Combining an itinerary which takes passengers right to the heart of some of Europe’s most iconic and historic cities with the top-class service and cuisine which you would expect to find on a cruise ship, river cruises are an ever-popular choice with growing numbers of passengers. However unlike cruise ships, which seldom have to worry about changes in the water levels of our oceans, river cruise vessels and their itineraries can be directly affected by changes in the volume of water in Europe’s rivers.
You’ve only got to think back to the famous news footage in the UK to see how many problems an increase in rainfall can cause. Following record levels of rain, whole towns became flooded and all manner of debris, cars, and even parts of houses were washed away down streets which had been turned into raging rivers. In central Europe, unprecedented and widespread flooding due to record amounts of rainfall in 2013 had a direct impact on many of the river towns visited by river cruise lines, meaning an economic impact on the residents, as well as on the river cruise companies and passengers who had booked to travel.
Extreme weather conditions it seems are now a fact of life for everyone and though admittedly, the recent European floods may have made you think twice about booking a voyage, the river cruise lines have shown that there’s plenty that can be done to ensure that you still enjoy a safe and satisfying river cruise, or at the very worst ensure that you are fully compensated.
As the world’s largest river cruise line, Viking River Cruises operate more vessels and more itineraries than any other line, so more of its cruises can be potentially affected by flooding. Having the largest fleet, however, means that the line is well placed to send other vessels to the rescue; for example, switching ships to cover portions of itineraries. The line also modifies itineraries where necessary, for example following the 2013 flooding, on a Danube and Main itinerary, a Munich tour replaced a visit to Passau, which at the time of the cruise, was still engaging in its clean-up operations.
Avalon Waterways has shown a similar flexibility, altering itineraries wherever possible and combining sailings with hotel stays, so in most cases, passengers are still able to visit all the destinations featured in their itineraries. AMA Waterways and Uniworld operated a policy of transferring passengers between ships to avoid cancellations; while Tauck modified itineraries and offered partial compensation in cases where ports on the itinerary were unable to be visited.
Of course, the welfare of passengers and crew always comes first, so in the worst cases, itineraries which are deemed to unsafe will be cancelled. In such cases, all the river cruise lines offer compensation, by way of refund of the cost of the cruise through the cruiser’s travel agent and in some cases, future cruise credits. River cruise lines are always ahead of the game and monitoring weather conditions, so they are able to warn booked passengers in advance of any potential changes to their itinerary.
By Simon Brotherton
Google
