Caught in high water

Cruise passengers finally able to go ashore

The MS Thurgau Prestige will remain stranded in Vienna until further notice.(Bild: APA/THURGAU TRAVEL)

Passengers on the Swiss cruise ship MS Thurgau Prestige can breathe a sigh of relief. The tourists who had been stranded in Vienna since Saturday were finally able to disembark in Vienna on Tuesday.

Thanks to a special permit, the Swiss river cruise ship was transferred from the flooded pier in Vienna Nussdorf to the large Handelskai pier, where the passengers were able to leave the ship safely. 

The MS Thurgau Prestige(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The MS Thurgau Prestige had to dock in Vienna Nussdorf on Saturday on the instructions of the Vienna Shipping Inspectorate. However, passengers and crew were unable to leave the ship there because the jetty to the pier was flooded.

But it must not have been boring on board. "In addition to lectures such as 'The Danube, from the source to the mouth' and bridge tours with up-to-date information from the captain, the activity program such as Thai Chi Quigong Shibashi was also well received," said tour operator Thurgau Travel.

They are now working on "organizing the most comfortable and fastest return journey options for passengers to Switzerland". Those guests who wish to fly will land in Zurich in the evening on a specially organized charter flight. "We will definitely refund the travel price because the trip was not carried out as announced," assured Daniel Pauli-Kaufmann, CEO of Thurgau Travel.