Viking Rhine River Cruise Ship Swap: What Happened When Low Water Changed Our Itinerary
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
About a week before our Viking Rhine Getaway, I happened to see a social media post about Viking Rhine river cruises being canceled because of low water levels. That was the first I’d heard about the possibility of low water affecting our cruise, and I immediately started wondering whether it could affect our trip.
Then, on the first day of our cruise, our cruise director mentioned that a ship swap was a possibility.
Our cruise was traveling from Amsterdam to Basel, while a sister Viking ship was traveling in the opposite direction. Because water levels were too low for the ships to pass through part of the Rhine, the plan was for the two ships to essentially swap places. Passengers would travel around the affected section by bus and on a smaller boat that could navigate the shallower water.
A few days later, that possibility became our reality.
If you’re interested in the bigger picture of our trip, I share more about the itinerary, ships, accommodations, food, and overall experience in my Viking Rhine River Cruise Review.
How Did Low Water Affect Our Viking Rhine River Cruise?
The low water levels affected the Middle Rhine, which includes the Rhine Gorge and many of the castles that make this stretch of the river one of the highlights of a Rhine river cruise.
That was particularly disappointing because scenic cruising through this section was one of the experiences I was looking forward to most.
Our ship, Viking Alruna, couldn’t safely navigate the affected area. Rather than canceling the cruise, Viking arranged for us to travel around the low-water section and board another Viking ship on the other side.
The other ship was Viking Tialfi, which was traveling in the opposite direction.
When Did We Find Out About the Viking Ship Swap?
On the first day of the cruise, the cruise director told us that a ship swap might be necessary and that Viking would keep us informed as they knew more.
The day before the swap, we were notified that it was going to happen.
We packed up our belongings, but we didn’t have to carry our luggage between ships ourselves. Viking moved the bags for us.
We also kept the same stateroom number when we moved from Viking Alruna to Viking Tialfi, which made the transition a little easier. Of course, we still had to unpack everything again once we got settled on the new ship.
What Happened During Our Viking Rhine River Cruise Ship Swap?
The ship swap meant that one day of our river cruise looked very different from what we had originally expected.
We started with about a 1½-hour motor coach (a.k.a. bus) ride to Koblenz, where we had our scheduled tour.
After Koblenz, we took another bus for about an hour before transferring to a smaller, shallow draft boat that could navigate the low-water section of the Rhine.
We then spent about two hours cruising from Oberwesel to Bingen.
This was the part of the day I was most interested in because it meant we still got to experience the scenic Rhine Gorge rather than simply traveling around it by bus.
Our cruise director provided narration as we traveled, pointing out the castles and other sights along the river. We were also served drinks and a buffet lunch on the shallow-draft boat.
It wasn’t the same experience as cruising through the Rhine Gorge on our Viking ship. We were on a much smaller boat, which made it more crowded when I was trying to take photographs, and the day involved considerably more transportation than a normal river-cruise day.
Still, I was glad we got to actually cruise through this section of the Rhine and see the castles from the river.
After our time on the shallow draft boat , we continued by bus to the other side of the Rhine affected by low water, where we eventually boarded Viking Tialfi.
We Had the Option to Visit Speyer
The following day, Viking offered an option to visit Speyer, Germany, which had been on our original itinerary.
I really wanted to see Speyer, so we chose to go.
The tradeoff was another long bus ride — about 1½ hours each way.
That’s a lot of time on a bus during a river cruise, and it definitely wasn’t how I had pictured spending our time on the Rhine. But because Speyer was somewhere I had specifically wanted to visit, I was glad we had the opportunity to see it.
Since we weren’t able to have lunch on the ship that day, Viking provided us with a €20 onboard credit.
What Was It Like Switching to a Different Viking River Cruise Ship?
We moved from Viking Alruna to Viking Tialfi and had a completely different crew for the remainder of the cruise.
The practical part of the transition was fairly straightforward. Viking moved our luggage, and we had the same stateroom number, so there wasn’t much to figure out once we arrived.
We did have to unpack everything again, though, which was an inconvenience.
However, the crew on Tialfi was friendly, and they quickly started getting to know the passengers. They clearly wanted to make the experience positive for the guests and eagerly worked to make us feel at home on the new ship.
In that sense, Viking did a good job of making an unavoidable change feel as seamless as possible.
What Did the Ship Swap Change About Our Cruise?
The biggest change was simply how much time we spent off the ship.
One of the reasons I wanted to take a Rhine river cruise was to enjoy the scenery without having to constantly pack, unpack, drive, or change hotels.
The ship swap added several hours of bus transportation to our itinerary and required us to pack up and move to another ship.
We also didn’t get the scenic cruising experience exactly as it had been planned. We still saw the Rhine Gorge from the smaller boat, but it wasn’t the same as sitting on Viking Alruna’s Sun Deck and watching the castles go by.
If you’re considering this itinerary, I share more about the overall Viking Rhine Getaway experience, including the ships, accommodations, food, and itinerary, in my Viking Rhine River Cruise Review.
For a closer look at how our trip unfolded day by day, see my Viking Rhine Getaway itinerary.
So while the ship swap allowed us to continue the itinerary, it did change the overall experience.
That being said, I felt that Viking did a reasonable job of minimizing the disruption. They moved our luggage, kept us in the same stateroom number, arranged transportation around the low-water section, provided the smaller boat so we could still experience the Rhine Gorge, and gave us alternatives for destinations that were affected.
Low water levels are certainly not Viking’s fault. But that doesn’t mean the disruption wasn’t inconvenient. Both things can be true: the ship swap made our cruise more complicated, and Viking made a genuine effort to manage the situation.
What Compensation Did Viking Provide for the Ship Swap?
After the cruise, Viking provided us with a $500 credit toward a future cruise.
I felt that was a reasonable acknowledgment of the amount of disruption we experienced.
It didn’t change the fact that we had spent considerably more time on buses and had to move between ships, but it did make me feel that Viking recognized the inconvenience the ship swap had caused.
Would I Take a Rhine River Cruise During Low Water Again?
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t choose a Rhine river cruise during a period when extremely low water levels made a ship swap likely.
The extra bus rides, packing and unpacking, and time spent away from the ship were not what I had in mind when I booked a river cruise.
But I also wouldn’t let the possibility of low water stop me from taking a Rhine river cruise.
The important thing to understand is that low water can change your itinerary. A ship swap doesn’t necessarily mean your cruise will be canceled, but it can mean that part of your trip will involve buses, a smaller boat, and a different Viking ship.
In our case, Viking found a way to get us through the affected section while still allowing us to experience the Rhine Gorge and visit destinations that were important to us.
It wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable.
And despite experiencing a ship swap firsthand, I’d still take another Viking river cruise.
If you’re researching low water levels on a Viking Rhine River cruise before your trip, my biggest advice is to understand that water levels can affect your itinerary. It’s one of those things that’s outside anyone’s control, but understanding what can happen makes it a little easier to adjust your expectations if water levels affect your itinerary.
Planning a Viking Rhine River Cruise?
For a broader look at our cruise, including the itinerary, ships, accommodations, food, and overall experience, read my Viking Rhine River Cruise Review.
