A NUMBER of river cruise lines operating in Europe have been affected to different degrees by unusually low water levels in a small section of the Danube River.
The segment, located between Regensburg & Passau in Germany, has resulted in some lines making alternate arrangements to ensure minimal disruption on itineraries.
Viking River Cruises has suffered the largest inconveniences, with passengers on at least 11 itineraries so far affected.
The line’s Swiss-based nautical and operations teams have been working with local partners and authorities on the situation.
Two operations of the ‘Romantic Danube’ itinerary and one ‘Passage to Eastern Europe’ have seen pax transferred to alternate ships identical to the one booked.
Pax on departures of the ‘Grand European Tour’ between Budapest and Amsterdam in both directions up to 01 Jul are also being moved due to limited movement of the original vessel.
Some segments of the river currently unnavigable have also forced Viking to replace itinerary portions with coach transport, with shore tours still operating.
Any guests scheduled to depart past 02 Jul are being advised to presume operations will be as normal, with the line saying it will contact pax if they are affected.
Water levels have caused slight issues for some other lines, while others have not seen any impact, according to statements sent to TD Cruise Update yesterday.
APT said none of its itineraries had been affected, with minimal disruptions on one Travelmarvel sailing which did not affect the overall itinerary timings.
John Molinaro of Uniworld said the line was monitoring water levels in case contingency plans had to be made, but to date, no sailings had been impacted.
The newest line to commence operations, Emerald Waterways, said its vessels Emerald Star and Emerald Sky had not been forced to make any itinerary changes.
Scenic Tours has reported it was necessary to enact a ship swap on two sailings from Amsterdam to Budapest and vice versa, with guests of Scenic Diamond and Scenic Ruby swapped over.
This procedure was undertaken while guests were on their Scenic FreeChoice activities, with Cruise Directors also swapping to ensure minimal interruptions.
Three Avalon Waterways cruises were slightly affected, with some nearby town visits requiring short coach trips, although no ship swapping was required.
Guests were offered additional shore excursions complimentary for any inconvenience caused over the two affected days.
Each line added they were monitoring the situation but expected river levels to return to normal levels shortly.