Danube water levels 2020 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[Coral]

2 hours ago, pacmom said:

Noramemmaid, tried the Danube Wave cake I bought at our local Aldi.  Bought it frozen just before Easter.  Had half of one of the pieces last evening.  It was soooooo good.  Can see where making a whole one would have to be for a larger gathering than we are now allowed.  Thanks,  for all your wonderful info.  Pat

Do you think they still have them? I haven't been to Aldi (or most stores) in weeks! It looks so good.

[notamermaid]

15 hours ago, pacmom said:

Noramemmaid, tried the Danube Wave cake I bought at our local Aldi.  Bought it frozen just before Easter.  Had half of one of the pieces last evening.  It was soooooo good.  Can see where making a whole one would have to be for a larger gathering than we are now allowed.  Thanks,  for all your wonderful info.  Pat

Lovely. Glad to read you liked it so much. 😃 

notamermaid

 

[Coral]

21 hours ago, pacmom said:

Noramemmaid, tried the Danube Wave cake I bought at our local Aldi.  Bought it frozen just before Easter.  Had half of one of the pieces last evening.  It was soooooo good.  Can see where making a whole one would have to be for a larger gathering than we are now allowed.  Thanks,  for all your wonderful info.  Pat

I went to Aldi today and they no longer had them 😞 

[pacmom]

Coral,  would share mine if we lived near you, don't think it would survive the mail.  Sorry.🙁

[Coral]

1 hour ago, pacmom said:

Coral,  would share mine if we lived near you, don't think it would survive the mail.  Sorry.🙁

It is the thought that counts! I will look for it next year.

[notamermaid]

Good news came from Austria yesterday: the government has declared the pandemic under control in their country. Here is some info on Austria's plans for reopening: https://www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information 

This is great news for national tourism. The border to Germany will remain closed for leisure purposes until 15 May, if Germany keeps up the good work, tourism between the two countries could happen after that, but that would only be day trips as accommodation facilities remain closed for a bit longer.

 

And big important ever so good news from Bavaria: beer gardens will be allowed to open from 18 May!

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Introducing: Saint Corona

 

Now this is not a joke and it is also not a new thing. The religious martyr and saint is said to have lived in the 2nd century and her feast day is 14 May (err, sorry I am late I only found out this morning). She is the patron of a few churches in Bavaria and Austria where she is still a saint to go to for prayers in connection with disease and epidemics. Two churches are parish St. Corona in Staudach part of Massing in Bavaria and St. Corona am Wechsel - that is the name of the village! - with its pilgrimage church. That place is in Austria.

 

But in other parts of Germany Saint Corona is not known much and is said to have been more popular with those people who had money problems. And perhaps surprisingly, her relics are kept in Aachen Cathedral on the border with the Netherlands where they were going to have a special focus on her this Summer - all planned before this crisis began! Here is the story: https://m.dw.com/en/was-st-corona-the-patron-saint-of-epidemics/a-53424801 

 

notamermaid

 

[hernstro]

Thank you, Notamermaid, for sharing this interesting information. It is great news that Austria and Germany are in better shape regarding the virus. Our hopes to all that everyone stays safe and their situation continues to improve. Economically, travel is so important to beautiful Europe. We long to visit again someday.

[notamermaid]

On 5/15/2020 at 5:02 PM, hernstro said:

Thank you, Notamermaid, for sharing this interesting information. It is great news that Austria and Germany are in better shape regarding the virus. Our hopes to all that everyone stays safe and their situation continues to improve. Economically, travel is so important to beautiful Europe. We long to visit again someday.

Good to hear from you again. Sorry about your cancelled cruise. How did rescheduling go? Or are there no plans yet?

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

For those who wanted to visit the Oberammergau Passion Play which should have had its premier yesterday night - the cast put together a video of the signature song.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

Austria and Germany soon want to reconnect in tourism, which actually means Germans are allowed to flock to Austria . So what is the situation in Austria's hospitality trade, especially the famous coffee culture in Vienna? https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-austrians-celebrate-cafe-culture-but-remain-wary/a-53477841

 

notamermaid

 

[hernstro]

On 5/17/2020 at 8:42 AM, notamermaid said:

Good to hear from you again. Sorry about your cancelled cruise. How did rescheduling go? Or are there no plans yet?

 

notamermaid

 

Appreciate your asking. We chose to not reschedule, and ironically just today received our refund from Scenic cruise line. The virus cases here in Northeast Ohio are quite high. Unfortunately, the U.S. is far behind in its recovery. We are scheduled for a 21 day ocean cruise for this October, which has not yet been canceled. I doubt we will be taking that trip either. Once things are more stable, we certainly intend to start traveling again. Thanks for your posts, and have a delightful summer!

[steamboats]

Seems like nicko cruises´ nickoVision will be the first river cruise this year... the nickoVision is supposed to sail from Passau on June 1st to Düsseldorf (so all within Germany).

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

Yes, looks like the nickovision will lead the way. Here is the itinerary: https://www.nicko-cruises.de/en/expose/two-rivers-one-pleasure/ 

 

A lovely, intensive river experience as it is 13 days long. Quite an experiment in my eyes. Much additional work for the crew. Will the passengers enjoy the new setup? I see they offer excursions in the towns. This will only be possible with social distancing and an audio system for the walking tours.

 

I would love to speak to a passenger at the end of their river cruise to see how it went.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Squirrel beer garden

 

A red squirrel was befriended by a family who were working at home during the lock down. It started coming into the house from the balcony and even eating out of the hand of Corinna Schmitt. The son of friends, also with lots of time on his hands, made a typical beer garden bench from wood. And so the first beer garden to open this year in Bavaria was a very small one: https://www.stern.de/panorama/video/ins-netz-gegangen/tiergeschichten/biergarten-wiedereroeffnung--eichhoernchen-eroeffnet-saison-auf-besondere-weise-9272238.html

 

Transcript of the video underneath.

 

notamermaid

 

[travelingman]

notamermaid - I know this is not a fair question to ask, but if not asked I will not know the answer.  We and another couple are booked on a August 28, 2020 Viking Romantic Danube Cruise.  With the current situation we expect it to be cancelled and then we will be looking to re-book for next year.  I have always tried to cruise in the shoulder season or close to it.  If I am not worried about the shoulder season, based on your experience and knowledge, are there any months that are better than others for a Danube cruise based on past years low and high water?  I know every year can be different but I would think over time there would be some kind of pattern.  Is there a website that gives this type of information.  Lastly, if we do end up re-booking for next year we will be terminating in Regensburg instead of Nuremberg.  This should eliminate at least one area of potential water problems.

Thanks,

 

Stan

[notamermaid]

travelingman,

This is a fair question. The situation could still result in your cruise being cancelled and with the restrictions in place, I would think that postponing to next year will result in a more enjoyable experience. I will get back to you about the data for high and low water. For now, I would like to clarify your itinerary, if you choose to go in 2021. You say it is the one that ends in Regensburg instead of Nuremberg. Coming from Budapest travelling upstream, past Austria you hit Bavaria in Germany at Passau. From there you sail past Vilshofen, Straubing, then reaching Regensburg. Shortly after Regensburg, ships leave the Danube and enter the Main Danube Canal (which is actually part river, part canal) and sail to Nuremberg (or further). So on the new itinerary Viking in effect only cuts out the Canal section completely, which is a controlled waterway with no low water problems and no flooding problems of note as far as I know. The section of the Danube that is not sailed is of little concern for low water and not much concern for flooding. The new itinerary does not get rid of the most "vulnerable" section on an itinerary to and from Budapest that sails in Germany. This is because the section most prone to low water is between Vilshofen and Straubing - see above. In the shoulder season low water is the more likely risk, flooding tends to be an incident for a shorter period of time. Again, there is a particular problem in Bavaria, which is a bridge at Passau. Depending on severity of flooding it might just be the bridge headroom that keeps ships from sailing for a day or an entire river section is too high for several days.

 

Having said that, while the new itinerary does not get rid of the most likely problems, the logistics of taking passengers past the low water area on coaches is easier to accomplish if the itinerary is designed to only go as far as Regensburg rather than Nuremberg.

 

I hope this has been helpful so far.

 

notamermaid

 

[travelingman]

On 5/27/2020 at 8:12 AM, notamermaid said:

travelingman,

This is a fair question. The situation could still result in your cruise being cancelled and with the restrictions in place, I would think that postponing to next year will result in a more enjoyable experience. I will get back to you about the data for high and low water. For now, I would like to clarify your itinerary, if you choose to go in 2021. You say it is the one that ends in Regensburg instead of Nuremberg. Coming from Budapest travelling upstream, past Austria you hit Bavaria in Germany at Passau. From there you sail past Vilshofen, Straubing, then reaching Regensburg. Shortly after Regensburg, ships leave the Danube and enter the Main Danube Canal (which is actually part river, part canal) and sail to Nuremberg (or further). So on the new itinerary Viking in effect only cuts out the Canal section completely, which is a controlled waterway with no low water problems and no flooding problems of note as far as I know. The section of the Danube that is not sailed is of little concern for low water and not much concern for flooding. The new itinerary does not get rid of the most "vulnerable" section on an itinerary to and from Budapest that sails in Germany. This is because the section most prone to low water is between Vilshofen and Straubing - see above. In the shoulder season low water is the more likely risk, flooding tends to be an incident for a shorter period of time. Again, there is a particular problem in Bavaria, which is a bridge at Passau. Depending on severity of flooding it might just be the bridge headroom that keeps ships from sailing for a day or an entire river section is too high for several days.

 

Having said that, while the new itinerary does not get rid of the most likely problems, the logistics of taking passengers past the low water area on coaches is easier to accomplish if the itinerary is designed to only go as far as Regensburg rather than Nuremberg.

 

I hope this has been helpful so far.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thank you very much for the information and for correcting me.  We are hoping Viking will cancel the cruise would will be more of a benefit to us versus us having canceling it.  If they don't we will have to do so and reschedule.  I did notice that some of the dates we would choose are already sold out.  So, we will have to look at going earlier or later.

I look forward to any info you might find on historical monthly / yearly averages.

Thank you for your help.

 

Stan

[notamermaid]

Return of river cruising on the Danube a non starter for the large ships?

 

The Nickovision is looking to be the first ship on the Upper Danube sailing upstream and in absence of info for the countries downstream from Austria the one that for me opens the season. Well, I have had a look at the river levels this morning and nearly fell off my chair when I read Pfelling: 264cm! For those who have familiarised themselves over the last two seasons with the infamous Pfelling gauge will know: that is low. What is striking is, is that it is only May.

 

So, for the record, let me say that the Federal Institute of Hydrology is already on its fourth update on the low water situation in Germany.

 

I know you are not sailing but for those nevertheless following this thread and for the record: the Danube in Bavaria is low and the Pfelling level below 290cm means that the 135cm ships have their sailing impacted. How much depends on each individual ship and I cannot give details on that. In Germany, decision to sail or not sail depends on the captain.

 

I was among other info going to tell travelingman that the most severe flooding in the Upper and Middle Danube for the most part happens in May and June. Errh, hhmm, the Danube is not reading the statistics...

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

The nickoVision was supposed to start out of Passau on Monday. The ship was still in Straubing and is currently on it´s way back to Regensburg. So it might start in Regensburg on Monday due to the low water situation.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

4 hours ago, steamboats said:

The nickoVision was supposed to start out of Passau on Monday. The ship was still in Straubing and is currently on it´s way back to Regensburg. So it might start in Regensburg on Monday due to the low water situation.

 

steamboats

Scylla in enthusiastic wording announced the relaunch of their fleet a few days ago. So, it sounds as if the Nickovision is going to start in Regensburg with the planned itinerary, passengers will just miss the lovely Passau. Thank you for spotting this. She has arrived in Regensburg. From Regensburg she will have no problems reaching Düsseldorf as the Rhine is low but still navigable in the Rhine gorge for the large ships.

 

A large number of ships are in Linz and Vienna, those would struggle to complete an upstream itinerary, but the ships that are currently in the docks on the Rhine - lots of them - could run an amended itinerary or if scheduled to run short trips on the Main, Moselle and Rhine will have no problems with that in July. Well, provided the Rhine level at Kaub does not fall below the 0.78m figure.

 

I hope the "experiment" with the new rules is a successful one and the Nickovision passengers and the crew have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

@notamermaid I saw lots of ships in Linz, South of Linz and Vienna. Vienna is another "hub" for Viking ships. Most of them were Viking. Linz has A-Rosa, AmaWaterways, Amadeus/Lüftner.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

Thank you. Oddly, I saw that quite some weeks ago. I tell you why: I checked them on marinetraffic at the end of January to get just more than an idea of how many ships there are on the Danube. They change of course, sailing to the Main and Rhine while the Rhine ones come to the Danube. But it served to give me some help in determining the scale of things for a post I was preparing. In response to a post by G.M.T. I was going to comment on the feeling of overcrowding on the Danube, the criticism of the locals and so on. Well, by the time I got round to posting Coronavirus struck. I decided it would not be diplomatic to touch that subject of the increasing popularity and its negative impact. It is on the far back back burner...

 

Here on the Rhine Cologne Niehl looks to be the biggest hub, Viking (I stopped counting at twenty) but also some others and the splendid old Goethe in between. But Düsseldorf, Neuss and Duisburg are also ports used, as well as several Dutch ones. CroisiEurope is in Strasbourg with several ships, of course.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

The nickoVision is back in Straubing (upriver of the lock) waiting for the guests to embark tomorrow.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

The gauge at Pfelling is now at 251cm. It looks to stay at a similar level for the next 48 hours. With the air heating up faster than expected and a slight change in the weather pattern, thunderstorms with much rain could happen as early as Thursday. It should give relief to the Danube over the weekend.

 

A bit on Austria: levels are low there as well, but weather patterns differ a bit from Bavaria so that drought in nature need not be as pronounced as in Germany. The shallowest section is indeed between Straubing and Vilshofen, but Austria has some shallows that can impact river cruising in prolonged dry conditions. Other stretches of river in Austria are under the positive effect of lock and dam systems so are better equipped for navigation.

 

notamermaid