Rhine water levels 2020 and similar topics

[AF-1]

When do AMA, Viking, etc start the river cruises?  Is it Mar, April?

[notamermaid]

7 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

When do AMA, Viking, etc start the river cruises?  Is it Mar, April?

As far as I remember it is this weekend for Viking, I am sure the others will follow soon.

 

notamermaid

 

[Cathysocal]

We are scheduled on AMA for March 3/27/2020, Vilshoffen to Budapest (Danube). It is the first cruise of the season for this itinerary.

Watching the news carefully, decision on cancellation to be made this week.

[AF-1]

Cathysocal thanks for this info

[Sacramento2012]

On 3/5/2020 at 1:48 PM, iscrk said:

I just found this most useful thread! We are traveling on the AmaStella, departing Amsterdam on March 23rd to Basel. We are rolling the dice and still plan on going...purchasing extended trip insurance at this point won't help us, so off we go! We are mid-50's, and in great health with no underlying health issues. Any insight as to what the river cruise companies are doing at this point? Hoping the COVID-19 virus calms down in the next 2 weeks. What are other soon-to-depart river cruisers doing?

We are leaving on a Viking River Cruise Amsterdam to Basel on March 27, with two days before in Amsterdam. Viking has temporarily relaxed their cancellation policy to allow cancellations up to 24 hours prior to departure.  We still plan on going but are watching the situation closely. I'm almost as much concerned about our flights home after 2 extra days in Basel, as well as water levels. We fly Basel to Charles de Gaulle to Los Angeles and then home to Sacramento and Phoenix. I hope we don’t get stuck anywhere through strikes or quarantine. 

[Sacramento2012]

On 3/4/2020 at 1:28 PM, notamermaid said:

Let me wind down the day (for me as it is after 10pm here) with something joyous. The Geoffrey Chaucer has arrived in Rüdesheim and will overnight there. It is her first proper journey after trials around her harbour. Unfortunately I missed her for a photo shoot but the guys from Binnenschifferforum caught her on camera. She looks lovely, the standard elegant hull design from Scylla that I like. Safe travels to her always.

 

Water levels: going up after more rain, predicted to go to over 630cm at Maxau which means river traffic has to slow down. Wider problems due to flooding not in sight.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you for all your helpful information, 

[notamermaid]

It is here, deal with it!

That is the brutal reality we have been told, in nicer words of course, by our chancellor. Here is the report from Deutsche Welle: https://m.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germanys-angela-merkel-urges-solidarity-and-reason/a-52719086 

 

Now we just need to protect the ones to suffer most when infected, preferably keeping them from getting infected, solidarity is the key.

 

Oh, and statistics say the flu season is "going strong". Brilliant! (sarcasm).

 

I shall not go to Heinsberg, a sadly dangerous place, it is near the Dutch border, but quite a distance away from the Rhine River cruise itineraries. North-Rhine Westphalia with the major river cruise stops Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf is the hardest hit in Germany with 687 cases. It is also the most populous state in Germany. Many of those cases are in Heinsberg, but the cases otherwise are almost evenly spread throughout the state..

Sigh... Will just see how things develop. Oh, I have just thought of something. Perhaps skipping the beer tasting evening in Cologne pubs is a good idea. After all, they all say you are safer out in the open and standing away from people.

 

Look after yourselves.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Aaargh, shock!! Sorry, but our own RKI (the disease control people) has just declared the region Grand Est in France, that Alsace is part of, a risk zone. I was planning to go there in April.

 

Thinking this further - I had already hinted at such a possibility a few days ago - this could seriously affect your travels on the Rhine, most ships dock in Kehl in Germany and the passengers go to Strasbourg by tram or coach. Theoretically one should not do this now... at least as a German citizen.

 

How will the cruise lines react to this?

 

notamermaid

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by notamermaid
Missing word

[jerryd1]

42 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

That is the brutal reality we have been told, in nicer words of course, by our chancellor. Here is the report from Deutsche Welle: https://m.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germanys-angela-merkel-urges-solidarity-and-reason/a-52719086 

 

Thank you very much for the updates.   I wish we only had to worry about river levels.

[notamermaid]

1 minute ago, jerryd1 said:

Thank you very much for the updates.   I wish we only had to worry about river levels.

Agreed. The river will rise and the river will fall, we here live with it, most years no big deal. What we are facing now is so uncertain in its scale and disruption to come.

 

notamermaid

 

[Wannawander]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Aaargh, shock!! Sorry, but our own RKI (the disease control people) has just declared the region Grand Est in France, that Alsace is part of, a risk zone. I was planning to go there in April.

 

Thinking this further - I had already hinted at such a possibility a few days ago - this could seriously affect your travels on the Rhine, most ships dock in Kehl in Germany and the passengers go to Strasbourg by tram or coach. Theoretically one should not do this now... at least as a German citizen.

 

How will the cruise lines react to this?

 

notamermaid

 

Would you kindly post a direct link to the rki site where this appears, even if it only applies to any German speaking followers? I have no ability to navigate it with my limited technical vocabulary but would like to see it verbatim. Thank you

[Daisi]

Wannawander, I just googled RKI, here is your link

 

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete.html

[notamermaid]

Thanks Daisi,

That is the site. I was out and about with no internet, could not react. The RKI is the official institution for disease control in Germany and advises the government.

 

notamermaid

 

[Daisi]

No problem... I was figuring you would be off line for a bit due to it being later over here.  With all the help you do on these forums, I figure you could use a break.

 

Hope you get your trip to Alsace straightened out.  We really enjoyed our tour there and would love to return.

[Wannawander]

7 hours ago, Daisi said:

Wannawander, I just googled RKI, here is your link

 

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete.html

I have followed things on that site for a while and did find the page with the exact info. I should have come back here and corrected my post. Thanks anyway. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Wannawander
Change

[Wannawander]

So Viking  just suspended all cruises from  3/12 To 4/30 with 100% cash back or a voucher for 125% which can be used for 24 months. A very nice letter and a video are on My Viking Journey from the Chairman Torstein. We were scheduled for 4/14 for our 50th Anniversary. So we will take a few days to decide which offer to accept. I would like the voucher because rescheduling will undoubtably be more expensive but my husband leans toward the money, wondering if the company might fold. If they do , they will not be alone! I do not believe they will! German positive thinking versus Italian drama!

[Sacramento2012]

In addition to Viking suspending all River and ocean cruises until April 30, President Trump just announced this evening that starting this Friday, the 13th, no one from Europe, except Great Britain, will be allowed into the US for the next 30 days.  I can’t even imagine what a nightmare that is going to be. So my sister's and my upcoming trip (3/27) along the Rhine will have to wait. 

[Wannawander]

2 hours ago, Sacramento2012 said:

In addition to Viking suspending all River and ocean cruises until April 30, President Trump just announced this evening that starting this Friday, the 13th, no one from Europe, except Great Britain, will be allowed into the US for the next 30 days.  I can’t even imagine what a nightmare that is going to be. So my sister's and my upcoming trip (3/27) along the Rhine will have to wait. 

Better so under the present circumstances. We will reschedule. I am disappointed not to see my cousins in Cologne but it will wait for a calmer time.

[notamermaid]

38 minutes ago, Wannawander said:

Better so under the present circumstances. We will reschedule. I am disappointed not to see my cousins in Cologne but it will wait for a calmer time.

Sorry about your trip being cancelled. But I think it is a good decision by Viking. And the conditions, i.e. refund or voucher are really good, like what you would get under German travel law.

 

Among all the bad there is good news for me. The tourism fair has been cancelled so my colleagues are not going. I will not feel the need to desperately avoid them in the following two weeks.

 

In Rhineland-Palatinate there are few additional cases, but Baden-Württemberg is getting worse. There was talk of declaring Südbaden a risk zone - the region bordering on Alsace - but this is off the table for now. There are no clear rules how to proceed in this area for border crossings and employment. This has been criticized as many workers come from the French Alsace - a risk zone - to the German Südbaden - not a risk zone.

 

Things are evolving with dizzying speed. I think I will go and do some shopping. Hope there is any pasta left on the shelves for me...

 

River is high, on slow speed, but no closures. If anybody is still interested and coming... Sigh.

 

notamermaid

Edited March 12, 2020 by notamermaid
Grammar

[notamermaid]

11 hours ago, Daisi said:

No problem... I was figuring you would be off line for a bit due to it being later over here.  With all the help you do on these forums, I figure you could use a break.

 

Hope you get your trip to Alsace straightened out.  We really enjoyed our tour there and would love to return.

Thanks Daisi,

As I said in my previous post, dizzying speed.

I feel really sorry for all the river cruisers in their predicament of decision-making and cancellations, even more so of course for those quarantined on ships right now. Alsace, yes, a pity. I was going to book a short this weekend to be taken some time in April. I just do not feel safe going. It is not my health I am worried about but being quarantined with no contact to my loved ones apart from by telephone and the wider implications this would have for my office (building with all the colleagues).

 

With fewer tourists, I think I will plan in a day trip to Rüdesheim. With so many Viking ships not coming they will feel the financial impact.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Please note that if you are still coming on a Rhine River cruise, the attractions that you are interested in, might be closed and festivals cancelled. Too many for me to list and follow up on. One important example for you:

 

The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz is closed (in German): https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/mainz/Vorbeugung-gegen-weitere-Ausbreitung-der-Seuche-Mainz-schliesst-Gutenberg-Museum-wegen-Coronavirus,gutenberg-museum-geschlossen-100.html 

 

notamermaid

 

[Daisi]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

With fewer tourists, I think I will plan in a day trip to Rüdesheim. With so many Viking ships not coming they will feel the financial impact.

 

 

 

 

We loved Rüdesheim.  It's another town we would love to return to.  Hope you have a great day when you do get to go.

 

[notamermaid]

Many tourist attractions in Amsterdam to close, see entry for 18.43: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-51847128

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I am loosing track of what is happening. Uniworld has stopped, Viking has stopped, Amawaterways has stopped. AvalonWaterways still running cruises?

 

The Germans are continuing for the time being, have not checked on CroisiEurope.

 

Social and public life is slowly being reduced.

 

There are now 50 cases in Rhineland-Palatinate. The figure for Germany has jumped to 2,369 (12 March 3pm), up by 802 cases from the day before.

 

There is (not the only one) a so-called Fieberambulanz in Koblenz, a kind of call-in or drive-in testing tent/building. Any member of the public can get advise, if they think your info fits they test you. Of over 300 callers nearly 200 were tested and three found to be positive.

 

With so much testing going on the figures will naturally go up. We all know the virus is in many of us without us knowing but how many is beyond any scientist's knowledge. On the BBC an expert said possibly 5,000 to 10,000 of UK citizens might carry it. But the official cases figure is still under 1,000 with them...

 

I am now seriously considering stacking up on tinned soup.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[AF-1]

AMA just sent letter stating they are voluntarily suspending river operations thru 25 Apr