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

[Coral]

6 minutes ago, Julesndale said:

Update: Riviera Travel has offered to refund our full payment due to the fact that they cannot guarantee the cruise will go ahead as planned, and we were scheduled to fly out tomorrow.  We are very pleased with this outcome and look forward to cruising with them in the future (river levels permitting).

What day was your cruise scheduled to start? Some of us fly out early to our cruise.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Coral

[Julesndale]

 

2 minutes ago, Coral said:

What day was your cruise scheduled to start? Some of us fly out early to our cruise.

Next Monday. We would have been there 3 days earlier.

[suspaul]

16 hours ago, Second seating said:

This is what Uniworld told my travel agent today about my December 2nd cruise on the Danube and cancellations.  Here is what they said.  "Yes, they had to cancel some departures in August and September.  He said in the next two weeks, there is going to be rain and that these rivers may be high for your departure". 

 

I have made plan B plans just in case!

 

Second seating

We leave December 3 for Prague but have Plan B in place also!  We’re going either way, by boat or by land on our own.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Julesndale said:

 

Next Monday. We would have been there 3 days earlier.

 

Thank you. They gave you a pretty good advance notice.

[SuzieQK]

8 hours ago, Flamencacha said:

So you will have two more nights in Budapest? Oh Brother!.  Please keep us posted. Were you offered a refund prior to arriving? 

We were not offered a complete refund- we are getting 50% of the 2 days cruise amount refunded 2-3 weeks post cruise.

[Flamencacha]

12 minutes ago, SuzieQK said:

We were not offered a complete refund- we are getting 50% of the 2 days cruise amount refunded 2-3 weeks post cruise.

They are getting  cheap, a month ago they were giving the prorated cost of the days you would be in hotels. In another words 100% for the two days. 

Oh by the way, 

 

[steverhodes]

[notamermaid]

7 hours ago, Julesndale said:

Update: Riviera Travel has offered to refund our full payment due to the fact that they cannot guarantee the cruise will go ahead as planned, and we were scheduled to fly out tomorrow.  We are very pleased with this outcome and look forward to cruising with them in the future (river levels permitting).

I am sorry to hear that you will not be cruising. But I am pleased with the timely response from Riviera. This is a good outcome I find, under the circumstances. My apologies to Riviera Travel UK.

 

I hope your future travels will be happy ones and that you do come and experience the rivers on a cruise.

 

notamermaid

[goldentrim@hotmail.com]

This is an old news article from June this year.

Edited October 24, 2018 by goldentrim@hotmail.com

[G.M.T.]

So whats happening along the Danube, after 48 hours of rain. I'll split the answer into two parts, upstream from Pasau (Vilshofen - Regensburg) and Passau downstreet to Vienna and Budapest.

Upstream from Passau, rain had no impact on the river levels, only thing that happened is the Danube is a bit wetter.

Downstream from Passau, here thing are looking better. It rained heavily in the Alps, so the Danube tributaries starting with the Inn and those in Austria have helped the river levels to rise. This should have a positive knock on effect in and around Budapest..

 

Good news, but the dry period / drought is still not over.

[Mark_T]

Good news indeed.

 

Still a long way short of normal but any move in the right direction is welcome, especially if it helps to bring Budapest back into play (eventually).

[CILCIANRQTS]

And, since the Rhine starts in the Alps, good news for the Rhine cruises also!! 🌂

[G.M.T.]

15 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

And, since the Rhine starts in the Alps, good news for the Rhine cruises also!! 🌂

No. The Rhine catchment area in the Alps is a very small area compared  to the Dabube which run parallel to the Alps for hundreds of kilometers. The recent rain was in the easten Alps which proved beneficial for the Danube.

[CILCIANRQTS]

1 minute ago, G.M.T. said:

No. The Rhine catchment area in the Alps is a very small area compared  to the Dabube which run parallel to the Alps for hundreds of kilometers. The recent rain was in the easten Alps which proved beneficial for the Danube.

Bummer! 🌵

[Flamencacha]

1 hour ago, G.M.T. said:

So whats happening along the Danube, after 48 hours of rain. I'll split the answer into two parts, upstream from Pasau (Vilshofen - Regensburg) and Passau downstreet to Vienna and Budapest.

Upstream from Passau, rain had no impact on the river levels, only thing that happened is the Danube is a bit wetter.

Downstream from Passau, here thing are looking better. It rained heavily in the Alps, so the Danube tributaries starting with the Inn and those in Austria have helped the river levels to rise. This should have a positive knock on effect in and around Budapest..

 

Good news, but the dry period / drought is still not over.

So there is a chance that I may be cruising next Wednesday out of Deggendorf? 👌👌👌👌

[Mark_T]

9 minutes ago, Flamencacha said:

So there is a chance that I may be cruising next Wednesday out of Deggendorf? 👌👌👌👌

Which way out of Deggendorf, and where is your end point?

[G.M.T.]

23 minutes ago, Flamencacha said:

So there is a chance that I may be cruising next Wednesday out of Deggendorf? 👌👌👌👌

Upstream towards Regensburg, Nuremberg very problematic, downstream to Passau, Melk and Vienna no prblem.

[Flamencacha]

1 hour ago, G.M.T. said:

Upstream towards Regensburg, Nuremberg very problematic, downstream to Passau, Melk and Vienna no prblem.

Going down stream to Budapest. 

[Mark_T]

20 minutes ago, Flamencacha said:

Going down stream to Budapest. 

How long before you expect to sail beyond Vienna?

 

 

[Flamencacha]

Nov 4 is Vienna, Nov 5 Bratislava, Nov 6 Budapes. 

31 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

How long before you expect to sail beyond Vienna?

 

 

 

[iwannacruz]

I would be really interested to hear from anyone who recently got off a Viking Danube waltz cruise. What hotels did you stay at or how many nights did you spend on the ship? What was the food arrangement if you had to go to a hotel? Did you have much time at the different cities to do you own thing since is seems bussing takes up a lot of time?

Just trying to prepare myself and my family for what kind of vacation we might have in a few weeks.

Thanks

[Coral]

45 minutes ago, iwannacruz said:

I would be really interested to hear from anyone who recently got off a Viking Danube waltz cruise. What hotels did you stay at or how many nights did you spend on the ship? What was the food arrangement if you had to go to a hotel? Did you have much time at the different cities to do you own thing since is seems bussing takes up a lot of time?

Just trying to prepare myself and my family for what kind of vacation we might have in a few weeks.

Thanks

This probably is not recent but a friend left here on September 16th, so not sure if their cruise was 17th or 18th. They did not stay in any hotels or do any ship swaps. They were bussed to some of the ports. I am having lunch with my friend next week and will find out more. They loved their trip.

 

Sorry not more current. Hopefully someone else will respond.

Edited October 25, 2018 by Coral

[CasaM]

2 hours ago, iwannacruz said:

I would be really interested to hear from anyone who recently got off a Viking Danube waltz cruise. What hotels did you stay at or how many nights did you spend on the ship? What was the food arrangement if you had to go to a hotel? Did you have much time at the different cities to do you own thing since is seems bussing takes up a lot of time?

Just trying to prepare myself and my family for what kind of vacation we might have in a few weeks.

Thanks

I am interested in hearing answers to these questions also, as we are scheduled to get on the ship Nov 7.  When we did this same cruise about 7 years ago, we had to leave the ship and be bussed to Budapest and stay in a hotel...it was the Corinthia...which was a nice hotel but far from any sightseeing. I'm disappointed to face the ship swap, bussing, hotel situation again.

[SuzieQK]

Goodmorning from day 4 in Budapest. Yesterday Avalon made arrangements to have buses to take us back into town for a combination walking tour and bus tour of both sides Buda and Pest. After the tour we boarded a smaller boat for lunch up and down the Danube. It was a very nice buffet lunch. The weather was in the 40’s with light rain. The afternoon you could choose two optional tours - a winery tour or an Architectural tour- both for a price. Avalon had 3 buses available, one to take you back to the hotel at 2 and two others to take you back at 4:30 if you chose to stay in the city for a while on your own. Dinner was at 7, buffet style in the hotels restaurant. Plenty of beer, wine and soft drinks were available.

This morning we are to put out our luggage by 7:30 so it can be taken to our ship. We were informed before dinner last night that instead of being bussed to do a tour of Bratislava then onto Vienna; our ship is coming in from Vienna to meet us in Bratislava-yeah!!! We will have a buffet breakfast at the hotel, then board the busses to embark the Avalon Panorama by 11am. Let our Danube River Cruise begin!!

How does it look upstream past Passau? Are ships finally getting thru past Regensburg?

[Flamencacha]

4 hours ago, SuzieQK said:

Goodmorning from day 4 in Budapest. Yesterday Avalon made arrangements to have buses to take us back into town for a combination walking tour and bus tour of both sides Buda and Pest. After the tour we boarded a smaller boat for lunch up and down the Danube. It was a very nice buffet lunch. The weather was in the 40’s with light rain. The afternoon you could choose two optional tours - a winery tour or an Architectural tour- both for a price. Avalon had 3 buses available, one to take you back to the hotel at 2 and two others to take you back at 4:30 if you chose to stay in the city for a while on your own. Dinner was at 7, buffet style in the hotels restaurant. Plenty of beer, wine and soft drinks were available.

This morning we are to put out our luggage by 7:30 so it can be taken to our ship. We were informed before dinner last night that instead of being bussed to do a tour of Bratislava then onto Vienna; our ship is coming in from Vienna to meet us in Bratislava-yeah!!! We will have a buffet breakfast at the hotel, then board the busses to embark the Avalon Panorama by 11am. Let our Danube River Cruise begin!!

How does it look upstream past Passau? Are ships finally getting thru past Regensburg?

Well getting on board at Bratislava is a good sign. The cool tempatures are keeping the waters from evaporating.  ( I Hope).  

 

Are your accommodations 1st class and are they near the city or far out? A dinner,  buffet style is unacceptable. I have taken bus Tours before and stayed in 4 star hotels, however only paid a fraction per day that I am paying for my River cruise so I expect more. 

 

Well I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your reports. 

Dont mean to Rain on your trip, actually literally hoping for more😂😂😂.  

 

Any word anyone  North of Passau?