Feedback From Our Guests

[HostDave]

By Christopher Kyte, President

In today’s blog, I wanted to do something I rarely do; post an entire review from one of our guests. You hear me talk about how important feedback is from our guests as it lets us make changes to the Steamboating experience and give all of you exactly the vacation you expect. Beyond that, we want to go one step further and exceed expectations. Folks who haven’t sailed often look to those who have for advice and opinions.

One of our favorite websites is Cruise Critic which is filled with knowledgeable travelers who are always able to answer questions and share their experiences. One of the guests on a recent sailing posted a review that I think you will all find interesting, helpful and which captures the spirit of a voyage on the American Queen:

“My husband and I were on the July 5-11 sailing from St Louis to Louisville and had an absolutely wonderful time. We cruise often on the large ships but always wanted to experience a riverboat cruise. We're so glad we had the opportunity. From the moment we boarded the boat and caught sight of the Mark Twain Gallery (pictures just don't do it justice) and were greeted by the various staff-members, we knew we were in for a very special week.

I admit I was originally a bit apprehensive to sail on the American Queen based on early reviews, but my concerns were very quickly alleviated. The service, from the dining room staff to the gift shop attendant, couldn't have been better. The steamboat itself was beautiful and the food was absolutely incredible. It was by far the best I've had on any ship. Even the buffets were wonderful.

We really enjoyed visiting all the small towns on our trip. Everyone was so friendly. Locals would come down to the river just to see the steamboat and take pictures of her. Parents were standing along the shoreline pointing it out to their children. And when we would depart from a town, people would gather and wave us off as the calliope music played. It was quite an experience.

We were very pleasantly surprised when the captain announced that they were adding an extra stop, not once, but twice during our cruise, complete with the hop-on hop-off bus tours. In Owensboro, they even made arrangements with the local museums to be open just for us, even though it was a day they were normally closed. Not only that, but they also arranged for a Blue Grass Band to play for us at the Blue Grass Museum. The band was fantastic and we really enjoyed that so much.

I had originally figured we would be doing a lot of reading and chess-playing on this trip, but between the Riverlorian talks in the Grand Saloon and chats in the Chart Room, the bingo, the trivia, the shows, the port visits, and watching the happening along the river, we were kept quite busy. We never even had time to swim in the pool, watch any of the movies or take in any of the late evening entertainment.

My favorite thing though was simply sitting in a rocking chair and watching the ever-changing views along the river. We could hear the sounds of birds along the shoreline and even caught sight of a couple of bald eagles flying overhead. We live in Florida and have seen our fair share of fantastic sunsets, but some of the sunrises and sunsets we saw from the river absolutely took my breath away.

There was always something interesting to see along the river whether it was the next small town, a lock (we passed through seven of them on our cruise), the change in color of the rivers where the Mississippi met the Ohio, or just nature in all her glory. Driving through the heartland of America on the interstate is sure a far cry from seeing it from her rivers. I had always wondered what it would be like to experience time travel and step back into the past. Now I feel like I have.

I really can't come up with much to complain about the trip at all. We unfortunately traveled in the middle of a heat wave, but that certainly wasn't the cruise line's fault and the air conditioning on the boat worked very well so we could always get out of the heat when we needed to. I was a bit disappointed that the River Grille wasn't operating on our cruise, but there just wasn't the demand for outdoor dining due to the heat.

I had originally assumed that one trip on the American Queen would be plenty for us, but after discovering how enjoyable it is, I'm sure we'll be back again. I'd love to cruise on her on the Lower or Upper Mississippi (or both). It was so easy getting on and off the boat, and it was so pleasant never having to deal with crowds or long lines. I'd love to take a river cruise in Europe, but I'm not a fan of long flights or jet lag, so this is a great alternative for us. Although we've traveled outside the U.S. pretty extensively, my husband has told me repeatedly that we should see more of our own country. After this trip, I have to admit that I agree with him, now that we've discovered such a pleasant way to do it.”