The Breath of Life

[HostDave]

By Timothy Rubacky, Senior Vice President

One thing that I love so much about the American Queen is the sense of nostalgia that it evokes among our guests. Of course, each detail of her décor is carefully considered to reinforce the idea of a grand Victorian floating bed and breakfast, but it also comes through in so many other ways. The American Queen is, despite how much we might believe otherwise, simply an object. Now, I would argue that she has a soul but really, what is a soul as it applies to something historic such as a boat, hotel or train? Is it anything more than the sense of history and nostalgia? Yes, I think it is.

For a riverboat like the American Queen to have a soul, it has to come not from what it has witnessed but who has crossed its decks and the life and atmosphere it has had during it career. For me, what gives the American Queen her soul is not just her staff and crew, whose gracious service, warm smiles and sense of purpose is as much a part of the American Queen Steamboat Company as the American Queen herself. It not just in her guests, whose friendship and laughter permeate each room. In the middle of the night, does that Grand Saloon have an energy that comes from the entertainers who were on stage the evening before? Perhaps. Does the J.M. White Dining Room seem lonely as it sits darkened, awaiting breakfast service. Yes, I suppose it might.

But for me, what gives the American Queen her soul is not all of these things, although each contributes a little. No, I believe that it is the emotions that come through each guest and staff member that breathe life into something like a steamboat. The sounds of joy and laughter that echo among newfound friends in the Mark Twain Gallery is not what gives the American Queen her soul, it is the joy itself, the wild abandon that comes from shared humor, or the shared tear over long-forgotten memories that pass out of each us, through others and are absorbed in the walls of a steamboat. It’s not the clatter of dishes or voluminous conversations that bring the American Queen alive even in the darkness in the middle of the night, it is the unedited emotion of each moment that we exhale with every breath that becomes an indelible part of the American Queen. As we breathe out each emotion, a steamboat like the American Queen inhales it like an elixir, giving her purpose, personality and, yes, a soul.

I know that many of you are reading this and thinking it sounds corny at best or crazy at worst. But if you stop to think, it’s really not so far off the mark. When we walk into an historic building, why do we get that sense of history? It’s not because of the plaque out front or the words of a tour guide, is it? We can walk into any environment and have that sense of history without ever being told why. We can sense whether a place has a good vibe or a bad vibe just by being in it. Why is that? As I said, I believe it’s because each place we are in absorbs some of our emotional energy. It’s intangible, of course. Metaphysical, perhaps. And, I will freely admit, probably a somewhat eccentric viewpoint.

But I don’t know how else to account for the feeling of warmth, welcoming, history, comfort and kindness that our guests tell us they feel as soon as the set foot on the American Queen. Each guest is feeling a little bit of the soul of our beautiful lady of the river and, in turn, is reflecting that right back.

The American Queen was built in 1995 so that she has every modern amenity and safety feature. Even by today’s standards where a three-year old Smartphone is considered ancient, she is not an old boat. But the American Queen is an old soul. She has absorbed the dreams of her designers that she be the ultimate expression of the classic riverboat. She has embraced the idea that she is the last of her kind. Her authentic steam power plant from the 1920s is her beating heart and speaks of decades of toil on the river.

The American Queen just feels right as soon as you walk up the gangway. People ask me why she is different than a cruise ship or even one of the many other riverboats around the world. I tell them it’s because she was created not by a group of people out to make a bunch of money and who decided building a replica steamboat was the best way to do it. She was created, nurtured and restored by people who love everything she represents. The American Queen Steamboat Company brought her back to life simply because we had to. Letting her sit in lay-up was not what she was built for. It’s not what she was meant to do. It just wasn’t right.

She belongs on the river, her mighty red paddlewheel churning away, her guests listening to the calliope, flying kites off the stern, dancing to jazz in the Engine Room Bar or watching a one-man Mark Twain impersonator show in the Grand Saloon. The American Queen is completely unique in the world of travel. And she is distinctive not because of what she is, but because of who she is. She is unique because of her soul.

Why is a vacation with the American Queen Steamboat Company special? It’s not the free hop-on, hop-off shore excursions, complimentary wine and beer with dinner or any of the many small touches that make such a big difference. You can see the towns and cities along the river by driving, taking a bus, traveling by train or even on a modern river vessel. What make us stand apart is the American Queen because she is the heart and soul of the river and the standard bearer for generations of authentic steamboats that have gone before. She is everything that each of you have made her and she carries all that you, our guests, have given her through the years with each new voyage.

A voyage on the American Queen isn’t something that truly can be described in eloquent brochure copy or even the ramblings of a blog. It can’t be captured in photographs or Facebook postings. It is something that has to be experienced to be understood. For how do you put all that makes up a soul into words?

You can’t.

And that’s why I invite you to join the American Queen and experience the difference.