Century Star river cruise ship (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)
A summer of historically low water levels impacting Europe’s river cruises has spilled into fall, unfortunately.
We knew ahead of our sailing that this could happen, watching the levels as well as the weather, hoping for more rain and seeing how others had already been impacted.
River cruise lines are doing all they can to keep the voyages in place, however, travelers should expect some changes and be prepared for their ship’s captain and crew to adapt on the fly.
You might end up like us and the majority of your time actually cruising on the water is after the sun goes down. Then you do the only thing you can do - make the most of it!
We were set to board the inaugural voyage for the Century Star, Century Cruises’ European debut ship, in Budapest, Hungary, but mother nature had other plans.
Our cruise was impacted by the continued low levels on the Danube River.
The ship remained in Vienna, while the Century Cruises team put us up in the gorgeous Dorothea Hotel, Budapest, Autograph Collection, for two nights to remain true to the itinerary so guests could still experience the beauty of Budapest. Special shout out to the paprika butter at the Gordon Ramsey Restaurant...if you know, you know!
It was a bit of a strange feeling to not be on the ship at the start of the trip, but being able to take the planned excursion around the city and actually have a bit more free time to explore it all worked out well.
The ship was docked at Vienna, Austria, which was our third port of call during the sailing. The second was supposed to be a stop at Bratislava, Slovakia.
The Century Cruises team didn’t want the passengers to miss out on this destination though, so the group was able to make a stop here for a city tour and have lunch before continuing the bus ride to the ship in Vienna.
Originally, the first revised plan was to overnight in Vienna, wake up and begin the rest of the river cruise experience as normal. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans once again.
Due to water levels dropping further than expected, this brand-new river cruise ship needed to get moving or risk getting stuck.
So, instead of waking up in Vienna to start our day touring the city, we sailed out after dinner, enjoying the nighttime views as best we could before we reached the locks that meant we could no longer stand outside on the top deck.
The next morning, we woke up in the city of Melk, and we remained parked there at the dock for the next three days, only sailing again to Linz after the sun went down.
We did a bus ride from Melk to Vienna and spent the whole day there on excursion. The bus ride would become a daily routine as the low water levels kept us from sailing.
Sure, an hour or longer on a bus is less than ideal and not part of the typical river cruise experience. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad time.
We still got to tour around the city of Krems and Dürnstein, visit a winery in the Wachau Valley, experience the history in the Melk Abbey, explore off the beaten path in the Austrian countryside, and more.
Plus, the onboard experience was top notch. The Century Star features the most spacious entry level rooms on the river, including plenty of room in the bathroom and shower space so one does not feel cramped. The food featured dishes from the regions, along with a Chinese entrée option as well since Century Cruises is a China based company.
Century Star river cruise bedroom suite (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)
The bar was stocked for those who wanted it, and the coffee machines were elite. I only used it to make hot chocolate though (which came in clutch while sitting on the top deck and enjoying the nice breeze), but my wife, an avid coffee lover, made frequent trips for the cappuccinos.
I was also thoroughly impressed at the staff and crew onboard the Century Star. They handled the changes well, kept us guests informed of what was happening, and overall showed no signs of being a relatively new team. It was like they had been working together for years. Partly because they all have experience on the river. Century Cruises uses United Waterways to help staff the crew, so everyone was well versed in the unpredictable nature of the river and adjusting at a moment’s notice.
During some of the bus rides we could see just how low the water was in some areas, which served as a great reminder how things could have been. We would see other cruise ships stuck, some of them transporting every piece of guest luggage because they were forced to change ships. We were happy to be fully unpacked on our ship, even if we were parked in Melk for days.
While we didn’t get to sail during the day like we would have hoped to, overall, it was still an enjoyable river cruise experience.
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