Low water on the Danube this summer left several European river cruise operators scrambling, and some Tui passengers say their workaround turned a relaxing sailing into a long-haul bus ride. Two couples who spoke to the BBC about September sailings on Tui's ship Isla are now trying to claw back thousands of pounds — without success so far.
Richard Pearson, from Lincolnshire, flew to Budapest in late September for a cruise he paid £3,300 for, only to discover the ship was stuck in Vienna and couldn't reach him. Tui put him in what he described as an average hotel, then bussed him four hours to Vienna the next day to join the vessel. He estimates he lost 14 to 15 hours of the holiday sitting on coaches, plus more time waiting around for them.
Another couple, Sue Crosby and her husband, got a few days' warning before their 14 September sailing that the itinerary would involve multiple coach trips. They asked for their £3,700 back, were refused, and went anyway.
Tui's position is that this is all within its terms. Extreme heat across Europe dropped water levels on the Danube, hitting river cruise operators across the region — a problem the line says it can't control. Its booking conditions state that if a cruise affected by water levels can be completed by coach, no refund is available, and those changes can happen before or during the trip. The company says it reviewed every sailing individually with its nautical partners, arranged coach transfers, hotel stays and adjusted travel arrangements to minimise disruption, and that customers on the affected Isla departures still visited Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava. It has apologised to anyone who didn't get the experience they expected.
For anyone eyeing a river cruise, the takeaway is worth knowing before you book. Water levels on the Danube and Rhine swing with the weather — too little rain and ships ground on shallows, too much and bridges become impassable — so a 'cruise' itinerary is never fully guaranteed. Operators generally can't control the river, which means their compensation obligations are limited: swapping a sailing day for a coach transfer often counts as delivering the holiday.
If a guaranteed river experience matters to you, check the operator's water-level policy before paying, consider travelling outside the driest late-summer window, and look at whether your travel insurance or paying by credit card gives you any extra route to redress if a trip is materially altered. River cruising is a lovely way to see central Europe — just go in with a clear picture of what happens when the river doesn't cooperate.
