notamermaid

Despite some rain the river has had an unexpected turn for the worse, at least the level at Kaub. 68cm. The forecast says that this should really be the low. More rain is coming from the South and Southwest, that is Alsace and Switzerland, so I am willing to believe that at least for tomorrow we can expect somewhat better sailing conditions. It is suggest that we then may see the figure 80 again. notamermaid

My pleasure. I hope sailing into Budapest goes ahead as planned and you have a great time in the fascinating city. Good to hear you enjoyed your cruise so much. Safe travels. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge has dropped a little further. Rain is sweeping into Germany from the West. The question about Budapest got me thinking. The itinerary crossing the continent far from the East to the West - Bulgaria is the starting point I believe - called European Sojourn has potentially three areas of low water that need bridging. Not sure what is exactly happening at Budapest but if ships cannot sail through the city boundaries and past the Danube bend, you need to swap in Budapest. Then you need to swap in Passau/Vilshofen. Then you need to swap in Mainz/Rüdesheim. If it works like that you are on four ships on this journey. The Rhine is still touch and go. notamermaid

That is something I had not given much thought before now. I wonder if there is some info in the roll calls. I have read of ships briefly docking in Budapest just to let off passengers but that is anecdotal. notamermaid

It sounds as if this itinerary could be tweaked to extend it by two days. I am sure it could appeal to people. I enjoyed Bernkastel, a little touristy and busy but lovely. I would like to go back there is a car museum that needs checking out and the home of Nikolaus von Kues, i.e. the other river bank, I would like to see. The Cities of Light is a good creation for those coming from North America for sure. I would not want to travel from Paris to Remich/Trier, I cannot see the sense in it for anyone who can easily fly to Luxembourg or catch a train straight to Trier. Mind you, you can get a train connection from Paris to Trier. There is one change of trains and it can take less than four hours. Or fly into Frankfurt. To Trier that is at the most two and a half hours by car or less than four hours by train with one change of trains. Saw a headline this morning from a travel website in Asia saying that the Moselle is an "off-the-beaten-path gem" and interviewing Pam Hoffee of Avalon Waterways. A hidden gem not for Europeans, the Moselle has been a touristy vineyard-clad river for 100 years. 😉 I mean the touristy, the vine has been there for 2000 years. But for Asians I can understand the "hidden". notamermaid

I would call it standard by now for the Grand European and the other similar long distance journeys. Viking may well have started it and by 2018 I was reporting on the swaps on a regular basis, mainly because the year was abysmal. A company that operates an uneven number of ships will be out of luck with the odd - quite literally - ship or rather those passengers will not benefit from the ship swapping depending on when and for how long low water occurs. Of course, flooding could happen to impact as well. On the Danube it just never is as long a time frame. If you happen to have low water on the Rhine and Danube at the same time you need even more sophisticated logistics to manage the two ship swaps along the way - yes that can happen folks - and keep the itinerary running. Again, 2018 was an abysmal year with very unhappy customers and some companies just giving up on the ship swap. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge at 261cm, down again during the morning. As regards statistics we are now on 20plus "confirmed ship swap days" on the Danube whereas on the Rhine there are zero from what I can ascertain. The Uniworld River Princess is doing the passage now, 110m long. Also sailing towards Pfelling is the excursion boat Johanna W+K. The Treasures and the Scenic Jasper are still at Straubing. notamermaid

The level at Kaub remained at 71cm during much of the night and picked up early this morning. It is now at 74cm. A "wobbly" day today seeing that the forecast is not favourable but the level is above the forecast. notamermaid

If you are new to this topic of river levels and happen to find this thread before booking a river cruise perhaps the following is helpful. For a little recap of what the year so far has been like as regards river conditions when we compare the Danube and the Rhine we can say that the Rhine has fared much better. Flooding this year has been almost negligible on both the Danube and the Rhine with no ban on river traffic on the Rhine and just a few days of interruptions on the Danube. Low water on the Danube has been extensive with the Rhine following suit much later and having only reached critical levels in the last week. It is a little difficult to sum up and compare what impact this has had on cruises but I think it is fair and accurate if I put it as "confirmed days of ship swaps": Danube 20plus versus Rhine 0. notamermaid

Welcome to Cruisecritic. There has been some info on shuttle busses in the roll call you could also ask there. Have a great trip. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge has further picked up a bit during the day. Interesting is what is happening at Straubing. Almost all ships dock in Nuremberg, Regensburg, Vilshofen and Passau to turn around or await better conditions. The Treasures on the other hand is still at Straubing and has just been joined by the Scenic Jasper, a 135m ship: As we have read from reports, things are not improving at Budapest: A hint of better conditions from the 21st... notamermaid

Nuremberg Christmas market is probably one of the most iconic ones with its old theme and special opening ceremony every year. Nuremberg is also home to one of the largest gingerbread bakers in Germany, the company Lebkuchen Schmidt. Perhaps you know that Nuremberg's river is not navigable and that ships dock out of town (but still within the city boundaries) on the Main Danube Canal. Lebkuchen Schmidt is also out of town and not too far from the dock. Here is a screenshot for walking the distance: When you walk you cross the old Ludwig-Donau-Main-Kanal which sounds interesting. In the cold of course or for speeding things up one may prefer a taxi. There is also public transport nearby. The German website says you can book a visit for a group of minimum 15 people and there is a factory shop, something we call "Werksverkauf": https://www.lebkuchen-schmidt.com/de/kontakt/lebkuchenwelt/ Would love to see that. I wonder if you can smell the gingerbread being baked when you are in the area. notamermaid

You can start looking now - sort of - as the probability chart shows 14 days into the future. But it obviously is computer modelling which becomes more vague each day we look at. You are right in that this computer modelling shows better conditions for next week so not too early to say that yet. Kaub has seen a bit of a drop today and is now at 71cm. That means it is lower than the forecast for today suggested. With the figures we have now a few centimetres can make all the difference. Which makes me a bit careful about saying how this week will progress. But next week is indicated as being better so even if this week is worse than anticipated, after that we will probably see higher figures that may well improve the conditions at Kaub enough, meaning just easing the situation (90cm to 100cm is within grasp, perhaps a bit more). By Saturday things should be clearer for your sailing date. notamermaid

Have you checked the roll call(s) yet? There is some additional info in there. There is a modern baths complex in Komarom. If you are interested in cathedrals I recommend the Esztergom Basilica. Have a great trip. notamermaid

After the shortest of peaks - a tiny wave - yesterday at 84cm Kaub gauge is down to 76cm. The lowest level of 70cm is suggested for Thursday during the day. The probability chart shows us a rise after that. notamermaid

No change at Pfelling - 261cm. So some 110m ships sail this passage at the current level, the River Duchess is not the only one I spotted. One may assume that Komarom to Budapest should be no problem for them as such. But the Hungarian authorities can have a different policy to the German ones so it is not a given that they are allowed to dock or sail. notamermaid

Starting in Vienna is unusual but a great idea I find. Ending in Frankfurt is very convenient for the airport. I enjoyed the Christmas market in Frankfurt many years ago. I hope you have time to visit at the end of your cruise: https://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Discover-Experience/Festivals-Events/frankfurt-christmas-market notamermaid

Kaub gauge is at 80cm and falling. The rain did some good but it was not enough to really put our mind at ease when we think about ship swaps. For tomorrow lower levels are forecast and the decline could be continuing on Wednesday. notamermaid

The Treasures is still in Straubing. The River Duchess is at Pfelling! She is 110m long and doing the passage. For reference, Pfelling gauge is at 262cm: notamermaid

That is a good succinct explanation. Yes, there was such a scenario briefly. It has been rather "interesting" (not in a good way) this autumn. A good time normally, most likely far better than now, although there is a tiny risk of flooding for December. November into December should be the turning point for low water to disappear, if not before. notamermaid

It is a great itinerary, isn't? It cuts out Cologne and has greater scenery than Basel to Amsterdam I find. Sorry, I actually got the ship wrong, I saw the Idi. I think she is on a Cities of Light itinerary now. Some info to follow in the Moselle thread. notamermaid

It is cold! Would prefer a hot chocolate to a cool drink of water. The night was really cold, there was a bit of frost in the high hills. My heating is running. During a short trip to the Moselle yesterday I had a stop at a café and drank a hot chocolate. Now, the Moselle is not exactly a river busy with river cruise ships but yesterday, right there, I saw one sailing. Sheer fun coincidence. It was the Viking Hild. Autumn leaves are nice and the vineyards looked appealing too in the late afternoon light. notamermaid

Get well soon. A clear sky over the Danube this morning. Pfelling gauge at 255cm. notamermaid

Just had to post you this. It looks like the "occupied deckchair" meme. "What is that ship doing docking at my dock?!" 😁 The Viking river cruise docking place is occupied by a different company's ship right now and we could assume in the way. But the Viking river cruise ship has actually just left. Kaub gauge is at 82cm. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge at 254cm. Better but not good enough. The Treasures is still in Straubing. ETA is Budapest 18th October. Not sure if that is the original or the new one. Sounds "ambitious" to me as regards distance... Budapest: notamermaid