Danube water levels 2023 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[notamermaid]

Just now, Daisi said:

It's trying to snow here, not to successful but not nice after a weekend of 30C temps! Just a normal spring I guess.

 

Thanks again for all your help.

My pleasure. Talking of snow. I have read briefly that it is going to snow in Germany but then the temperatures will go up to 20 degrees. April ups and downs. Will have a look at details later.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[CastleCritic]

31 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

My pleasure. Talking of snow. I have read briefly that it is going to snow in Germany but then the temperatures will go up to 20 degrees. April ups and downs. Will have a look at details later.

 

notamermaid

 

 

NO STOP I need it to be not-jacket weather starting next week (though considering were starting in Budapest and heading east...that was already not likely).

 

Sigh, maybe I should stop booking cruises in April/may October/November....

 

They even just said they got me a balcony to sit on this time....

[Daisi]

@CastleCritic Just checked the weather in Budapest for the 23rd to 29th, looks like great touring temps - ranging from daily highs of 20 - 16, but nightly lows will be a bit cooler down into the single digits.  Not sure where you are coming from, but you may want to pack something to layer so you can start out for cooler mornings and take off for warmer lunchtimes!

 

Have a great cruise, hope you come back and post a review, would be great to hear more on the eastern end of the Danube.

[notamermaid]

Just now, CastleCritic said:

NO STOP I need it to be not-jacket weather starting next week (though considering were starting in Budapest and heading east...that was already not likely).

 

Sigh, maybe I should stop booking cruises in April/may October/November....

 

They even just said they got me a balcony to sit on this time....

Not to worry, you will be in the valley. Clear nights in Bavaria mean it will be cold, almost frosty, in the hills until Saturday but then picking up and the days will be warm. Nights, as Daisi said, are still likely to be in single digits for a bit longer. You will be further East of course. I agree, bringing clothing for being dressed in layers is key.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[CastleCritic]

Eh, the weather will be what it will be, its just one of my favorite things to do is sit outside on the ship when its moving, and the warmer the better for that...because of wind.  I just facepalmed a bit on snow in late April.  Honestly Im hoping more for no rain than no cold. (and clear skies for picture purposes)

 

Im fairly adaptable, I wear short sleeve shirts year round, even if its freezing outside, I think I wore a jacket about twice over the winter this year (though it was a warm one, not even a threat of snow).  Blazing hot would be much much worse for me.

 

Appreciate the forecasts, though thats still a few days earlier than is relevant, I don't join the ship until the 30th but that will bode well for my shipmates who are making the first half of the trip from Vilshofen/Passau starting this Sunday (incidentally if anyone is looking for a cheapish Budapest-bucharest cruise last minute and doesnt mine a lower deck cabin...they cleared pretty much the entire cheap rooms on the AmaMagna 4/30 on Monday)

Edited April 19, 2023 by CastleCritic

[BillNancyG]

Sorry if this has been covered but I have concerns about water levels of the Danube in September. This is a dream trip for a 35th anniversary and we REALLY want it to go well! We've done a number of cruises on ocean or large seas (ie Mediterranean, Baltic) but our first river cruise. 

 

Of course, we can't precisely know how things will be in September. But I have til May 8 to cancel if we don't want to risk it. So, some questions: 

 

If the ship (Viking Egil) hits a low spot - I understand we may need to get off and take a bus, to be picked up by another ship? I assume we would get ... same rooms? Is the new ship the same layout? IF not - what happens?  They transport our stuff? If others have experienced this inconvenience - how much of a pain or disappointment was it? 

 

If the river is low, is it possible (likely?) to happen repeatedly? Is it possible we'd end up 'seeing' some of Europe by bus? - not my dream vacation.

 

Any experience on having any compensation from Viking for a lousy experience? (A percentage discount on another trip is not appealing...)

 

I'm just not sure what else to ask, but we are both excited and anxious. We are in a place in life that I don't know if we have another 'big trip' in us... I want this to be really peaceful and joyful. 

[CastleCritic]

On a big river (Danube, Rhine) and a big line  that basically has as many ships as they do ports on the itinerary (viking, Amawaterways...probably a couple of others)   the WORST case is to be bussed between ports.  And Viking especially builds all their ships the same, you would have the same type of room on both sides and I have to guess the same room number. Viking would transport your stuff with you  and likely deliver it to you new cabin.

 

 This would almost definitely NOT be an every day thing, you likely would have it happen at the low spot (Passau to Regensburg for viking for example) but the rest of the river would probably be fine.  one of the regulars posters from Germany Notamermaid has better info but the Austrian part of the Danube is regulated pretty well regulated with dams and doesn't have too many issues.

 

Ive been on 4, soon to be 5 river cruises, about half of them in October, November and NEVER had an issue with the rivers.  Even last year when things got sketchy there were VERY few itinerary changes.

 

If it were me I wouldn't sweat it, you cant plan around "what ifs", if you cancel and its blue skies, perfectly normal river rivers and 70 degrees the entire week you're going to be kicking yourself.  Ive seen enough ocean YouTubers talking about ports that were changed because of whatnot happening to say...this is just all a thing that can happen with any type of cruising.

 

Youre going to spend some amount of time on buses regardless (how much is up to your excursion choices),

Edited April 19, 2023 by CastleCritic

[notamermaid]

@BillNancyG  I think CastleCritic has got it almost all covered. I will add to this:

Just now, CastleCritic said:

 This would almost definitely NOT be an every day thing, you likely would have it happen at the low spot (Passau to Regensburg for viking for example) but the rest of the river would probably be fine.

September is one of the two most likely months for low water but it is not a given at all that it will happen. It will affect all long ships of 135m most likely - one after the other as the level drops centimetre after centimetre. Not just Viking. The procedure of leaving one ship and going to another we refer to as a ship swap. The companies have years of experience with this and it normally happens seamlessly. You have read the geography, it is indeed the Danube in Bavaria at a section where the river is not controlled by locks.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

12 hours ago, BillNancyG said:

If the ship (Viking Egil) hits a low spot

I cannot identify the itinerary from the ship name. I mentioned the ship swap. This will most likely only apply if you are on an itinerary that goes from Budapest far into Germany. If you travel from - again let us say - Budapest to Regensburg a ship swap would normally not make sense. You would get as far as Passau or Vilshofen and be taken to Regensburg and/or Nuremberg by coach. And then to Prague if that is your extension. You can find more info on details in the roll calls for the Danube itineraries of Viking. To be brutally honest, you need to be prepared for mishaps on a river cruise that may necessitate a coach ride of more than 30 minutes. Mostly everything goes well but things can happen.

 

notamermaid

 

[BillNancyG]

Thanks for your reply. We are on the Egil starting Sept 9 2023 from Regensburg to Budapest (ending Sept 16), Regensburg then Passau Germany, Krems and Vienna Austria, then Budapest, You say: 

          - Budapest to Regensburg a ship swap would normally not make sense.

That's a relief! I don't understand the dynamics enough to know why that's the case, but I'm hopeful. 

 

We have extra days in Prague but that isn't on the river, so not an issue. 

 

We are experienced travelers and we can roll with surprises and even laugh - but if it is a strong likelihood exists of this being a miserable trip, I'll just cancel and try another year, if we're still able. I did sign into the roll call pages but with such small numbers of passengers, I am not expecting to find connections, which is fine. 

 

Again, thank you! 

[BillNancyG]

14 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

This would almost definitely NOT be an every day thing

ok, I'm settling down now, thanks to helpful replies! River cruises are so different than what we're used to... but that's why we chose to take a river cruise! Right? 😄 We've had itinerary changes on other cruises, like a transatlantic, but in those cases we were able to stay put. But - I'm increasingly sure it will work out! 

[CastleCritic]

26 minutes ago, BillNancyG said:

ok, I'm settling down now, thanks to helpful replies! River cruises are so different than what we're used to... but that's why we chose to take a river cruise! Right? 😄 We've had itinerary changes on other cruises, like a transatlantic, but in those cases we were able to stay put. But - I'm increasingly sure it will work out! 

Again Ive done 4 cruises, leaving for a 5th next week.

 

So far the only itinerary changes have been things getting shortened because we either left early (to get through locks to avoid messing up the next day) or got there late (because of various things...rivers are. like interstates, usually its 70MPH the whole way but sometimes there is a traffic jam.)

 

Actually I had one major change, where the ship couldn't make it to where we were supposed to start at (thats a slightly longer story, but very special circumstances). Amawaterways just sent a bus to pick us up in Basel and take us to the ship in Strasbourg (where we would have sailed to that night anyway) Viking swapped their ships involved and passengers making the same trip just got on the one that did make it to Basel and not their original identical ship and then did the cruise they booked.  Again underscoring that the cruise lines are ON THIS and will take care of it.  I knew this was happening and what the plan was before I left the US 18 hours before arriving.

Edited April 20, 2023 by CastleCritic

[Enjoythejourney4]

We are flying to Munich today got a pre-trip. We will board the Amamagna on Sunday for seven days ending in Budapest. This is our first River cruise and it looks like the first half is rainy. Will that cause problems with the water levels? Should I be concerned? We are very excited…it should be sehr gut!

[island lady]

You are not alone on a September Danube Viking cruise.   We are a full 3 weeks European Sojourn on Viking Vidar from Bucharest to Amsterdam Sept. 20th.   And yes...those long ships are all identical for a reason.  

 

I am not stressing over it in the least.  I just figured..."poop happens".  Be prepared for the worst, happy with the best, basically  "Que Sera Sera".  😉 

[notamermaid]

Just now, Enjoythejourney4 said:

We will board the Amamagna on Sunday for seven days ending in Budapest.

Will you board in Vilshofen? There is a low bridge in Passau that could cause a problem in high water, from 630cm onwards. But Amawaterways will be well aware of that one. For now the rain and the subsequent rise do not look substantial, grey area is the prediction:

 

So well below any problematic figures still. There will be rain Austria, I have no data that goes further into the future than Sunday I am afraid. It does not look substantial to me till then.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Just now, BillNancyG said:

Thanks for your reply. We are on the Egil starting Sept 9 2023 from Regensburg to Budapest (ending Sept 16), Regensburg then Passau Germany, Krems and Vienna Austria, then Budapest, You say: 

          - Budapest to Regensburg a ship swap would normally not make sense.

That's a relief! I don't understand the dynamics enough to know why that's the case, but I'm hopeful. 

A ship swap makes more sense when they meet close to halfway into a journey, i.e. for example three days to and three days fro, meaning both ships cover the same distance. Regensburg to Budapest cannot work like that, Viking could still swap you onto another ship but coach travel is usually logistically better. To illustrate here is the map:

In low water the problem area is just past Regensburg, it is Straubing to Vilshofen, the latter is close to Passau. You see that this almost at the beginning of your journey, i.e. Passau is quite close and the short low stretch easy to leave out and do by coach instead. The ship would be coming up to Passau, stay put, the journey end there for the passengers. You in the next lot of passengers would be picked up in Regensburg and taken to Passau by coach.

 

notamermaid

 

[BillNancyG]

I understand now - and I see that Regensburg to Passau is just an hour and 15 minutes (according to Google). i had no idea it was so near! And I LOVE maps - very helpful.  That short of a journey is not a big deal. 

 

Again, thanks so much. 

[notamermaid]

My pleasure. Good to read that it is helpful.

Just now, BillNancyG said:

I see that Regensburg to Passau is just an hour and 15 minutes

Yes, close enough for a hopefully pleasant coach ride.

 

If you like maps - here is the map by UNECE of the waterways. Zoom in and find details like locks, etc.:

https://unece.org/DAM/trans/main/sc3/AGN_map_2018.pdf

 

This in blue is the infamous Danube river stretch in low water:

 

notamermaid

 

 

[BillNancyG]

Oooooh that map is spectacular! Thank you! I'll be poring over that for a while. 

[Enjoythejourney4]

Thank you so much for the maps and the information. I appreciate you so much! Hopefully all will be well!

 

[BillNancyG]

I feel completely confident that it will be what we wanted, now that the (potential) risk is identified and I see it is not a big deal. 

[notamermaid]

A band of rain has swept over Germany, not much, helpful actually to keep ground water levels up or improve them. Which in the long run helps the larger rivers, too. Pfelling is looking good, so is Passau. Plenty of room for the river to rise after a downpour. Which may happen at some point in the future but is not looking likely.

 

notamermaid

 

[kaysha2004]

I'm on the Avalon View now. Yesterday in Melk, there was afternoon thunderstorms, heavy rain. It's raining all day today in Linz with wind. The start of the cruise on the 19th in Budapest was beautiful and sunny. Water levels have not been a problem and the itinerary has gone well so far.

[notamermaid]

To add to the direct experience on the river, here is the graph of Linz (screenshot of 6pm local time):

 

Only a small rise expected that will bring the river to the statistical mean water level.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

You could cross the Danube on a bridge, on a ferry - or on a tightrobe! That is what a circus artist did in Budapest: https://www.euronews.com/video/2023/04/16/budapest-circus-artist-crosses-danube-river-on-a-tightrope-with-only-a-balancing-pole

 

notamermaid