/river-cruises-2025?fbclid=IwAR261I50Pr7oLzIgv_MMvZU56nYwRJxAc7iBb6lV46OdtwndavMBPXQcV7g notamermaid

Sorry to read your life has changed so much due to the health issues. I was wondering - it is a long cruise through Europe with many ports - if it may help to look at youtube videos? Amsterdam to Budapest is so popular, you can see ports, ships, docking locations, etc. Here is a blog of an avid ocean and river cruiser: https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/about/about-solent-richard/ Also, the roll call for your cruise (line) - you should put this under "all other river cruise roll calls" which you can get to with the forum jump at the bottom - may proof helpful as there will likely be past and future cruisers who do not look at this main river cruising forum. Good luck. notamermaid

This was a big piece of news on the German river cruising market in late 2023. I find it quite exciting. While this is specific to the German river cruising market at first glance - and it is - there is an interesting story behind this. I start at the beginning and with the company itself. Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschifffahrt GmbH Köln is an old company that has been operating ships on the Rhine since 1825 and 1836, respectively, as two companies that later operated together and then finally merged in the 20th century. It was scheduled sailings and day trips as well as excursions. From 1960 till 1995 the company offered river cruises. Then major changes happened and the river cruising part of operations was separated from day trips and events. This is where it gets even more complicated legally. Basically, in January 2000, the river cruising arm went to Viking River Cruises. In 2018 a lawsuit of KD AG against Viking was ruled in favour of Viking. It is not clear to me from the literature if this was the final blow for KD river cruises* but it has come across as if KD will never operate river cruises* again. In 2012, an article in a German tourism newspaper suggested that KD had won a lawsuit against Viking: https://www.touristik-aktuell.de/nachrichten/kreuzfahrten/news/datum/2012/06/20/kd-darf-wieder-kreuzfahrten-anbieten/ and would operate river cruises again. It has not always been plain sailing [excuse pun] for the company in the last twenty years or so. Last year the CEO left (amicably) and a lady called Nina Luig is now responsible for the strategies for the future of the company. Interview in German: https://www.k-d.com/de/magazin/artikel/kdmomente As the title implies, KD is finally back in business. Well, it is not a sudden return and not a full return either. But we will have a look at that later. *river cruises that include an overnight stay in a cabin, as opposed to the often used "river cruises" term for daytime sailings in the Rhine Gorge for example. notamermaid

I like the idea of a few more tech people during river cruises explaining things. The challenge is always the language if you have foreign visitors. But it can be done. Sometimes it is just the extra bit of confidence and help that is needed, then it is doable. Ten years back now - I think - I was asked to help taking visitors round a sewage treatment plant. Those that were chosen to show the guests around spoke basic English, but were a bit challenged. So I learnt the words and basics of the system in English within a week and together we did a joint effort in German and English. The Neckar is a good river for a different, more industrial and technology approach I find. There are some interesting things for those with a feel of too many castles and cathedrals. There may be an itinerary that just needs a bit of adapting and then could keep those happy that want steel, motors and engineering. I will come back to that. The river is not that long so an itinerary only on the Neckar would be underwhelming. There are only 201.5 navigable kilometres. Still, I do not think many more kilometres on another river are needed to attract European customers to an itinerary. I would start in Stuttgart and end in Koblenz on the Rhine quite happily. That would be a nice distance for a five day cruise. notamermaid

I agree, I am afraid. You will find this challenging. From what I have read about this topic before, you will manage, especially as you are not travelling alone, but while the crew is willing to help, as far as I know there is no obligation, i.e. a company directive that they need to be available to help. Some companies do not allow wheelchairs, some do. I think they are nobody's friend. I as a local am alright with it but as a tourist it can get frustrating. For you even more so. Rafting is the other problem, as stated. And as regards the excursions on buses - the steps into the vehicles are steep as they are tour coaches. You do not state which river you will be on, but it applies in many ports. You may dock at a so-called dolphin. These are not the regular landing stages, but a different construction and from seeing them on photos and first-hand I would say that they often have more of an incline that the large steel dock constructions. You may even need to use steps. It all varies from port to port. In short, you often cannot walk off the ship at an even angle. In low or high water this is even more of an issue at times. notamermaid

A quick assessment as we follow the two ships along for a couple more days. The situation is much improved and the river's levels are falling well in the absence of rain. It is a splendid, cold and sunny day today. But we still have high levels that necessitate adjustments. Koblenz gauge has only just dropped below navigational flood mark I: Until about the 16th of January we should see further falling levels. Then we get wetter weather. notamermaid

Around here I have noticed that people are not so strict with that these days. Twelfth Night is not the term, but we say 6 January the sixth, i.e. Epiphany, decorations are taken down. That is when Christmas ends. But the older version is taking all Christmas trees out and decorations down by Mariä Lichtmess (2 February). By the way - language nerd speaking - the a umlaut stands for the possessive case, meaning Mary's or of Mary. Literally Mary's light mass. You call it Candlemas. Churches (not sure which one does what) and some people stick to that instead. notamermaid

The Viking Alruna and the Viking Tialfi are side by side in Mainz tonight: A pleasant dock close to the city centre: notamermaid

I am working on the machinery tour. Seriously, I would like to see an itinerary like that. The Hague - sounds interesting. I am a girl and certainly not a tech person, but I like old machinery. (Did I mention before that I love steam railways? ) Car museum? Fine by me. Locks and dams and mines all interesting stuff. A real boys' itinerary would be good. Just saying. Naturally, drag the interested wives and girlfriends along. A company can always build a castle/mansion/palace visit into the itinerary. Tons of them about and on the Neckar not just in Heidelberg. Oh, and Ludwigsburg Palace has a Christmas market, too: https://visit.ludwigsburg.de/start/weihnachtsmarkt notamermaid

Thank you. There is little happening on the Neckar as regards river cruising so quite frankly little to say... With the restrictions in ship size it will take a few years before we can call this a popular river. But Heidelberg is of course as popular as a non-Rhine Rhine river cruise stop can get - I posted about it some time back in this thread. I noticed that I have mentioned Stuttgart a few times, but not specifically in the context of Christmas markets. It is a city and naturally has a large market during Advent. I have not been, but it has been recommended to me. Here is the info with some photos: https://www.stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de/en/home/ I said that there are no river cruises in winter on the Neckar. Now, December is also winter sort of, so I checked if there are Christmas market cruises. Interestingly. yes there are, but I nearly missed this as they are not in the German catalogue of CroisiEurope! In 2023 and again in 2024 I found them on the .com website of the company and through another search criteria confirmed that this itinerary is only offered in English. The itinerary does not come up on the German agency website. Here it is: https://www.croisieuroperivercruises.com/cruise/delightful-christmas-markets-necker-valley-fairytale-like-rothenbourg-ob-der-tauber-port-to-port-package-classic Okay, it is a round trip that does not go up the river as far as Stuttgart but, still, it is a different area to the Rhine and you actually get to sail into Heidelberg rather than be driven. And of course you see CroisiEurope's home town of Strasbourg. notamermaid

A few changes, new itineraries, a couple of new ships - quite a bit of info on 2024 published over the last month or so. A couple of things I would like to catch up on, a bit of info on what is new and interesting IMO. First, a bit more unusual, but it has been mentioned for other lines, so here goes. Cancellation of your cruise due to a charter. Now it has happened to customers of Nicko Cruises. The German company has issued a statement that two itineraries on the NickoSpirit in December of 2024 have been given to what we call in German "ein anderer Quellmarkt", meaning they have chartered those two to an operator from a different market. This could be anything from American, to British, to Chinese, to French... The company has already informed guests that have booked either of the two itineraries and offered them a different date or full money return. So this can happen in Germany as well. Nicko Cruises have also announced that they have made changes to a few Danube river cruises that go (close) to the Delta to insure the safety of guests, with the ongoing conflict in the region in mind. Nicko Cruises will most likely not be your first choice if you look beyond the Anglophone lines, but they have invested in attracting guests from that market in the last few years. They have some unusual itineraries like from Münster to Potsdam on the Katharina von Bora or, if your German is quite good, you could enjoy a short crime story special cruise. notamermaid

The Neckar rose again to unpleasant levels, first over Christmas, then at the beginning of this year. This is what the last 31 days have looked like at Heidelberg: Hopefully, the improved weather will ensure fine sailing for river traffic. The Neckar sees very few river cruise ships and none in winter but is important for commercial traffic throughout the year. notamermaid

And as the wave is now in the Netherlands a brief catch-up with the Dutch news: https://nltimes.nl/2024/01/07/rhine-river-reaches-fourth-high-water-peak-sunday The good news is that - which I can also see at Maxau gauge computer modelling - we will see dryer weather throughout the Rhine basin, a welcome break for the currently rather damp Netherlands before they need to cope with their rain and us sending melted snow down there again. Let us hope for a relatively calm day under the circumstances tomorrow, the river is free, the roads may not be... And then just a few more notes on 2023. notamermaid

Let us have a look at how the river did at Dresden in December: Compared to the Rhine and the Danube, the Elbe did not see the high rise in November. Starting from the comparatively lower baseline at the beginning of December the river could take the high volume which we also saw at the other rivers, and which they struggled to drain off. But in the end as rain and warm temperatures persisted the Elbe followed suit with flooding and going over the line for a river traffic ban. Which is the line HSW. I did not follow this up so know no more details of what actually happened over Christmas. The situation eased a bit but the level remained high with the Vltava staying on high levels, too. And the levels remain high. notamermaid

So the Viking Alruna is sailing the river as the levels fall, the Viking Tialfi is through the wave which is now at Emmerich and therefore leaving Germany. All good but both ships' passengers may face dozens of tractors on the roads of Rhineland-Palatinate. What a weird winter. Tomorrow's strike is not the only event this week that the farmers are planning but it looks to be the one with the most potential disruptions. notamermaid

So you know your way around Cologne a bit. I tend to avoid the city centre and just go to a few specific places away from Hohe Strasse. Still enjoy shopping at Kaufhof Galeria though (where there are comfortable toilets (or at least used to be, have not been there recently)). I like going to the end of Schildergasse at Neumarkt and then walking along Mittelstrasse past the church Sankt Aposteln. notamermaid

This is only one day (for the time being) but just in case Viking cruisers are reading this. Here is some info on the farmers' strike in Germany tomorrow: https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2154645.html Major traffic disruptions are expected. Koblenz will see a massive gathering in the afternoon on Monday, 8 January, the authorities are advising against coming to the city as they expect major traffic problems (Koblenz is a busy (and congested) hub very often anyway). German news: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/bauernproteste-grosse-demo-verkehrsbehinderungen-im-norden-von-rlp-100.html Police information service available. notamermaid

Things are improving along the rivers, the weather has turned now and it really is colder. This year my Christmas roses are blooming bigger than ever. Such a lovely sight in my otherwise grey yard. The young black cat is busy exploring, but I must say, he needs to work on his winter fur... Not enough for him to spend long hours in the freezing temperatures. Tomorrow we have the highly unusual occurrence of a farmers' strike. It is anticipated that blockades of roads will lead to disruptions. I have just realized that the passengers of the Viking Tialfi may see that first hand in Koblenz. As I do not need to be out and about in a car I should be alright going to places and doing my standard weekday routines. I was wondering if the strike may lead to disruptions of supply chains but it does not sound that way. When people in Germany strike, we strike in a planned and orderly fashion. Jawoll! notamermaid

Good news for the passengers of the Viking Tialfi. With so few river cruise ships sailing a landing stage that is not affected much by the high water levels has been available and their ship is docked in Cologne city centre: And the Viking Alruna? Her signal got too weak just before Strasbourg so I cannot find her now. notamermaid

Yes, the cold weather will help. I remember Cham and the Bavarian Forest warmly from my youth. I enjoyed a great holiday there. Not an easy area to incorporate into a river cruise pre- or post-extension but for a land trip and those who enjoy small towns and moderate forests and mountains it is a great area to explore. I wonder what the route is of the transfer from Regensburg to Prague, that would be nice to do on the smaller roads. So, slowly time to close 2023. Things are looking calm for the few river cruise ships now sailing. Recap of December coming up. notamermaid

One-off - hmm, was the flooding in November and December such an event? Has it happened before? How often does it happen? Will it likely impact my Christmas market cruise this year? So, second thing I am catching up on. I posted a kind of answer to those questions quite a few posts back with the annual graph for Worms. It became clearly visible that flooding of this kind is not standard, but it was not a one-off either. This scenario is rare but can happen. Let us look at it again with the in this screenshot almost completed graph for 2023 at Maxau gauge: As you can see, this past November was exceptional and December with its sudden thaw made it worse, surpassing on two or three days the highest recorded levels of the period from 1981 to 2021. Okay, extreme, but what about the frequency? For November and December: In 2010 there was one day in December with a level over 750cm, in 2011 none, in 2012 there were three days in December over 750cm, in 2013 there were none, in 2014 there were none, in 2015 there were none, in 2016 there were none, in 2017 there were none, in 2018 there were none, in 2019 there were none, in 2020 there were none. notamermaid