Tourists left high and dry as drought strands European river cruise ships

“Romantic if you like bad airline seats, bus tours, missed ports, and significantly decreased port time due to long bus rides,” wrote another. “We did three ship swaps and sailed the only stretch of the Danube after dark. Lots of fun packing and unpacking.” 

“As a result of this season’s historic drought in Europe, low water conditions on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers have persisted longer than expected,” Viking Cruises, one of the biggest operators, said in a statement. 

“In order to minimize the impact to each sailing, Viking has several contingency plans to bypass those areas where water levels remain too low. We always want our guests to feel that they have the most current information about their journey, so we will continue to directly contact all guests on itineraries affected by residual low water conditions until levels return to normal.”