Several years ago, a friend who booked a European river cruise with a company I had recommended sent an angry text from her trip after her group was forced off their ship in the final few days and onto a bus tour because of low water on the Danube.
“Didn’t your travel advisor mention anything about that possibility before you left?” I asked, knowing that Europe was having a dry, hot summer.
No response.
Indeed, while constantly changing water levels—both high and low—have always been a challenge for river cruise operators, the impact they can have on your vacation may be one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.
This year’s record summer heat wave followed by near historic and earlier-than-usual low water on two of Europe’s most popular rivers, the Rhine and the Danube, is putting the issue back in the headlines. And while most lines have had to cancel a small number of sailings or make some itinerary changes due to low water on the Rhine and Danube this month, river operators and travel agents say they haven’t seen any indication that changes in weather—including reports that Europe is the fastest heating continent—are having any long-term or especially unusual impacts, other than making the unpredictable a bit more so.
“It’s not worse, it’s just the timing is changing a little bit,” says Daniela Harrison, an advisor with Avenues of the World in Flagstaff, Arizona, a luxury agency that for years has closely monitored river levels in order to keep its cruising clients informed. “And it’s affecting different rivers and different cruise lines more than others.”
Operators say instances of low and high water impact only a small percentage of their annual cruises. And every year is different. For instance, last year’s sailings operated “in near perfect conditions,” says John Burrows, chief operating officer of high-end river cruise line AmaWaterways; he has been observing river levels in Europe for more than 20 years.
Nonetheless, companies that operate along Europe’s rivers are constantly looking for innovative back-up plans that can lead to new—and sometimes even better—adventures.
Here’s what you need to know before deciding when, where, and with which company to book your European river sailing.
When is the best time to sail?
Summer has traditionally been considered high season for river sailings, but as Europe gets hotter and more crowded during the summer, more travelers are looking at shoulder seasons.
Harrison said she used to recommend fall sailings but is starting to also encourage more spring travel. Late summer and fall storms are occurring earlier during some years and that can raise river levels, making it difficult for ships to pass under bridges.
Operators say that while dry conditions forced some cancellations and altered itineraries earlier than usual this year, river levels have and always will be unpredictable from season to season. “The levels are influenced by much more than rain,” says Pamela Hoffee, CEO of Avalon Waterways. “Water in the rivers doesn’t [just] come from rainfall,” she says. “It also comes from snowpack and the rate it melts; it’s just a very complicated scenario.”
Which rivers have the most disruptions?
The real “bogey” rivers, according to Burrows, are the Po in Italy and the Elbe in Germany, which few companies actually sail because of the unpredictability.
Among the more commonly cruised, the Rhine and the Danube are the most problematic because of bends and shallow stretches that can prevent ships from being able to complete some of the region’s more popular itineraries, such as Danube sailings from Amsterdam to Budapest and Rhine cruises through the castle-lined Rhine Gorge between Amsterdam and Basel. Additionally, the slow moving bends on the Danube leading into Budapest can cause issues and can even close that port, meaning ships have to dock away from town and guests need to be bused into town for excursions.
Although Harrison said France’s Seine River has had occasional issues with water levels, Burrows and Hoffee say rivers in France and Portugal are generally worry-free. Harrison says the Rhine is the “absolute worst,” so she tends to book clients for those sailings on AmaWaterways, because its ships have the lowest drafts—meaning they can sail in shallower water.
What happens if my sailing encounters low or high water?
That, of course, depends. Both high and low water can impact the speed at which you can sail, and whether or not you can pass under bridges (when water levels rise) or through shallow water (when water levels get low) to reach the next stop on your itinerary. Companies like AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterway, for instance, have perfected the art of the “ship swap” on the Rhine and the Danube where they have sister ships running in sync in opposite directions. If an area becomes impassable, the guests can pack their suitcases before they head out on excursions, then come back to the same cabin on a different but nearly identical vessel on the other side of the blockage.
Smaller companies, however, don’t often have enough boats in their fleet to be able to offer that flexibility and might be forced to transition to the less desirable option of pivoting to a coach and hotel tour for the remainder of the trip.
Viking, the world’s largest river cruise operator, sails regularly through some of the questionable spots others avoid. It does both ship swaps and “coach hops,” where two or three ships are stationed like floating hotels along impacted routes. Passengers then do excursions by coach, making their way from one ship to another as their itinerary moves up or down the river.
Because river levels can change with just a passing storm, operators don’t like to cancel cruises. But how each line handles disruptions, cancellations, refunds, and credits varies widely.
How often do these water events happen, and how long do they usually last?
Again, it all depends. But Burrows says low and high water issues impact “a very, very small percentage of any cruise lines’ yearly operations.” He estimates an average of 3.5 percent of AmaWaterways’ 1,100 to 1,200 annual European departures are affected, although rates vary from year to year. Last year and in 2020 (when travel, ironically, was largely shuttered due to the pandemic) saw near perfect conditions, he said, while 2018 had drought-like issues similar to this year’s, although later in the season.
“Duration can literally be hours, days, or weeks. It’s in nature’s hands,” he says. “Low water goes [away] within 24 to 28 hours of it raining. High water is even more reactive. We can cruise within 12 to 24 hours of the rain stopping [then it’s] back to normal operations.”
Are companies adapting itineraries to avoid potential issues?
Yes. On the Danube, for instance, both AmaWaterways and Avalon have permanently dropped Nuremberg as a stop, going instead to Visholfen to avoid issues between the two cities. Avalon has also discontinued a few specialty sailings that went off the traditional routes or schedules along the Rhine and Danube to ensure that the company has enough ships sailing in sync in case last-minute ship swaps are needed. And AmaWaterways no longer sails the full Amsterdam to Budapest route during the summer because there are too many potential problem spots.
While neither Burrows nor Hoffee is concerned that this year’s low water is anything more than part of the rivers’ usual ebbs and flows, they are constantly brainstorming new stops and routes.
AmaWaterways doesn’t cancel sailings due to water levels, and Burrows says he works hard to turn negatives into positives. For instance, during low water in the fall of 2018, AmaWaterways at the last minute rerouted a planned Amsterdam to Basel sailing through Belgium and the Dutch Waterways, an area that lines had traditionally sailed only during tulip season. That cruise to quaint Dutch and Belgian towns was such a hit that most lines now offer it all season long. Says Burrows, “I always try to see if I can do something new, do something different. It’s a personal challenge to see if I take this negative and make that into an opportunity for the guests.” He adds that he has a few exciting new itineraries that he intends to try if needed this year.
Should I book directly or with a travel advisor?
When it comes to river cruises, it’s always recommended to book with a travel advisor. Make sure it’s an advisor who specializes in river cruises and is familiar with Europe’s inland waterways and their potential issues, knows cancellation and change policies, how well river cruise lines respond to low and high water events, and how well the companies adhere to or exceed their written refund or future credit policies.
“I think the biggest issue is that a lot of travelers don’t know that [low and high water events] happen,” says Harrison. Similarly, she says, not all agents are aware of the issues. “It’s not something the lines talk about during advisor training sessions. There is no training on what happens in these situations because everybody says it’s a one-off decision, but really it’s not. It’s becoming standard practice.”
So if you’re thinking about a river cruise, be sure to do some research or consult a knowledgeable advisor about how seasonal weather trends may impact not just your comfort but also water levels. And as with any trip, remember that nobody has control over Mother Nature.
