are european river cruises affected by drought

Will the drought in Europe affect your river cruise vacation?

Experts are saying that the current drought in Europe could be the worst in 500 years, with water levels dropping, especially along the Rhine River. If have a river cruise planned for the end of the summer or the fall, should you be concerned?

Not at all, according to Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways — as long as you're willing to be a little bit flexible.

Here's what you need to know about water levels on Europe rivers and what to expect if you're booked on a river cruise or considering booking one.

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Cargo ships have it worse because of draft

The dire news you're reading about low water levels in Europe now, especially along the Rhine River, mostly concerns the cargo shipping industry in Europe.

"The Rhine River is the main artery for German and Swiss transportation and also French," said Schreiner. If water levels are low, cargo ships cannot carry their normal loads of freight.

That's because the weight of the cargo such vessels carry affects their draft (the distance between the ship's bottom and the water line). A weighted-down ship sinks lower in the water and therefore needs more distance from the water line to the river bottom to sail safely without scraping the riverbed.

If ships have to lighten their loads to cross shallow water, fewer goods can be transported at once. Companies will need more ships to carry the same amount of cargo, increasing transportation costs — all of which have a negative impact on the European economy.

Schreiner says that the last time Europe experienced extremely low water levels, in 2018, the economic impact was around 5.4 million euros ($5.4 million). You can see why people are worried.

However, the same problems do not affect river cruise ships.

"Our ships have a very low draft…about five feet," he explained. "We also carry about 500 tons of water, that is ballast and fresh water for the guests."

In the case of low water, the crew can dump the ballast water and reduce the freshwater to 60 tons (two days' worth), and just refill as needed. The low draft and the adjustability of the ballast allow the ships to navigate through sections of the river where the water levels are not very deep.

Low water is only a problem at critical junctions, not along the entire river

Another point that travelers should understand is that when the news reports low water levels, it's not that an entire river has dried up and is impassable.

"There are critical points, like the one on the Rhine River, right in the Rhine Gorge," Schreiner explained. "There is rock on the bottom; there's also this little house in the middle of the river. The area is protected and that's where you have the low water issues. You could tear down the house and build a dam there, but that is not what is going to happen."

Where the European rivers have locks and dams to control water levels, ships can still sail problem-free. Another section of river that can be negatively affected by low water levels is the Danube, past the last lock in Slovakia heading downriver toward Hungary. If water levels fall, riverboats can have trouble sailing all the way to Budapest.

Because these problem spots are well known, river cruise lines can find ways to mitigate the issues with savvy itinerary planning.

Related: Best river cruises in Europe

River cruise lines plan itineraries with water levels in mind

The river cruise lines will tell you that low water levels are rare, and that few sailings are altered due to water levels – but the truth is the risk is always present. Any time there's a heat wave in Europe, especially if coupled with lighter-than-average spring snow melt or rainfall, you can end up with low water in certain parts of Europe.

The cruise lines plan their itineraries to mitigate this risk.

One thing Amawaterways and many other river lines do is run two ships simultaneously on the same one-way itinerary, with one ship starting at one end and the other on the opposite end.

Schreiner gives an example of two identical sister ships, AmaLucia and AmaSiena, that both sail the Rhine.

"We have one ship starting in Amsterdam and one ship starting in Basel…If they cannot pass Kaub [the critically low water point on the Rhine], then [the passengers] all disembark on either side," he explained. "They disembark in the morning, they go on the shore excursion, and they come back on the other side on the sister ship. In the same cabin. Their luggage has been moved over automatically so by the time they arrive on the ship they have their luggage, and then they sail on the other ship back to the destination."

Other than the hassle of packing up in the middle of the cruise, travelers still get the full Rhine experience they paid for.

If the water issues are closer to the beginning or end of an itinerary, cruisers may have to spend a few days in hotels or bussing to destinations rather than sailing there. In some cases, an itinerary may be adjusted with certain destinations dropped and new ones added. Only in very rare circumstances are the sailings canceled outright.

"We will not cancel any cruises," said Shreiner. Instead, in the most extreme cases, AmaWaterways will create a new itinerary.

Not every river cruise line takes the same stance.

"We've canceled one cruise on the Danube and have made a few mostly minor alterations to a small handful of cruises on the Rhine," a Tauck spokesman told TPG when asked about this year's cruises. "Like other river cruise lines, we've dealt successfully with low-water situations in the past, and we have a variety of strategies that we can deploy as necessary. Unlike other river cruise lines, however, we're very fortunate that we also operate numerous land tours throughout the region, so we have a fantastic network of local supplier-partners that we can leverage as necessary should alternate arrangements become necessary."

The situation changes day by day

Water levels are unpredictable and can vary day by day, depending on what the weather brings.

"We've been cruising since March with no issues" until August, said Schreiner. "We have a very good rain forecast for this Thursday/Friday, and fairly heavy rains coming, so [the situation] might change."

However, as everyone knows, predicting the weather is not an exact science. This is why most lines are not offering flexible cancellation policies or waiving penalties for canceling a river cruise because they're worried their itinerary will get disrupted due to low water levels.

"If you want to cancel a cruise right now in October because of low water, I will tell you, 'Sorry, we don't know if there's low water in October,'" said Schreiner. "You don't know a week or 10 days in advance what will happen with the water levels. They can go up, they can go down, rain can come in."

Ships might be able to pass through a tricky spot, like Kaub, today but not tomorrow, or can't this week but can next week. Some years, low water levels caused disruptions as early as June and some years as late as October. Just as with ocean sailings, there's always a risk that weather and river/sea conditions can impact that itinerary, and cruisers must accept that itineraries cannot be set in stone.

If you book a river cruise, you acknowledge that you might not get the exact itinerary you signed up for.

Related: Booking your first river cruise? Here's what you need to know.

You will be reimbursed

Most river cruise lines do not allow guests to cancel pre-cruise without penalty except for in the most extreme circumstances. However, you won't be entirely out of luck if your itinerary changes once you arrive at your ship.

For every day that is altered, AmaWaterways guests will get 50% of the daily rate they paid as a future cruise credit. If the whole itinerary is changed, you'll get to sail the new itinerary and receive a 100% future cruise credit to book another cruise. Tauck says it deals with compensation on a case-by-case basis.

Should your cruise be canceled, the cruise line will also offer compensation. "While we may have to make changes to some of our itineraries and have had to cancel a few voyages, impacted guests and travel partners have and will receive transparent updates and the opportunity to re-book onto another sailing," shared Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld, in an email to TPG.

This is not the end of river cruising

A recent CNN article proclaimed that summer droughts like the current one, plus global warming, could signal a death knell for river cruises in the near future. Schreiner does not hold with that assertion because river cruise lines simply adjust their schedules year after year for optimal weather conditions.

"Look at the Mekong — you don't cruise in May, June, July and August because it's too hot. You don't cruise in Egypt in June/July because it's too hot. In Europe, we don't cruise in January, February and into early March because it's too cold," he explained. "Maybe 10 years from now we cruise the Danube and Rhine in January/February/March and we stop in the summertime because August is too hot and there are low water areas."

"We don't know what the future will bring," he continued. "But it's clear that river cruising is not going away anytime soon."

Bottom line

This year's summer drought in Europe could affect your upcoming river cruise, but it's highly unlikely your cruise will be canceled outright.

At best, you'll do a ship swap mid-cruise, a slight inconvenience that will allow you to follow your planned itinerary. Or, you might have a few port stops changed out for new ones, or spend more time than you prefer in busses or hotels, possibly with shorter visits to destinations that now require longer bus rides.

You will, however, still get a vacation in Europe, even if it's not the one you expected.

Schreiner's advice is simple: Just go. "You will be cruising, you will be enjoying," he said. "You might see some cities you might not have expected to see and you might miss some you wanted to see. In the end, you will have a fantastic vacation and you will get a future cruise credit according to what you miss."

He added: "It's better than canceling and sitting at home and not doing anything."

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Europe's Drought Will Happen Again: Here's How River Cruises Are Preparing

Adaptability is the name of the game

You've likely heard the news: extreme drought in Europe this summer has drained rivers, and the low water levels have been causing some river cruises to alter their itineraries. Sometimes, passengers rode buses between specific ports of call rather than sail the river on the ships.

While such disruptions are a significant frustration for travelers, they are, unfortunately, a fact of life for river cruising. Ship traffic, including cargo traffic, is continually impacted by rivers' water levels. And while droughts like this one come and go, there is an overall trend toward droughts becoming more common—and more severe—as time goes on. Fortunately, river cruise lines are doing everything possible to prepare for ever-changing weather conditions.

"During the summer, droughts are common in Europe and many other places. Recent significant droughts in Europe occurred in 2003, 2015, 2018, and 2019," said Stephen Bennett, chief climate officer of climate impact consultancy Demex . He also serves as the American Meteorological Society's Financial Weather and Climate Risk Management Committee chairman.

But Bennett notes that this drought was particularly severe because it was so widespread. "According to the European Drought Observatory, 64 percent of the E.U. territory is under drought conditions," he said. "This is qualified as a one in 500-year drought, which means that it is so severe that it has only a 0.2 percent chance of happening in any given year. Scientists in France have declared this the worst drought since records began in 1958."

This is certainly not the last time Europe will face such conditions. "The frequency of droughts has substantially increased over the last half-century, and there are strong links between these droughts and climate change. Climate change is making droughts more frequent, severe, and pervasive," said Marty Bell, chief science officer at WeatherFlow , which provides weather data and AI-driven modeling for consumers and businesses.

To make matters worse, it's not just droughts that affect river cruises—the opposite conditions can impact them, too. "On the flip side, if there is heavy spring rain or unusually high temperatures that cause a drastic snowmelt—many rivers originate high in the mountains—or if there is torrential rain for a prolonged period of time at any time of year, the rivers may swell or flood, which could also cause problems by preventing ships from passing under the bridges," said Ming Tappin, a freelance cruise writer and founder of Your Cruise Coach .

Because river cruising is so dependent on water levels, whether in drought or flood conditions, cruise lines have come up with solutions to minimize interruptions. "River cruise lines always have multiple ships sailing on the same river from opposite directions. So in the event that a part of the river becomes impassable, a 'ship swap' is performed," added Tappin. In that case, both ships approach the troublesome point on the river, and the passengers transfer from one vessel to the other. Then the ships return to their point of origin, so the passengers get to sail the complete itinerary.

River cruise ships are also specifically designed to have shallow drafts, which means their keels, or the lowest points of the vessel, are not that far beneath the water's surface. That allows the ships to sail in shallow rivers. Some ships can adjust their ballast, making their drafts even shallower.

There are, of course, times when rivers become entirely impassable. "In extreme circumstances where the water levels prevent ships from sailing, and a ship swap is not possible, the river cruise will become a land-based holiday," said Tappin. "Guests will continue their tour on motorcoaches and stay in hotels along the way. Everything that would have been included on the river ship—meals, tours—would still be included on the land trip."

So, what if you're a passenger on an affected river cruise sailing? Are you entitled to a refund? "In all cruise contracts, it is written that the cruise line has a right to alter itineraries if necessary," said Nancy Yale, a travel advisor with Cruise and World Travel , a Virtuoso Agency. There's an argument to be made here for purchasing cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) travel insurance, which would get you your money back if you decide to back out of the trip before departure. (Bennet's company Demex has even started offering extreme weather insurance , though it's primarily for homeowners and business owners.)

But despite what's in the fine print, river cruise passengers are not necessarily out of luck for some form of compensation from the cruise lines. "I have seen them offer their guests a pro-rated refund or a credit towards booking a future cruise," said Tappin. "Some cruise lines may even offer a full refund of their current cruise in addition to a booking incentive for a future cruise."

If your trip is affected by water levels, remember that it's out of your cruise line's control—no one wants to change the itinerary. Your best bet is to take the trip in stride, as you'll likely still be visiting the same ports advertised when you booked the sailing. "They make every effort to fulfill the itinerary either by land or river," said Yale.

The New York Times. " Low Water Levels Disrupt European River Cruises, A Favorite of U.S. Tourists. " August 29, 2022.

Global Drought Observatory. " Drought in Europe ." August 2022, Page 1.

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Seriously Low Water Levels Are Disrupting European River Cruises

As rivers dry up during one of the worst droughts in recent european history, river cruise passengers should be prepared for last-minute itinerary changes..

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Europe is in the midst of one of its worst droughts in recent history—how will that affect summer cruising?

Photo by Shutterstock/Travelpixs

Earlier this month, I sailed on my first-ever river cruise along the Rhine, with an itinerary that had stops in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland. I was looking forward to exploring the many museums of Amsterdam and wandering through the vineyard villages of Alsace. But as we embarked on our journey in the Netherlands one thing became a constant during the cruise: a thick white waterline along the embankment that followed the river all the way from Germany to Switzerland. It served as a grim reminder of where the water once was, and where it is now—depressingly low.

To ensure that we could continue without running aground, our ship sailed along slowly and carefully, since parts of the Rhine are notoriously challenging to navigate because of treacherous hidden rocks, especially with so little water. While I was still able to do and see the things I had hoped to along the way, ultimately, the entire cruise itinerary ended up being affected, and we had much less time than usual in ports due to the slower pace. My Rhine River sailing with AmaWaterways was one among many river cruises this summer feeling the effects of climate change that have led to extreme drought conditions and shockingly low water levels this summer in Europe.

Across the continent, a historic heat wave and an increasingly unstable Gulf stream —which usually brings wet weather and rain to Europe—have meant that many inland waterways have effectively been drying up, affecting both cruising and trade vessels. Serbian, Romanian, and Bulgarian authorities overseeing the Danube, one of the largest and most important cruising arteries in Europe, have already started conducting emergency dredging (the removal of sediments and debris) of that river to keep vessels moving. Italy’s longest river, the Po, is also struggling and has completely disappeared in some areas as northern Italy experiences one of the worst dry spells it’s seen in 70 years.

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is famous for its scenic vineyard views and villages. It’s also known for being treacherous to navigate.

Photo by Shutterstock/Kanuman

The Rhine, which regularly sees cargo ships carrying wheat, petrol, steel, and coal traveling up and down the river, has also been seriously affected, with water levels dipping below 16 inches in some key navigational areas. Experts warn that the river could reach critically low levels that might affect trade and cruising in mere days, potentially halting it completely. And the European Commission’s Joint Research Center warned this week that drought conditions will worsen over the coming days. During normal weather conditions on the Rhine, about 2,100 gallons of water flow through any one point per second—the flow rate is now down to zero gallons in some places, according to the Associated Press .

Though European river cruising remains in full swing this season, passengers with upcoming sailings should be prepared for possible last-minute changes to itineraries and bookings—as well as cancellations if the situation continues to worsen and ships simply cannot sail for a time—since ships rely on real-time river conditions. During times of drought, being bused between ports in trouble spots is not uncommon, nor is doing what is referred to as a “ship swap,” when passengers on two separate vessels that cannot sail any further due to low water levels will disembark, get bused to another ship, and swap ships owned by the same river cruise line so that they can continue with their itinerary.

During my trip, passengers aboard the new AmaLucia still had a wonderful time and we managed to hit all the stops on our itinerary, but at a slower pace. However, be prepared for shorter excursion times and potential ship swaps. Since low water levels are a greater concern during late summer, consider booking a cruise in the spring or early summer months to be safe.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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The drought across Europe is drying up rivers, killing fish and shriveling crops

The Associated Press

A view of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Darko Vojinovic/AP hide caption

A view of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.

LUX, France — Once, a river ran through it. Now, white dust and thousands of dead fish cover the wide trench that winds amid rows of trees in France's Burgundy region in what was the Tille River in the village of Lux.

From dry and cracked reservoirs in Spain to falling water levels on major arteries like the Danube, the Rhine and the Po, an unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent. It is damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions, causing wildfires and threatening aquatic species.

There has been no significant rainfall for almost two months in Western, Central and Southern Europe. And the dry period is expected to continue in what experts say could be the worst drought in 500 years.

The European heat wave is spreading northward, fueling wildfire and drought dangers

Climate change is exacerbating conditions as hotter temperatures speed up evaporation, thirsty plants take in more moisture and reduced snowfall in the winter limits supplies of fresh water available for irrigation in the summer. Europe isn't alone in the crisis, with drought conditions also reported in East Africa, the western United States and northern Mexico.

As he walked in the 15-meter-wide (50-foot-wide) riverbed in Lux, Jean-Philippe Couasné, chief technician at the local Federation for Fishing and Protection of the Aquatic Environment, listed the species of fish that had died in the Tille.

"It's heartbreaking," he said. "On average, about 8,000 liters (about 2,100 gallons) per second are flowing. ... And now, zero liters."

In some areas upstream, some of the trout and other freshwater species are able take shelter in pools via fish ladders. But such systems aren't available everywhere.

Without rain, the river "will continue to empty. And yes, all fish will die. ... They are trapped upstream and downstream, there's no water coming in, so the oxygen level will keep decreasing as the (water) volume will go down," Couasné said. "These are species that will gradually disappear."

Jean-Pierre Sonvico, the regional head of the federation, said diverting the fish to other rivers won't help because those waterways also are affected, which will lead to overcrowding and more deaths.

"Yes, it's dramatic because what can we do? Nothing," he said. "We're waiting, hoping for storms with rain, but storms are very local so we can't count on it."

Farmer, Baptiste Colson, holds a clump of dried earth and grass as he stands in a sun-dried field in Moloy, France Wednesday Aug. 10, 2022. Nicholas Garriga/AP hide caption

Farmer, Baptiste Colson, holds a clump of dried earth and grass as he stands in a sun-dried field in Moloy, France Wednesday Aug. 10, 2022.

The European Commission's Joint Research Center warned this week that drought conditions will get worse and potentially affect 47% of the continent.

Andrea Toreti, a senior researcher at the European Drought Observatory, said a drought in 2018 was so extreme that there were no similar events for the last 500 years, "but this year, I think, it is really worse."

For the next three months, "we see still a very high risk of dry conditions over Western and Central Europe, as well as the U.K.," Toreti said.

The current situation is the result of long periods of dry weather caused by changes in world weather systems, said meteorologist Peter Hoffmann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research near Berlin.

"It's just that in summer we feel it the most," he said. "But actually the drought builds up across the year."

Climate change has lessened the temperature differences between regions, sapping the forces that drive the jet stream, which normally brings wet Atlantic weather to Europe, he said.

Climate change is killing people, but there's still time to reverse the damage

A weaker or unstable jet stream can result in unusually hot air coming to Europe from North Africa, leading to prolonged periods of heat. The reverse is also true, when a polar vortex of cold air from the Arctic can cause freezing conditions far south of where it would normally reach.

Hoffmann said observations in recent years have all been at the upper end of what the existing climate models predicted.

The drought has caused some European countries to impose restrictions on water usage, and shipping is endangered on the Rhine and the Danube.

The Rhine could reach critical low levels in the coming days, making the transport of goods — including coal and gasoline — increasingly difficult. On the Danube, authorities in Serbia have started dredging sand to deepen the waterway and keep vessels moving smoothly.

In neighboring Hungary, wide parts of popular Lake Velence near Budapest, have turned into patches of dried mud, beaching small boats. Aeration and water circulation equipment have been installed to protect wildlife, but water quality has deteriorated to the point that a ban on swimming was imposed at one beach on weekends.

Stretches of the Po, Italy's longest river, are so low that barges and boats that sank decades ago are resurfacing.

The drought also has affected southern England, which received only 10% of its average rainfall in July. Firefighters are battling an unprecedented number of grass fires and people in several areas have been banned from watering their lawns.

A goose looks for water in the dried bed of Lake Velence in Velence, Hungary, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Anna Szilagyi/AP hide caption

A goose looks for water in the dried bed of Lake Velence in Velence, Hungary, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022.

The Rivers Trust charity said England's chalk streams — which allow underground springs to bubble up through the spongy layer of rock — are drying up, endangering aquatic wildlife like kingfishers and trout.

Even in countries like Spain and Portugal, which are used to long periods without rain, there have been major consequences. In the Spanish region of Andalucia, some avocado farmers have had to sacrifice hundreds of trees to save others from wilting as the Vinuela reservoir in Malaga province dropped to only 13% of capacity, down 55% from a year ago.

Some European farmers are using water from the tap for their livestock in areas where ponds and streams have gone dry, using up to 100 litres (26 gallons) a day per cow.

In normally green Burgundy, home to the source of Paris' Seine River, the grass has turned yellow-brown and tractors churn up giant clouds of dust.

Baptiste Colson, who owns dairy cows and grows feed crops in the village of Moloy, said his animals are suffering in the drought, with the quality and quantity of the milk decreasing.

The 31-year-old head of the local Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers) union said he has been forced to dip into his winter supply of fodder in August.

"That is the biggest concern," Colson said.

EU corn production is expected to be 12.5 million tons below last year and sunflower production is projected to be 1.6 million tons lower, according to a report from S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Colson expects at least a 30% drop in corn yield, a major problem for feeding his cows.

"We know we'll have to buy food ... so the cows can continue producing milk," he said. "From an economic point of view, the cost will be high."

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Europe's drought could signal the death of river cruising

Drama on the Rhine

A booming business - for now

No river unscathed

'If it's like this next year, I'll retire'

Dried-up lakes

From drought to flash floods.

An uncertain future

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Here’s what river cruise lines are saying about Europe’s record-breaking drought

Post date: Sep 1 2022

Date: Sep 1 2022

By: Cindy Sosroutomo

TORONTO — It’s hard to believe that the global travel industry could be hit with back-to-back crises, but here we are – at the tail end of a global pandemic that saw widespread travel restrictions and border closures for over two years, and now in the midst of a record-breaking drought in Europe, which is wreaking havoc with the very same rivers that river cruise lines sail on.

According to the EU’s European Drought Observatory, approximately 63% of the land across the EU and the UK had either drought warnings or alerts in early August, up from 46% in July. Water levels along parts of the Rhine and Danube rivers, both extremely popular among river cruisers, were among the worst hit. And even worse news? Climate experts are predicting that droughts will be a regular occurrence in the coming years due to the worsening fallout from climate change.

So how are river cruise lines responding to the current drought, and which itineraries have been impacted? We check in with several companies to assess the situation.

AMAWATERWAYS

Rudi Schreiner, Co-Founder and President of AmaWaterways, which boasts a 25-ship fleet and sails on 10 rivers in Europe, tells Travelweek that all of its ships are once again sailing their original planned itineraries following recent rain on the Rhine and Danube rivers.

“We are seeing water levels begin to return to normal,” says Schreiner. “With 20 years of river cruise experience, we have successfully managed low water scenarios as an ongoing part of our business. From the decision on which rivers to sail and selection of ports of call, to the design of our ships and creation of our ship itineraries, these are all factors that come into play as we introduce new experiences and make adjustments to our existing offerings.”

AmaSonata on the Danube in Budapest (photo credit AmaWaterways)

Schreiner also notes that AmaWaterways’ ships have been designed with “some of the lowest drafts in the industry,” which allow the company to sail through lower waters than other cruise lines, and that itineraries have been constructed to either avoid certain critical points or facilitate ship swaps between sister ships on either side of these points. To raise its ships in the water, AmaWaterways’ captains are authorized to empty the ballast and fresh tanks “if those extra few inches will get us through safely.”

In the event that the situation changes and itineraries are affected by future droughts, Schreiner says that the company is always well prepared with alternative plans, should local authorities temporarily curtail river traffic on any portions of the Rhine or Danube rivers. These plans may include alternative docking locations, modified shore excursions and ship swaps, if necessary.

“During the cruise, guests are kept advised by the Captain and Cruise Manager of any last-minute modifications. If modifications to the cruise have been major and warrant a Future Cruise Credit, we follow up with written communication to travel advisors and their guests within 45 days of their return,” he says. “While modifications due to low water are completely outside of our control, if a guest’s river cruise has been subject to major modifications due to low water, we offer Future Cruise Credits in line with the extent of those modifications.”

Viking, which sails on eight rivers in Europe and offers 26 different European itineraries, is currently sailing the vast majority of its river itineraries without interruptions. However, a Viking spokesperson tells Travelweek that water levels on the lower Danube, near Bulgaria, remain unusually low, and as such, select itineraries will be affected to varying degrees.

Guests and their travel advisors will continue to be notified directly by Viking Customer Relations should the company think their itinerary may be impacted.

The spokesperson notes that Viking has two key advantages with regard to handling water level disruptions.

Viking Longship on the Rhine (photo credit Viking)

“First, we own and operate our ships. We have a Switzerland-based nautical team and a network of local partner and authorities that are focused on monitoring and adapting to current water levels so that our guests experience the least possible disruption,” they say.

“Second, we strategically launch sister ships on the same itinerary, but sailing in opposite directions. In the event of low (or high) water, this tactic allows us to implement a ship swap that is typically seamless for guests. Both they and their luggage are able to be transferred to their exact, identical stateroom on a sister ship that was purposefully sailing on the other half of the river in preparation for such a disruption.”

Their statement continues: “These advantages allow us to minimize the impact that water levels can have on an itinerary, which means our guests are better able to focus on enjoying themselves and having a great journey, rather than worrying about potential changes or cancellations.”

To read the full article, including responses from Uniworld and Avalon Waterways, check out the Sept. 1 edition of Travelweek here .

Got a story idea? Reach out to Deputy Editor Cindy Sosroutomo at [email protected] .

Tags: AmaWaterways, Lead Story, Viking

Cindy is Deputy Editor at Travelweek and has worked for the company since 2007. She has travelled to more than 50 countries and counts Kenya, Morocco, Thailand and Turkey among her favourite destinations.

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European Cruise River Levels Are Falling To Critical Levels

Story Update (September 5, 2022)

Viking river cruises have posted an advisory from Danube River cruises that ship swapping may occur.  I explain ship swapping in the section: What Happens If Your Cruise Is Affected By Water Level?

The original story starts here:

The climate in Europe is changing and not for the better.  Europe is now seeing the same kind of climate change conditions that are affecting the Western United States.  These conditions include:

• Record high temperatures,
• Record low precipitation,
• Falling river levels and
• Numerous forest fires.

Lately, Europe has seen temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).  As a result, river levels are falling to critical levels.  One of the most popular rivers, the Rhine has river levels falling fast.

The Ups And Downs Of River Levels

Unlike ocean cruising, river cruising has a lot of fluctuations in water levels.  These levels can swing widely both up and down.  The problem with river cruises is that they are affected by both high and low water levels.  There are no uniform river flows and water levels are unpredictable.

If the region has had an excess of rain, raising the river greatly, the river ship may have problems clearing bridges and other obstacles.  If the level is too low, the vessel may run aground or need an alternative docking arrangement.  

A river level that is too high or too low can affect an otherwise great cruising experience.  

Europe has many rivers where cruise lines operate.  The two most popular are the Rhine and the Danube.  

The Telling Signs Of Falling River Levels

The first example of river distress is the Po River in Northern Italy.  This river begins in the Alps near the Italy-French border and is fed by snowmelt.  The Po River flows 400 miles across the top of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea.  Italy is in the worst drought in over 70 years.  In June, there were places along the Po that completely dried up.  At the other end of the Po, ocean water has flooded the last 12 miles of the river damaging crops and contaminating drinking water.  

The next indicator of river flow problems is the Thames River in England.  The first five miles of headwaters have completely dried up.  The drought category in England has reached the most severe designation of “severe drought”.

How Riverboats Are Made

I was sailing aboard the Avalon Vista two months ago on a cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland along the Rhine River.  The first thing that I noticed when I boarded is that all river ships are built to similar dimensions.  It is the standard architecture that gives the river boat some leeway with rising and falling river levels.  

The typical characteristics of river boats regardless of cruise line are about the same.  The key dimensions of the Avalon Vista are:

• Length of 430 feet,
• Beam (width) of 40 feet,
• Draft (depth) of 6 1/2 feet and
• Maximum capacities of 164 passengers and 47 crew.

Navigating The Changing River Levels

River boats are built in such a way that for bridge clearance, the mast, pilot house, and sun shades can be lowered.  On the other end, river boats are built with a shallow draft of about six feet deep to avoid hitting the river bottom.   In times of high water, river boats can reduce their height by:

• Lowering the mast,
• Lowering  the pilot house and
• Disassembling the shades on the sun deck.

Another aspect of river cruising is how much water does the ship draft?  The draft is the amount of vessel that is below the water line.  River boats are unique because they can float in just five to six feet of water.  Ocean cruise ships usually have at least 25 feet or more or more of draft which would preclude them from river cruising.  

The Rhine vs The Danube

These two rivers are the most popular routes in European river cruising.  The Rhine River is more sensitive in terms of river flow because it lacks the dams that are on the Danube River.  For that reason, the Rhine River is feeling greater effects of river flow and sooner than compared with the Danube.  The Rhine River in general is not that deep.  I asked the captain how deep the ship would be if it sank.  It turns out that for the most part, if the ship sank, we would be high and dry standing on the sun deck.

When Should You Go On A River Cruise?

This was a question that I asked myself before booking my Rhine River cruise.  I took into account the following factors and then made an educated guess:

• Avoiding high river flows,
• Avoiding low river flows and
• Expected weather conditions during the cruise.

Taking all of these factors into account, we booked for mid-June.  It turns out that during the second half of the cruise, we were in a heat wave, experiencing very hot temperatures.

What Happens If Your Cruise Is Affected By Water Level?

River cruise lines do have contingency plans for dealing with river flow problems.  They may run multiple ships back-to-back where you would transfer to another ship where the river is having navigational issues.   Since the ships are nearly identical, if you do transfer to another ship, you should be in a similar stateroom as the original ship.    This is known as ship swapping.

 The other typical plan is to put the passengers on buses to get around the affected areas.  This may involve the cruise line putting you up in one or more hotels and paying for restaurant meals.

What Should You Do?

If you are booked on a river cruise for later this year, do not make any snap decisions .  If you voluntarily cancel your cruise you may only get a partial or no refund depending on how close to departure you cancel your cruise.  Another factor that should be considered is trip insurance.  Having trip insurance may pay you in full depending on your coverage.  

Check with your cruise line on current cruising conditions and what you can expect from them.  Here is a message that appears on the Viking River Cruise webpage:

The cruise line may elect to cancel your cruise.  In this case, you will receive a full refund of your cruise fare.  My experience with Viking River Cruises is that if they cancel, they will either refund your money or give you a voucher in excess of the cruise value for you to rebook.  When Viking River Cruises canceled my cruise in 2021 for Covid, they gave me a cruise voucher for 125% and some optional packages as an incentive to rebook.

If you are concerned about the water level on your upcoming river cruise, do your due diligence before you take any action .  

Final Thoughts

Global warming is indeed having an effect on European rivers.  Europe is experiencing unprecedented drought and heat conditions.  The river flows are falling so if you are booked for a cruise this year, check with your cruise line and obtain their current assessment of operating conditions.  River flows are never static and are subject to fluctuations that are unpredictable.  Do your homework and always make informed decisions.

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About Steve Case

Steve is a life-long avgeek and a points and miles player. The photo is from my first premium, international award flight in 2012. That is all it took, I was hooked. I used my airline mile and hotel points to travel well and cheap. I am truly an "out-of-the-box" traveler which has enriched my travel experiences.

Tourist boats marooned, farm land parched as drought lowers Europe's rivers

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European River Cruises Hit a New Obstacle: Not Enough Water

Months of drought have left water levels on Germany’s Rhine, and rivers like the Danube and the Rhone, river at record lows, making passage difficult for some cruise ships.

By Tariro Mzezewa

A week into a two-week river cruise along the Danube River in August, Erin Needham, her husband, Scott, and her mother-in-law, Linda, found themselves in an odd position: their trip, Ms. Needham’s first to Europe, was being cut short because the water was too shallow for the ship to go on.

Stuck in Vilshofen, Germany, and unable to make it to Passau, the next stop on the itinerary, Ms. Needham was disappointed, but her cruise company, Riviera Cruises, had warned guests that this could happen, so she felt she couldn’t be upset.

After a few days in Vilshofen some passengers opted to take a bus tour planned by Riviera while others decided to get on their flights home a week early. Ms. Needham and her family chose to continue their cruise on another ship, also run by Riviera, along the Rhine river.

“They transferred us to another cruise today with a fancier room AND we get to go to France! Now we are at the Chocolate Museum and our ship is docked in the background. Things are turning around,” Ms. Needham tweeted . (Ms. Needham later told The Times that she couldn’t have been more impressed with how the company handled the situation.)

Ms. Needham’s experience isn’t unique. For the thousands of people who have taken part in river cruises down the Danube, the Rhine, the Rhone and the Elbe this year, low waters have caused challenges and disruptions to travel.

“Sometimes it’s tough to decide if we should cancel before a trip starts,” said Jana Tvedt the vice president of Riviera Travel USA. “You think it’s going to work one way and then two days later it’s totally different.”

In previous years, captains on river cruises navigated through high waters caused by heavy rain and melted snow, but rarely through such low waters. The shallow waters are the result of a hot, dry summer across Europe that has left parts of the Rhine at record-low levels for months.

The unpredictable nature of the weather, especially the inability to know when it will rain next, has left cruise goers irate and unsure of whether to go on their trips.

“We got an email three days before we were supposed to leave, with the option to cancel for a full refund,” said Carol Milosch. (Ms. Milosch and her two companions had paid a total of $6,500 for their cruise.)

After a few hours of debating, Ms. Milosch, who lives in Asheville, N.C., chose to go on the October trip on Avalon Waterways because she had been planning it since December. Three days of the eight-day trip were spent touring the countryside by bus instead of cruising the Rhine.

“We still saw a lot and Avalon was good to us, but it just wasn’t the trip I spent nearly a year imagining,” Ms. Milosch said.

It’s not just passengers who have had to adjust to the drought and planning challenges.

Cruise companies including Riviera, which Ms. Needham’s family sailed with, and Avalon, which Ms. Milosch’s family used, have had to think of ways to keep trips intact, despite the low waters.

“We’ve had to find creative solutions,” said Rudi Schreiner, president and co-owner of AmaWaterways. “We don’t know a week ahead if the water will hit critical levels, but people book their trips sometimes a year ahead and we want to provide them with the best possible vacation.”

If the water is too low in certain areas, Mr. Schreiner’s company tries to make it up. For each day that the cruise deviates from the planned itinerary, passengers receive a 15 percent discount off a future trip. And if the trip cannot go forward on the river, bus tours are provided. Similar deals are provided by other companies.

“We still want you to have a good time, but maybe that’s in a slightly different area than planned,” Mr. Schreiner said.

Typically, if a cruise is canceled or moved to land, a full refund — including airfare, if booked as part of the package — is offered. Travelers who book their own airfare separately will not be guaranteed a refund for that part of their trip unless they bought travel insurance or a refundable ticket.

In addition to moving passengers to buses for land tours, many companies move their passengers from one ship to another at the point where the water is low. Ship swapping — stopping one ship just before it reaches a point too low to navigate, and moving passengers to another ship in a part of the river with navigable waters — has become a common way of managing the low waters along the Danube, Rhine and Elbe, in particular.

And as the off-season approaches, some companies are planning to dedicate more time than in previous years to figuring out how to prepare for next summer.

“We made the right decisions this year, but we’ll be meeting to figure out how to improve our processes,” said Pam Hoffee, the managing director of Avalon Waterways. “If this happens again next year, we want to communicate with our guests faster and help them as quickly as possible.”

Follow NY Times Travel on Twitter , Instagram and Facebook . Get weekly updates from our Travel Dispatch newsletter, with tips on traveling smarter, destination coverage and photos from all over the world.

Tariro Mzezewa writes about culture, style and human rights. More about Tariro Mzezewa

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European drought dries up rivers, kills fish, shrivels crops

FILE - A dead fish skeleton laying on the cracking earth of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Water shortages reduced Serbia’s hydropower production. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

FILE - Boats lay on the dried lake bed in a port in Velence, Hungary, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Anna Szilagyi, File)

A sign on a fence near the dried-up river Tille says ‘Swimming is Forbidden’ in Lux, France, Tuesday Aug. 9, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

FILE - A view of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Water shortages reduced Serbia’s hydropower production. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

A tractor throws up a cloud of dust as it works in a sun-dried field in Til-Chatel, France, Tuesday Aug. 9, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

FILE - Wilted sunflowers in a field near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Drought in Serbia have led to forecasts for this year’s harvests being reduced. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

Farmer, Baptiste Colson, holds a clump of dried earth and grass as he stands in a sun-dried field in Moloy, France Wednesday Aug. 10, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

Dead fish lay on the dried-up bed of the river Tille in Lux, France, Tuesday Aug. 9, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

FILE - A paddle boarder passes through a drying portion of the Verdon Gorge in southern France, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. France was in the midst of its fourth heat wave of the year Monday as the country faces what the government warned is its worst drought on record. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

FILE - A goose looks for water in the dried bed of Lake Velence in Velence, Hungary, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Anna Szilagyi, File)

A view of the peninsula of Sirmione, on Garda lake, Italy, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Lake Garda water level has dropped critically following severe drought resulting in rocks to emerge around the Sirmione Peninsula. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

The sun beats down on the dried-up bed of the river Tille in Lux, France, Tuesday Aug. 9, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

A view the dried-up river Tille in Lux, France, Tuesday Aug. 9, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

Cows eat whatever green vegetation remains in a sun-dried field in Moloy, Burgundy region, France Wednesday Aug. 10, 2022. Burgundy, home to the source of the Seine River which runs through Paris, normally is a very green region. This year, grass turned yellow, depriving livestock from fresh food, and tractors send giant clouds of dust in the air as farmers work in their dry fields. (AP Photo/Nicholas Garriga)

FILE - The river Rhine is pictured with low water in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

FILE - The dried riverbed of the Po river in Sermide, Italy, Thursday, Aug.11, 2022. The river Po runs 652 kilometers (405 miles) from the northwestern city of Turin to Venice. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Luigi Navarra, File)

FILE - Horses graze next to a tree that fell years ago on the dried out meadow of a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

FILE - A motorcycle drives through the lavender fields of Valensole during a hot day in southern France, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. France was in the midst of its fourth heat wave of the year Monday as the country faces what the government warned is its worst drought on record. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

FILE - People take photos on the southern tip of Margaret Island, which can be seen due to low water level of the River Danube. in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. An unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of the European continent, damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions and threatening aquatic species. Water levels are falling on major rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Po. (AP Photo/Anna Szilagyi, File)

FILE - A sunbather stands in front of the receding water line of the Verdon Gorge, southern France, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. France was in the midst of its fourth heat wave of the year Monday as the country faces what the government warned is its worst drought on record. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

FILE - People take a stroll on the river bed of the Waal as water levels dropped because of drought in Nijmegen, Netherlands, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. In parts of the country a ban on daytime irrigation of agricultural land has been issued because of extreme drought. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

FILE - Dry and sun burnt grass spreads in Greenwich Park with the backdrop of Queens House and the high risers of Canary Wharf in London, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Britain is braced for another heatwave that will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35 C expected next week. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Boats lie on the dried riverbed at a tourist dock along the Po river in Sermide, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. The river Po runs 652 kilometers (405 miles) from the northwestern city of Turin to Venice. (AP Photo/Luigi Navarra, File)

FILE - A boat laying on a dry bank of river Danube after a long time of drought near the village of Cortanovci, 50 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

The skyline of the financial district of Canary Wharf is stands in the background as the grass in the Wanstead Flats is dry, in London, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Heatwaves and prolonged dry weather are damaging landscapes, gardens and wildlife, the National Trust has warned. Britain is braced for another heatwave that will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35 degrees Celsius expected next week. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

A cargo ship sails on the river Rhine between Cologne and Duesseldorf in Germany, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. The persistent drought makes the level of the Rhine fall further and further, navigation is only possible to a limited extent. The river levels continue to fall and bring a burden on shipping and nature. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

A transport vessel drives on the river Rhine in Dormagen, Germany, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. The persistent drought makes the level of the Rhine fall further and further, navigation is only possible to a limited extent. The river levels continue to fall and bring a burden on shipping and nature. (Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP)

People relax on the peninsula of Sirmione, on Garda lake, Italy, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. Lake Garda water level has dropped critically following severe drought resulting in rocks to emerge around the Sirmione Peninsula. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

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LUX, France (AP) — Once, a river ran through it. Now, white dust and thousands of dead fish cover the wide trench that winds amid rows of trees in France’s Burgundy region in what was the Tille River in the village of Lux.

From dry and cracked reservoirs in Spain to falling water levels on major arteries like the Danube, the Rhine and the Po, an unprecedented drought is afflicting nearly half of Europe. It is damaging farm economies, forcing water restrictions, causing wildfires and threatening aquatic species.

There has been no significant rainfall for almost two months in the continent’s western, central and southern regions. In typically rainy Britain, the government officially declared a drought across southern and central England on Friday amid one of the hottest and driest summers on record.

And Europe’s dry period is expected to continue in what experts say could be the worst drought in 500 years.

Climate change is exacerbating conditions as hotter temperatures speed up evaporation, thirsty plants take in more moisture and reduced snowfall in the winter limits supplies of fresh water available for irrigation in the summer. Europe isn’t alone in the crisis, with drought conditions also reported in East Africa, the western United States and northern Mexico.

As he walked in the 15-meter (50-foot) wide riverbed in Lux, Jean-Philippe Couasné, chief technician at the local Federation for Fishing and Protection of the Aquatic Environment, listed the species of fish that had died in the Tille.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “On average, about 8,000 liters (2,100 gallons) per second are flowing. ... And now, zero liters.”

In areas upstream, some trout and other freshwater species can take shelter in pools via fish ladders. But such systems aren’t available everywhere.

Without rain, the river “will continue to empty. And yes, all fish will die. ... They are trapped upstream and downstream, there’s no water coming in, so the oxygen level will keep decreasing as the (water) volume goes down,” Couasné said. “These are species that will gradually disappear.”

Jean-Pierre Sonvico, the regional head of the federation, said diverting the fish to other rivers won’t help because those waterways also are affected.

“Yes, it’s dramatic because what can we do? Nothing,” he said. “We’re waiting, hoping for storms with rain, but storms are very local so we can’t count on it.”

The European Commission’s Joint Research Center warned this week that drought conditions will get worse and potentially affect 47% of the continent.

Andrea Toreti, a senior researcher at the European Drought Observatory, said a drought in 2018 was so extreme that there were no similar events for the last 500 years, “but this year, I think, it is really worse.”

For the next three months, “we see still a very high risk of dry conditions over Western and Central Europe, as well as the U.K.,” Toreti said.

Current conditions result from long periods of dry weather caused by changes in world weather systems, said meteorologist Peter Hoffmann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research near Berlin.

“It’s just that in summer we feel it the most,” he said. “But actually the drought builds up across the year.”

Climate change has lessened temperature differences between regions, sapping the forces that drive the jet stream, which normally brings wet Atlantic weather to Europe, he said.

A weaker or unstable jet stream can bring unusually hot air to Europe from North Africa, leading to prolonged periods of heat. The reverse is also true, when a polar vortex of cold air from the Arctic can cause freezing conditions far south of where it would normally reach.

Hoffmann said observations in recent years have all been at the upper end of what existing climate models predicted.

The drought has caused some European countries to restrict water usage, and shipping is endangered on the Rhine and the Danube rivers.

The Rhine, Germany’s biggest waterway, is forecast to reach critically low levels in the coming days. Authorities say it could become difficult for many large ships to safely navigate the river at the city of Kaub, roughly midway between Koblenz and Mainz.

On the Danube, authorities in Serbia have started dredging to keep vessels moving.

In neighboring Hungary, wide parts of Lake Velence near Budapest have turned into patches of dried mud, beaching small boats. Aeration and water circulation equipment was installed to protect wildlife, but water quality has deteriorated. A weekend swimming ban was imposed at one beach.

Stretches of the Po, Italy’s longest river , are so low that barges and boats that sank decades ago are resurfacing.

Italy’s Lake Garda has fallen to its lowest levels ever, and people who flocked to the popular spot east of Milan at the start of a long summer weekend found a newly exposed shoreline of bleached rocks with a yellow hue. Authorities recently released more water from the lake, Italy’s largest, to help with irrigation, but halted the effort to protect the lucrative tourist season.

The drought also has affected England, which last month had its driest July since 1935, according to the Met Office weather agency. The lack of rain has depleted reservoirs, rivers and groundwater and left grasslands brown and tinder-dry.

Millions in the U.K. already were barred from watering lawns and gardens, and 15 million more around London will face such a ban soon.

U.K. farmers face running out of irrigation water and having to use winter feed for animals because of a lack of grass. The Rivers Trust charity said England’s chalk streams — which allow underground springs to bubble up through the spongy layer of rock — are drying up, endangering aquatic wildlife like kingfishers and trout.

Even countries like Spain and Portugal, which are used to long periods without rain, have seen major consequences. In the Spanish region of Andalucia, some avocado farmers have had to sacrifice hundreds of trees to save others from wilting as the Vinuela reservoir in Malaga province dropped to only 13% of capacity.

Some European farmers are using water from the tap for their livestock when ponds and streams go dry, using up to 100 liters (26 gallons) a day per cow.

In normally green Burgundy, the source of Paris’ Seine River, the grass has turned yellow-brown and tractors churn up giant clouds of dust.

Baptiste Colson, who owns dairy cows and grows feed crops in the village of Moloy, said his animals are suffering, with the quality and quantity of their milk decreasing. The 31-year-old head of the local Young Farmers union said he has been forced to dip into his winter fodder in August.

“That is the biggest concern,” Colson said.

EU corn production is expected to be 12.5 million tons below last year and sunflower production is projected to be 1.6 million tons lower, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Colson expects at least a 30% drop in corn yields, a major problem for feeding his cows.

“We know we’ll have to buy food ... so the cows can continue producing milk,” he said. “From an economic point of view, the cost will be high.”

Dana Beltaji and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Ciarán Giles in Madrid, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Bela Szandelszky in Budapest, Hungary, and Andrea Rosa and Luigi Navarra in Sirmione, Italy, contributed.

Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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Potential Problems for European River Cruises in 2023

There was some discussion here about low water levels in the Rhine last fall, and the effects of that on various tourist river cruises. Regrettably the following appeared in the Economist in a recent issue:

"The Alps are Europe’s water tower. They provide 25-50% of the water running through the continent’s main rivers, the Danube, the Po, the Rhine and the Rhone. With so little snow to melt in the coming months, river levels are likely to be unusually low, and with them water supplies for the people and the plants along their banks."

This will be a major economic challenge for shipping as well as tourism.

Hope for the best.

Let's all pray for a rainy summer. We lucked out on our Danube trip last October. Going back in September 2023 with friends. Would rather not do the trip by bus!

I've considered doing a river cruise for several years. One problem's been that most go places I've already been. Another's been the lack of single supplement or other solo traveler pricing.

But the biggest issue has always been the uncertainty of being able to be on the boat for the whole trip. Whether there's too much water or too little water, it's off the boat and on the bus.

And different boats can handle lower water levels so some river cruise companies can sale when others, like Viking, can’t.

We were affected by low water for one day on our Rhine cruise from Basel to Amsterdam in 2015. It only affected us in Cologne where we could dock as expected and all get off the boat for the day tours, but for reboarding they had to bus us to Düsseldorf. We were told it was because not all the docks were usable due to the low water level and so our Uniworld boat couldn't just hang around as other boats needed to use the dock.

We did have a couple on our boat who had done a separate 8 day Budapest to Passau cruise on the Danube and had spent most of the time on a bus and in hotels. They were NOT pleased.

With the lack of snow in many places this past winter, I’d be concerned with water levels, especially in the autumn.

There are also waterways that are not dependant on the Alps. And I feel like I have to mention Göta Kanal, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Göta_Kanal , for those who want to see a bit of Sweden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnmCPRs6H3s

I took an aquatic engineering class and got a C+, so let me weigh in.

Unload the boat before traversing the shallow areas to make it more buoyant. Then, design the hull so air can be pumped into it. Embark the passengers and bus them up river. Problem solved.

I'd read the contract carefully. For me it's a no go unless I'm reimbursed for staying in hotels and riding buses. You never know and I'm not a riverboat gambler.

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Drought Conditions Spark Worries About European River Cruises

Recent reports have shown dry canals in Venice, where the more common concern is flooding due to climate change-induced sea level rise. Experts said the dry conditions in Venice aren’t directly related to low levels of water in the Po River, but rather a combination of the lack of rain, a high pressure system, a full moon and sea currents.

Some Good News When it Comes to the Current Drought

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Canal Barge Cruises Less Impacted by Europe’s Historic Drought

While historic drought conditions are drying up major European rivers and impacting water traffic, hotel barge cruising specialist European Waterways notes that manmade canals can be less impacted. There is no natural flow of water subject to nature and large reservoirs keep them “topped up.”  As a result, the company has been able to operate its many luxury hotel barges in Europe and the UK with less disruption than cruise operators on larger rivers that include the Rhine and the Danube.   “In addition to the nature of canals, the smaller sizes of our vessels give us more flexibility to relocate them to nearby waterways that are less affected, if necessary,” says Derek Banks, European Waterways’ managing director. “We can therefore maintain many of the same excursions to ensure the cruise experience remains at the highest standards for our guests.”   It’s All Good Cruising between Venice and the Renaissance city of Mantua, European Waterways’  La Bella Vita  hotel barge “has not been affected,” says Banks. The vessel is bypassing stretches of the Po River impacted by the drought and utilizing the Canal Bianco, which continues to support normal traffic.  La Bella Vita  is European Waterways’ largest and most unique hotel barge with a capacity of up to 20 passengers.   In France, where water levels have dropped on some higher stretches near canal summits, Banks says the company avoids potential disruptions to its cruises by moving some vessels to better supplied sectors lower down the waterway. These include  La Belle Epoque  in Northern Burgundy and  Renaissance  in the Upper Loire and Western Burgundy, which were moved to different routes earlier. Following recent rains, the company will move  Renaissance  back to its normal route as the situation eases.   Other regions in France remain unaffected. Most notably are cruises on the Canal du Midi, which is recognized as the best in France for water management. The company operates three hotel barges in different sections of the canal: the eight-passenger  Enchanté  between Salèlles d’Aude and Trèbes ; the eight-passenger  Anjodi  between Marseillan and Le Somail ; and the 10-passenger  Athos  between Argeliers and Marseillan.   In Southern Burgundy, the company continues to cruise its usual routes with  Finesse  and  L’Impressionniste .  It’s also “smooth sailing” for L’ Art de Vivre , which cruises France’s longest-established canal, the Canal du Nivernais in Burgundy.     In the UK, the company’s  Magna Carta  hotel barge is currently operating in the middle section of the River Thames, where water levels are normal, and it’s “business as usual” in Scotland, where the company’s  Scottish Highlander  and  Spirit of Scotland  cruise the famed Caledonian Canal. “Lock Ness holds more water than all of England’s rivers, lakes and reservoirs,” says Banks. “The canal is also fed by Lochs Dochfour, Oich and Lochy, all which contain massive water reserves.   “You can’t hold back a river to maintain its water levels, but that’s exactly what you do with a canal!” says Derek Banks.   About European Waterways Hotel Barging is a boutique, unique experience that offers an immersive and all-inclusive “gentle voyage of discovery” focusing upon the culture, history, fine wine, and gourmet cuisine of regions. With a 6-to-20-person capacity and 1:2 crew ratio, European Waterways is able to provide an impeccable level of on-board service and transport their guests on intimate inland waterways that are inaccessible to larger vessels. This fascinating network of smaller canals allows for flexibility, spontaneity, and ample opportunity to hop off and explore the beautiful surroundings via bicycle, or on foot. In addition to this, there are daily, chauffeured excursions “off the beaten track” to a wide variety of enthralling locations, from exquisite wine tastings to private tours of stately homes. With over 40 years’ experience and a fleet that spans nine countries, it is the largest luxury hotel barging company in Europe. europeanwaterways.com

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