Danube River Cruise Dates Help!

[CanuckinSMA]

We are ready to book our Danube River cruise for next September.  We have option of starting September 10 or September 24 from Prague to Budapest.  Is there an advantage of either one?  Obviously it will be colder the latter date but wonder if the river level will be more dependable?  Would love some input on this.  Thanks.

[dogs4fun]

Hard to say regarding the water levels - it is sometimes a crap shoot. Last year the water levels were low in September - October. We sailed toward the end of October and arrived Budapest in early November. We were very fortunate in that we were one of the few ships that made it all the way to Budapest. We had packed for cold weather as we assumed it would be quite chilly in Hungary. Oddly enough, the weather was lovely - we stayed an extra week in Budapest and the temps were in the 60's (quite mild for us). The only port that was actually cold was Regensburg - intermittent rain and windy.

[notamermaid]

As regards temperatures there is not much in it, either dates can be great. As regards daylight again not that much difference. As regards water levels the earlier is generally better. With that there is the caveat that if you board in Nuremberg you will have to sail through the stretch that is mostly likely affected first by drought, if you board in Vilshofen that stretch is already behind you. So boarding in Vilshofen reduces your chances of being affected at all, but does not eliminate them. A 110m ship has got a small advantage over a 135m ship.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited June 6, 2019 by notamermaid
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