Issues with water levels on the river cruises?

[Janie1229]

I've never been on a river cruise, but would love to do a Rhine River or Danube next year. However, I am hearing about a lot of issues right now with the water levels being so low that they either have to stop the cruise, and then bus people around? or they have moved people to a smaller boat part-way through the cruise. This latter part is what happened to a friend of mine on an Avalon cruise last month.

 

Does anyone know whether this will continue, or will water levels rise again? 

[Canal archive]

Janie 1229 I’m pretty sure the low water levels are past now and actually some areas seem to be being challenged with high levels. The rivers are continually plagued with these challenges a few years ago it was horrendous this year not so much as the various companies seem to be better at working with the challenges. If you do a bit of research through the various threads you will be able to work out the times of year to avoid, the companies that seem to have most problems and best of all the companies that sail on with what seems to be no challenges at all. Take everything with a pinch of salt, look at the small print to see how different companies. Anything Notamermaid writes is worth reading and remember things have changed from even a few years ago. 
Choose your operator and time of year carefully!

[Roz]

21 hours ago, Janie1229 said:

Does anyone know whether this will continue, or will water levels rise again? 

 

Water levels on European rivers have been fluctuating for years, depending on rainfall and the snow pack.  As @Canal archive pointed out, a lot depends on time of year.  There are no guarantees your river cruise won't turn into a partial bus tour.  

[sharkster77]

2018 was rough year water level-wise, then when we sailed in 2019 it was not a problem.  THEN 2 yrs of COVID happened, now it's an issue again. 

 

It's unpredictable---could be low water, high water, or no problems.

[steamboats]

It´s the nature of the river that there can be high or low water. And this is not a problem which is just happening in Europe. Currently the Upper Mississippi River has an extreme low water situation and Viking had to shorten the cruise there.

 

I had low and high water on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers multiple times on my cruises. My shortest river cruise lasted for 23 hours on the Danube river.

 

That´s Mother Nature...

 

steamboats

[Janie1229]

Thanks for the responses. I did not realize the water levels fluctuated so much. I've been wanting to do one of the Rhine cruises but don't want to be put on a bus either! Lots to think about.

[sharkster77]

1 hour ago, Janie1229 said:

Thanks for the responses. I did not realize the water levels fluctuated so much. I've been wanting to do one of the Rhine cruises but don't want to be put on a bus either! Lots to think about.

In the early spring high water can be an issue.  There are many low bridges and if the water is too high, the ship cannot pass under the bridge.

 

In mid summer it's low water.  Usually (but not always) low water issues resolve themselves in the fall.

[Roz]

My last river cruise was in 2018 on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel.  We were one of the last ships to make it all the way down to Basel.  I was on a Uniworld ship, and our captain had to alter the itinerary but we made it.  That's another thing, if you have your heart set on visiting a particular port, you may be better off visiting it on a land tour.  

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, Janie1229 said:

Lots to think about.

If you want to be well-prepared there is. I just went without thinking and with little planning, accepting everything that would be thrown at me, but I live on the Rhine. For the six hour train journey to Passau I did not feel the need to prepare much.

1 hour ago, Janie1229 said:

I've been wanting to do one of the Rhine cruises but don't want to be put on a bus either!

Choose your level of preparation and planning and comfort level between my extreme and not wanting to be on a bus at all. As others have said, there is no guarantee on a river. All in all, high water is the less disrupting force as regards duration. You intent to be on the Rhine so here are few thoughts.

 

17 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

In mid summer it's low water.  Usually (but not always) low water issues resolve themselves in the fall.

I would put this in slightly other words and say on the Rhine it is mid-August to September, with October to some extent, resolving itself mid- to late-October. It is different every year and may not happen at all. This year low water started unusually early.

 

A 110m ship gives the company (and therefore you) a little bit more "wiggle room", i.e. may be able to sail longer than a 135m ship. This is a generalization, meaning a rule of thumb.

 

Choose your company wisely and get trip insurance, preferably not through the river company itself. Others can help you with what the North American market can offer you there.

 

Recent threads that deal with the low water this season can help you get an idea what could happen.

 

Have a look here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2827571-rhine-water-levels-2022-and-similar-topics/page/44/#comment-64126286

 

and here for great tips: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2150685-new-to-river-cruising-start-here/#comment-60804647

 

1 hour ago, Janie1229 said:

I did not realize the water levels fluctuated so much.

They do quite a bit. It is not info so easily found so here is some for the Rhine. At Maxau gauge in the Upper Rhine valley the difference between high and low can easily be three metres, i.e. fluctuation during a year, sometimes four metres. It can be more, but that is extreme and rarely happens.

 

The bottleneck in low water is the Rhine Gorge right in the middle of a Basel to Amsterdam cruise and that is also the most scenic part.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Got2Cruise]

Some cruiseline’s have figured out how to do ship swapping. Are you ok with that? It’s not perfect but it’s better than a bus trip for sure. 
 

There are also cancel for any reason insurance policies. 
 

Mother Nature makes her own rules. There are weather pattern histories, but no promises. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

How about the Rhone for this Fall?  We will be doing S/B first of September from Lyon to Arles.  Trying to find real time water levels or seeing snow pack measurements is a challenge.  

[notamermaid]

This is the official French website for flooding vigilance: https://www.vigicrues.gouv.fr/

 

I cannot help you with details but the colours used are a hint. As I write, the Rhine - East of Strasbourg on the map - is on yellow, that is mild flooding.

 

notamermaid