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

[Rappersmom]

4 hours ago, Coral said:

I personally wish that the rain would hold off until after everyone has cruised this season (after New Years). I feel sorry for those on the rivers right now who are touring in rain.

 

Or, if it has to rain, rain only at night.

I agree. My husband asked me yesterday whether I would rather cruise in rain or bus in good weather, and we both agree on the bussing in good weather. But we don't have much to say about it...having just endured two hurricanes in North Carolina, we know that we don't have any control over weather (nor are the weathermen as good at predicting it as we would like). 

[steamboats]

5 hours ago, wabamun said:

So, this is ironic. We were just told that it has rained so much the Danube is rising too high. Low bridges ahead. The Scenic Jasper has to leave Regensburg early and we will meet it in Straubing after our excursions. 

 

Sounds pretty strange... all river levels on the Danube river changed from "very low" to "low" since yesterday and all of them are far away from the first high water level. With that river level there´s no bridge on the Danube river (neither in Germany nor in Austria, Slovakia or Hungary) which is currently too low.

 

steamboats

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Was told today by the Emerald rep that we *might* be able to sail the entire itinerary, Budapest to Nuremberg. My parents, who are also taking this trip, were told the same thing by their travel agent. Will let you know what the final word is when I get on the ship Saturday in Budapest. Just booked a ruin pub tour for Friday night and a massage/bath ticket for Gellert. Will definitely pack a raincoat. 

Edited December 4, 2018 by Cruise Critic Chris

[Lggva]

8 hours ago, Lggva said:

We are are on the Viking Jarl, left Nuremberg on Sunday. Regensberg today. Rain all along the river. Right now it looks like we might make it all the way to Budapest. Markets are lovely, all you need is a raincoat and umbrella. 

We are sailing to Passau. 👍

[seahags]

🎄Such great news about the rains and the rivers rising!  We'll be waiting to hear how the trips from Nuremberg all the way to Budapest progress!!  Can't wait to visit the Markets!

 

[Viking Cruises]

Dear @chabby101, @Rappersmom, @Homerody and @Jcat2010,

 

Thank you for your pre- and post-cruise feedback, as well as this opportunity to connect with you all.

 

We hear your concerns regarding communication as well as customer service, and though we regret that any of you may have felt either are lacking, we are glad for this chance to collect these essential constructive comments. In light of that, please know that we are interested in learning more about all of your individual experiences and welcome a continued discussion at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should you wish to share additional remarks.

 

We hope to hear from you, and appreciate you all allowing us this moment to chime in.

 

Kind regards,
Viking Cruises

 

23 hours ago, chabby101 said:

I have been faithfully monitoring this thread since September as we were scheduled to go on a Viking Romantic Danube Waltz cruise Budapest to Passau on Nov. 14 to 21, and certainly appreciate all the information and comments from all of you.  I would like to share my experience.

As the others have observed, Viking's Customer Relations did not handle this situation well.  The person I talked to did not deal straight with me; replies to my questions were evasive; for example when I asked about the position of the ship at the time I called, the answer was she did not know and I need to talk to the ship myself.  When we arrived in Prague (for an independent tour), I called Viking Vilhjalm and was told to call Bragi (docked in Budapest) where we will spend the night before proceeding on a bus trip to Vienna.  But when I called Bragi, the officer disclaimed knowledge of our arrival; it certainly seemed like  a lack of  coordination between the ships.

 

Finally, we embarked on Bragi, did the morning Budapest tour, and proceeded by bus to Vienna (after a tasteless lunch, another disappointment) to embark on Vilhjalm.  Another bus ride to Bratislava and thankfully, Vilhjalm was able to proceed with the rest of the cruise up to Passau.  

 

We were offered future cruise credit corresponding to 25% of the amount we paid.  However, given the way Viking has been dodgy about the whole scenario, I can't see cruising with them in the future.

 

20 hours ago, Rappersmom said:

We are scheduled to embark Budapest on the Viking Atla this coming Sunday. This is our first river cruise. I have tried to appreciate the cruise lines' side of this unfortunate situation and the financial hit they are taking. It can't be easy and I'm sure the crews are suffering too. And since the situation changes day to day, I can understand their reluctance to say too much too soon. However, all the cruise lines, with the possible exception of the very small and the very expensive, seem to be equally guilty of either not providing information or providing false information--information that we are able to research and see right through. They are apparently not worried about a loss of new customers because they are sold out a year in advance.

 

Personally I can't understand their reluctance to manage customer expectations better, especially within the 30-day window when a cancellation is total loss. The Viking river cruise web site is rather disingenuous, stating "We always want our guests to feel that they have the most current information about their journey, so we will continue to directly contact all guests on itineraries affected by residual low water conditions until levels return to normal." But they haven't done much contacting of guests. Two weeks out we received an email saying that we probably would have to be bussed from Passau to Regensburg. There was no mention of the Budapest-Vienna leg. They also refer you to the myvikingjourney web site, which says absolutely nothing helpful. 

 

I notice that there are now 5 available staterooms on our voyage, at half the original price. It was full when we booked it. I wish we could figure out how to get that reduction! Future cruise credits just don't do it for us. 

 

I am really grateful for the information on this forum since I would not have known anything about the problem until a week ago if it weren't for initially stumbling upon it on Facebook and then following along here. At least we can be mentally prepared as well as changing how we pack for the situation of having to unpack/repack several times. 

 

11 hours ago, Homerody said:

Rappersmom and Chabby101;

 

I certainly wish you both  excellent cruises with great service and food on board and great excursions - all in a safe and consistent levels of service.

 

As I note upthread, Viking can't control the river.  But I agree with both of your assessments that information flow from Viking is lacking. 

 

On our cruise we had one couple that was "reacommodated" by Viking on our cruise.  The couple told us (and others) that their cruise was cancelled by Viking.  Our cruise was "sold out" for over 16 months.  So I can't quite figure out what goes on.

 

Be that as it may, I think the general marketing approach of Viking (both Ocean and River) is setting high expectations and appeal to repeat customers (for example, buy discounts for future cruises on board etc...).

 

And since there are repeat customers and many new ones wanting to get on their first Viking cruise, those of of us that have negative experiences or real problems on a cruise that Viking can address - in my experience, to date - are ignored/dismissed with token offers.  Why? Because there are many more waiting in line to cruise with Viking.

 

Again, wish you the best on your cruises.

 

 

 

 

  

 

10 hours ago, Jcat2010 said:

The viking egil is the first viking heavy that has sailed from Nuremberg to Passau in several months. Changes are in the wind.  Theoretically, Nuremberg to somewhere past Bratislava should be possible to sail.  Practically, its a matter of ship positioning and local conditions.  Watching jarl and egil, we'll see.

 

The three viking "hotel" ships in Budapest have yet to move.  

 

It will certainly be an "adventure"

 

Viking continues to keep their information and plans closely guarded, and shares little.  Partly due to their "silo" structure.   Ops are run from Basel, CH.  Notoriously information stingy. The travel bureaus are stuck talking with frustrated customers, and they don't have all the info.   Add to that, the front line customer service folks are their to sell more tickets, you have to go up several levels to get any meaningful info. 

 

But, they already have our money, and because of their beautiful commercials and mailers, more keeps flowing in... Not likely to change anytime soon 

 

 

 

[Rappersmom]

3 hours ago, Viking Cruises said:

Dear @chabby101, @Rappersmom, @Homerody and @Jcat2010,

 

Thank you for your pre- and post-cruise feedback, as well as this opportunity to connect with you all.

 

We hear your concerns regarding communication as well as customer service, and though we regret that any of you may have felt either are lacking, we are glad for this chance to collect these essential constructive comments. In light of that, please know that we are interested in learning more about all of your individual experiences and welcome a continued discussion at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should you wish to share additional remarks.

 

We hope to hear from you, and appreciate you all allowing us this moment to chime in.

 

Kind regards,
Viking Cruises

 

 

 

 

 

That was certainly weird. 

 

[chabby101]

53 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

That was certainly weird. 

 

I certainly agree. I actually called Viking Customer Relations after the cruise about a related matter- I slipped and fell on the gangway in Linz; it snowed the previous night and the crew I felt didn’t take better safety measures. The response was alternately offhand and condescending.

To all of you cruising right now, please take extra care in walking the gangway, specially during rains and snow.

[Rappersmom]

34 minutes ago, chabby101 said:

I certainly agree. I actually called Viking Customer Relations after the cruise about a related matter- I slipped and fell on the gangway in Linz; it snowed the previous night and the crew I felt didn’t take better safety measures. The response was alternately offhand and condescending.

To all of you cruising right now, please take extra care in walking the gangway, specially during rains and snow.

Thanks for the heads up. As opposed to when a dresser drawer in a Marriott was broken and hit my hand. No harm done but they called me several times after that to make sure I was okay.

I hope you weren't hurt in the fall.

[chabby101]

Thank you Rappersmom.  I have been feeling the soreness and will see my doctor soon. To all of you cruising, enjoy the Christmas markets!

[Homerody]

10 hours ago, Viking Cruises said:

Dear @chabby101, @Rappersmom, @Homerody and @Jcat2010,

 

Thank you for your pre- and post-cruise feedback, as well as this opportunity to connect with you all.

 

We hear your concerns regarding communication as well as customer service, and though we regret that any of you may have felt either are lacking, we are glad for this chance to collect these essential constructive comments. In light of that, please know that we are interested in learning more about all of your individual experiences and welcome a continued discussion at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should you wish to share additional remarks.

 

We hope to hear from you, and appreciate you all allowing us this moment to chime in.

 

Kind regards,
Viking Cruises

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you @vikingcruises for the follow up.

 

I am hopeful that this outreach attempt will lead to a meaningful discussion and resolution of my concerns.  

[steamboats]

16 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Was told today by the Emerald rep that we *might* be able to sail the entire itinerary, Budapest to Nuremberg. My parents, who are also taking this trip, were told the same thing by their travel agent. Will let you know what the final word is when I get on the ship Saturday in Budapest. Just booked a ruin pub tour for Friday night and a massage/bath ticket for Gellert. Will definitely pack a raincoat. 

 

Chris,

 

It´s currently looking pretty well. Danube river is still rising. All river levels on the German part are on "green" meaning no low water. But it´s still away from the first high water level mark.

 

steamboats

[G.M.T.]

37 minutes ago, Homerody said:

Thank you @vikingcruises for the follow up.

 

I am hopeful that this outreach attempt will lead to a meaningful discussion and resolution of my concerns.  

It seems a bit strange, why are Viking now contacting disgruntled cruisers after the river levels have risen and not over the last several months when passengers needed information and help.

[G.M.T.]

It's a sunny cold  day without any rain.

 

But don't worry, there is rain in the pipeline over the next 7 days to maintain the current river levels.

 

So keep your spirits uo (or glühwein or whatever your tipple is).

[Homerody]

2 minutes ago, G.M.T. said:

It seems a bit strange, why are Viking now contacting disgruntled cruisers after the river levels have risen and not over the last several months when passengers needed information and help.

G.M.T. - that is a fair question you bring up.

 

As I noted previously, my concerns with Viiking are not necessarily about ship swaps and deviations from itinerary.  The issues are more basic and fundemental than that.

 

I am hoping that @Vickingcruises outreach is not just a "pro forma" one.

 

Maybe, just maybe - the "tide" has changed (much like the Danube levels) for the better.  Or then maybe not.

 

I'll wait and see what this leads to - if anything.

 

Stay tuned.

[Rappersmom]

I guess I need to stop being so cynical. I took the outreach as a way to let us know that we should be complaining to them (who hasn't already?) and not each other. There was no apology for our dissatisfaction--just a regret that we feel unhappy. It's a time-tested

 approach when not wanting to take responsibility. But it could be strictly my interpretation. I'm willing to see what happens and try to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Edited December 5, 2018 by Rappersmom
used wrong word

[Jcat2010]

Yes. I agree the viking outreach is just their way of saying, let's keep this out of the public domain.   

I've made several contacts, and each could be summarized by " now that we have your money, you don't have much choice; we'll make whatever changes we want, and you'll live with it, because that's wheat the contract says".   From what I've learned, they prefer to handle any complaints " behind the curtain of a non disclosure agreement".   They apparently still don't get customer service, and really don't understand managing customer expectations.   Having worked within similar business cultures, I'm not expecting any overnight change in their behavior. 

 

On a brighter note the viking egil  has sailed from Nuremberg through to Krems an donnau.  Maybe lggva can provide update ?

[camping mom]

Update on AMAWATERWAYS Website:

Update (December 4th, 2018): We are very happy to report that with the recent rainfall in Europe, the water levels on the Rhine and Danube have risen dramatically over the past few days. We anticipate returning to scheduled itineraries for all cruises embarking December 7th onward*. 

Heart-felt thanks to all our travel partners and guests for their patience and understanding and our remarkable onboard crews who continued throughout this period of low water to deliver an exceptional vacation experience for our guests.

[Rappersmom]

1 hour ago, camping mom said:

Update on AMAWATERWAYS Website:

Update (December 4th, 2018): We are very happy to report that with the recent rainfall in Europe, the water levels on the Rhine and Danube have risen dramatically over the past few days. We anticipate returning to scheduled itineraries for all cruises embarking December 7th onward*. 

Heart-felt thanks to all our travel partners and guests for their patience and understanding and our remarkable onboard crews who continued throughout this period of low water to deliver an exceptional vacation experience for our guests.

Good news and thanks for posting. I hope you have a great cruise. We have yet to hear any updates from Viking on their site or by email. But hoping for the best.

[Jcat2010]

Rappersmom

 

No surprise you haven't heard from viking. You'll have to call their customer service if you want info 8775230579.  Even that won't tell you much.   We're scheduled on the jarl, in Nuremberg, on the 9th.  Given that it is almost to Vienna, unless it can fly, it won't be back in Nuremberg by Sunday.  Yet viking says "no new info".  Based on where the atla is now, my guess is you'll get some late notice about a different ship 

[Rappersmom]

33 minutes ago, Jcat2010 said:

Rappersmom

 

No surprise you haven't heard from viking. You'll have to call their customer service if you want info 8775230579.  Even that won't tell you much.   We're scheduled on the jarl, in Nuremberg, on the 9th.  Given that it is almost to Vienna, unless it can fly, it won't be back in Nuremberg by Sunday.  Yet viking says "no new info".  Based on where the atla is now, my guess is you'll get some late notice about a different ship 

Since the Atla, which is supposed to be in Budapest Sunday, is now heading to Nuremberg, and the Jarl vice versa, maybe we are switching ships. It really doesn't matter to me, I just would like to know. Also I noted that one of the 3 hotel ships in Budapest, the Hermod, is now on the move north toward Vienna. Maybe it's a test run. At any rate, it's good to see movement. 

[Rappersmom]

Also the Viking Tor is almost to Budapest on its way from Vienna. All good. 

[worldtraveller99]

We have just returned from our Amadeus cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg. Sadly we got the worst of both worlds - the final 3 days it poured down incessantly, but we still had to change ships and bus between Passau and Regensburg. We were not happy that having booked the 5 star Amadeus Queen, we spent the second 50% of the cruise in the 3 star Amadeus Elegant (nearly 9 years old, small cabins, and looks like it has never been renovated). However the food was excellent - with 5 course meals every day!

 

The experience wasn't as nice as our previous Avalon Christmas Markets cruise on the river Main in 2015, but then we had no river problems, and also it was warmish and sunny every day, yowl! Trying to walk round a Christmas market whilst feeling you were doing the ice bucket challenge was not much fun. If I do go river cruising again it will not be on the Rhine or Danube. Do you think there are ever problems with a summer Bordeaux or Rhone cruise?

[Cobbie48]

5 minutes ago, worldtraveller99 said:

We have just returned from our Amadeus cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg. Sadly we got the worst of both worlds - the final 3 days it poured down incessantly, but we still had to change ships and bus between Passau and Regensburg. We were not happy that having booked the 5 star Amadeus Queen, we spent the second 50% of the cruise in the 3 star Amadeus Elegant (nearly 9 years old, small cabins, and looks like it has never been renovated). However the food was excellent - with 5 course meals every day!

 

The experience wasn't as nice as our previous Avalon Christmas Markets cruise on the river Main in 2015, but then we had no river problems, and also it was warmish and sunny every day, yowl! Trying to walk round a Christmas market whilst feeling you were doing the ice bucket challenge was not much fun. If I do go river cruising again it will not be on the Rhine or Danube. Do you think there are ever problems with a summer Bordeaux or Rhone cruise?

We took a Rhône Cruise mid August this year with Avalon. Our 4th Avalon Cruise.  

Weather was great, a bit hot in Provence.  We went from Monte Carlo to Paris. While Germany was having water issues the Rhône was great.  Not a lot of commercial traffic.  Beautiful wine country.

[Homerody]

Just catching up on cruise news on a couple of websites and today's posts in this thread and other CC threads in general and came across 2018 CC Editor's Picks Awards - and the lists (both ocean and river) - were really instructive and interesting.  The river cruises in particular.