Cruises thrown into chaos as drought strands ships, leaves passengers scrambling

The continent has experienced "above-average temperatures with an extensive and prolonged heatwave" in the first half of July, with drought conditions still persisting, according to the European Drought Observatory (EDO)'s website.

The EDO's latest map shows drought stretching across much of Central and Western Europe, with the most severe "alert" conditions concentrated in parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania and the Balkans.

The drought has impacted two of Europe's major river routes - the Danube and the Rhine.

Meanwhile, images of the Rhine show exposed sandbars and dried-up riverbanks as ships traveled through a shrunken waterway.

Several river cruise operators, including Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways, have warned that low water levels on parts of both rivers may alter itineraries.

One user writing on a social media thread expressed concern about her family members' trip on the Danube and Rhine rivers.

A different Reddit user expressed disappointment after drought-driven low water levels forced changes to a Rhine river cruise.

"Just got back home on Sunday. The 'castle' part of the Rhine was too shallow to traverse," the person wrote last week.

Another traveler described having to switch ships after low water levels made parts of the Rhine impassable, resulting in missed excursions and hours-long bus transfers.

"We traveled by bus about 5 hours to [a] new ship. The bus ride was broken up, but we missed our [prepaid] excursions," the commenter said.

"I totally understand the water levels are what they are. We still had a great time with friends, but it was a slog to change ships! We had to pack everything up - unpack and organize again on [a] new ship."

Fox News Digital reached out to Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways for comment.