A Big Welcome in Vicksburg

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

The reception we’re receiving as the American Queen plies the Mississippi on her return to American river cruising continues with boundless enthusiasm. Local citizens, bands and media come out to meet the boat in each port and even though the weather provided some liquid sunshine for our grand return to Vicksburg, spirits weren’t dampened. Pamela Hitchins of The Vicksburg Post wrote a wonderful article after interviewing Great American CEO Jeff Krida as well as some of the American Queen’s guests and I wanted to share some of it with you in today’s blog.

“Vicksburg is the single most important Civil War site that we reach,” Jeffrey Krida said Tuesday, when the American Queen docked at City Front for the first time in 3½ years. The boat visits other Civil War sites, but none played as crucial a role as Vicksburg, site of the battles and siege for control of the Mississippi River, he said.

“For people to see that and experience it is important to their understanding of the Civil War,” said Krida, familiar with river towns and travel from his years as president of the old Delta Queen Steamboat Company in the 1990s. “It’s also advantageous to us geographically, being halfway between New Orleans and Memphis.”

“Vicksburg is very impressive,” said Jim Wetton, a San Diego native who, with his wife, Darlene, was traveling on the river for the first time. The Wettons took a basic tour of the city by bus before setting aside the afternoon for a longer tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built and includes an authentic steam-operated calliope. Great American spent about $6 million rebuilding the engine, refitting the electrical system and restoring the paddlewheel, Krida said.

Interior areas of the boat also were spruced up, but superior furnishings such as English wool rugs and polished mahogany furniture and trim meant little restoration was needed. “Ninety percent is the way it looked when it was built in 1995,” he said.

“We took the best features of 1800s steamboats and incorporated them into the design of this boat to make it as authentic as possible,” said Bebe Williams, cruise consultant.

“It’s fun, it’s elegant,” said Glenda Lile, 68, of Prineville, Ore. “The cities have been exceptional.”

Husband Arkle Lile, 74, agreed. “The South has been very impressive,” he said. “It’s like getting back to how America used to be.”

From Texas, sisters Sally Harris, Brenda Kenyon, Linda Montgomery and Deborah Mitchell drank cappuccinos and played Hand and Foot in the Mark Twain Gallery. All are repeat cruisers, with Harris and Montgomery having taken 15 trips on the American Queen and its former sister vessel, the Mississippi Queen. Kenyon is a 10-time river veteran and Mitchell has been eight times.