If this was Facebook I would click "Like" - good luck to them.
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Bob
A Bad Day At Sea Always Beats A Good Day At Work
Carnival: Glory 2004, Destiny 2008, Splendor 2009, Freedom 2011
Celebrity: Summit 2011
Princess: Ruby 2010
Just about every American Flag cruise operation in the history of cruising has gone bankrupt.
The very few exceptions are currently in the process of going bankrupt.
I wonder what makes these new people think they can avoid a similar fate?
It so happens I have known about this pending move by Tim for about a full year now. I also know his partners. When I heard a rumor about Tim I actually guessed who his principal partners are and I contacted them to ask if I had guessed correctly. I got an affirnmative but I had to promise not to say anything to anyone.
The main principle in the new company is a very smart entre[reneur who really knows the domestic American travel market. He is a travel agency owner, but he specializes mostly on U.S. destinations - so he really understands this market and has all kinds of connections. He thoroughly studied the previous owners of this boat and feels he knows exactly where they went wrong.
Keep in mind they are only starting up the American Queen, not the other river boats formerly a part of the Delta Queen company. American Queen is a beautiful ship. (It is more like a ship than a boat).
It is all a question of money management - cost of operations vs what you can charge. I think they will do very well.
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I am the editor, but I also speculate, ask questions and play devil's advocate. I reserve the right to change my mind.
Keep in mind they are only starting up the American Queen, not the other river boats formerly a part of the Delta Queen company. American Queen is a beautiful ship. (It is more like a ship than a boat).
It is all a question of money management - cost of operations vs what you can charge. I think they will do very well.
I'm glad to hear that the riverboat American Queen is returning to service, and even more glad to hear that the management of this venture has the good sense to do only what their current financial resources can sustain.
>> It's reasonable to expect some "glitches" during the star-up phase, and it will be much easier to work those out on a smaller scale than on a larger scale.
>> There's also an issue of recruiting and training additional crew and staff for a second vessel. The former Delta Queen Steamboat Company vessels have been out of service for long enough so most of the previous crews probably have found other jobs. It's best to concentrate as many crew who know these vessels well enough to have a sense of what will work and what won't on one vessel to get things started in the right way. Once those people train "green" crew and staff, they will have more experienced crew and staff to spread to a second vessel.
>> It also takes time for a new company to build its reputation and to build up a cadre of satisfied passengers who will both return as repeat business and spread the word in the cruising community, generating new business. Word of mouth is always the best advertising!
But hopefully, this venture will succeed and Mississippi Queen will rejoin her former fleetmate a year or two after the initial launch.
I don't know if you have heard but American Cruise Lines also just launched a new riverboat meant exclusively for Mississippi River cruising.
That lines boat is different, however. It looks like a paddlewheel steamer, but it also has regular propellar propulsion in addition to the paddlewheel, so the boat can go about three times faster than a regular steamboat.
Its brand new - amd will be posh and have extensive itineraries (because it can travel farther faster).
Between the two of them, I see Mississippi cruising cominfg back better than ever.
I honestly do not know where the Mississippi Queen is right now, but my understanding is that she is not a very desirable boat to own. She is small and slow. That makes her harder to sell, because they have to charge more but can't really provide more.
American Queen is a BIG boat - something like 400 passengers, with a couple of nice nightclubs and even a nice theater for live shows. The dining room is beautiful. The rooms all have doors to outdoor decks and some even have lovely balconies.
__________________
I am the editor, but I also speculate, ask questions and play devil's advocate. I reserve the right to change my mind.
Memphis based steam boat start up
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