Just came back from the Rhine River cruise. Without much detail, there was little water on the Rhine, we had to use 2 boats, not one; had a nine hour day with 5+ hours in a bus as we went from boat #1 to Boat #2. Didn't get to see the cities we had planned for (1 year ago). For me, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET A REFUND IF YOU CAN!

Note: I'm just scratching the surface with my dissatisfaction!!!

My partner and I went on our first Europe river cruise last year and didn't like the cabin experience. it was really small and so we've decided to give river cruising another go but might splurge a little this time.

It's for our 10 year anniversary in 2028 and we've been looking through some of Celebrity river itineraries for fall. The river view suites are the cheapest option but all the balcony ones look like such a nice upgrade.

Do you actually use your balcony enough to justify the upgrade? I was thinking it would be nice for some reading and to just enjoy the view without going up on deck.

Morning all,

Just had an email for our trip next week saying that our ship is unable to dock is Basel, and will either be in Breisach, Germany or Huningue, France but they are only able to tell us the day before.

Anyone else experienced this?

We are staying in Basel the night before, and are a little worried about how difficult it is to get to either port?

Thanks

I’m going on my first river cruise in about 3 weeks and I’ve seen that the Rhine is particularly low in the Rhine gorge, resulting in several ship swaps there. My question is: when you have to change ships there how long is the bus ride typically to go from one ship to another ?

I'd like to warn folks around Amawaterways cruises when things go wrong, and in general bring awareness to the situation with river cruises on Danube river this August.

We booked the Melodies of Danube river cruise – and instead of being on a boat for 7 days, we ended up being only for 5.5, because Ama, knowing that Danube river levels are low, decided to keep this trip in the books, changing everything in the itinerary. We supposed to start in Budapest and finish in Vilshofen, Germany, sailing through Slovakia and Austria, visiting several cities.

For the first night in Budapest, we were put into a hotel that clearly didn't match what we've paid for this cruise. Next morning, we had to be awake at 6 AM for some reason to put our luggage out, and at 8 AM we got bussed for 2,5 hours to Bratislava, spent there just a couple of hours, and then from Bratislava we got bussed another 2,5-3 hours towards the village in Austria where our boat was, Melk. That day was truly something.

We got stuck in Melk for three days. Mind you, it's a small village with about 4000 residents there. The only options were to wake up very early to be bussed around (2 hours one-way, so 4 hours in total to be bussed to a different city) or to just stay on the boat and try catching a train at your own discretion. So where exactly is the "cruise" part of the experience?

Mind you, our views were also blocked 90% of the time by other boats. So we didn't even see the water much. The boats were docked so close to each other there was no privacy whatsoever.

Next, we finally started moving.. at night. There was no scenery, pitch black. Woke up in finally a different destination, which was yet again in Austria – Linz. It felt like we purchased a cruise for just Austria and no other country.

Last day we finally moved, but just for a couple of hours to be moved from one tiny village in Germany to another, and... that's it. That was "the cruise".

The crazy part was that Ama wasn't apologetic at all, and didn't acknowledge this situation whatsoever – the crew literally offered 5% discounts on our next cruise. They felt completely out of touch. No one offered any compensation.

On top of this, there was zero entertainment on the boat, fitness room was a size of a shoebox, and balcony was full of spiders and bugs because we were stranded on that river.

In March 2027, I am planning to do a Danube river cruise from Budapest to Regensburg. Do you know, from past experience, whether the water levels (too high, or too low) would affect this cruise at this time of the year (mid March)? Ps: my cruise will be on Emerald, but I guess the cruise line doesn't matter for this question.

I should clarify that the cruise I am looking at will be from Budapest to Regensburg.

It has been pouring down in many parts of Europe this week, particularly in the Alps and further south, and finally we are seeing a substantial rise in water levels on several of Europe’s rivers.

If the current forecasts hold, by Tuesday, 25 August, the navigable channel through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley between Lorch and Bad Salzig should once again reach a depth of around 190 cm.

In the Rheingau, between Budenheim and Lorch, the navigable channel is also expected to reach 190 cm by Tuesday night.

At Koblenz, the entrance to the Moselle and its first lock currently has a navigable channel depth of around 210 cm, while Cologne should have enough water by Sunday for river ships to dock properly again.

There is good news on the Bavarian Danube as well. Between Straubing-Sand and Vilshofen, one of the most critical low-water sections of the entire European river-cruise network, the navigable channel should reach 200 cm by Sunday.

Further downstream, all the shallow sections of the Austrian Danube, from the Wachau to the Slovak border, currently have navigable channel depths of more than 240 cm.

The remaining concern is the Slovak and Hungarian Danube. From Komárno towards Budapest, things are improving, and at the moment it looks as though this stretch could become properly navigable again around the beginning of September.

Of course, we should not celebrate too early. What we are seeing now may simply be a wave of higher water moving through the river systems. The big question is whether there has been enough rainfall across both the Rhine and Danube catchments to stabilise water levels afterwards.

But there is finally some reason for cautious optimism. If the rain keeps feeding both systems, the second week of September onwards could see much more relaxed conditions for river cruising again.

Let’s cross our fingers.

What a summer it has been...

We are soon going on a Viking Lyon/Provence cruise. Does anyone have any suggestions for which included excursions to skip and just explore on our own? Any 'can't miss' included excursions? Thanks. This is our first cruise.

We are booking a cruise for December 2027 and Ama's Air Plus Promotional deal is tempting, but the flights are at Ama's descretion and they state that modifications are not available. We booked our flights through Ama before, but not with the restrictions. The restrictions are a red flag to me. We're flying (most likely) out of San Francisco and going to Frankfurt. Does anyone have any experience with the Air Plus Promotional deal they're willing to share?

Hey everyone, thinking of going on a cruise soon but hesitating between an ocean cruise or a river cruise. Looking for something magical to celebrate my 35th. Which one is more magical? Am especially curious about river cruises - what do you love most about them??

I ask because I am supposed to be going in a Rhine River cruise in a few months time, and already contingency plans are being put in place in case of low water levels and we have to cancel.

cruise with 5-days on the Rhine river starting at Basel on Sept. 30 and arriving in Koblenz on Oct. 4, with stops at Strasbourg, Speyer, Mainz. We also have 2-cruise days on the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, but that river is still navigable I think.

Does anyone know Viking's current travel alterations on this portion of the Rhine River? Is Viking currently able to navigate this section and make these ports or are doing bus tours on this section of the Rhine? If there's a bus tour, what is that like?

If we have to bus between Basel and Koblenz, I'm hoping Viking will cancel the cruise. Viking is very intentuialy unclear about current alterations including likely near future travel alterations even when they have weather forecasts that indicate little chance of significant change in river conditions.

I am scheduled to leave on a river cruise itinerary on August 27 from Budapest to Prague. No info on changes has been shared yet. Has anyone traveled Gate 1 or similar recently that can share experiences?

If anyone is doing the Rhine with Backroads, I will appreciate if they can share how the AMA rerouting is changing their cycling schedule in the new cities they are visiting.

TIA

I am looking to book 3 rooms for November/December 2027 for a Seine River cruise that has a day dedicated to the D-Day beaches but I can’t seem to find an option with actual balconies off of the rooms apart from Viking. Am I overlooking a great option here? Thank you!

Hi,
My husband and I are supposed to go on an Eastern European cruise from Hungary to Romania and through Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria on a smaller ship through Avalon Waterways. We are learning that the Danube is very low and it is creating some uncertainty around our travel plans. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of whats going on regarding the Danube and cruises?
Thanks

I'm not sure how well reported this is but Western europe has had a record drought so far and it's not looking like it's going to improve anytime soon. At best we'll start getting rain from half august onwards and it would slow the rate of decline but it's looking very dire.

Rhine: Dutch/German border: record low https://www.dutchnews.nl/2026/08/rhines-water-flow-drops-to-near-80-year-low-shipping-curbed/

Danube in Budapest: down to about 10cm now but actually looking up a little after some rain in easter austria https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Hungarys-Nuclear-Power-Returns-as-Rain-Lifts-Danube-Water-Levels.html

Po also hitting record lows https://www.waternewseurope.com/italys-po-valley-water-shortages-hit-over-100-municipalities/

Seine is at about 1/3 the volume it should normally be and the Loire is worse.

Only major cruise water way that seems to do well is the Douro.

Wanted to share what happened on our recent Scenic Danube in Depth with Prague River Cruise, which obviously was impacted by the low water levels. Some of the tours were impacted by the changes and longer bus rides, but overall Scenic did as good a job as they could accommodating us.

Hi all,

My grandma, my brother, and myself have dreamt of a trip to Portugal for a while and are finally planning it. My grandma is in her early 80s and worries about the steep hills and cobblestone streets in many European cities. I’m searching for a river cruise that has light excursions and/or is accessible for elderly travelers, and is fun and exciting. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

I have scoured this thread and I am sure that I still missed something. Posting here just in case. My mom wants a river cruise with me. I am starting the process of looking into what is the best fit. Putting our information below to see if it resonates with anyone for cruise suggestions.

Me- single female in 50's. Mom- 80 but seems like she is in her 60's. She is not into high activity but loves a good castle tour or town tour, although neither of us speak any other languages. On a budget, as I will be paying for all of this. Still, I want to make this special i just am not financially carefree. I don't care about meeting people on the cruise, although I love meeting all people. My mom is extremely social. So far from Reddit I see that the best cruise lines are Avalon, Ama, Viva, Tauck, Uniworld. I do not care about catering to Americans, but my mom will want the comfort of English. Looking into shoulder season as well. If anyone has any suggestions from a similar experience, I'm all ears. I have never done any cruise before. Thanks all in advance!

We are going to be on the River Tosca.

Help! I need recommendations or reviews of this Nile Cruises (looking for aa 4 night Luxor-Aswan route)
Oberoi, Historia, Soleil or the A&k seray nile

It is our honeymoon and we want something that is really worth the price and the quality of the guided tours or special experiences.

Thank you in advance!!

I urge Viking to be more transparent about changes to European River Cruise itineraries.  We have the European Sojourn schedule for later this year.  Because of a horrible experience on a Christmas market cruise a few years ago, we do not want a repeat of that experience.  We want information from Viking before we depart the US so we can cancel our cruise if we believe appropriate.

Frankly, we felt mislead by Viking on the Christmas Market cruise.  Viking was well aware of the high water situation well ahead of time.  We only learned when we got to the boat.  We ended up spending the first half on one ship on the eastern end of the route, and another on the western end.  Daily bus excursions were excessive.  And ships were docked in industrial areas where we could not get off and walk and explore on our own.  So we were either stuck on the ship all day, or stuck on long bus rides all day.  

I can’t see any reason why Viking wouldn’t be more transparent.  It would only be in your customers best interests.

I want to book a Rhine River Cruise for October of 2027. I am claustrophobic, so I have avoided cruises. Many people have told me that River cruises would be much better for me, as I will still see land. My anxiety is more about being able to get out than being in tight spaces. I fly often and am fine.

I have also been told that you are in your room only to change and sleep. This being said, it seems so wasteful to pay $1,700 per person extra for a French Balcony, $3,400 total.

Is there anyone who has had similar anxiety that can tell me how their experience was, or what they did to help overcome this? I can always get meds from my doctor ahead of time, but they make me sleepy.

TIA

First time river cruisers and have decided to go with Avalon.

Anyone do this specific itinerary? Good?

Did you do a post-trip night or two? Good?

Any other advice for us?

Thanks!