UPDATE FROM A-ROSA RIVER CRUISES – 05 May 2023
Your holiday is our top priority! That's why our A-ROSA Care Team always keeps an eye on current developments that could influence our cruises. Since events often occur spontaneously – and can also change or settle at short notice – we always inform you as soon as possible about relevant topics on this page.
France: The French government implemented the controversial pension reform with the help of Article 49.3 of the Constitution – i.e. without a parliamentary vote. The unions feel betrayed, which causes demonstrations and strikes in many places. However, the locks along the Rhône and Saône that were temporarily on strike have resumed regular operation, so that the strikes are not currently causing any restrictions to the schedules of the A-ROSA ships that we are aware of. We are in regular contact with the responsible authorities in order to find out about possible short-term changes to the situation on a daily basis.
Strasbourg, May-September 2023: The "Europabrücke" bridge, which connects the German city of Kehl and the French city of Strasbourg, will be restored from May to September 2023 and thus fully closed to traffic. Thus, the excursion "Tour of Strasbourg" can unfortunately not take place during this period. However, individual experiences in Strasbourg are still possible without restrictions. For this purpose, you can use the tram train, which departs from Kehl station directly to the city center of Strasbourg. The walk from the pier to Kehl station is a maximum of 10 minutes.
Berthing Amsterdam, A-ROSA SENA: Extensive construction work is currently taking place around Amsterdam Central Station and the nearby ferry terminals. This construction work is also affecting the mooring facilities at the Ruijterkade, resulting in less available berths for river cruise ships. The berths at the adjacent ocean terminal on the Veemkade are primarily reserved for ocean-going cruise ships, which are again returning to the port of Amsterdam following the pandemic. Due to the larger width of A-ROSA SENA, not every free pier can actually be called at. This is why, in summer, there may be the case that the far in advance reserved berths of A-ROSA SENA ultimately cannot be confirmed by the local authorities. In this case A-ROSA SENA will alternatively call at Lelystad just outside Amsterdam. As highlight, the E-Motion Ship will sail the Makermeer on her way there. The excursions scheduled for Amsterdam will start from Lelystad.
The safety of our guests and crew members is the highest priority for A-ROSA. We are in constant dialogue with the port authorities and respective water management offices along the itineraries. We review the respective conditions for each river stretch between individual ports daily and ensure the safe realisation of our cruises. In principle, a cruise is still feasible even if the water level is low. Only beyond a certain point can the course of a sailing not be carried out as planned.
There are currently no restrictions on all rivers due to the water level.
At A-ROSA, the safety and wellbeing of all guests and crewmembers is always our highest priority. We are following the developments in Ukraine very closely and are in constant contact with the foreign port authorities.
Danube: Our Danube cruises start and end in Austria. On the 18-night cruise “Danube Delta” short passages on the way to the Danube estuary lead along the Romanian-Ukrainian border. We have therefore decided to slightly adjust this itinerary. The A-ROSA ships will no longer call at Tulcea, but instead at the Romanian city of Constanţa, which is located at the south-western Black Sea coast. Thus, we will bypass the Romanian-Ukrainian border zone and sail exclusively in the Romanian part of the Danube Delta, which is not affected by the current situation in Ukraine. All other Danube cruises will be operated as scheduled.
At A-ROSA, the safety and wellbeing of all guests and crewmembers is always our highest priority. We continue to closely monitor current developments as well as official government regulations regarding the corona virus COVID-19.
All rivers: There are currently no restrictions due to COVID-19 on our waterways.
The global energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War and the global economic situation have led to a significant increase in fuel prices. During the past years, we were able to secure long-term supply contracts for diesel fuel at fixed prices, upon which our cruise fares were based. We were therefore fortunate enough to be able to offer our 2022 cruises without a fuel surcharge. Following the expiration of these contracts, we have made great efforts in recent months to find economically viable follow-up contracts. However, due to the current situation and the continuing uncertainty on the energy markets, diesel fuel purchase prices are still far above the past market level. For this reason, we are unfortunately forced to partially pass the increased fuel prices onto our guests based on our General Terms and Conditions (§5). For all April departures we therefore charge a surcharge of 4.66 euros and for departures from May onwards we will charge 7 euros per person per night on new bookings. We ask for your understanding concerning this measure
