By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-08 10:41:14 | Updated at 2026-10-08 11:39:16
1 hour ago
Passengers who paid thousands of pounds for river cruises on the Danube are left fuming after their holidays were transformed to coach journeys when low water levels prevented their ship from following its planned itinerary.
Customers who travelled on Tui's Isla argue they should receive partial refunds, arguing that what they experienced bore little resemblance to the river cruise they had booked.
Tui apologised for the disruption, but said the affected trips were operated according to amended itineraries, and that its standard booking conditions were adhered to.
The company instead blamed unusually low water levels following extreme heat across Europe.
Richard Pearson, from Lincolnshire, paid £3,300 for a week-long cruise with his partner, starting on September 21 - but when they arrived in Budapest, passengers were told Isla was in Vienna and could not reach them.
Instead, they were taken to a hotel, and were transported by coach for about four hours to meet the ship the following day.
The vessel sailed overnight to Krems, meaning passengers missed the opportunity to see much of the Danube during daylight.
For several days, excursions to other destinations involved further coach journeys, with some taking up to two hours each way.
The return journey towards Vienna was also made overnight.
Mr Pearson calculated that between 14 and 15 hours of his holiday were spent travelling by coach, excluding time spent waiting for transfers.
"The main thing for us was it wasn't relaxing," he told the BBC, adding: "It wasn't a river cruise."
He praised the ship's food and crew, but said the overall experience fell far short of what he and his partner had expected.
He said they would not have travelled had they been offered the option of a refund before departure.
Meanwhile, Sue Crosby and her husband faced similar disruption when their £3,700 holiday began on September 14, coinciding with her 70th birthday.
They were sent a revised itinerary before leaving, which warned of several coach transfers because of the low river levels. The couple asked to cancel and receive their money back, but said their request was rejected.
"We feel as though we've been had," Mrs Crosby told reporters.
She said the problem was not the natural conditions themselves, but the way the changes were handled. According to her, passengers experienced only two half-days when they could properly enjoy sailing on the river.
"We didn't want to go on a tour on coaches every day," she said.
Another group decided not to travel at all after receiving details of the revised itinerary. David Mallon and five others had been due to depart on September 21, but considered the replacement arrangements too different from the holiday they had purchased.
"What they were planning to give us was not a cruise but a glorified coach trip," he said.
The group booked a last-minute holiday to Kos instead, and is seeking a refund from Tui. Mr Mallon said he would consider taking the matter to the small claims court if necessary.
Tui said it had reviewed each sailing individually with its nautical partners, and had arranged hotels, transfers and alternative travel where sections of the river could not be navigated.
The company said customers were still able to visit destinations including Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava under the revised arrangements.
"We're sorry some did not get the river cruise experience they had anticipated," a spokesman said.
