A – Good to hear from you and congratulations on your low unemployment and a record-breaking budget surplus. You’ve asked a fairly complex question. Here are one or two observations we hope will be useful:
Scenic is based in Australia. It has, in the past, taken a fair amount of time to make decisions regarding water levels so guests can “be in the know”. Everything had to go through the home office.
The Scenic product is currently under review and we believe they will be rising in the ratings. They have beautiful ships, a rare contemporary feel, and some of the best cuisine on the rivers. They also hire and train their own crews.
It is true that Scenic has enjoyed a reputation for screwing up last-minute bus touring when water levels prevented sailing. We do not, at this time, feel that they handle last-minute planning any worse than anyone else and they may have one advantage. You see they recently lost a class action suit brought by a large number of Aussies who felt that their bus touring was not at all what they had paid for. The court in Australia agreed. Now, Scenic has that legacy to live down so we believe they may strive a bit harder than the next bloke to make things right when the rivers go amiss.
You should also be aware that Scenic has been more proactive than its competitors in canceling cruises on the Rhine when the river became clearly unnavigable.
Stay chill and keep the attitude.
A – The Danube is challenging to describe for one primary reason – the river flow in Austria is well-managed with a number of dam projects in place to assure smooth river cruise passage. This is not the case in Hungary where major projects to deal with low or high water issues have just not been in Orbin’s “front of mind”. (We realize there is an interesting assumption in that statement).
Right now, on stretches of the Danube in Hungary, 1600 ton vessels can only make it along the low water if they are not carrying cargo. Just north of Budapest, some stations located between Szentendre and Visegard, where the Danube takes a major loop, have been closed for two weeks. There are current reports that some Danube river passengers have discovered that their ship could not make it to Budapest. Instead, guests have been bused to Komarno to board their ship. This port is an hour outside Budapest in Slovakia. They will tour Budapest by bus and then be bussed back to their ship in Slovakia.
]]>A – We would not suggest changing travel agents yet. Our clientele does not wear tee shirts in public so we may not be a good fit. Actually, your agent tried to have you avoid the drought – although October is often a time of high water levels as the rains come to northern and central Europe. You were given factual information about Viking’s policy – full cancellation charged unless they cancel your sailing. So, yes, a bus tour is totally possible, at least for a part of your journey. Going forward, and looking at current weather patterns, we prefer to have our river boat guests back home no later than October 20th. But that is an arbitrary figure and very subject to environmental change.
A – This article, by Julia Buckley, has gone “mature people viral”. The title of the piece, “Europe’s Drought Could Signal the Death of River Cruising” is, we think, based on fact, along with some opinions by a professor of tourism. The conclusion seems to us to be rather dark.
The first paragraph states that “Europe is having another cataclysmic summer”. Given that 63% of the land mass across the EU, as well as Great Britain, is operating under drought warnings or the more serious “alerts” we think this is quite literally true. Add in the record-breaking heat waves and we have to wonder what river cruising in the seasons to come will look like.
This is a big topic and we don’t want to spend a lot of time responding to a piece on CNN written by someone who does not, as far as we know, work in the industry. But at its heart, the article correctly points out that the management of these river cruise lines has nothing but the ravages of climate change to work around. Next summer may be much better. And even the summer after that. But sometime in the near future, this will happen again and with more severity and riverboat companies on Europe’s rivers will have to re-examine their business models.
From our perspective, this will not mean the end of an industry. It will, we think, mean a reallocation of seasons. October may become the most desirable month to cruise the Rhine or the Danube, or perhaps April before the drought has typically begun.
The Seine is still standing at the moment. France always survives and there are many harder-hit localities. Continue planning what we are certain will be a really enjoyable family vacation.
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A – We would love to – but we can’t! The information is totally bogus. The policy at Uniworld, and most of their competitors, is that they will cancel any sailing where passage and the delivery of a satisfactory experience is in peril. If they cancel, they will move you to another date in the future and they will price protect – this represents significant savings.
Unless Uniworld specifically announces cancellation, their stated cancellation policies will remain in effect. Going forward, the vast majority of guests booked on European rivers have made full payment and so are in full cancellation.
Sorry about the posted misinformation on the site you were looking at. One reason we do not open our Q&A to unknown posters is that there is absolutely no way to verify the information presented. Much of the travel chatter originates overseas where some folks are simply thrilled to see their thoughts posted on a well-read American site.
]]>Q – Rather than try to operate a “glorified bus tour” we have every reason to believe that Tauck will cancel your cruise. For now, we are recommending that you wait until Tauck makes the decision to cancel. It is highly likely they will. If they don’t cancel, it is their style to advise you that the cruise you signed up for will be changing and you will likely be offered a future credit option.
]]>A – We think not. The level of rain required in the next three weeks to make the Rhine fully navigable is highly unlikely. The “Travel Agent” you spoke to at Viking was reading off a prepared script. That person is paid by Viking to say whatever Viking wants them to say. The reality is that we are now experiencing the most serious drought in modern European history along the Rhine, the Elbe, the Main, the Rhone, and the Danube.
We think you should work with your travel agent more closely. They should be providing you with updated information that may be very different than what Viking is saying for public consumption.
You will need to find out if Viking will be enforcing its cancellation terms or if you qualify for a future credit based on the money you have paid.
We have taken your advice and read all that you have to say on cruisetruth.com in the Q&A section and we must commend you on coverage that goes way beyond anything the consumer press is reporting. In fact, as an attorney, I am really rather flabbergasted that the press like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times has largely ignored the complete failure and dissolution of the world’s top cruise and riverboat brand.
My question has to do with what next? Who inherits the RBR mantle as Europe’s top-rated river cruise line. Because whoever you say it is – that is who we are going to sail next. Thanks for all that you do to keep us informed.
A – You have, counselor, asked a rather important and complex question. The best way to answer it is with a bit of perspective.
On our cruisetruth site, evaluating the top cruise line rankings is an arduous task requiring many hours of research from the United States and Abroad as well as analyzing reports from our team of CSI ship inspectors.
The fact is that the top four cruise lines in the world are bunched up fairly tight at the top. Since the arrival of Crystal that was not, in our view, true in the riverboat sector. With its newly-designed boats carrying far fewer guests on a truly all-inclusive basis. Crystal has not had any competition in the top spot since its arrival.
The service was wonderful but there are other lines like AMA Waterways, Tauck, and Uniworld that excel in service. The hardware on Crystal was unmatched. Guests loved the king-size beds that faced the water, the butler sevice in every stateroom, and the cooked-to-order meals in kitchens that were 300% larger than kitchens on competing vessels.
But the fact is that everyone seems to love their first river cruise and the repeat factor is actually higher than it is on ocean-going cruise ships. There are some wonderful riverboat options and no one line will dominate our ratings as Crystal did under the direction of its manager, Walter Littlejohn. In selecting the very best riverboat for your family we would suggest carefully going through our comprehensive reviews before speaking to one of our award-winning riverboat advisors.
For Comprehensive Information about Crystal Cruises and Riverboats please go to the Q&A section of www.cruisetruth.com
]]>A – The parts may be separated with the riverboats going to one entity while the cruise ships go to someone else. Who will own our Riverboatratings top-ranked line is speculation at this point ut we will go on record with two possibilities:
The Sycamore Group: This is a strong private equity group that is anxious to get into the leisure travel industry in a major way. They purchased Azamara Cruises from Royal Caribbean and added a fourth vessel they purchased from Princess. This would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase one of the industry’s top ocean and river brands.
The Heritage Group – This is a company belonging to Manfredi Lefebvre who recently sold Silversea Cruises to Royal Caribbean. Then, this group purchased 85% of Abercrombie & Kent, a worldwide luxury brand that could be an excellent marketing partner in a Crystal acquisition. The offer for Crystal has already been made so one could day Heritage is “first in line”. The understanding we have is that Heritage’s offer includes Crystal’s two cruise ships, the expedition vessel, as well as the riverboats.
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A – We have been warning our clients and guests on this site about Crystal weakening financial outlook since October 2020. The company is now disbanded and in receivership. Crystal river cruises and ocean cruises are out of business and their fate lies in the hands of a three-judge panel in the Bahamas handling the details of selling all of the company’s assets. The Chairman of Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong, has resigned, the President of Crystal Cruises has resigned and all company employees have been let go. No one is left to answer their phones.
The outlook is not, however, completely bleak. At least one possible purchaser of the Crystal fleet has come forward and the representative for Crystal “creditors” has been appointed by courts in Florida where Crystal owes substantial fuel purchase bills in excess of $1 Million. The Assignee is Michael Moecker & Associates in Miami.
We are informed that a special website for those owed money by Crystal will be set up in the near future. Creditors (guests owed money) will need to register on this site. It is likely that future credits will not be honored for any cash refund.
RATHER THAN REPLY TO AN AVALANCHE OF QUESTIONS WE HAVE BEEN RECEIVING FROM OUR VARIOUS CHURCHILL & TUREN CONSUMER MEDIA SITES ABOUT THE CRYSTAL SITUATION, WE HAVE CONSOLIDATED ALL OF OUR RESPONSES ON OUR CRUISETRUTH SITE.
SIMPLY GO TO WWW.CRUISETRUTH.COM AND THEN CLICK ON THE Q&A SECTION WHERE YOU WILL FIND COMPREHENSIVE ANSWERS TO YOUR CRYSTAL QUESTIONS.
WWW.CRUISETRUTH.COM