Eastern Europe River Cruise in May

[TakingFlight]

We are booked on an Eastern Europe River Cruise in May, Budapest to Giurgiu. Will this cruise be affected by what’s happening with Ukraine and Russia? Will it be safe? Seeking opinions and advice as I understand that most of our crystal balls have been back ordered due to supply chain issues.

[Gourmet Gal]

If it’s not safe I’m sure the cruise line will cancel.

[Canal archive]

Ah the dreaded ‘back order’ situation, will it work out or won’t it. I think ‘lap of the gods’ is the fall back or as my mum used to say it’s a ‘w and s’. Regardless I hope the situation 🤞is sorted soon my thoughts and hope are with the Ukrainians.

[Itolami]

My sister and I are doing a similar cruise, but in reverse in April, with about a week in Romania and a week in Budapest at the end.  We haven't heard much from the river cruise company about various worries, but I've talked to our guides on the pre- and post-cruise portions and I've chatted online with residents of each Capital city.  Everyone condescendingly reminds me that Ukraine is a different country (yes I know but Europe as a whole isn't that big...) and they indicate far more faith in both Putin's sanity and NATO than I frankly have.  The refugee crisis isn't a crisis in their minds yet and the belief that their country's government is handling and will continue to handle it well is strong.

 

No one can tell you what your comfort level with risk is, especially strangers on the internet.  We're still going despite my husband's reservations.

 

If you are an American, I would however highly recommend Dept of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/step.html

[TakingFlight]

Thank you for the encouraging words. Please come back here and post how your trip is going or start a new thread if you wish. I would love to hear about your experiences on your trip. Safe travels and enjoy every minute. 

[bethellen71]

I am booked on the Romantic Danube Apr 15.  We have not cancelled yet; but do plan to cancel if Viking does not.  The viking rep said if we cancel within 14 days; we will get a voucher for the full price paid to Viking.

I have been very curious if tourists are still traveling to the region.  I'm surprised there is not more activity on these boards regarding the situation.  

[Daisi]

Most lines don't start up until mid-April, so that is probably why there isn't much other than people wondering if they should cancel or not.

 

Sorry you will be cancelling, but everyone has to have their own level of safety, so if you are more comfortable not going that is best for you.  Maybe you may want to look into a cruise in France or Portugal to use up your voucher.

[Itolami]

4 hours ago, TakingFlight said:

Thank you for the encouraging words. Please come back here and post how your trip is going or start a new thread if you wish. I would love to hear about your experiences on your trip. Safe travels and enjoy every minute. 

 

I'll try my best to update.  There's so little information on river cruises out there that I'd like to do my part and add to the knowledge base.

 

We're going with Amawaterways.  Is there anything in particular you'd like to hear about?

 

Thanks for the well wishes.  It's been too long since the last vacation...

 

@bethellen71

I too sorry to hear that you're canceling.  But like Daisi and I said in our posts, comfort in risk levels is such a very personal thing.  It's hard to give others advice because of how personal it is.

[TakingFlight]

We are also booked on Ama. I’m interested in the general vibe of the locals and their take on what’s happening in Ukraine. If they’re not nervous I suppose I shouldn’t be nervous. And as this will be my first AmaWaterways cruise I’d like to know your impressions of the ship and the services provided. Also which shore experiences you would recommend. Thanks in advance.

[bethellen71]

It it were just me going or me and a friend, I probably would not cancel.  However I am going with my 83 year old mother and I left the decision up to her.  

I wish she would still go as the reason we booked this trip on a whim was because she was feeling her mortality as 3 of her friends died in close time.  

I still haven't cancelled yet; I'm waiting until the last minute. 

 

[Itolami]

On 3/10/2022 at 10:27 PM, TakingFlight said:

We are also booked on Ama. I’m interested in the general vibe of the locals and their take on what’s happening in Ukraine. If they’re not nervous I suppose I shouldn’t be nervous. And as this will be my first AmaWaterways cruise I’d like to know your impressions of the ship and the services provided. Also which shore experiences you would recommend. Thanks in advance.

 

Will do!  I'll post here with a link to the new thread when I post.

 

8 hours ago, bethellen71 said:

It it were just me going or me and a friend, I probably would not cancel.  However I am going with my 83 year old mother and I left the decision up to her.  

I wish she would still go as the reason we booked this trip on a whim was because she was feeling her mortality as 3 of her friends died in close time.  

I still haven't cancelled yet; I'm waiting until the last minute. 

 

 

Oh!  You have no idea how I feel for you on this.  I was working on a cruise in 2023 for my parents, who have complained for years about how they were never able to travel like they wanted.  They are now refusing to even consider it, despite the fact that my Dad's parents had passed on and Mom's parents had stopped traveling at their current age.

 

I wish you the best of luck in regards to your Mom changing her mind.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Itolami

[bethellen71]

After the news I saw yesterday of refugees arriving in Budapest (we are scheduled to fly into Budapest); I will definitely cancel.  

[Itolami]

What news did you see?  I'm can't find anything that isn't the same as the arrival news articles that started two weeks ago and in their emails yesterday, neither of my guides in Budapest mentioned anything of concern.

[bethellen71]

 

I just read a couple articles quickly after my friend mentioned to me the news they saw.

This may be "old" news; but I was unaware of it.

 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/budapest

Hungary is currently taking in tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine, with more than 80,000 entering the bordering country over the last week, since Russia began its invasion.

The country’s capital city, Budapest, is very busy, and its Nyugati railway station is serving as a humanitarian relief hub for refugees.

 

Hungary Today:

Altogether 3,337 people fleeing the war in Ukraine, including 1,018 children, arrived in Budapest by train on Monday, according to police.hu.

 

[notamermaid]

I am not sure what is shown in American news. I live in mainland Europe and refugees are coming to many areas, they will naturally be concentrated at transport hubs.

 

To be frank, bad news sells best, news is channelled, augmented, biased these days - we all know that...

 

I do not feel concerned about river cruising.

 

German river cruise lines and cruise lines have cancelled port stops at ports in Ukraine and Russia but I have not read of any issues along the Danube yet.

 

But important is how one feels, so that will in the end determine what one does.

 

notamermaid

 

[bethellen71]

notamermaid - Thank you for your comments.  I appreciate your perspective since you are in Europe.

 

[notamermaid]

47 minutes ago, bethellen71 said:

notamermaid - Thank you for your comments.  I appreciate your perspective since you are in Europe.

 

Thanks. I am a bit unwilling to say much to be honest as I also have problems getting through the news in a sensible manner without emotions and figuring out how to react.

 

As I  said, I have not heard that much beyond the two countries concerned and flight cancellations. So I checked before my last post and indeed Arosa have not posted anything about the Danube. This is the German website with the updates, they have an English one which I am not sure how frequently they update that one, it looks to be the same: https://www.a-rosa.de/flusskreuzfahrten/unternehmen/aktuelle-reise-informationen.html

 

nickocruises is still sailing to the Black Sea but has cancelled the excursion to Moldavia.

 

On 3/10/2022 at 7:10 PM, bethellen71 said:

I am booked on the Romantic Danube Apr 15. 

That is going upstream from Budapest for you then if you embark in Budapest - or the other direction if not. I would have no security concerns going between Budapest and anywhere in Germany. However, what I gather from the situation that is described in the excerpt from the article* is a potential for a slightly chaotic situation in Budapest and logistically perhaps a bit challenging for a river cruise company and their passengers. *Our posts became uploaded at the same time so I had not read it then.

 

I am sure the river cruise companies are monitoring this closely. I think many passengers are picked up at the airport, aren't they? That sounds alright, I think I would prefer to rely on that to get into the city. Perhaps it is a good idea for any passenger on any line that embarks at Budapest to phone the river cruise company if they have any concerns about hotels or getting to their ship, not sure.

 

I found Budapest to be a city that would not easily succumb to chaos, apart from really heavy commuter traffic (I saw that), but I understand anyone to have concerns for their safety. I did not embark or disembark there so cannot say how that works, we were on a return trip from Passau and stayed overnight in Budapest on the ship.

 

Not an easy decision to make if you are far away. And I can only speak for myself as a healthy person without mobility issues who can kind of put up with last minute changes to travel plans.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[CPT Trips]

We were in Budapest around the time of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. To be honest, had our program directors not discussed the situation with us, I don’t think we would have really understood what was taking place and we certainly were not adversely affected by the events.

It appears that the authorities in Hungary are much more accepting of the Ukrainians now than they were of the Syrians back in 2015. While we are seeing heartbreaking scenes, we aren’t seeing scenes like these. 

https://www.dw.com/en/budapests-keleti-station-during-the-2015-refugee-crisis/av-54819013

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34128263

 

[barbw427]

I am also closely following the situation.  We are booked on a Danube cruise leaving from Budapest in August, heading towards Germany.  My sister and I will be travelling with my 84 year old mother, who has never been to Europe.  Since our trip isn't until August, we have more time to see how things play out.  My heart breaks for the people of the Ukraine.  We certainly don't want to get in the way of any aid.

 

I am also assuming that if the cruise line (Avalon) has to cancel, that we may be able to book a different cruise, perhaps in Western Europe.

[TFree]

We are on a Uniworld Danube river cruise starting May 29 (pre-cruise stay in Budapest starting May 27).  We are traveling with two other couples on the river cruise, but we (and not the others) have B2B ocean cruises before the river cruise.  One of the three couples is getting very nervous about this, and might cancel this week before the 60 day threshold is reached.  We will take the river cruise, unless Uniworld cancels it (in which case we will have a logistical issue to deal with since our return air tickets are from Prague).  

 

Tom & Judy

Edited March 22, 2022 by TFree
Clarify

[PhD-iva]

20 hours ago, TFree said:

We are on a Uniworld Danube river cruise starting May 29 (pre-cruise stay in Budapest starting May 27).  We are traveling with two other couples on the river cruise, but we (and not the others) have B2B ocean cruises before the river cruise.  One of the three couples is getting very nervous about this, and might cancel this week before the 60 day threshold is reached.  We will take the river cruise, unless Uniworld cancels it (in which case we will have a logistical issue to deal with since our return air tickets are from Prague).  

 

Tom & Judy

If your river cruise is canceled, presumably you will have 10 days to travel to Prague and could enjoy several cities along the way.
Flights are an inexpensive option, as is train service. There’s also a very good car service. I forget the name at the moment but if you’re interested, I’m sure I can dig out the name or someone else here will recommend something. 
enjoy your cruises!

[TFree]

2 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

If your river cruise is canceled, presumably you will have 10 days to travel to Prague and could enjoy several cities along the way.
Flights are an inexpensive option, as is train service. There’s also a very good car service. I forget the name at the moment but if you’re interested, I’m sure I can dig out the name or someone else here will recommend something. 
enjoy your cruises!

You are right.  If Uniworld cancels, we will figure it out.  No use stressing about it now.  Just like last fall, when we took our first cruise since the pandemic, things change and you just have to adapt.  We took an Italy land tour and a Mediterranean cruise on Oceania, and both were a little over half full.  I know for sure that the land tour was almost sold out at one time, so it is clear that people cancelled.  I can understand that some people don't want to travel right now, until everything is back to "normal" and there is nothing going on in the world.  But people have different levels of tolerance for risk, and different levels of flexibility in adapting to changing circumstances.

 

Tom & Judy