Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[Host Jazzbeau]

26 minutes ago, RDVIK2016 said:

I smile every time I hear the phrase "aquarium class".  I would actually like to try the a lower deck cabin sometime.  It would save money and we try to out of our rooms as much as possible anyway. 

In that case it would be a good cost saving for you.  For us, our cabin is our retreat, and a nice sitting area plus a nice view are absolutely worth the upgrade.  Originally I thought the middle deck was the 'sweet spot,' but lately I have been locking at the floor plans and finding that we really need one of the larger cabins to get the living room we desire.  YMMV.

[RDVIK2016]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

In that case it would be a good cost saving for you.  For us, our cabin is our retreat, and a nice sitting area plus a nice view are absolutely worth the upgrade.  Originally I thought the middle deck was the 'sweet spot,' but lately I have been locking at the floor plans and finding that we really need one of the larger cabins to get the living room we desire.  YMMV.

Well, my wife is not of the same opinion and it is more important that my wife be happy than to save money on the the cabin. We have been on two cruises and have reservations for a third, all in staterooms with a veranda  - I doubt that will change. I figure we could do maybe five cruises in "aquarium class" for the price of four or less in upper deck veranda cabins - especially if we would travel at non-peak times.

[gentlemancruiser]

Good Morning

We are on the Rhine and left Lahnstein at 5:30am and will be sailing the Gorge.   Yesterday evening Uniworld and Tauck ships were both headed northbound.   Just passing Boppart and we  pasted several double barge and 1 barge of 4 sailing north.   

Traffic is busy

[Canal archive]

Jazzbeau with age comes wisdom ‘young paduwan’.

[notamermaid]

Kaub gauge is doing better than the forecast suggested, now at 87cm.  Question is: just a higher peak or staying on the higher level for longer? Anyway, going okay for the time being and Saturday looks to be pleasant sailing still but Sunday has the downward trend that, according to the forecast, could see the level dropping below 70cm in the evening. Currently, any rain that could have a major effect is only forecast for later next week, Thursday into Friday. If that will work we will need to wait and see. On the probability modelling, 62cm comes into view for Tuesday/Wednesday but not as a strong likelihood yet. It should be clearer by Sunday what the week will bring.

 

notamermaid

 

[gentlemancruiser]

At Kaub we passed Viking   The tower showed 86cm and then 85cm after we passed 

 

[notamermaid]

For those who have not seen it yet, here is the tower (the gauge) at Kaub:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegel_Kaub#/media/Datei:PegelKaubRhein.JPG

 

The castle on the island is Pfalzgrafenstein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfalzgrafenstein_Castle

It is one of the many unusual places open to the public on 11 September as part of the "Tag des offenen Denkmals". These are all places that are listed and protected for their importance to heritage. It can be almost anything, from a castle to a mine to a private house to a ditch in the forest. A guided tour in German is planned: https://programm.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.de/denkmal/kaub-burg-pfalzgrafenstein

 

Just one of the many objects that would interest me; the water tower in Lahnstein: https://programm.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.de/denkmal/82b62b9b-c696-11ea-ab68-960000611c47

 

You can roam around the website, there is a useful map, who knows, there might be something open exactly where you will be on that day - if you happen to be on a river cruise on that day or, more practical, on a land trip.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

On 8/31/2022 at 2:09 PM, gentlemancruiser said:

Beautiful country.  My family is from near Ludwigshafen and I will be passing the closest any of my family have been to Eschelbrun where we are from!!!!

 

Lovely. Google tells me Eschelbrun does not exist, could that be Eschelbronn, near Heidelberg? It is a typical region of early emigration to North America.

 

notamermaid

 

[geekette]

I just got an email from Viking that our ship has been changed (as expected) from Sigrun to Einar.  They also mentioned there may be changes to the itinerary due to low water.

I think we're scheduled to go through the Rhine gorge on Saturday, the 10th.  How low will it go....

[Canal archive]

Maybe the name should be changed - if you look at an English narrowboat you will see a door about halfway along the side on some of them this is known as a ‘Swans Hatch’ so how about changing ‘aquarium class’ to ‘Swan Class’ much classier.

Its a bit spooky cooking on board and get a feeling of being watched then turning round and all you can see is the head of a swan peering in they are nosey birds.

[gentlemancruiser]

Guten Morgen from the Rhine

In the words of Annie Lennox "here comes the rain again"   Currently raining.   Sailing upstream to Mannheim just past Gerhsheim(marker 454 to be exact).   Forecast is for rain all day.   the water levels are still very low, getting into Rudesheim yesterday took a lot of effort by the captain!.  We almost over to the docks in Binden to get around the shallow water

Great news for future cruisers!!!! 

Bruce

Edited September 3, 2022 by gentlemancruiser

[notamermaid]

Just now, gentlemancruiser said:

Guten Morgen from the Rhine

Guten Morgen to you. Well done to your captain. Docking can be so tricky and while the shallows at Rüdesheim are currently not visible on the webcam I know they are there not far below the current level of the water.

 

Good to read about the rain, so the weather forecast was right. Scattered and a very much interrupted band of clouds with rain but at least it is there in the Upper and Middle Rhine valleys.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, geekette said:

I just got an email from Viking that our ship has been changed (as expected) from Sigrun to Einar.  They also mentioned there may be changes to the itinerary due to low water.

I think we're scheduled to go through the Rhine gorge on Saturday, the 10th.  How low will it go....

I gather that means the ship swaps made the two ships end up in the opposite ports to where they were scheduled. Changes could mean a ship swap or changing a docking location (like in Cologne) or slower sailing with excursions affected. Of course, Viking cannot know yet, but it is good of them I find to send general info about it. Nobody knows and I reckon all those on the river wonder how low it will get this autumn. As a local I am obviously also a bit anxious about supply chain issues that can happen with the strains on commercial river traffic.

 

For now, just a brief look at Kaub: 83cm, forecast on target, i.e. reliable in the figures, giving 80cm for tonight and suggesting 70cm for tomorrow evening. The scattered rain is not enough to keep the level up. Let us hope the river favourably beats the computer modelling.

 

notamermaid

 

[tazlover]

8 hours ago, gentlemancruiser said:

Guten Morgen from the Rhine

In the words of Annie Lennox "here comes the rain again"   Currently raining.   Sailing upstream to Mannheim just past Gerhsheim(marker 454 to be exact).   Forecast is for rain all day.   the water levels are still very low, getting into Rudesheim yesterday took a lot of effort by the captain!.  We almost over to the docks in Binden to get around the shallow water

Great news for future cruisers!!!! 

Bruce

That is good news about the rains, although a bit of a damper for you. We board on the 19th. Let’s hope this rain helps the water levels

[CPT Trips]

On 9/1/2022 at 11:37 PM, RDVIK2016 said:

I figure we could do maybe five cruises in "aquarium class" for the price of four or less in upper deck veranda cabins - especially if we would travel at non-peak times.

If your schedule is flexible, last minute specials can provide significant savings. 

[Mrs. Claypool]

We arrived in Munich this morning to overcast skies. We took a walk to the area around Marienplatz for an early dinner. It was a lovely cool afternoon after our awful heatwave in California. 
 

Then, halfway through dinner— Crash!  Thunder and lightening and a downpour such as I haven’t experienced for years! No umbrellas with us, of course. 
 

It went on for hours. So we arrived back at the hotel looking like drowned rats. But all my husband could say was — “What would Notamermaid think about this?”  🤣🤣🤣

 

[notamermaid]

Just now, Mrs. Claypool said:

Thunder and lightening and a downpour such as I haven’t experienced for years!

It has rained with us as well, finally properly! I mean, it does rain and we get regular thunderstorms but the few excuses for thunderstorm with rain in August I missed, mainly because I was asleep. They were nothing to speak off. I have seriously seen proper rain for the first time since a downpour on the Main river at the end of July! Over one month ago. I watched the sky turn grey and weirdly blue like it does before it rains, it was almost a novelty. When it started raining I was so chuffed about it I nearly ran down the stairs just to stand in the rain and get really wet. I looked out the window and thought "look there is a puddle in the yard". Bonkers. But dinner cooking coming up I decided not to stand in the rain.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens to the river levels after this. August was so bad. I will revisit the past month with a summary in another post.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Just now, Mrs. Claypool said:

We arrived in Munich this morning to overcast skies.

So this is your pre cruise time. Enjoy Munich and have a great cruise on the Danube.

 

notamermaid

 

[stmartins]

On 9/2/2022 at 12:37 AM, RDVIK2016 said:

Well, my wife is not of the same opinion and it is more important that my wife be happy than to save money on the the cabin. We have been on two cruises and have reservations for a third, all in staterooms with a veranda  - I doubt that will change. I figure we could do maybe five cruises in "aquarium class" for the price of four or less in upper deck veranda cabins - especially if we would travel at non-peak times.

I’m with her!  We got a good price on a Viking river cruise once…it was a bottom floor!  We had to stand on a chair to look out the window and when we docked all we saw was the waterline and docks!  Absolutely awful!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 hours ago, notamermaid said:

When it started raining I was so chuffed about it I nearly ran down the stairs just to stand in the rain and get really wet.

Oh @notamermaid be careful about running outside in a thunderstorm!  If you must, at least carry a 1-iron.  Golfers the world over know that 'even God can't hit a 1-iron'!!!  😉

[patrickmoran]

5 hours ago, stmartins said:

I’m with her!  We got a good price on a Viking river cruise once…it was a bottom floor!  We had to stand on a chair to look out the window and when we docked all we saw was the waterline and docks!  Absolutely awful!!

We always book least expensive cabin. We've done 3 Viking cruises and enjoyed them all. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

6 hours ago, stmartins said:

I’m with her!  We got a good price on a Viking river cruise once…it was a bottom floor!  We had to stand on a chair to look out the window and when we docked all we saw was the waterline and docks!  Absolutely awful!!

 

20 minutes ago, patrickmoran said:

We always book least expensive cabin. We've done 3 Viking cruises and enjoyed them all. 

Choice is good!

[Canal archive]

Otherwise it would take away one of our discussion topics!

[Port Power]

10 hours ago, stmartins said:

I’m with her!  We got a good price on a Viking river cruise once…it was a bottom floor!  We had to stand on a chair to look out the window and when we docked all we saw was the waterline and docks!  Absolutely awful!!

 

4 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

We always book least expensive cabin. We've done 3 Viking cruises and enjoyed them all. 

As a solo cruiser and often paying near double, the balcony cabins are just that bit far beyond my budget.  I agree that I also prefer to have four cruises instead of 3!  I definitely don't mind the lower deck.  I actually have been able to look out the window without a chair, and I am not tall.  Lovely view across the water.  In any case, I am only in the cabin to sleep.  Otherwise out and about or up on deck somewhere, so it doesn't bother me at all.  At @Host Jazzbeausays, choice is good.

[ural guy]

On 9/2/2022 at 6:09 PM, Canal archive said:

Maybe the name should be changed - if you look at an English narrowboat you will see a door about halfway along the side on some of them this is known as a ‘Swans Hatch’ so how about changing ‘aquarium class’ to ‘Swan Class’ much classier.

Its a bit spooky cooking on board and get a feeling of being watched then turning round and all you can see is the head of a swan peering in they are nosey birds.

Our first cruise was on Viking in aquarium...we booked with minimal research 30 days before sailing and took our 2 20's daughters went with us.  The youngest was able to jam herself into that window nook and read a book while watching the river go by at eyeball level.  Viking is set up differently on the long boats with the offset hallway; you pay more to upgrade to a french balcony, and are in a smaller room than steerage below; the room taken from the FB cabins for the next jump up to full balconies.

 

 

Gentelman-  Thanks for posting and great that you are able to keep sailing.  Enjoy.