Viking Danube low water solution

[chitraveler]

Derrick22 & Carolb2087, Thank you so much for posting! I will be on the Viking Jarl Aug 23rd Nuremberg to Budapest. I have ben reading many post lately and some have not been favorable. I am glad to hear the ship swap was flawless. I sure hope the area gets rain before I arrive but if not I will make the best of it.

[JVilleGal]

What a great report!

[Rebel54]

Either Viking is behind due to all the issues or they have stopped deleting because I just read a couple weeks worth of posts from others on their facebook page and they are not all glowing. Do they only delete the worst of the worst?

[JVilleGal]

Either Viking is behind due to all the issues or they have stopped deleting because I just read a couple weeks worth of posts from others on their facebook page and they are not all glowing. Do they only delete the worst of the worst?

 

Yes they deleted some really nasty ones yesterday and over the week end!

[Bob7]

So today we're on the bus transferring to another Viking ship b/c of the low water in the Danube. The problem is around Passau. So partway there on the bus the driver announces to us to look to the right shortly on a bridge to see how low the Danube is. It's a few hundred yards wide, and all across are sand bars, you could not paddle a canoe thru it, and the driver says it would be easy to walk across. The puddles looked to be about 1-2 feet deep. It would take a hurricane to fill it up.

-Bob7

Edited August 4, 2015 by Bob7
typos

[remydiva]

Wow....I don't think I have seen the word 'excellent' and 'Viking' in the same sentence so many times for YEARS on these threads. About time to see some POSITIVE comments.

 

Well done Viking and thanks to those that posted their positive experience in spite of Mother Nature having other plans for your river cruise.

 

Viking is able to respond with a solution of low water/high water using the ship swap solely because of their sheer numbers of ships so whoo hoo...bigger IS better in this case and size DOES matter.

 

Glad to hear that cruisers are still able to enjoy most if not all that was planned for their trips.

[Rebel54]

Yes they deleted some really nasty ones yesterday and over the week end!

 

Oh :) Got ya !!

[Danube8815]

Glad to hear various tales of how Viking is trying to manage ship changes with low water on the Danube. We are on the Budapest to Nuremberg Romantic Danube leaving Aug. 8. I've been calling Viking to see if there are any changes, which they vehemently deny other than saying we have a ship swap, but our cabin is the same and it's basically the same ship. I specifically aked if we will have to be bussed on any part of our cruise or change ships and they were extremely coy with their responses. We were never notified by email as they said we were about our ship swap. They sent me the notification when I asked for them to resend. With the ship they told me we are now going to be on, I looked at the GPS live positioning of the ship and it's going North from Budapest, so I asked how it can be back in Budapest for Sat.? They told me maybe the info on the website I was looking at was wrong. They also said they have no way to see where any of their ships are. Ouch! I'm going on a cruise and Viking does not have visibility where there ships are??? I don't believe this for a minute and feel customer service is told to not be giving information out. Hope water levels change, but getting a bad taste of what Viking is going to be like.

 

on 8/4/15, Viking sent via email notification that now they say there MAY be a ship swap enroute to Nueremberg due to low water. We would swap to the Freya, the original ship we were booked on, same cabin as the ship we take out of Budapest, the Njord. Hope they give us some freebies like someone said due to the inconvenience. At least I know what to expect and am going with the attitude to make this a wonderful experience. My friends cruise on the Elbe two weeks ago was cancelled in it's entirety due to low water. Viking gave each of them a $1000 credit and successfully rebooked them on a Danube Waltz cruise in two weeks.

I am going to look at Facebook to see posts as someone said for more Viking news.

[jagger16]

Derrick and Carolb,

Can you tell us in which town did you get off the first ship and in which town you get on the second ship?

 

We are on an Ama cruise next week embarking in Budepest. We are to go to Passau and then on to Visholfen where we are to disembark. I'm just wondering if we can get as far as Passau and if so can we get as far as Visholfen. I've tried to find out information on how Ama is fairing with the low rivers but haven't come across anything. Thanks. I'd appreciate any additional information that you can provide.

[G.M.T.]

Derrick and Carolb,

Can you tell us in which town did you get off the first ship and in which town you get on the second ship?

 

We are on an Ama cruise next week embarking in Budepest. We are to go to Passau and then on to Visholfen where we are to disembark. I'm just wondering if we can get as far as Passau and if so can we get as far as Visholfen. I've tried to find out information on how Ama is fairing with the low rivers but haven't come across anything. Thanks. I'd appreciate any additional information that you can provide.

If boat should makes it to Passau, once in Passau you will certainly make it to Vilshofen, which is about 20 miles upstream.

[carolb2087]

Hello jagger16,

We transferred in Nuremberg. We were transferred by bus to Passau where we boarded our new ship the Bestla. The following day included busing back to Regensburg to include the originally scheduled excursion then back to Passau in the evening. Along the bus route you could get glimpses of the river and indeed there were points with large sandbars present where you could literally walk across the river. Viking did such a wonderful job Keeping all passengers happy. I did not even hear a hint of discontent. We sailed on from Passau to continue our journey as planned.

[jagger16]

Thanks, Carolb! I put a call into Ama and the representative read from an update from the VP that basically said they have been getting through to Vilshofen. But I'm prepared for anything! Speaking of which . . . How was the heat? Did you ever have the need for a light jacket or sweater?

[Pineapple Princess Is Me]

Its the bit between Passau and Regensberg that is the problem need to be sailing from Regensberg through to Amsterdam or Passau to Budapest to avoid the low water issues. We made it through on the Scenic Opal and will reach Amsterdam on Tuesday...............we have a great captain and crew' date=' who worked all night while we were cruising that area, checking depths etc and slowly, slowly getting us through.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[/quote']

 

Hi Serenity - glad you said Passau to Bud is a good choice since the water level is usually good there. We're going on our 1st river cruise in 2016 Passau to Bud. Didn't even think of water issues till I got on this thread. Saw a special on PBS about the Danube and it mentions water going underground cave to Rhine. Rhine is winning the water wars with the Danube. Did you happen to have a post tour on Bud? We are thinking about it. Also did you go on the Viking air? We usually don't go on the air that the cruises offer since we like a more direct route and can pick our seats. What air did you select? Thanks Pineapple Princess Is Me

[Margarita Jane]

Bob 7 - Thanks for the updates and info on switching ships. Also thanks for the info on the red wine. What was the weather like? Web sites indicate it is pretty hot. I am thinking of what I should be packing....any need for jacket or long pants? Did you have much rain?

 

Hope you had a fabulous trip and saved some tequila for me! DH likes white wine.....

 

~ Jane

[orangebeach8]

Viking has just notified me by e-mail that my Nuremburg to Budapest cruise on the Gullveig (8/13) has been altered because of low water We will be bussed everywhere the first few days and MAY board the ship in Passau. We are not allowed to cancel for a refund. I just checked Avalon on Facebook. They just put out a notice that the German authorities have notified them that a cargo ship is currently blocking the Danube at Deggendorf (between Nuremburg and Passau) and will not be removed till later this week. They are offering guests a full refund if they want to cancel plus additional credit to be used on a later cruise! Also saw that an earlier cruise on the Danube was 1/2 bus and 1/2 cruise and they gave guests a refund for the days they missed cruising.

[G.M.T.]

A cargo ship ran aground on Sunday near Deggendorf, the Danube was close for a period of time, but on Monday (yesterday) ships could sail pass the grounded ship.

 

The grounded ship is due to be pulled clear of the gravel bank today (Tuesday).

[orangebeach8]

A cargo ship ran aground on Sunday near Deggendorf, the Danube was close for a period of time, but on Monday (yesterday) ships could sail pass the grounded ship.

 

The grounded ship is due to be pulled clear of the gravel bank today (Tuesday).

 

Avalon posted only a few minutes before I posted here. My point mainly was that they are offering refunds if people cancel while Viking is not.