Tui river cruise passengers complain Danube trips turned into hours of coach travel

Mixed · 2Passengers who paid thousands of pounds for Tui river cruises on the Danube say their itineraries were changed to involve hours of coach travel, and several believe they should get some money back. 1 2 Mixed · 2Tui apologised and blamed low water levels on the Danube, saying customers continued their holidays on amended itineraries under its standard booking conditions. 1 2 Mixed · 2Richard Pearson, from Lincolnshire, began a week-long holiday on 21 September. On arrival in Budapest, passengers were told the vessel Isla was in Vienna and could not reach them, so they were put in a hotel and next day took a four-hour coach journey to the ship. 1 2

Mixed · 2The ship then sailed overnight to Krems, and passengers were bussed on day trips of between 45 minutes and two hours each way; the return sailing to Vienna was also in the dark. 1 2 Centre · 1Pearson calculated that 14 to 15 hours of the holiday were spent on coaches, plus time waiting for them. He said the food and staff were excellent but "it wasn't a river cruise", and that he and his partner would not have gone had a refund been offered; he is asking Tui for some of their £3,300 back. 1 Mixed · 2Sue Crosby and her husband, whose holiday began on 14 September, her 70th birthday, received a revised itinerary a few days before departure showing multiple coach trips. They asked for a refund, were told none was possible and travelled reluctantly. She said only two half days involved real sailing and "We feel as though we've been had"; GB News puts the cost of their holiday at £3,700. 1 2

Mixed · 2David Mallon and five others, due to travel on 21 September, declined the new itinerary, calling it "a glorified coach trip"; one member was meant to avoid long periods sitting for health reasons. They booked a last-minute holiday to Kos, have complained to Tui and Mallon says he may go to the small claims court. 1 2 Mixed · 2In a statement, a Tui spokesperson said extreme heat across Europe caused low water levels affecting river cruise operators, that each sailing is reviewed with nautical partners, and that revised itineraries for the 14 and 21 September Isla departures were sent before travel. Tui said it arranged coach transfers and hotel stays to minimise transfer times so customers could still visit Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava, and that it was sorry some did not get the river cruise experience they anticipated. 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC noted the complaints follow earlier ones about conditions on board two of Tui's river vessels. Passengers Crosby and Mallon said they did not blame Tui for the water levels but for how it handled the consequences, and Crosby objected that the holidays are still being advertised. 1