Themeboating™

[HostDave]

By Timothy Rubacky, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development

The only thing better than Steamboating is Themeboating™! At least that’s our motto here at the American Queen Steamboat Company. Sailing America’s rivers on an authentic steam-powered overnight paddlewheel riverboat is a unique experience that infuses your vacation experience with a healthy dose of Americana. But there’s more to America than just the legends that the American Queen brings to life.

America is a rich quilt of history with threads from so many different eras, events, people and nations that the end result is breath-takingly beautiful and fantastically enchanting. Sometimes we’re asked how we choose the themes for our Themeboating™ Adventures, especially once we released our 2013 schedule with several new voyages. The short answer is that we listen to what you tell us in letters, emails and, most importantly, on our American Queen Facebook Page where we encourage you to become part of the conversation.

We take what you tell us and combine it with where the American Queen is sailing, the history of those regions, the time of year and other factors. I think the Fall Foliage, Thanksgiving and Old-Fashioned Holiday voyages are self-explanatory. You can’t have a fall foliage journey without fall and, well, foliage, so those Themeboating™ experiences define themselves pretty easily. A Mardi Gras voyage in June doesn’t make much sense and neither would a Good Old Summertime trip in November, so the time of year dictates these types of themes.

Our Southern Culture & Spring Pilgrimage voyages are born out of the many antebellum mansions open to the public in the South during springtime. The South has such a deep tradition of art and literature that any voyage on the Lower Mississippi qualifies for Southern Culture. But as we looked into various themes, we also discovered the lure of the South was too all-encompassing to be covered only by Southern Culture & Spring Pilgrimages journeys. If there’s two things I’ve discovered, it’s that Southerners love their bourbon and they love their ghost stories. And the more bourbon, the better the ghost stories! That’s why we combined both into a Southern Spirits Themeboating™ experience. Gardens in the South are among the most beautiful in the country and it seemed a natural to offer a voyage that focused on Gardens of the River.

Even though so many of our journeys visit Civil War battlefields, a few have been specifically crafted to maximize time spent on these hallowed grounds and on those voyages, it seemed appropriate to offer Civil war lecturers, entertainers and historians out of respect for the sites visited.

With Memphis as the American Queen Steamboat Company’s headquarters, the American Queen registered in Memphis and the amazing Priscilla Presley as her godmother, we felt it was our hometown duty to offer an Elvis-themed voyage. And speaking of music, an entire style of music has been incubated by the rivers through the decades so Music of the Rivers was a natural choice as well for a themed journey.

If music is the heart and soul of the Mississippi River, then barbecue is the stomach so a combined Blues and Barbecue voyage is scheduled. The French influence along the lower Mississippi is the theme behind an April in Paris journey between New Orleans and Memphis.

The American spirit of exploration is honored in our Route 66/Lewis & Clark trip next year while the Manifest Destiny voyage is committed to expressing the history and atmosphere that led to our country’s expansion to the West.

While there are several more Themeboating™ journeys as well, my favorite is going to be the voyage that reunites the past guests of the legendary Delta Queen Steamboat Company. All of our themes are inspired by our guests, but none more than this one. Just like our predecessor, we have tried to create a feeling of family among our guests who travel with us and from the feedback we’ve received, you feel we’re achieving that goal just as Delta Queen once did. No matter which voyage you choose, I think you’ll find that you’ll feel as if you’ve “come home” the moment you step aboard the American Queen.

Our Themeboating™ Adventures are about presenting to you the best of America. Our country is about more than history, music, culture and cuisine. It’s about warmth, friendship, hospitality and kindness. Perhaps it’s no wonder that sailing with us is like coming home.