March 2005 Delta Queen review

My husband and I just returned from the Spring Pilgrimage cruise on the Delta Queen. (3/20/05 to 3/25/05) It was everything we expected it to be and more. To say we had an awesome time would be short selling this boat and crew.

The cabin was small but not cramped - we has one of the forward cabins on the sun deck and loved it! We were quite surprised at the size of the shower and found there was plenty of room and hot water for bathing (after all this is a "steam" boat!) Our room was clean and furnished with antiques. Food was great and service even better. The tours covered a variety of topics and were excellent. Our stateroom had plenty of space to hang clothing and store clothes and suitcases. They pushed together two twin beds to make a king size bed which was quite comfortable - we dropped into bed after a full day of activity and slept well each night. Entertainment covered a wide spectrum of tastes but was all very good.

The only bad thing to report - Mother Nature inundated us with rain one morning for a tour.

The Natchez pageant was a lovely experience and provided a real indication of how important tradition and family are to the townspeople but I don't think I would do it a second time.

We just need to decide which part of the river we would like to see next - a fall cruise farther up river sounds interesting for next year.

[sloegin]

Ann, sounds like you're a convert!! Welcome to the addiction. DQ is our favorite and we'll be on her at the end of April for the race with the Belle of Louisville. It's all part of the Kentucky Derby festivities. Because we go as often as possible we do get the smaller and less expensive rooms. One trip was a back to back for 15 days so it was quite challenging to find clothes hanging space. We however considered it all part of the experience.
Our favorite trip so far is the upper Mississippi from St. Louis to St. Paul. Do try to go in that direction as it gets better with each mile going upriver. The communities along the way, the people who welcomed us so warmly and the wonderful scenery and sunsets made it special. We plan on repeating it as soon as possible.
Perhaps we'll meet on the river one day.
Cheers
Sloegin

[gigi]

Dear Ann,
Im so glad you had a nice trip. My father worked on DQ for more then 10 years. As a kid he would meet the boat in St.Louis. He moved to deep sea after the DQand has sense retired. But his love of the river will never die. Hes living his last days on the outer banks of N.C.

Thanks GIGI

[Bonnie Voyager]

Thanks for the review!