This Week In River Cruising: Stuck In Passau, Who’s To Blame?
Earlier this week, we heard from a reader who was "stuck" in Passau on Uniworld's River Duchess. Moving now, the ship had been stationary for four days due to low water levels on the Danube. Our reader was concerned that River Duchess would not make it to Amsterdam as scheduled. but he didn't sound as if he was overly miffed about something that Uniworld could not control ("very nice crew and ship," he commented).
"The River Duchess has been impacted by the low water near Passau," Uniworld's CEO Ellen Bettridge told us on Wednesday. "Good news is that it is raining, and she is expected to get to Amsterdam on Sunday. We do not have any other ships in deviation."
The stretch of river between Passau and Regensburg was impassable for several days this week, but River Duchess was seen near Regensburg as the evening approached on Friday.
The ship’s guests will debark and stay two nights in Frankfurt, then travel by bus to Amsterdam. It’s not ideal for the guests, the crew or cruise companies faced with such decisions. You can bet that Uniworld would rather have its guests on board than having to spend for hotel rooms rather than accommodate guests in the elegant staterooms and suites on River Duchess.
Bettridge says that her team worked hard to keep guests happy and that being docked in Passau allowed Uniworld to run additional shore programs. Despite the circumstances, guest feedback, she says, has been positive.
We scanned the feedback about Uniworld on FeeFo, an independent review platform. Earlier this week, a guest named Cynthia, wrote: Everyone was helpful, knowledgeable and gracious. When the river proved too shallow to finish the cruise, alternative excursions were created, extra guides and entertainment materialized and everyone who was leaving from the port we didn’t reach had all of their alternative travel arrangements provided. Special kudos for Ramona, who never lost her cool or her “cool.”
To read guest comments, go to https://www.uniworld.com/ and look for the FeeFo icon as indicated in this screenshot.
Of course, Uniworld's not the only company that was affected by low water levels on the Danube. It raises the question: Are cruise companies to blame when the weather fails to cooperate? We’re interested in your opinions, so please take a moment to complete our questionnaire below.
Who's To Blame?
We can all agree that river cruise companies have no control over water levels that cause deviations. Nonetheless, guests whose cruises are affected by water levels are often understandably disappointed. What responsibility does the cruise company bear? Are deviations due to water levels something they should compensate for - or should river cruise guests be forgiving? What's your opinion?Here’s wishing you all a nice weekend, and we look forward to hearing what you have to say about who’s responsible when the weather goes awry.
Article ID: ART4992
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