PHOTO: Some river cruise ships are stuck due to low water levels on the Danube River. (Courtesy of Viking River Cruises)
Several river cruise companies are experiencing problems on the Danube River in Germany due to low water levels between Passau and Regensburg.
Avalon Waterways is taking guests on additional tours while Viking River Cruises has switched passengers from one cruise ship to another stuck on the other side of the section with low water - something that is easily done since the Longships are identical layouts, Viking said in a note on CruiseCritic's bulletin boards. Viking also said it would book guests into hotel rooms if needed.
"Other guests scheduled to sail the Danube River between Regensburg and Passau in the coming week should assume that their cruise is still scheduled for regular departure," Viking said in an update posted on its website. "Should conditions change and additional alterations become necessary, we will continue to inform impacted guests as soon as we are aware of any itinerary fluctuations."
The low water levels are caused by a lack of rain lately. As Avalon said on its Facebook page: "Because the nature of rivers is to ebb and flow, much can change daily. We are all doing our best rain dances in hopes that more rain makes its way to Europe (specifically, the Danube)... soon. In the meantime, we will provide additional posts on this page as needed."
On its website, Viking said 12 ships have been affected. For the full list, click here.
Avalon said the low water levels affected three sailing days for both the Impression and Illumination this week. "Both ships were sailing downstream and, unfortunately, it's more difficult to traverse low waters going downstream than upstream," Avalon wrote. "While both ships have remained docked in Passau, we have provided passengers sightseeing choices. For instance, on Tuesday, one group opted for leisure time in Passau, while another group chose sightseeing in Prague. The hope and goal for all passengers is to help them make the most of their journey and enjoy all that Europe has to offer."
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection also is switching guests. Passengers on the River Empress and River Princess will move from one ship to the other on June 27. The ships have the identical stateroom layout, so room assignments remain the same.
Uniworld said there were some "minor sailing delays" for the current sailings of the River Ambassador and River Duchess but that both ships are back in schedule and didn't miss any scheduled sightseeing.
Looking ahead, the July 2 River Empress sailing and the July 5 River Princess sailing will begin on the opposite ship and will change back to the original ship mid-cruise. "Again, as the stateroom layout is the same, there will be no changes to stateroom assignments," Uniworld said. "We expect the cruises to be able to complete their respective programs in their entirety. We are now beginning the process of contacting everyone on those sailings to advise them of the change of ship."
As for Tauck, a spokesman said the company only had to make "minor adjustments in sailing schedules, and those alterations haven't caused us to forgo any sightseeing or other components."
Scenic Cruises will swap ships for guests on seven cruises, the line said in a Facebook posting. Those include the June 30 and July 7 "Gems of the Danube" cruises; the July 2, July 14, July 16 and July 30 "Jewels of Europe" departures; and the July 28 "Romantic Rhine and Moselle River" cruise. "All other details with regards to embarkation and the cruise itinerary remain unchanged," Scenic said.
AmaWaterways said its ships are unaffected by the low water levels. And CroisiEurope reported that, as of June 27, its Danube cruises are running on schedule.
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