River cruise operators are updating agents and customers as ongoing disruption across European rivers continues to affect some sailings.
Low water levels on the Rhine and Danube have forced itinerary changes and cancellations, prompting lines to introduce contingency measures, flexible booking policies and more frequent updates.
Riviera Travel has stepped up support for agents since the disruption began in early July, introducing a dedicated incident task force and a new Travel Updates Hub.
The hub is updated twice daily with the latest operational information and sailing updates, with all guest communications mirrored to travel agent partners.
The operator said its specialist task force is working closely with partners across Europe to monitor river conditions, coordinate contingency plans and deliver timely and transparent updates to the trade.
Riviera has also increased call centre capacity to handle higher volumes of agent enquiries and deployed additional Cruise Directors and head office staff on affected sailings.
Guests are receiving communications at 14 days, seven days and 72 hours before departure, to ensure agents and guests remain informed of the situation.
Riviera Travel said the majority of its programme is continuing to operate, with four of its seven ships currently sailing on the affected Rhine and Danube rivers.
Since July, the operator has run 27 departures on these rivers, while eight sailings have been cancelled.
When a cruise is cancelled, customers are offered three options: a like-for-like rebooking on a future 2026 or 2027 departure at no extra cost, the ability to transfer to another Riviera holiday, with any fare difference refunded or a £250 per person contribution applied if the new trip is more expensive, or a full refund.
Riviera Travel Director of Trade and Partnerships Vicky Billing said: “Supporting our travel agent partners has been a key priority throughout this period.
“Alongside our dedicated response team, we’ve launched a Travel Updates Hub that is refreshed twice daily, giving agents access to the latest information so they can support customers with confidence.”
Uniworld is reviewing river cruise departures individually and will contact travel advisors directly if sailings are impacted by changing river conditions.
The luxury river line said it is continuing to monitor water levels across its routes, with updates issued through its Port Locations page. Guests and agents will be contacted directly if a sailing requires major adjustments or cancellation.
Departures scheduled for September and October are being monitored, with Uniworld saying it will communicate with agents and customers if conditions affect future sailings.
Viking, whose ship ran aground last month, said its nautical and operational teams are closely monitoring conditions and working to minimise any impact on guests. The line is proactively notifying customers and their travel advisors ahead of departure if itineraries are likely to be affected.
CroisiEurope UK Sales Director John Fair said: “CroisiEurope is working with agent partners on a one by one basis, providing regular updates and sharing information about how they are managing the situation to protect the guests’ travel experiences.
“Should operations changes become necessary for a specific departure, CroisiEurope will notify affected trade partners immediately and provide full details of the arrangements.”
Emerald Cruises added it is also ‘monitoring conditions and reviewing sailing schedules’ on an ongoing basis.
The line added: “Where required, we may make operational adjustments to minimise disruption, including transferring guests to a sister ship, or amending embarkation and disembarkation locations, or overnight stays in hotels, while maintaining the overall integrity of the itinerary wherever possible.”
Sections of the Danube near Budapest dropped close to historic lows earlier this month, while parts of the river in Romania recorded their lowest levels since 1996.
The Rhine has also been affected, with water depth falling to around 53cm near Frankfurt last week.
