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

[kruzin2010]

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!

 

 

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I know, I have to stop reading these reviews about 4 and 5 hour bus rides :eek:. We just have to hope for the best. See you soon in Budapest!

[G.M.T.]

Well No, when I was that young the Thames was full of unmentionables!

Ah. A young one. I can remeber going several times to the beach in front of the Tower, never went into the water, just built sand castles.

[topspot]

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?

 

Hard to say at this time, depends on how it tracks, now it looks like the remains of the stormcould go north of the Danube Valley.

[Cyber Kat]

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.

 

 

 

I like that mug! Is Munich the only place you can buy them or will they be available in other Bavarian cities as well? We aren’t going to Munich, but I would love to get one! We will be there soon!

 

 

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[steamboats]

I like that mug! Is Munich the only place you can buy them or will they be available in other Bavarian cities as well? We aren’t going to Munich, but I would love to get one! We will be there soon!

 

Sorry, it will be only available during the Oktoberfest on the Oktoberfest. But you can order it online.

 

steamboats

[kkcj]

Just checking again......any cruises able to go from Bucharest through to Budapest? Our trip starts on the Danube on 9/27 and water looks critically low. Thanks for any info, hate coach trips . (Wish some of Florence would mysteriously fill up the Danube.)

[cruisajohn]

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

I am checking daily on "Cruise Mapper"

 

And Yes, the Riviera MS Robert Burns and MS Oscar Wilde are now in Budapest as of this morning, proving at the moment that Vienna to Budapest is navigable.

 

There is heavy rain forecast for Linz (upstream of Vienna) so hopefully when I join tomorrow there will be enough water to go back upstream.

[Malekin]

I saw an AmaWaterways rep in our Prague hotel this morning who indicated that their boats are operating normally.

[conman]

I want to thank all of you that have been posting on the Danube River status. A group of us, seven couples are leaving from Budapest on the 29th of September. Sailing on the Gullevig (Viking) to Nurenberg

[Jollyholiday22]

Was on the Riviera Travel MS Emily Bronte 3 sept to 17 sept from Cologne to Budapest. Unfortunately the ship couldn’t get past Regensburg, so all passengers were flown home from Munich today, a mammoth task for the company. The company did everything it could but low water levels in one area were too difficult. We went to Passau on a coach on our last day and you could see sandbanks in the water. Company have already offered us a 40% refund - we had 10 days of our cruise, so happy with this. Will book their Blue Danube cruise next year to see the places we missed!

[G.M.T.]

It's been raining hard along the Danube valley for the last 10 hours.

 

 

We'll have to see over the next 12 hours, what impact the rain has on the river levels.

 

 

The problematic is the two main Danube tributaries (the Inn and Isar) join the river below the shallow areas, so will not have any effect there. This rain pweriod will have a positive impact on the Bratislava - Budapest area.

 

 

So keep your cruising fingers crossed.

[cruisajohn]

Was on the Riviera Travel MS Emily Bronte 3 sept to 17 sept from Cologne to Budapest. Unfortunately the ship couldn’t get past Regensburg, so all passengers were flown home from Munich today, a mammoth task for the company. The company did everything it could but low water levels in one area were too difficult. We went to Passau on a coach on our last day and you could see sandbanks in the water. Company have already offered us a 40% refund - we had 10 days of our cruise, so happy with this. Will book their Blue Danube cruise next year to see the places we missed!

That's a shame but it looks like Riviera handled it well.

 

The Oscar Wilde has made it from Budapest back to Estergom over night so hope fully we will be ok tomorrow.

 

We are currently in Heathrow waiting for the plane.

 

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[topspot]

Does anybody know what the draft is for the Viking cruise ships, specifically the Viking Tor? How deep does the Danube need to be for the Tor to make it through. I have found a website that shows the river depth so I can monitor the levels.

https://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/donau_bis_passau/tabellen?days=&hours=17

 

I have searched the web and cannot find any info on Viking cruise ship draft details.

[notamermaid]

Does anybody know what the draft is for the Viking cruise ships, specifically the Viking Tor? How deep does the Danube need to be for the Tor to make it through. I have found a website that shows the river depth so I can monitor the levels.

https://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/donau_bis_passau/tabellen?days=&hours=17

 

I have searched the web and cannot find any info on Viking cruise ship draft details.

 

This is a tricky question. While I am happy to help I would like to point out though that I proceed towards an answer with caution. The Viking river cruise ships are built by the Neptun shipyard in Rostock. You can look up what they write about Viking's ship on the website. Viking has been said to have some of the deepest draft among the river cruise ships in Europe. But this does not mean the deepest. Arosa ships and a couple of others are very similar. You need to remember that drafts can be given as when empty, average and full water tanks. The figures will differ so much that you may not be able to get to a satisfactory information. Even when you get to a calculation the company might decide otherwise, i.e. change their plan. To give you one figure: a poster a while ago said of their Viking ship on the Rhine that it had a draft of 1.53m. If that applies to the Tor as well then that figure is on the lower end and I would very much hesitate to use that for a calculation in connection with river levels.

 

notamermaid

[mfreilly]

Does anybody know what the draft is for the Viking cruise ships, specifically the Viking Tor? How deep does the Danube need to be for the Tor to make it through. I have found a website that shows the river depth so I can monitor the levels.

https://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/donau_bis_passau/tabellen?days=&hours=17

 

I have searched the web and cannot find any info on Viking cruise ship draft details.

You really can't second guess the draft vs. water level. Some locations may show a level of 50cm or even -50cm and boats still go through because the level is measured at the bank not the center. Or the opposite, river level may be greater than the draft but there could be a lock issue and boats don't go through.

[tazlover]

I have been using the Marine Traffic App, tracking my ship. The Boats have not moved for over 2 days in the Linz area of the Danube, going towards Amsterdam. Does anyone know the status of the river at this point. We board our AMA ship in 3 weeks and it is one of the ones not moving (for 2 days and 14 hours)

[DTWgypsy]

I'm not seeing an AMA ship in Linz right now. Hopefully it's moving now. Check out Cruisemapper, that's what I've been using. https://www.cruisemapper.com/

Edited September 15, 2018 by DTWgypsy

[tazlover]

:o

I'm not seeing an AMA ship in Linz right now. Hopefully it's moving now. Check out Cruisemapper, that's what I've been using. https://www.cruisemapper.com/

 

 

Thanks very much. I see our ship now in Passau. :):)

[kcpvwill]

Just checking again......any cruises able to go from Bucharest through to Budapest? Our trip starts on the Danube on 9/27 and water looks critically low. Thanks for any info, hate coach trips ��. (Wish some of Florence would mysteriously fill up the Danube.)

 

 

Hi We've just completed this On Viking Aegir. Ship could not get to Giurgiu for us to board, so we had a 3 hour drive to Turnu Magurele but the rest was as scheduled.

[kcpvwill]

Does anybody know what the draft is for the Viking cruise ships, specifically the Viking Tor? How deep does the Danube need to be for the Tor to make it through. I have found a website that shows the river depth so I can monitor the levels.

https://www.hnd.bayern.de/pegel/donau_bis_passau/tabellen?days=&hours=17

 

I have searched the web and cannot find any info on Viking cruise ship draft details.

 

 

We think we were told 1.7 metres.

[G.M.T.]

The rain from Friday only had a limited impact on the Danube, the shallow areas between Regenburg and Passau have leveled out and will sart to fall shortly.

 

 

The next rain is forecaste for next Friday / Saturday, but between then and now, it will be sunny and hot (up to 31°C).

 

 

Sorry I'm not the bringer of good tidings.

[Flamencacha]

The rain from Friday only had a limited impact on the Danube, the shallow areas between Regenburg and Passau have leveled out and will sart to fall shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

The next rain is forecaste for next Friday / Saturday, but between then and now, it will be sunny and hot (up to 31°C).

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry I'm not the bringer of good tidings.

 

 

 

It is what it is I guess. Have a ways to go yet!

 

 

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[txislandlvr]

I am on Crystal Mozart (Sep 10-20) & we will NOT be going to Budapest. The situation isn’t good & no rain in the Budapest region is forecast for the next 10 days. We will be bused to Budapest from either Bratislava or Vienna. Depends on water conditions in Bratislava. Will know tomorrow.

[norway olin]

We just arrived in Regensburg from Passau on the River Adagio. That was one of the critical areas that we were not expecting to traverse.

The captain had to employ some judicious fuel management so we would be as light as possible. We refueled as soon as we hit Regensburg.

Draft of the ship is 1.5 meters

[G.M.T.]

We just arrived in Regensburg from Passau on the River Adagio. That was one of the critical areas that we were not expecting to traverse.

The captain had to employ some judicious fuel management so we would be as light as possible. We refueled as soon as we hit Regensburg.

Draft of the ship is 1.5 meters

Well done.

 

So the rain on Friday at least helped one boat to get through.