Low water levels on the Danube and Rhine have plagued river cruising this summer in Europe, where extreme heat and drought conditions have forced operators to alter and cancel itineraries. At least one ship ran aground.
Tauck CEO Jennifer Tombaugh described this summer as the worst season for low water levels since 2018. And lines might have to get used to it as weather becomes more extreme due to climate change, she said during an online panel discussion hosted in late July by Cleveland Research.
"You might see some fluctuations, but that extremity is likely to continue," she said.
While river lines are busy adjusting operations, travel advisors are working overtime addressing client concerns and disrupted trips. Facebook pages dedicated to river cruises are filled with posts inquiring about the water levels or lamenting a waylaid voyage.
"I've been dealing with this day in and day out: Clients traveling now, clients leaving soon, and a lot of people asking me what I think will happen," said Lena Arcedo of Seven Heaven Travel in New York. "The water itself doesn't frustrate me. Nobody can make it rain. It's the uncertainty and the communication that have been the hardest part."
Each river cruise line has handled communication and itinerary disruption differently. Viking, for example, posted a public announcement on its website July 30 addressing the low water levels. AmaWaterways issued a travel advisory on Aug. 3.
Arcedo, who specializes in river cruising, said she was concerned that the industry's reputation could take a hit, even though, as she said, "nobody can make it rain."
Viking, with the largest fleet of ships on Europe's rivers, relies on ship swaps to keep itineraries moving, but it's a strategy that only large lines can use. (It was a Viking vessel that ran aground on the Danube in Bulgaria on July 28; no guests or crew were injured, and passengers were transferred to shore to continue their itinerary, Viking said.)
AmaWaterways makes every effort to alter cruises rather than cancel them outright, COO Jon Burrows said. The company's ships have shallow drafts, which gives the vessels great flexibility on the rivers. But when the water level is too low even for Ama ships, the line will alter the itinerary.
When lines are forced to rely on bus transfers to complete the river cruise, Tauck said it is well positioned: the company also offers land tours and has buses available.
Nevertheless, some travelers are unhappy with how their trips have unfurled: They expected a cruise but are instead doing a land tour. And clients may have no option for a refund, Arcedo said. They also may not find out these things until right before their departure date, leaving them stressed and with few options.
River lines are monitoring water levels around the clock and responding in the moment. That means travelers must adjust expectations and be prepared for a change of plans with little or no advance notice. Arcedo said she worried the experience could turn off first-time river cruisers for good.
"If their first experience involves buses, major itinerary changes and poor communication, they may not think, 'We happened to travel during an exceptionally bad year for water levels,'" she said. "They may just think river cruising isn't for them."
Water levels in some spots are critically low. Reuters on July 20 reported that the Romanian part of the Danube hit 30-year lows; the Associated Press on Aug. 1 reported the Budapest portion dropped to less than a foot.
Beth Schulberg, owner of Cruise and Travel Specialists in Lake Oswego, Ore., described the drought as "a nightmare for travelers, advisors and the river cruise lines."
Some of her clients are game for a last-minute itinerary change and view the shifting schedule as an unexpected adventure, but others aren't too thrilled with the disruptions.
Schulberg has already encouraged clients to reconsider summer river cruises in Europe due to the heat, so she doesn't have as many travelers slated for trips now as she does next month. If the issues linger into September, she'll have a hard month, she said.
Emma Guse, a travel advisor with Travelmation in Columbus, Ind., said it's been a difficult summer, and she is advising clients to set their expectations for their river cruise accordingly.
She isn't discouraging summer travel, she said, but she tells her clients to prepare for a river cruise that may include travel other than cruising.
"It's made for a challenging summer," she said.