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Danube water levels 2018 and similar topics - plus tips and info


notamermaid
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We did the ship swap yesterday. Travelmarvel handled it extremely well, gave us €25 each for lunch and even paid for us to use the rest rooms on the stop between Aschach and Nuremburg. The four-five hour coach trip was comfortable and we drive through some lovely countryside.

We had a lunch break in Nuremburg, a short city walk, then a bus trip around landmarks.

We arrived at our new (identical) sister ship around 5pm, our bags and key cards were in the cabin and we all just went straight to our cabins.

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The sad story, weather in Passau and along Danube valley, sunny and warm thru Thursday.

 

 

Friday, rain is forecaste, the problem is there will not be much run off into the rivers, the reason being that the ground water levels are very low and the rain will be hopefully help to replenish it.

 

 

It's going to be a very interesting Autumn.

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We did the ship swap yesterday. Travelmarvel handled it extremely well, gave us €25 each for lunch and even paid for us to use the rest rooms on the stop between Aschach and Nuremburg. The four-five hour coach trip was comfortable and we drive through some lovely countryside.

We had a lunch break in Nuremburg, a short city walk, then a bus trip around landmarks.

We arrived at our new (identical) sister ship around 5pm, our bags and key cards were in the cabin and we all just went straight to our cabins.

Thank you so much for posting Marjan . It is good to hear how Travelmarvel are handling the low river levels. Of course the River cruise companies cannot control the weather. It’s how they then handle the customers that counts. Travelmarvel seem to be doing well. Any tips for us embarking the ship you are leaving in Amsterdam would be appreciated.

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The sad story, weather in Passau and along Danube valley, sunny and warm thru Thursday.

 

 

Friday, rain is forecaste, the problem is there will not be much run off into the rivers, the reason being that the ground water levels are very low and the rain will be hopefully help to replenish it.

 

 

It's going to be a very interesting Autumn.

I just want to thank you for keeping us updated. We are scheduled on the AMA Certo from Budapest to Nuremberg, September 29th. Hoping for the best, but not too hopeful. Traveling with a group of good friends, we will make the best out of this situation. We had to cancel a trip to Spain after our Island was hit by Maria last year, and believe me, after living that nightmare, low water levels on the Danube are a walk in the park. :') Have a great day everyone!

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Neuschwanstein, that most iconic of Bavarian castles and one of the top tourist destinations in Germany is featured heavily in souvenirs. Now a court has ruled that not only is it a place but also a name that can be trademarked in the souvenir industry. The state of Bavaria can now own the name, use it like a brand and license it out to souvenir manufacturers: https://www.dw.com/en/bavaria-can-own-neuschwanstein-castle-brand-rules-ecj/a-45381794

 

 

While the Rhine is is sort of doing o.k., the situation is a bit wobbly, but river levels allow sailing through the Rhine gorge; the Danube is indeed not doing quite so well. Pfelling having slowly been falling under the low water mark for three days again is not promising at all. G.M.T., it looks like an interesting autumn indeed with I dare say river cruisers nervously checking websites and awaiting dreaded emails for yet another week. And another probably. And another?

 

 

notamermaid

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The Robert Burns will get to Linz on 11th and back to Budapest for 13th Sept (unless the river level drops between Bratislava and Budapest) so you should be OK. Currently, all boats seem to be OK getting there.

 

Yes, indeed the ship is currently in Linz, so fingers crossed it makes it to Budapest.

I am checking daily on "Cruise Mapper"

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Thank you so much for posting Marjan . It is good to hear how Travelmarvel are handling the low river levels. Of course the River cruise companies cannot control the weather. It’s how they then handle the customers that counts. Travelmarvel seem to be doing well. Any tips for us embarking the ship you are leaving in Amsterdam would be appreciated.

 

Not really. We have been very impressed with how Travelmarvel have handled the low water issues, even local tour guides have said how lucky we are. Just be prepared to take things as they come. Certainly don’t be afraid of the ship swap between Nuremburg and somewhere around Passau, quite likely for you as it is warm and sunny.

 

Depending on where Travelmarvel is instructed to moor in the Passau area, you may miss Regensburg. We were instead taken to Linz which I enjoyed immensely. This meant half an hour each way by bus instead of several hours.

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With the current situation with the very low river levels and cruise passengers adversion to being bused around.

 

 

 

 

 

I think the cruise lines should look in alternative transport modes, here is my suggestion:

 

 

 

 

 

http://budapestsup.hu/BPSUP1/en/img/614396_498097033536397_1562462023_o-min.jpg

 

 

 

I would rather do that, than being bussed around. Of course mine is a Wine Cruise, May be a bit of a problem keeping balance.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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With the current situation with the very low river levels and cruise passengers adversion to being bused around.

 

 

I think the cruise lines should look in alternative transport modes, here is my suggestion:

 

 

http://budapestsup.hu/BPSUP1/en/img/614396_498097033536397_1562462023_o-min.jpg

 

Hard to see doing that in October or November.

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We're on the ship too - or at least we hope to be ! This is today's view on their website - doesn't look promising

 

The Danube River is currently experiencing low water levels. Guests will be contacted individually if deviations from the standard itinerary become necessary. The following cruises may be affected:

Gems of the Danube: September 20, 2018

Jewels of Europe: September 12 & 17, 2018

 

Cancob and daleyecs, I would suggest you monitor the Scenic low water level thread. You will get more specific information about how Scenic is handling these matters. The sentences you quote above have been on their website for over a month. I understand it is stressful as you don't know what will happen. I did not know about a change in ship until the day before embarkation and we had two hour notice to get back on the ship in Regensberg because they were immediately sailing to Passau. There is NO WAY they know what the status is for a September 20 sailing. Don't expect Scenic's communication to be good, because it's simply not. Good luck with your trips.

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With the current situation with the very low river levels and cruise passengers adversion to being bused around.

 

 

I think the cruise lines should look in alternative transport modes, here is my suggestion:

 

 

http://budapestsup.hu/BPSUP1/en/img/614396_498097033536397_1562462023_o-min.jpg

Love it!

 

We are on Avalon Expression Oct 3rd Fingers crossed and hoping for the best - all we can do. Everyone always says oh there is NO comparing a river cruise to an ocean cruise. So far, never having done a river cruise, all I can say is the ocean never runs dry! :D

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Regarding Hurricane Helene:

 

"Gradual weakening was expected Tuesday night and last until Helene returns to tropical storm status Thursday, forecasters said. No coastal watches or warnings have been issued because forecasters don't expect it to make landfall anywhere."

 

To topspot (or anyone else): what are the chances that this system will bring rain to the Rhine or Danube regions?

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Love it!

 

 

 

We are on Avalon Expression Oct 3rd Fingers crossed and hoping for the best - all we can do. Everyone always says oh there is NO comparing a river cruise to an ocean cruise. So far, never having done a river cruise, all I can say is the ocean never runs dry! :D

 

 

 

We are also on Avalon Expression October 3rd. This will be our second river cruise - first was an uneventful 3 day cruise on Avalon - kind of an Intro to River Cruising. We are keeping our fingers crossed for major rain over the next 3 weeks - don't want this to turn into a bus trip!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Regarding Hurricane Helene:

 

"Gradual weakening was expected Tuesday night and last until Helene returns to tropical storm status Thursday, forecasters said. No coastal watches or warnings have been issued because forecasters don't expect it to make landfall anywhere."

 

To topspot (or anyone else): what are the chances that this system will bring rain to the Rhine or Danube regions?

 

Unfortunately the risk with this one is that if it continues to drift as it is currently doing, rather than bring rain it may actually reverse the current decline in temperatures and bring further heat to the UK and to some extent the rest of western Europe...

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Mark_T,

 

from what I remember from a weather report I read a couple of weeks ago (and cannot find again) we appear to have a very stable weather condition high up over the Northern hemisphere, sort of Northwest of the British Isles. That is where we mostly get our weather from, the Caribbean or hurricanes over North America do not change our weather pattern normally. This stable condition is a little unusual and makes our weather in autumn warmer than average. So they said. From what I have experienced in August I tend to believe them. In Bavaria people are more likely to be showered by beer this month than by actual rain. If I was being both practical and malicious I would say Bavarians and visitors to the area should donate some beer to the Danube to raise the water level. But I would be sealing my fate of never being allowed into the county/land again. :D

 

 

Edit: I have just found a mention of hurricane Helene bringing warm weather into our region in her wake after a brief cooling down with some rain.

 

Yes, the Oktoberfest celebrations are open us and we in the Rhineland have to put up with the now annual blue and white paper napkins and posters advertising "Oktoberfest in your local beer garden on the Rhine". :eek: Those events are actually popular with many people. Me, I am a firm believer in Federweisser (young wine)!

 

 

And here is the article by Deutsche Welle about the 2018 beer mug design: https://www.dw.com/en/oktoberfest-reveals-its-official-2018-beer-mug/a-45301956

 

notamermaid

 

P.S. The river level at Pfelling is sort of steady, not having fallen further in the last two days.

Edited by notamermaid
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Does anyone know if ships are sailing on the Danube from the Black Sea to Budapest? Thanks for any info.

 

We were on a charter of the Vantage ship River Discovery II leaving Vienna August 27. We were bused to Budapest via Bratislava and then boarded the ship in Budapest and sailed down the Danube to Romania (we were not scheduled to go all the way to the Black Sea, but only to Turnu Magurele). The ship is now on its way back to Budapest.

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Mark_T,

 

from what I remember from a weather report I read a couple of weeks ago (and cannot find again) we appear to have a very stable weather condition high up over the Northern hemisphere, sort of Northwest of the British Isles. That is where we mostly get our weather from, the Caribbean or hurricanes over North America do not change our weather pattern normally....

 

 

Edit: I have just found a mention of hurricane Helene bringing warm weather into our region in her wake after a brief cooling down with some rain.

 

Yes, this it is hurricane Helene that I am referring to, that one is headed our way at the moment, while it is hurricane Florence that is heading for the USA.

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Cancob and daleyecs, I would suggest you monitor the Scenic low water level thread. You will get more specific information about how Scenic is handling these matters. The sentences you quote above have been on their website for over a month. I understand it is stressful as you don't know what will happen. I did not know about a change in ship until the day before embarkation and we had two hour notice to get back on the ship in Regensberg because they were immediately sailing to Passau. There is NO WAY they know what the status is for a September 20 sailing. Don't expect Scenic's communication to be good, because it's simply not. Good luck with your trips.

 

Thanks, am following that thread tool. The site update I referenced was the specific sailing date I'm on was now being listed as a potential impact; we got our emails yesterday :-( still trying to remain optimistic

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With the current situation with the very low river levels and cruise passengers adversion to being bused around.

 

 

I think the cruise lines should look in alternative transport modes, here is my suggestion:

 

 

http://budapestsup.hu/BPSUP1/en/img/614396_498097033536397_1562462023_o-min.jpg

 

I like it! trouble is I don't have the shorts!

 

 

May I suggest the following Sea Horse DUKW

601123237_SeaHorseDUKW.jpg.3607593a1c3db7f7b3ec8db64f6b5988.jpg

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