If you board a Uniworld Rhine or Danube ship this weekend, do not go to the original dock on autopilot.
Uniworld’s live port-locations page lists same-week embarkation changes driven by fluctuating water levels, including hotel starts, a Passau swap for Regensburg, and a Castles along the Rhine ship exchange on August 2.
- Authority: Uniworld official port locations and boarding page.
- S.S. Victoria: August 1 Basel embark becomes hotel start at Les Haras in Strasbourg.
- S.S. Maria Theresa: August 2 Budapest embark becomes hotel start at Kempinski Corvinus Budapest.
- S.S. Beatrice: August 2 embark moves to Passau Hafen Racklau instead of Regensburg.
- Castles along the Rhine Aug 2: Ship swap between S.S. Antoinette and S.S. Elisabeth with an Amsterdam dock change.
The traveler decision is immediate: open Uniworld’s port page, match your ship and date, and rebuild your arrival taxi or train plan before you leave the airport or station.
Three checks before you travel to the pier:
- Confirm the ship name still matches your documents after any August 2 swap.
- Save the hotel address or alternate dock map linked on the port page.
- If you do not have a Uniworld transfer, note the free group-shuttle times so you do not miss them.
Uniworld’s port locations page is the primary source for these changes and states that addresses and final boarding times remain subject to change.
The company tells guests to recheck the page 24 hours before arrival. Treat that instruction as mandatory for any sailing listed in the important updates block.
August 1: S.S. Victoria and Basel
Due to fluctuating Rhine water levels, S.S.
Victoria cannot reach Basel for embarkation on August 1, 2026.
Guests begin the voyage at a hotel and transfer to the ship later. Uniworld secured rooms at Les Haras Hotel, 23 Rue des Glacières, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
Guests with scheduled Uniworld transfers or a Uniworld pre-cruise extension go directly to the hotel. Guests without transfers may make their own way at their expense or take a complimentary Uniworld group transfer from the Basel Art Museum at 12:30 p.m.
or 2:30 p.m.
The museum address listed is St. Alban-Graben 16, 4051 Basel, Switzerland.
Uniworld says those shuttles depart on time, so arrive early enough to board.
If your flight lands after the last free shuttle, plan an independent transfer to Strasbourg and budget for that cost.
August 2: Danube hotel and Passau moves
On the Danube, S.S.
Maria Theresa cannot reach Budapest for embarkation on August 2, 2026. Guests start at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, Erzsébet tér 7-8, Budapest 1051, Hungary.
Guests with Uniworld transfers go to the hotel. Guests without transfers must reach the Kempinski independently.
Separately, S.S.
Beatrice’s August 2 embarkation moves from Regensburg to Passau Hafen Racklau in Passau, Germany.
Guests with Uniworld transfers or pre-cruise extensions go to the ship. Guests without transfers may go to Passau independently or take a complimentary group transfer from Regensburg Hauptbahnhof at 2:00 p.m.
The train station address listed is Regensburg Hauptbahnhof, 93047 Regensburg, Germany. Again, Uniworld says the shuttle departs on time.
Do not book a Regensburg hotel walking tour as your embarkation plan unless the port page still shows Regensburg for your date.
August 2: Castles along the Rhine ship swap
For Castles along the Rhine on August 2, 2026, the sailing scheduled on S.S.
Antoinette in Amsterdam instead embarks on S.S.
Elisabeth.
The Amsterdam dock also changes to Veemkade PTA 4, Piet Heinkade Buildings, 1019 GW Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The reverse Basel embarkation scheduled on S.S.
Elisabeth instead uses S.S.
Antoinette. Uniworld says the Basel port location for that sailing has not changed: Steiger 3 Dreiländereck, Westquaistrasse 75, 4057 Basel, Switzerland.
If your documents still show the old ship name, carry the port-page screenshot and ask the transfer desk which ship and dock apply today.
Ship swaps can move cabin numbers even when the itinerary brand stays the same. Confirm cabin assignment after you check in.
How to protect the first day
Water-level embarkation changes usually keep the cruise running, but they punish late independent arrivals. Build buffer time into air and rail connections on embarkation day.
Save hotel phone numbers from the port notice. Les Haras in Strasbourg and Kempinski Corvinus in Budapest are the published hotel starts for the affected Victoria and Maria Theresa sailings.
If you arranged private transfers to the original dock, cancel or rebook them as soon as you see the hotel or Passau change. A driver waiting at the wrong pier does not move the ship.
For broader river-cruise planning after these day-of logistics, Deep Arrival’s most scenic European river cruises guide covers product context, not live dock addresses.
Live dock addresses always come from Uniworld’s port page for your exact ship and date.
Why water levels force hotel starts
Low or fluctuating river water can keep a ship from reaching a booked city center berth even when the sailing itself continues. Uniworld’s fix is a hotel start plus a later transfer rather than a pure cancellation.
That protects the cruise nights, but it moves your first night logistics onto a city hotel and a company transfer schedule. Independent arrivals pay the price if they only memorize the old dock.
Similar water-level berth changes are a recurring European river pattern in late summer. The durable habit is to treat the operator port page as more current than a printed cruise ticket wallet card.
If you also hold pre-cruise hotels near Basel, Budapest, or Regensburg, recheck whether those bookings still line up with the new start city. A Basel-night hotel can become the wrong city once embarkation moves to Strasbourg.
Keep Uniworld support and your travel advisor in the same email thread so transfer, cabin, and hotel start details do not diverge.
For transfer policy detail beyond this embarkation list, Uniworld also publishes a dedicated transfers page at uniworld.com already-booked transfers that guests should open alongside the port locations notice.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Board S.S. Victoria on August 1 | Go to Les Haras in Strasbourg, not the Basel pier, and use listed shuttles if you lack transfers. |
| Board S.S. Maria Theresa on August 2 | Start at Kempinski Corvinus Budapest unless Uniworld has already moved you by transfer. |
| Board S.S. Beatrice on August 2 | Embark at Passau Hafen Racklau or catch the 2:00 p.m. Regensburg station shuttle. |
| Sail Castles along the Rhine August 2 | Confirm whether you are on Elisabeth or Antoinette and use the published Amsterdam or Basel dock. |
| Have private transfers to an old dock | Rebook them now against the hotel or Passau address on the port page. |
- Recheck: Open Uniworld port locations 24 hours before arrival.
- Hotels: Les Haras Strasbourg and Kempinski Corvinus Budapest replace two embarkation piers.
- Shuttles: Free Basel Art Museum and Regensburg station shuttles run only at listed times.
- Ship names: August 2 Castles along the Rhine guests must confirm Antoinette versus Elisabeth.
- Independent arrivals: Budget extra time and money if you miss complimentary group transfers.
If your Uniworld sailing embarks August 1 or August 2 on the Rhine or Danube ships named above, follow the port page addresses and shuttle times rather than the original brochure dock.
Water levels can force more changes, so recheck the same official page the morning you travel.
Where do S.S. Victoria guests start on August 1?
At Les Haras Hotel in Strasbourg, then transfer to the ship, because Victoria cannot reach Basel for that embarkation.
What replaces Budapest embarkation for S.S. Maria Theresa on August 2?
Hotel start at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, then transfer to the ship under Uniworld’s water-level plan.
Where does S.S. Beatrice embark on August 2?
Passau Hafen Racklau instead of Regensburg, with an optional free 2:00 p.m.
shuttle from Regensburg Hauptbahnhof.
What changes for Castles along the Rhine on August 2?
Amsterdam embarkation moves to S.S.
Elisabeth at a nearby Veemkade dock, while the Basel side uses S.S.
Antoinette at the unchanged Basel dock listed by Uniworld.
How often should I recheck embarkation details?
Uniworld tells guests to verify embarkation address and boarding time on the port page 24 hours before arrival, and water-level notices can change again.
