Climate change is putting your European river cruise at risk
As Europe bakes in yet another heatwave, falling water levels across the Rhine and Danube rivers have left cruise companies battling to keep their summer sailings afloat.
Weeks of sunshine, blazing temperatures and virtually no rain have reduced the Continent's major rivers to their lowest levels in years, causing major disruption for the many cruise ships plying their waters.
The Danube has been badly hit, especially in Romania, where waters have fallen to levels not seen since 1996, with reports that the river is so shallow in parts that it is possible to wade from one side to the other.
As a result, some river ships have become stranded north of Budapest, and low waters are also causing problems through Austria's Wachau Valley, west of Vienna, with depths reportedly just 1.5m at a time when they would normally be 2m or more.
Boats in the Danube in southern Romania on July 24 - Daniel Mihailescu/AFP or licensors
In Germany, there are similar problems west of the riverside town of Passau, where the current water level of 3.9m is a metre lower than it would normally be at this time of year.
One local tour guide said conditions were significantly worse than normal, with the sort of low water readings that might be expected in late September.
"This type of situation occurs from time to time, but the severity of it is quite unusual as this has been going on for so long already. For this to be happening so early in the season is almost unheard of," he said.
"We had less snowmelt from the Alps during spring due to lower snowfall last winter. That meant water levels were already reduced early in the season and since the heatwave started, we've had virtually no rain."
The Rhine is experiencing similar problems, with two passenger ships recently running aground and reports of others scraping their hulls on the riverbed in shallow waters.
In June, Viking ship Viking Einar had to be refloated after becoming stuck near Cologne, while earlier this month Swiss river cruise vessel Thurgau Gold became stranded on a sandbank at Bonn and had to be towed off.
From river cruise to coach holiday
Similar lows were recorded on both the Danube and the Rhine in 2022 and 2018, but with Europe experiencing hotter, drier summers, these scenarios are likely to become even more frequent.
The growing number of river ships has accentuated the problem. The sector has seen sharp growth over the last decade, with new companies and more vessels sailing European waterways.This means that when low or high waters dominate, the impact is more pronounced.
A stranded boat on the banks of the Danube near Novi Sad, Serbia, on July 19 - Nenad Mihajlovic/AFP or licensors
I have experienced both extremes. Some years ago, high waters scuppered a cruise along the Rhône through Provence as our ship was forced to end its journey in Lyon due to low bridges ahead of us that we stood no chance of squeezing under.
Hastily convened coaches drove us to the towns in Burgundy that we'd been due to sail to, turning our river cruise into more of a coach holiday, albeit with a floating hotel at its heart.
At the other extreme, last week I joined a Danube cruise from Vienna aboard Uniworld's newest ship SS Emilie only to be told, before we'd even set sail, that the itinerary would have to change.
Low waters meant the river had become impassable on some stretches and our ship would be unable to reach Regensburg or Nuremberg, where the cruise had been due to finish.
"We are monitoring water levels every day, but if no rain comes, we cannot sail there," our captain told assembled guests.
The rejigged programme ensured that most original port stops were featured, with Regensburg visited on a day-long coach trip, while Nuremberg was replaced by Linz, from where a full-day Salzburg excursion was offered. For both day tours, Uniworld added a sweetener, with each guest given €30 (£26) to cover lunch.
Passengers were resigned to the news, especially on seeing how low the waters were through the Wachau Valley around the town of Spitz. Having sailed this stretch on previous occasions, I've never before seen the stony sections of riverbed so exposed.
Low water levels in the Wachau Valley in Austria have left sections of stony river bed exposed
The changes to our itinerary were relatively minor compared with the disruption that cruise passengers can face, from lengthy coach journeys to swapping ships. A handful of passengers on my cruise had endured a 10-hour coach trip the previous week after they were unable to join their ship in Belgrade to sail through Eastern Europe.
As the largest river cruise operator with a fleet of around 80 vessels on European waterways, Viking feels the full impact of such problems, but a spokesman pointed out that it strategically deploys ships on the same itineraries in opposite directions.
"When required, Viking may implement a ship swap, allowing guests and their luggage to transfer to their exact same stateroom on an identical sister ship positioned on the other side of the affected section of river," she explained.
An uncertain future
There are fears that if global warming increasingly affects conditions across Europe, water level volatility could make such disruption more common. While specific points along the Rhine and Danube are well documented, it could also affect sailings along the Elbe, which is already known for low water levels.
A CNN report quoted Hannah Cloke, Regius professor of meteorology and climate science at Reading University, who described this summer's conditions as the "fingerprint of a changing climate".
"Summers like this are becoming part of the ordinary range and they will keep getting worse for as long as we burn fossil fuels," she said.
So where does this leave passengers? River cruise companies reserve the right to change itineraries where necessary, though where this involves considerable disruption, customers may be compensated or receive a cruise credit to use on future bookings.
If customers decide not to travel, they are not entitled to a refund, though if the cruise line cancels the sailing, clients will get their money back or are given the option to rebook.
In situations like this, where going with the flow (or not) can take on a different meaning, travellers would be well advised to study the small print of the cruise lines they book with, and be prepared.
