Seriously?

[Ayla]

Just came back from a river cruise...from Switzerland to Amsterdam....which sounds amazing except the water levels were too low on sections of the river... they bussed us 6 hours from Basel to Koblenz Germany where we boarded a boat and sailed a couple hours to Dusseldorf (which was not even on the itinerary) for three days. We were docked a $20 Uber ride from town and missed the stops in Strasbourg, Heidelberg,and Cologne... They Bussed us an hour downriver to Cologne, then stranded about 20 of us there by having the return bus leave 30 minutes earlier than scheduled...we then had to find our own way back to Dusseldorf... then they rushed it to Amsterdam with no more stops. It was pretty disappointing... I will say this though, we have been on a few River Cruises, and aside from this mess , we have always had an amazing experience. River Cruises are not for everyone, but we love the intimate nature of them and being able to really explore the smaller towns and areas...

I'm so sorry! That experience is unacceptable. We were on the same itinerary with Viking 2 years ago and luckily didn't have low water issues.

 

[Purduevian]

And they could also do a split stay, starting at a value or moderate resort, to bring costs down further.

100%, however I was trying to point out they could have the exact same vacation (possibly better with access to water parks) and spend less money.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

lol. All this great advice. I'm pretty sure the OP isn't too ignorant to realize they can book a cheaper room, not DP, etc to have a more affordable trip. OP is simply stating that similar prior trips were much much cheaper. Far below inflation I suspect.. Unless I read it wrong of course.

 

[Nubs70]

So I thought, it's been a while since I've booked my favorite two week combination of resort, park tickets, and dining. I figured I'm not getting any younger so let's do it again, right?

Except...........you've got to be kidding me. $23K for something I used to be able to do for a fraction of that (for 3 of us, not just 2).

I think this illustrates the current problem.

View attachment 933204

Heading to Spain in 2 weeks for 16 days: Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Gran Canaria, and Madrid.

All in, minus food, $5,750

 

[DisneyRoy]

Heading to Spain in 2 weeks for 16 days: Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Gran Canaria, and Madrid.

All in, minus food, $5,750

Seville is amazing. I'm sure you are but make sure to see the cathedral. It's a masterpiece. Definitely jealous of Barcelona. It's on my list.

 

[Spectro shire]

(which would only further illustrate how we've been robbed of value over the years) but my point was that's the exact combination of room/tickets/dining

The only ones being robbed are the people paying

 

[Spectro shire]

Heading to Spain in 2 weeks for 16 days: Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Gran Canaria, and Madrid.

All in, minus food, $5,750

I just did 2 weeks in Austria and Bavaria with food for under that (minus $500 in credit card points)

 

[Nubs70]

Seville is amazing. I'm sure you are but make sure to see the cathedral. It's a masterpiece. Definitely jealous of Barcelona. It's on my list.

Been to Seville in 2023, just after Covid restrictions lifted. Have an Air BnB right on the wall of the Alcazar. Doing the Cathedral and Alcazar then day trips to Ronda and Gibralter

 

[Nubs70]

I just did 2 weeks in Austria and Bavaria with food for under that (minus $500 in credit card points)

I forgot to add in my original replay that my total is for 2 people. In that amount is about $1000 for days trips and entry tickets.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

The only ones being robbed are the people paying

Did the robber look like this?

 

[Calmdownnow]

I'm so sorry! That experience is unacceptable. We were on the same itinerary with Viking 2 years ago and luckily didn't have low water issues.

US residents on this thread might be unaware of the extreme weather conditions across Europe this summer -- previously unexperienced and sustained high temperatures, drought and wildfires. (Even in the UK in October, we are still experiencing "unseasonal" temperatures.) I'm not sure the river cruise companies could have done much about river levels in 2026. Hopefully, next year will provide better conditions for river cruising.

 

[Ayla]

US residents on this thread might be unaware of the extreme weather conditions across Europe this summer -- previously unexperienced and sustained high temperatures, drought and wildfires. (Even in the UK in October, we are still experiencing "unseasonal" temperatures.) I'm not sure the river cruise companies could have done much about river levels in 2026. Hopefully, next year will provide better conditions for river cruising.

I'm aware, thanks. I don't live under a rock. There were other things mentioned that were extremely poor service that had nothing to do with water levels.

 

[Nubs70]

These housing protests in Madrid are a real experience.

 

[nickys]

I'm aware, thanks. I don't live under a rock. There were other things mentioned that were extremely poor service that had nothing to do with water levels.

I agree.

Whilst @Calmdownnow ’s post explained the record low water levels this year, to miss out three towns / cities altogether is unacceptable. They could have used buses instead. The problem was known about, unless @Bocabear was on the first cruise of the season.