Phillygirl3 Posted July 17, 2016 #1 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Fellow cruisers: I just received an email from a friend who is sailing in France on Viking. She said that she met a couple who switched from cruising the Elbe because water levels were so low that they were advised that they would be bused from place to place. We are expecting to cruise the Elbe in less than two weeks and certainly didn't sign on to take a bus trip. Does anyone have any information about low water levels preventing river boats from cruising? Thanks, so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_T Posted July 17, 2016 #2 Share Posted July 17, 2016 According to the Viking website they are predicting potential problems with Elbe departures over the next 7 days. Doesn't mean that cruises after that are OK, just that it is hard to predict much more than a week ahead... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 17, 2016 #3 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Are you on Viking too? If another line, which? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillygirl3 Posted July 18, 2016 Author #4 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Yes, we are on Viking for th Berlin to Prague trip and I am going to keep my fingers crossed that the trip won't be problematic due to the river level. I'm wondering what one does when one day is supposed to be cruising--does that mean a whole day on a bus--oh no!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 18, 2016 #5 Share Posted July 18, 2016 My experience with a non-cruise Elbe cruise was with a different line. I am pretty sure they handed things much differently than Viking, so I can't really help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVilleGal Posted July 18, 2016 #6 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Fellow cruisers: I just received an email from a friend who is sailing in France on Viking. She said that she met a couple who switched from cruising the Elbe because water levels were so low that they were advised that they would be bused from place to place. We are expecting to cruise the Elbe in less than two weeks and certainly didn't sign on to take a bus trip. Does anyone have any information about low water levels preventing river boats from cruising? Thanks, so much! Did you buy Travel Insurance with Cancel for any reason? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jpalbny Posted July 18, 2016 #7 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The Elbe seems too unreliable lately. We are looking to visit this area soon, but we'll probably do it as a land-based independent trip. Maybe fly into Prague, take the train to Dresden, then rent a car and drive through some of the countryside (we really want to see Saxon Switzerland) before ending in Berlin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marysb Posted July 18, 2016 #8 Share Posted July 18, 2016 The Elbe seems too unreliable lately. We are looking to visit this area soon, but we'll probably do it as a land-based independent trip. Maybe fly into Prague, take the train to Dresden, then rent a car and drive through some of the countryside (we really want to see Saxon Switzerland) before ending in Berlin. JP, Prague and Dresden were "Wow" cities for us. Dresden was a complete surprise as the only thing I knew about it was that it was flattened during WWII. We had a fabulous day in Dresden and wish we wish we could have spent much longer. The rebuilding of the inner city cathedrals and palaces is an incredible story and sight. Enjoy! Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katjoy56 Posted July 20, 2016 #9 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Low Water Levels Affecting Elbe River Cruises New Article on Cruise Critic: Low Water Levels Affecting Elbe River Cruises http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7125 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50467230 Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 20, 2016 #10 Share Posted July 20, 2016 In terms of "recent" or "up-to-date" information this article is a little old. Since it was posted the Elbe has risen quite a bit. Official readings show the river level to be decreasing again a little. How this translates into possible problems for river cruises one needs to see on a daily basis as it is quite hot but rain forecast for tomorrow and the day after will give some much needed water to the river. The question is how much will reach the section important for river cruising... notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedferg Posted July 24, 2016 #11 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Friends on Grand Circle mid July were not able to sail on the Elbe due to drought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVilleGal Posted July 24, 2016 #12 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Friends on Grand Circle mid July were not able to sail on the Elbe due to drought. Chances are it's even worse now :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted July 24, 2016 #13 Share Posted July 24, 2016 The Elbe seems too unreliable lately. We are looking to visit this area soon, but we'll probably do it as a land-based independent trip. Maybe fly into Prague, take the train to Dresden, then rent a car and drive through some of the countryside (we really want to see Saxon Switzerland) before ending in Berlin. You can take one of the local day trip boats in Dresden. They all sail. I also recommend an excursion to Festung Koenigstein in the Elbsandsteingebirge between Dresden and the Czech border. Awesome history and views. I've just come back from the area. We rented a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cujbw Posted July 24, 2016 #14 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Friends on Grand Circle mid July were not able to sail on the Elbe due to drought. Do You know any details? We're scheduled with GCT on the Elbe in September. Wondering how bad it Is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croozer Posted July 26, 2016 #15 Share Posted July 26, 2016 I just returned from Grand Circle's River Allegro last Monday. We began in Prague at a hotel for 2 days on 7/6 and embarked the Allegro in Dresden on 7/8. We never sailed. After using the ship as a hotel for 3 days, we repacked, disembarked and went to a hotel in Wittenberg. Instead of leisurely river cruising and lovely lunches and dinners aboard the ship, we had a non-air-conditioned hotel, a 15 Euro stipend for lunch on our own, and two hotel buffets and a mediocre dinner on land. I hear the cruise after us was affected, too, and I can't imagine the next few following will be any better unless there's some dramatic change. I am not happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVilleGal Posted July 26, 2016 #16 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Well there's your answer! Exactly what happened last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 26, 2016 #17 Share Posted July 26, 2016 (edited) I just returned from Grand Circle's River Allegro last Monday. We began in Prague at a hotel for 2 days on 7/6 and embarked the Allegro in Dresden on 7/8. We never sailed. After using the ship as a hotel for 3 days, we repacked, disembarked and went to a hotel in Wittenberg. Instead of leisurely river cruising and lovely lunches and dinners aboard the ship, we had a non-air-conditioned hotel, a 15 Euro stipend for lunch on our own, and two hotel buffets and a mediocre dinner on land. I hear the cruise after us was affected, too, and I can't imagine the next few following will be any better unless there's some dramatic change. I am not happy. I share your pain. We experienced a non-cruise with GCT on the Elbe last fall.. Grounded boat in Wittenberg and a hotel in Dresden. In our case, the adverse conditions had existed for weeks; I suspect they had time to prepare and make better arrangements based on their experiences With hotels and restaurants. Has GCT offered future cruise credit and/or money back? They did that for the deviations last year and if not offered to you, get on their case. There was enough advance notice of the problems that about ten days, two weeks in advance we were offered the opportunity to cancel with a refund, switch to another cruise or take the deviated trip knowing we would be in a hotel and on a grounded ship and that we would get compensation. And, thanks to Cruise Critic, we were expecting a deviation, although we did not know exactly what to expect. Was there enough notice that you had similar choices, or was it just dropped on you? For us, the element of choice and the refund/credit went a long way towards making us happy. Edited July 26, 2016 by CPT Trips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croozer Posted July 27, 2016 #18 Share Posted July 27, 2016 I share your pain. We experienced a non-cruise with GCT on the Elbe last fall.. Grounded boat in Wittenberg and a hotel in Dresden. In our case, the adverse conditions had existed for weeks; I suspect they had time to prepare and make better arrangements based on their experiences With hotels and restaurants. Has GCT offered future cruise credit and/or money back? They did that for the deviations last year and if not offered to you, get on their case. There was enough advance notice of the problems that about ten days, two weeks in advance we were offered the opportunity to cancel with a refund, switch to another cruise or take the deviated trip knowing we would be in a hotel and on a grounded ship and that we would get compensation. And, thanks to Cruise Critic, we were expecting a deviation, although we did not know exactly what to expect. Was there enough notice that you had similar choices, or was it just dropped on you? For us, the element of choice and the refund/credit went a long way towards making us happy. Thanks for sharing your experience, CPT Trips. I think they probably knew for quite a while that the situation was critical and that the sailing wouldn't happen, but they didn't share that with us. Had they offered to let me cancel, I would have done it in a heartbeat, because my main purpose was a nice river cruise, not a bus trip around Eastern Germany. The only thing they've offered is a 25% refund on the days affected by the non-sailing, which is around $350 for me. To me, that's not enough to compensate for the difference in time spent on the bus, the inferior food, the lack of promised entertainment, lower quality room comfort and everything else. We'll see if they have anything else to say about this. I'm guessing they'll do the least they can; after all, it's a business and allowing us to cancel or offering a generous reimbursement would hurt their bottom line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 28, 2016 #19 Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) You're right, that isn't enough. And it is less than the compensation they provided us. I don't recall the details, 25% of the per diem refunded for each day we didn't cruise rings a bell. But there was more, I know it was an future cruise credit of $50 per person for each day we were in a hotel instead of the ship. They also threw in two optionals. We're I in your shoes, I would contact Harriet Lewis directly and let her know you aren't satisfied with their compensation and you want the same compensation as they gave last year in that same situation. Hopefully you have an email list for those that traveled with you . . . use it. Also GCT has a travel forum on their website . . . use it. ETA: Best wishes in getting satisfaction Edited July 28, 2016 by CPT Trips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croozer Posted July 28, 2016 #20 Share Posted July 28, 2016 CPT Trips: You made a lot of good points. I just mailed off a letter to Harriet Lewis but the problem is that, while I'm not happy with the compensation, I'm mostly unhappy that I even went on this trip at all. I feel like they knew that this was a very likely possibility and that were disingenuous in not keeping us informed or giving us options. While a more generous compensation would show real remorse on their part, I'm not sure a future cruise credit would do me much good--I don't know if I'd ever want to deal with this particular agency/line again, for a variety of reasons. I was not even able to use my accumulated past-trip monetary credits on this trip, because they have a rule that the trip must be booked more than 60 days in advance to apply the cruise credit. Kind of a Catch-22, since I usually book last minute because I can be flexible and can get better fares that way. But I'll keep you informed of what the outcome is. BTW, the cruise after us was doing the reverse itinerary, from Berlin to Prague, like you. Our Tour Director told us they got the boat to Wittenberg and it would stay grounded there, where the next group would use it as a hotel, then bused to Dresden because there are more hotel options in Dresden than Wittenberg. I suspect the tour before us might have done the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuelScience Posted July 28, 2016 #21 Share Posted July 28, 2016 Does anyone know if Crosieurope's new Elbe Princesse has been able to navigate the river. It's a paddlewheeler built specifically for the Elbe and normally sails all the way from Prague to Berlin. Rather than Magdeburg to Melnik or something similar. FuelScience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted July 29, 2016 #22 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Post on GCT's site . . . travel forum and ask about others experiences. Maybe wait until you get a reply. Never say never about credits. They have some good deals, money off and category upgrades, for 2017 cruises and I'll bet there will be 2016 cruises offered that won't be "last minute that you can use credits on. For others considering the Elbe, it has proven to be risky the last couple years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croozer Posted August 1, 2016 #23 Share Posted August 1, 2016 I just got a letter from GCT. The line "reached out" to me and "apologized" for the fact that the "trip was not what you signed up for." They noted that they offered "the addition of the steamboat ride from Bastei to Dresden and the optional tour" to the Allies museum. Their offer: "To acknowledge the missed sailing time, we will issue a 25% pro-rated refund for five nights of the cruise-only cost of your tour." So, to make up for--and this quote is mine--the "time spent on the bus, the inferior food, the lack of promised entertainment, lower-quality room comfort, do-it-yourself service, and everything else" for five days of my life, GCT is offering me the grand sum of $273.51. Not sure how they came up exactly with this figure, but I'm too disinterested to inquire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted August 1, 2016 #24 Share Posted August 1, 2016 That's a bummer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVilleGal Posted August 1, 2016 #25 Share Posted August 1, 2016 5 nights only added up to $273? That's got to be a misunderstanding! Was it a 25% plus $273? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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