by I struggled to know how to respond when friends asked if I had a good Christmas. We spent it on a riverboat, with all the food and drink we could eat included in the price, and in the company of fellow passengers intent on escaping the usual round of turkeys, relatives and TV reruns. What’s not to love?
But here’s the rub. We were supposed to be cruising the Main Danube Canal and the Main River aboard the Princess. Instead, we spent a week docked on the canal on the outskirts of Nuremberg overlooking a recycling center. It’s not as bad as it sounds. The plant was across the canal and for the first few days it was closed for Christmas so everything was quiet.
We had only just started when the captain sent the news that we would not be able to sail anywhere because of the high water in the Premier. By the time Uniworld was aware of the scale of the problem, it was already too late to advise passengers – mostly from the United States and a handful of Australians, all already in Europe – that the ship would have to wait equipped for its duration.
And it was a big problem. The Main River was completely closed, stopping all cruise ships and cargo vessels in their tracks.
The cruise director put on a brave face. No matter, he decided, I would still see all the places on the itinerary but we would get on a coach instead. But no matter – we were expecting a cruise.
Coach trips started early (I wasn’t the only one crying at the 8.30am departure on Christmas Day); by the middle of the week many of us got up as the coach journey got even longer. It was 40 minutes each way to Bamberg on Christmas Day, but Wurzburg, on the third day, was 90 minutes each way. With the coach journey eating into journey time, we had to race around the towns.
On December 27, we received an update. The river was still unnavigable but Uniworld decided to pull some rabbits out of hats. A tour of a bunker below Nuremberg was organized where the Nazis provided priceless art to those who could not face a two-hour coach each way to Wertheim. We jumped on it and it was great, with two brilliant guides.
On the penultimate day, instead of a three-hour coach ride each way to Frankfurt and a city tour, they offered a new trip to Regensburg (a beautiful town in the opposite direction we should have been going) or a short cruise. along the canal to Roth, where we would pick up those who visited Regensburg and send them back to Nuremberg.
Many chose to stay on board and it was great to see new Tasmanian friends who had never been on a cruise excited to get moving, changing locks and learning how they worked.
My only hope is that they give it another try. It wasn’t the holiday we were hoping for but despite all the problems, having spent every Christmas bar (under lock and key) since 2012 on a river ship, I can’t imagine a better place to be .
Want to know if I had a great Christmas? You bet I did.
If you are concerned about water levels affecting your cruise, here are some things to know.
Does high water occur often?
We had a great flood – we saw how bad things were when we visited Wurzburg. Here, Viking and Scenic river ships were also stuck and the lock used by vessels to avoid a weir was completely submerged. However, disruption due to high water is not an unusual occurrence.
In extreme cases, some companies can solve the problem by exchanging passengers between vessels (this is what happened with the Viking), but more often than not water levels usually result in only a few changes to the ports .
For example, on the Rhine cruise in 2012, we were supposed to be in Strasbourg for Christmas day but the river was too high to go under the bridges close to the city so we coached there from Mannheim instead. Our vessel was turning around in Strasbourg anyway so only got in that day.
When is the best time to avoid high water?
It can happen at any time but spring is always a gamble as rivers can be hit by the melting snow in the Alps and the rain. There was a lot of snow in Europe in early December and that, together with heavy rain before Christmas, caused the Main Explosion on its banks.
Is low water an issue too?
Yes, but unlike a flood the situation can change within a few hours. One summer, due to an overnight storm, a trip through the Rhine Gorge that had been impossible only a few hours before due to low water was suddenly back.
Low water is more likely to occur in the summer but has been known to occur at Christmas. Most companies avoid the Elbe River in all of Germany because it regularly runs out of water, whether in summer or winter.
Are any rivers exempt from high water?
Water levels on the Douro in northern Portugal are controlled by five locks so flooding is not an issue. The Rhône and Saône in France are not exempt from high water but they are very rare.
Canals are regulated so the Dutch and Belgian waterways are a safe bet. Most cruises operate there in the spring, when the tulips are in bloom. However there is much more to enjoy than flowers and so some companies, such as Viva Cruises and Avalon Waterways, also sail there in the summer.
CroisiEurope and European Waterways offer barge holidays on canals throughout France and Germany. These vessels are a good bet. Because they are so small, with only 8 to 24 passengers, they can visit other places out of the way.
Can I claim compensation if I don’t send?
River cruise lines will refund money (or offer an alternative trip) if they have to cancel your vacation. In addition, they will offer a refund or compensation if they are unable to provide a “significant percentage” of your holiday or if they have to make a “significant change” to what was booked.
Unfortunately changes resulting from water levels, including being coached everywhere other than cruising, are not considered “significant”.
Uniworld said it makes every effort to keep the itineraries as advertised, but reserves the right to make changes and substitutions as necessary to ensure the safety of guests and vessels.
“Every effort will be made to inform guests prior to boarding of any known changes,” a representative told Telegraph Travel. “Otherwise, all the amendments will be communicated to all the guests. Any changes to itineraries, including the introduction of extensive motorcoach tours to disrupt the delivery of the intended travel operation, will not result in eligibility for a refund.”
Can I claim anything?
Not according to the small print. However, there is no harm in contacting the company if you are not satisfied. The best know that goodwill goes a long way in retaining customers.
