VB Janet—Sorry about your cancellation and thanks for the info. I haven’t been tracking it for long. Also trying to track MS Joy and Esprit. I’m interested in what’s going on west of Vienna/Bratislava. Glad to see Tauck did the right thing by you with notice.
I’ve just had an email from Tauck advertising in advance the river cruises for next year including the new ship. A first luck as a member of the 1925 circle
‘Thanks to your feedback and the incredible demand we’ve seen from guests like you, we’re thrilled to share some exciting news:’
We have only taken one river cruise with Tauck and that was before the pandemic!
GVB - I was supposed to be on the Savor, arriving in Budapest yesterday morning, but the trip was cancelled back on 7/29. This was a combined ROAM/Tauck “blue Danube” tour.
The MS Savor is most likely riding out the low water, and is moored in Bratislava.
Most of our doctors have not travelled much. They often ask where we are going next and express some envy. We always say, get out there and travel because you never know what’s round the corner, You would think they should know that. But hey, they better not be on vacation when we need to see them 😀
Have not talked travel much with my doctors, except for our dentist. He and his wife have been to many of (more?) the same places we have toured in the US and overseas. He doesn't use a tour company. The best (only good?) thing to look forward to when I have a dental appt is he is a good photographer, has all his good photos loaded on an office harddrive, and shows them on a small monitor mounted by the the dental chair. We often engage in a "been there," discussion- he talks; at best I mumble
We are scheduled for a 9/1-9/9 Danube cruise on MS Joy from Munich to Budapest. Flying from the US on 8/28/26. Cannot get any news - now maybe until next week. Any insights greatly appreciated
@DawnH - I know it's hard dealing with the uncertainty - not knowing if the cruise will be cancelled or modified. But I expect Tauck is overwhelmed with the job of contacting guests and/or travel agents about cancellations.
With the condition of the Danube, you know - for sure - that the cruise will not go as originally described.
I assume you called them. If they couldn’t give you any news, it may not come until a week before your departure.
DawnH—I received an email from Tauck with a fairly formal letter indicating that the cruise is still on but there may be changes. I have not had a chance to follow up with an advisor yet although I intend to. Hope this helps a bit. Stay in touch. Personally, I have serious doubts the cruise will make it to Budapest but am unsure what’s going on further East.
I realize AI is not the best source, but I found this re rain forecasts:
No significant heavy rain is expected for the Rhine and Danube basins through September 2026. Severe, ongoing drought and historic low water levels continue to grip Central Europe, with forecasts from the Copernicus Climate Change Service predicting drier-than-average conditions to persist and no major relief or rising water levels likely before October.
Well, no offense, but someone who has only posted twice, as opposed to those with multiple trips and multiple experiences, is far less relevant to me. I think it is only natural for someone - really anyone - who has had a trip in the works for months, sometimes more than a year, looking forward to it, planning things, only to hear at the very last minute that it is changed or cancelled, is probably unhappy and I would wonder more about them if they weren't, frankly...and I'd rather hear some real issues/complaints to try to understand if that would be a dealbreaker for me (often they are issues that don't apply or affect me) rather than someone who sticks their fingers in their ears and won't be honest about things. I don't want to hear only complaints, but I find them as helpful in making a decision for myself as hearing good things.
British,
Not Robert, but we are booked on the 9/20 Rhine/Moselle trip (our 11th Tauck tour). I am still hoping for rain. I doubt that we would be happy to find that the itinerary had changed to the point where we were staying on non-moving ships. I still have faith in Tauck to do their best. We are also booked on the 2027 Baltic small ship tour…at least there will be plenty of water.
Hms
Comments
VB Janet—Sorry about your cancellation and thanks for the info. I haven’t been tracking it for long. Also trying to track MS Joy and Esprit. I’m interested in what’s going on west of Vienna/Bratislava. Glad to see Tauck did the right thing by you with notice.
I’ve just had an email from Tauck advertising in advance the river cruises for next year including the new ship. A first luck as a member of the 1925 circle
‘Thanks to your feedback and the incredible demand we’ve seen from guests like you, we’re thrilled to share some exciting news:’
We have only taken one river cruise with Tauck and that was before the pandemic!
GVB - I was supposed to be on the Savor, arriving in Budapest yesterday morning, but the trip was cancelled back on 7/29. This was a combined ROAM/Tauck “blue Danube” tour.
The MS Savor is most likely riding out the low water, and is moored in Bratislava.
Regarding 2027 river cruises, the brochure has been out for quite some time, and some of the 2028 sailings are on the website—unpriced.
Susan and kennthray….please update us on this. We’re supposed to be on this in less than 3 weeks. Very little info is coming in
Does anyone here follow your Doctor's opinion when it comes to travel? I never have.
What opinion is that? Except for immunizations, I don’t think I ever mentioned my travels to my doctor.
I would certainly recommend following your doctor’s recommendations on immunizations.
Most of our doctors have not travelled much. They often ask where we are going next and express some envy. We always say, get out there and travel because you never know what’s round the corner, You would think they should know that. But hey, they better not be on vacation when we need to see them 😀
Have not talked travel much with my doctors, except for our dentist. He and his wife have been to many of (more?) the same places we have toured in the US and overseas. He doesn't use a tour company. The best (only good?) thing to look forward to when I have a dental appt is he is a good photographer, has all his good photos loaded on an office harddrive, and shows them on a small monitor mounted by the the dental chair. We often engage in a "been there," discussion- he talks; at best I mumble
My previous GP had travel medicine as a specialty. What a treat that was!
We are scheduled for a 9/1-9/9 Danube cruise on MS Joy from Munich to Budapest. Flying from the US on 8/28/26. Cannot get any news - now maybe until next week. Any insights greatly appreciated
@DawnH - I know it's hard dealing with the uncertainty - not knowing if the cruise will be cancelled or modified. But I expect Tauck is overwhelmed with the job of contacting guests and/or travel agents about cancellations.
With the condition of the Danube, you know - for sure - that the cruise will not go as originally described.
I assume you called them. If they couldn’t give you any news, it may not come until a week before your departure.
DawnH—I received an email from Tauck with a fairly formal letter indicating that the cruise is still on but there may be changes. I have not had a chance to follow up with an advisor yet although I intend to. Hope this helps a bit. Stay in touch. Personally, I have serious doubts the cruise will make it to Budapest but am unsure what’s going on further East.
Some people were leaving for the airport when their tours got cancelled
I realize AI is not the best source, but I found this re rain forecasts:
No significant heavy rain is expected for the Rhine and Danube basins through September 2026. Severe, ongoing drought and historic low water levels continue to grip Central Europe, with forecasts from the Copernicus Climate Change Service predicting drier-than-average conditions to persist and no major relief or rising water levels likely before October.
I still believe Tauck is amazing. I'm not interested in naysayer opinions from unhappy people.
Well, no offense, but someone who has only posted twice, as opposed to those with multiple trips and multiple experiences, is far less relevant to me. I think it is only natural for someone - really anyone - who has had a trip in the works for months, sometimes more than a year, looking forward to it, planning things, only to hear at the very last minute that it is changed or cancelled, is probably unhappy and I would wonder more about them if they weren't, frankly...and I'd rather hear some real issues/complaints to try to understand if that would be a dealbreaker for me (often they are issues that don't apply or affect me) rather than someone who sticks their fingers in their ears and won't be honest about things. I don't want to hear only complaints, but I find them as helpful in making a decision for myself as hearing good things.
It's not like this is the first time there have been water level problems; look at 2018 and 2022.
To summarize JaneP's comment: Truth, even if it's unpleasant, is better than rose colored glasses.
RobetB. So do you have a river cruise booked
British,
Not Robert, but we are booked on the 9/20 Rhine/Moselle trip (our 11th Tauck tour). I am still hoping for rain. I doubt that we would be happy to find that the itinerary had changed to the point where we were staying on non-moving ships. I still have faith in Tauck to do their best. We are also booked on the 2027 Baltic small ship tour…at least there will be plenty of water.
Hms
https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/advice/water-levels-river-cruises
https://amsterdamexperiences.nl/rhine-river-cruise-water-levels/
British - ever been happy a day in your life?
🤪