If anyone has gone on the American Queen, I'd appreciate some info for my parents, who are finally taking the trip of my mom's dreams for her 80th birthday in September.
We want to know if there is a "formal" or dress-up night for the 4-nighter from New Orleans; also they want to know if when the ship is docked, can a non-passenger come onboard to visit or tour the ship? One more thing - they are concerned about electrical outlets, if there are plenty in the cabin, and specifically in the bathroom.
Any other info, I know they'd love to have as well.
THANKS!
Carol, sorry I can't help you on the formal night for a four night trip but if you call the reservations office they should be able to give you some info. It's 800-543-1949. I would imagine there is at least one such night. On the longer trips of 7 or 8 days there are two. Since the smaller, older Delta Queen is our boat of choice we haven't been on the American Queen so also don't know about the outlets, but I think there will be plenty.
Regulations regarding the boarding of non-passengers seem to vary according to the day of the week!! We've had no trouble inviting visitors on but they must leave their picture ID with the officer on watch during their stay on board. I've heard others complain that they can't get anyone on. Seems to be luck of the draw and I can't explain why.
I do hope your folks have a wonderful trip. Don't forget to inform the purser of your Mom's birthday, because they usually celebrate it with a cake and a song.
Cheers,
Sloegin
We just got back from a cruise on the DQ but at one port the DQ docked (rafted in steamboaters language) next to the AQ. We were allowed to board her but had to show our DQ boarding passes to get on board so I don't think just anyone can board her in port.
Although we toured her and she is beautifully decorated in Victorian style, I did not take note of electrical outlet situation. I can tell you she is newer than the DQ and we had one outlet in our bathroom on DQ.
I too would encourage you to let someone know of your Mom's special day so they can celebrate with a cake and a song for her.
HI
I don't have any information about this but I normally take this type of information from an online resources. It helpful for any type of trip. When I Travel or want to go on a cruise I use it. Hope it will work.
I heard about American Queen from my grandparents. They felt it was a nice line. They have been so many cruises though. They love going on them. I don't thing they have said one single thing bad about it. They said next time I can come on one. My grandma handed me a brochure and said 'pick a date'
When Nancy invited me to New Orleans 15 years ago, the first thing we did was climb a levee in the Garden District to see the river, filled with giant container ships, scrappy tugs and endless barges being towed to points up and down stream. I always wanted to see what was around the bend of the Mississippi and that was the motivating factor for the April 13, 2012 inaugural voyage of the steamboat American Queen.
There were times, sitting on the top deck with the sun on my face, soft jazz on the speakers, river banks green with spring growth slipping by and the paddle wheel noisily slapping the water behind me, that I thought I'd gone to heaven.
But only until that evening as we sat down to one of Chef Regina Charbonneau's culinary masterpieces. Her food, full of Southern sensibilities (and lots of alcohol) got better each night; the pompano baked in parchment followed by prime rib of pork, Veal Oscar, tournedos of beef and — finally — a choice of beef filet with apple/bourbon/bacon daube glace or deviled lobster with crabmeat topping.
I had the latter, but our waitress, Toni, overheard me tell Nancy that the beef looked awesome, so she snuck out a serving for me as well.
Surf and turf on the mighty Mississippi as the river rushed by outside. And always, the wine flowed.
Not to mention white bean and andouille soup, crab with asparagus appetizers, crawfish beignets, slivered, blackened beef salad, Oysters Rockefeller (uh, Nancy had those), mock turtle soup with a distant sense of sherry lurking in each mouthful, shrimp remoulade, bread pudding with creamed Irish whiskey and dense bourbon-infused pecan pie.
Or the breakfast buffet with cheesy grits and giant shrimp and the guy carving a slice (or three) of buttery soft roast beef.
Or the wait staff delivering individual silver wine buckets with champagne to our cabins. And the jazz brunch with incredible offerings (can you say sacher torte?) and lots of time to enjoy them. Hey, we live like this all the time, don't you know?
Oh, man, life on the river was sweet.
But I digress. Riding the Crescent out of Charlottesville to NOLA was restful and interesting. We ate with a young woman from the Big Easy whose whole family was displaced by Katrina and she ended up counseling college kids in Atlanta. Her memories of that time were clear and poignant.
At the Westin Canal Place, we were presented with a panoramic view outside our window of the already busy river traffic as the city softly awoke. There was a celebration in the French Quarter (as if the town needs more visitors) and the streets were alive with musicians on every corner.
The Great American Steamboat Company was anxious to make a good impression for the Queen's maiden voyage (they succeeded), so the staff greeted us at attention on the dock as we boarded — but with lots of what we discovered to be genuine smiles.
As night fell, we departed under the Huey P. Long Bridge and headed north. Each day, we tied up to a plantation or river town and boarded buses for another exploration into life on the Delta.
Our days were full: We descended into the engine room for a tour with the Chief Engineer and climbed to the pilothouse for a talk from the "riverlorian" about navigation and how the American Queen worked. One day, Nancy went to the Grand Saloon and learned to make flaky biscuits from Chef Charbonneau. We bought her most excellent cookbook and I am expecting full-course Southern delicacies any day now.
{Suddenly, derisive laughter erupts from the kitchen; what's up with that?}
At night, we went to professionally-mounted shows, including a "Night with Mark Twain," and a revue of Hollywood musicals.
After Vicksburg surrendered to Grants's army on July 4, 1863, thereby cutting the Confederacy in half, Lincoln remarked that the father of waters now "flowed unvexed to the sea."
Unhindered by the only rain on our trip in the comfort of our fancy bus, the 3-hour tour of the Vicksburg battlefield was an another example of the value of seeing in person what I'd only hitherto read about. The local historian knew whereof he spoke and we had an excellent excursion.
And yet, the South remains an eternal mystery to me. At Natchez, we toured an exquisite antebellum townhouse. In the dining room, an inventive mahogany fan was rigged over the table with a rope pulley. The tour guide explained that someone would pull the rope to keep bugs away, thus the term "shoo-fly."
That "someone" was a slave, legally a part of the owner's property unable to seek work elsewhere, to learn how to read, to escape the life. All this lovely culture along the river was built on a slave-based economy and, after hundreds of thousands of American lives were sacrificed to preserve it or destroy it, it would all be gone with the winds of war. Seeing what remains helps us better understand why the Civil War was fought, and the nature of the violence that went with it.
Anyway, we received value for the money we spent on this cruise; it was the trip of a lifetime and we loved it. Now, back in Virginia, a reality check calls for hot dogs and beans for dinner.
But for Nancy and I, we''ll always have the River…
When Nancy invited me to New Orleans 15 years ago, the first thing we did was climb a levee in the Garden District to see the river, filled with giant container ships, scrappy tugs and endless barges being towed to points up and down stream. I always wanted to see what was around the bend of the Mississippi and that was the motivating factor for the April 13, 2012 inaugural voyage of the steamboat American Queen.
There were times, sitting on the top deck with the sun on my face, soft jazz on the speakers, river banks green with spring growth slipping by and the paddle wheel noisily slapping the water behind me, that I thought I'd gone to heaven.
But only until that evening as we sat down to one of Chef Regina Charbonneau's culinary masterpieces. Her food, full of Southern sensibilities (and lots of alcohol) got better each night; the pompano baked in parchment followed by prime rib of pork, Veal Oscar, tournedos of beef and — finally — a choice of beef filet with apple/bourbon/bacon daube glace or deviled lobster with crabmeat topping.
I had the latter, but our waitress, Toni, overheard me tell Nancy that the beef looked awesome, so she snuck out a serving for me as well.
Surf and turf on the mighty Mississippi as the river rushed by outside. And always, the wine flowed.
Not to mention white bean and andouille soup, crab with asparagus appetizers, crawfish beignets, slivered, blackened beef salad, Oysters Rockefeller (uh, Nancy had those), mock turtle soup with a distant sense of sherry lurking in each mouthful, shrimp remoulade, bread pudding with creamed Irish whiskey and dense bourbon-infused pecan pie.
Or the breakfast buffet with cheesy grits and giant shrimp and the guy carving a slice (or three) of buttery soft roast beef.
Or the wait staff delivering individual silver wine buckets with champagne to our cabins. And the jazz brunch with incredible offerings (can you say sacher torte?) and lots of time to enjoy them. Hey, we live like this all the time, don't you know?
Oh, man, life on the river was sweet.
But I digress. Riding the Crescent out of Charlottesville to NOLA was restful and interesting. We ate with a young woman from the Big Easy whose whole family was displaced by Katrina and she ended up counseling college kids in Atlanta. Her memories of that time were clear and poignant.
At the Westin Canal Place, we were presented with a panoramic view outside our window of the already busy river traffic as the city softly awoke. There was a celebration in the French Quarter (as if the town needs more visitors) and the streets were alive with musicians on every corner.
The Great American Steamboat Company was anxious to make a good impression for the Queen's maiden voyage (they succeeded), so the staff greeted us at attention on the dock as we boarded — but with lots of what we discovered to be genuine smiles.
As night fell, we departed under the Huey P. Long Bridge and headed north. Each day, we tied up to a plantation or river town and boarded buses for another exploration into life on the Delta.
Our days were full: We descended into the engine room for a tour with the Chief Engineer and climbed to the pilothouse for a talk from the "riverlorian" about navigation and how the American Queen worked. One day, Nancy went to the Grand Saloon and learned to make flaky biscuits from Chef Charbonneau. We bought her most excellent cookbook and I am expecting full-course Southern delicacies any day now.
{Suddenly, derisive laughter erupts from the kitchen; what's up with that?}
At night, we went to professionally-mounted shows, including a "Night with Mark Twain," and a revue of Hollywood musicals.
After Vicksburg surrendered to Grants's army on July 4, 1863, thereby cutting the Confederacy in half, Lincoln remarked that the father of waters now "flowed unvexed to the sea."
Unhindered by the only rain on our trip in the comfort of our fancy bus, the 3-hour tour of the Vicksburg battlefield was an another example of the value of seeing in person what I'd only hitherto read about. The local historian knew whereof he spoke and we had an excellent excursion.
And yet, the South remains an eternal mystery to me. At Natchez, we toured an exquisite antebellum townhouse. In the dining room, an inventive mahogany fan was rigged over the table with a rope pulley. The tour guide explained that someone would pull the rope to keep bugs away, thus the term "shoo-fly."
That "someone" was a slave, legally a part of the owner's property unable to seek work elsewhere, to learn how to read, to escape the life. All this lovely culture along the river was built on a slave-based economy and, after hundreds of thousands of American lives were sacrificed to preserve it or destroy it, it would all be gone with the winds of war. Seeing what remains helps us better understand why the Civil War was fought, and the nature of the violence that went with it.
Anyway, we received value for the money we spent on this cruise; it was the trip of a lifetime and we loved it. Now, back in Virginia, a reality check calls for hot dogs and beans for dinner.
But for Nancy and I, we''ll always have the River…
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