Crystal Low-Water-Level Schedule Changes/Cancellations

[Roland4]

M&M, my guess is that we are on your cruise. Ours leaves the 10th. What we have heard and read is that the ship under conditions of the impacted cruises in recent weeks round-tripped Vienna without going to Bratislava or Budapest. However they did a day trip to Bratislava (about an hour away by coach) and an overnight to Budapest (about 2 hours), staying at the Ritz and doing the pre-planned special evening. We will all find out soon enough. Of course, it is unclear if the water conditions will get worse or better – either way impacting the cruise further.

 

We are on the cruise prior to yours, scheduled to board in Vienna on the 30th eastbound to the Black Sea and back, and no notifications of any changes to the itinerary so far. With significant rain in the forecast for both Vienna and Budapest (at least the last time I checked the forecast) I suspect they will hold out as long as possible to make any decisions on changes, and we may not find out until we board. I know from the Live Views on the website the ship did sail last night and is in Melk today.

[Mrs. Claypool]

The September 1 Mahler, previously scheduled from Amsterdam to Budapest, will be running on an amended itinerary through Holland, Belgium and northwest Germany.

 

Guests who do or do not wish to continue on this cruise are being offered various reimbursement options.

[susanannie]

We just got our schedule change from the travel agent by email. The format is really bad, but here goes:

 

NEW Itinerary:

 

 

Day

 

Location

 

Arrive

 

Depart

 

Sep 1

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Embark am

 

10 pm

 

Sep 2

 

Nijmegen, Netherlands

 

8 am

 

4 pm

 

Sep 3

 

Cruising the Rhine River

 

Sep 4

 

Koblenz, Germany

 

10 am

 

10 pm

 

Sep 5

 

Bernkastel, Germany

 

6 pm

 

Overnight

 

Sep 6

 

Bernkastel, Germany

 

Overnight

 

Sep 7

 

Bernkastel, Germany

 

10 pm

 

Sep 8

 

Cochem, Germany

 

7 am

 

12:30 pm

 

 

Koblenz, Germany

 

8 pm

 

Overnight

 

Sep 9

 

Koblenz, Germany

 

8 pm

 

Sep 10

 

Düsseldorf, Germany

 

6 am

 

11 pm

 

Sep 11

 

Arnhem, Netherlands

 

8:30 am

 

8 pm

 

Sep 12

 

Rotterdam, Netherlands

 

8 am

 

6 pm

 

Sep 13

 

Ghent, Belgium

 

7 am

 

10 pm

 

Sep 14

 

Antwerp, Belgium

 

5 am

 

10 pm

 

Sep 15

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

4 pm

 

Overnight

 

Sep 16

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Overnight

 

Sep 17

 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 

Disembark pm

[dhmjdds]

Three days in Bernkastel? Wonder what there is to do from there? And then looks like we don’t have an overnight in Amsterdam at the beginning of the cruise, but two overnights at the end. Hmmm.

 

And we are not going to Cologne.

 

Should I be excited by this? Not sure.

 

Diane

 

P.S. Still haven’t received my cruise documents, but my TA says he has them and will bring them to my office tomorrow. Also have not gotten an email about the new itinerary either from my TA or from Crystal. Frustrating!

Edited August 23, 2018 by dhmjdds

[skybluewaters]

Thank you to both susanannie and Mrs. Claypool!

Very useful information.

Slightly different itinerary than the current amended Mahler cruise, which began August 16 and ends September 1.

Main takeaway is that they are still willing and able to do the entire 16 days by boat without resorting to the bus option.

[Roland4]

M&M, my guess is that we are on your cruise. Ours leaves the 10th. What we have heard and read is that the ship under conditions of the impacted cruises in recent weeks round-tripped Vienna without going to Bratislava or Budapest. However they did a day trip to Bratislava (about an hour away by coach) and an overnight to Budapest (about 2 hours), staying at the Ritz and doing the pre-planned special evening. We will all find out soon enough. Of course, it is unclear if the water conditions will get worse or better – either way impacting the cruise further.

 

A follow up to my previous post. Just received notification that our 11 night Eastern Danube has been turned into a Western Danube that includes FIVE nights in Vienna and bus trips to Bratislava and Budapest, Unlike other cruises, are options are to accept with a $1,000.00/person Future Cruise Credit, or cancel and get a 100% Future Cruise Credit, either of which must be used by July 31/20. Not thrilled with either option frankly, especially as the new itinerary duplicates another cruise. Even less happy that it took Crystal until today to decide something they probably knew they were going to have to do a week ago!!!

[sarasotascott]

Three days in Bernkastel? Wonder what there is to do from there? And then looks like we don’t have an overnight in Amsterdam at the beginning of the cruise, but two overnights at the end. Hmmm.

 

And we are not going to Cologne.

 

Should I be excited by this? Not sure.

 

Diane

 

P.S. Still haven’t received my cruise documents, but my TA says he has them and will bring them to my office tomorrow. Also have not gotten an email about the new itinerary either from my TA or from Crystal. Frustrating!

 

We just left Bernkastel yesterday after a 2 night stay and it was a charming town with many half timbered houses. This town was used as a jump off point to tours in Luxemburg and Trier. Both full day tours were excellent with driving times of about 1.25 hours and 45 minutes respectively.

[dhmjdds]

Thank you sarasotascott for continuing to post. Your information is very reassuring.

 

Assuming that our “refund” offers will be similar to the ones Roland4 described, it sounds like our best bet is to continue on with the cruise. Though I do hope there is some allowance for air changes since right now we fly back starting in Budapest, not Amsterdam.

 

Diane

[susanannie]

Diane--

 

Here is the info. Sorry about the formatting.

 

* Guests who wishto cruise on the amended itinerary may do so and will receive the followingbenefits:

 

 

* A Future Cruise Credit of $2,000 per guest,valid toward any Crystal experience (Ocean, River or Yacht Expedition)embarking on or before July 31, 2020.

 

 

* For guests with independentflight arrangements as the amended cruise now ends in Amsterdam rather thanBudapest, we are pleased to provide up to $1,000 per guest reimbursement forthe cost of amending the return flight from Budapest (BUD) to Amsterdam (AMS)or towards the purchase of a separate economy-class ticket from Amsterdam toBudapest on September 17.

* Guests who donot wish to travel on the amended itinerary may cancel and receive a FutureCruise Credit equal to 100% of the cruise fare paid, valid toward any CrystalExperience (Ocean, River or Yacht Expedition) embarking on or before July 31,2020.

 

Shore Excursions

 

Our onboard and shoreside teams are diligently preparingfor your client's alternate itinerary, including setting up new shore excursionopportunities. Registration forms will be delivered to their suite on board theship.

 

Pleasereview these options with your clients, and let us know their preference nolater than Friday, August 24.

Susan

[notamermaid]

dhmjdds,

 

 

Bernkastel-Kues as a point from where to do excursions to Trier and Luxembourg sounds like a good idea. I highly recommend going to Trier. Luxembourg is also great but if you do not feel like going that far on a coach, just staying in Bernkastel-Kues or exploring nearby is also nice. This is Bernkastel-Kues: https://en.bernkastel.de/regions/citiy-of-bernkastel-kues/

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

notamermaid

[Roland4]

Diane--

 

 

* Guests who donot wish to travel on the amended itinerary may cancel and receive a FutureCruise Credit equal to 100% of the cruise fare paid, valid toward any CrystalExperience (Ocean, River or Yacht Expedition) embarking on or before July 31,2020.

Susan

 

As a note they don't mention, we asked if we could apply the 100% Future Cruise Credit against an existing future booking and, surprising the heck out of me, they said yes, and did exactly that! We essentially got our money back even though we won't actually "realize" it until we make the final payment on that booking late next year!!

[Mrs. Claypool]

Wow! Just what I was wondering. Thanks for the information!

[dhmjdds]

OH! It sounds like you guys are all cancelling. :(

 

We have decided to stay on board. I guess it will be a fairly “Private Yacht” “All Exclusive” experience.

 

We are going to fly to Budapest on the 16th (a day before the cruise officially ends) and spend two nights there. We were going to stay one night in Budapest after the end of the cruise anyway, so now Crystal will pay our way from Amsterdam to Budapest, and we will pay for one more night in a hotel. Not ideal, but still should be a wonderful vacation.

 

My TA came by today and gave me all the info in person. Still a little peeved that I heard about it all here first... You guys are amazing!

 

Diane

[Roland4]

OH! It sounds like you guys are all cancelling. :(

 

We have decided to stay on board. I guess it will be a fairly “Private Yacht” “All Exclusive” experience.

 

We are going to fly to Budapest on the 16th (a day before the cruise officially ends) and spend two nights there. We were going to stay one night in Budapest after the end of the cruise anyway, so now Crystal will pay our way from Amsterdam to Budapest, and we will pay for one more night in a hotel. Not ideal, but still should be a wonderful vacation.

 

My TA came by today and gave me all the info in person. Still a little peeved that I heard about it all here first... You guys are amazing!

 

Diane

 

We might not have cancelled except that, with our follow on cruise/land package with Tauck, plus our previously scheduled flights, we would have ended up spending ten days out of sixteen in Vienna. Now Vienna is a nice city, but there ARE limits!!! :D;)

[FunTurtle]

Did you cancel? Was Crystal's compensation fair? Thank you, FunTurtle

 

We decided to switch to another cruise in 2019, instead of taking the shortened trip on the Ravel. It was a very difficult as the first cruise we picked was sold out, so we had to go with our 2nd choice. There are six of us traveling together. We lost our money for our precruise hotel in Vienna. Our TA was able to obtain a voucher for our airline cost minus $400 per person, but we have no idea what the new flights will cost as it is too far in advance to book. Crystal has offered $1000 per person to help with flight changes/cancellations. We have definitely lost out monetarily and of course we will never get back the opportunity to celebrate our 70th, 50th, and 49th wedding anniversaries again which our trip on the Ravel we were to do. We are still pining over our loss as we would be onboard the Ravel until the 30th.

[2cagain]

We are also on Mozart Aug 30. Previously heading east now redirected west.

Other than Roland4, are others canceling and taking credit?

We are considering sticking it out. Don’t like credit with time limit

Thanks

[Mrs. Claypool]

Of our little group who were booked on the September 1 amended Mahler cruise, two couples will cancel and one will proceed on the new Holland/Belgium/etc. itinerary.

 

My husband and I had originally booked the September 1 cruise precisely because we had wanted to see the cities that were now cancelled. So we will cancel ourselves and try for a similar cruise at a later date.

[pickypicky]

Reading this with interest. We are booked on Mahler in May on the Danube, Vienna to Budapest. I’m planning an extended trip ( on our own) beginning with four nights in Prague, then two nights Vienna prior to embarkation. After debarkation three nights in Budapest. So If our cruise is cancelled or amended, can I count on Crystal to cover airline change fees? Hotel cancellation fees? I’m not too worried about rearranging plans but don’t relish losing lots of money in the process.

 

 

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[Ceilknits]

We are booked on the Mahler on Oct 3; we leave the states on Sept 30, spending a few days in Amsterdam on our own, and, when the ship disembarks in Budapest, spending several days there, as well, not with Crystal's post cruise. As time gets closer, we also are wondering about Crystal's coverage...there is plenty of time to cancel the hotels, but are wondering what our options are going to be and whether we will take them. We chose this particular river cruise because of its itinerary...including Vienna and Budapest. Time will tell!

[Happy2trvl]

Any reports from the Debussey? We are scheduled to travel on her Sept 16, fingers crossed.

[Roland4]

Reading this with interest. We are booked on Mahler in May on the Danube, Vienna to Budapest. I’m planning an extended trip ( on our own) beginning with four nights in Prague, then two nights Vienna prior to embarkation. After debarkation three nights in Budapest. So If our cruise is cancelled or amended, can I count on Crystal to cover airline change fees? Hotel cancellation fees? I’m not too worried about rearranging plans but don’t relish losing lots of money in the process.

 

 

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The short answer is no. They have been treating these on a case-by-case basis and each one is different. There have been a few where they offered $1,000.00/person to offset flight change fees, but in our case, the Aug 30 Mozart, there was no such offer. I suspect it has to do with whether or not the embarkation/disembarkation city has changed. In our case, the revised cruise still started/ended in Vienna, but if it had not been part of a longer trip, we would have been out of luck on the flights.

 

Having said all this, water levels are very likely to be no problem in May, at least not low water levels anyway!!:)

[Mrs. Claypool]

Roland is quite right. What Crystal does in any particular case is what Crystal will decide to do.

 

We have been in this same situation twice over two years; an itinerary amended and compensation options offered for those who wanted to continue or to cancel.

 

The options were quite different from one year to the next.

 

We were fortunate because we had not made any prepaid plans connected with the cruises. But I have known people who did, and who lost some money because Crystal would not compensate them for all their private arrangements, once they canceled their cruise.

[pickypicky]

The short answer is no. They have been treating these on a case-by-case basis and each one is different. There have been a few where they offered $1,000.00/person to offset flight change fees, but in our case, the Aug 30 Mozart, there was no such offer. I suspect it has to do with whether or not the embarkation/disembarkation city has changed. In our case, the revised cruise still started/ended in Vienna, but if it had not been part of a longer trip, we would have been out of luck on the flights.

 

Having said all this, water levels are very likely to be no problem in May, at least not low water levels anyway!!:)

 

Thank you. I surmised as much from the conversations on this board. I guess I can only hope for the best!

[susanannie]

I am currently on the Mahler and we are having a Faboulous Cruise. Currently we are about to dock for an over night stay in Bernkastel. Good tour choices from here, we picked a full day in Luxembourg. Tomorrow a full day tour to Trier. We had a great visit to Koblenz and Cochem....great places and wonderful tours. It’s like a private yacht experience due to cancellations. Great food and super staff...I’m loving it!!

 

Scott,

 

I can't tell you how influential you have been in helping us decide whether or not to take the amended Mahler cruise embarking on September 1. Thank you!!

 

Are you able to convey the shape of the 220v sockets in the cabins? We want to bring adapters so that we can use the 220v as well as the 110 v receptacles.

 

Our adapter kit has flat-vertical, flat-angled, and short/long round peg. We also have the large 3-prong style. Do any of these shapes look like the sockets in the cabins?

 

Thank you again.

 

Susan

[G.M.T.]

 

Are you able to convey the shape of the 220v sockets in the cabins? We want to bring adapters so that we can use the 220v as well as the 110 v receptacles.

 

Our adapter kit has flat-vertical, flat-angled, and short/long round peg. We also have the large 3-prong style. Do any of these shapes look like the sockets in the cabins?

 

Thank you again.

Susan

 

The socket will look like that in Type F (two round pins). This socket will also accept plug Type F and Type C, as well as adapters:

 

https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/