Mississippi Cruise - Epilogue

Concluding our recent - and hugely enjoyably - cruise along the Mississippi with American Cruise Lines on their new Queen of the Mississippi riverboat...

Now we're home again, it's good to look back on the 7-day trip and pick out some of our highlights from the journey, which is certainly an extremely different experience from anything else we've done cruise-wise.

Sailing down the sluggish river to the cheerful sound of the calliope is definitely one of those unique moments, while the sheer camaraderie and conviviality of the whole voyage really stands out.

The slow-paced nature of the journey was highlighted by a series of low-key, if quite charming, ports of call. Alton, Cape Girardeau and Paducah were all well worth a day's visit, but Columbus and New Madrid could easily have been combined, or missed out altogether, as they were barely a two-hour diversion.

On board, the new Queen of the Mississippi is absolutely charming, a modern reinterpretation on the classic river steamers of the past. Cabin space is excellent and the public rooms all a joy to spend time if, if lacking in the one large entertainment Saloon that boats of the past boasted.

The food was unfailingly excellent; a tad below five star but always appetising and well-presented and features like the soups and sandwiches were real stand-outs. The offering of half-portions at both lunch and dinner was also appreciated, as it's easy to over-eat in these slow, sedentary situations. The small on-deck exercise area did provide a bit of relief in this aspect, though!

The provision of free tea, coffee and snack stations in the public rooms was very notable and another highly pleasant feature. Certainly no-one went hungry and the ability to get a good-quality espresso or latte whenever required was much appreciated in these days of some cruise lines charging for small-scale incidentals (as was the free wi-fi throughout the vessel).

Service was unfailingly friendly and efficient, if lacking in a little polish with their lunch and dinner service. The young American staff are all bright and personable, but a little schooling on the proper way to serve formal meals (and not taking away unfinished plates!) would be a good idea.

The voyage was certainly a journey through small-time America, showcased at either end by the cities of St Louis and Memphis, and benefitting hugely from finishing in the Tennessee music setting. The shore excursions were all well thought out and well priced (from just $15-$65) and the provision of free shuttles at many points was definitely welcome.

And the presence of the onboard 'Riverlorian' was a master-stroke in terms of providing the necessary educational and informational content of the cruise, making the journey one of gentle learning and discovery in truly delightful surroundings.

Having never sailed with American Cruise Lines before, it was an absolute pleasure being in their company and, with so many other voyages around the country on offer - notably to Alaska and along the Snake and Columbia Rivers in the north-west - there is certainly much more to explore in future.

And I think we may well do that...

Simon Veness

 

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Mississippi Journey, Part 4

Continuing our journey on the Mississippi aboard the new Queen of the Mississippi of American Cruise Lines from St Louis to Memphis…

After our morning tour of Alton, Illinois, we are heading back down the river this afternoon, with the sun slowly giving way to a creeping overcast. By early evening we are passing St Louis again and get another look at the city’s smart riverfront, highlighted by the Arch that affords a high-level overview of the area.

As night falls, we are quickly picking up the rhythm of the river, a slow, steady, muddy-brown flow in the ultimate direction of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, part of the world’s second-largest drainage basin (after the Amazon) and the kind of unchanged scene that would have greeted Mark Twain ( or Samuel Clemens, as he was then known) during his riverboat pilot days of the 19^th century.

The majority of rivercraft (basically, everything apart from ourselves) would have looked very different to Twain, but the riverbanks are largely untouched for miles in each direction, with only the occasional industrial plant – providing the loading and unloading stations for the many barges that ply the river, pushed by the flat-fronted towboats that chug along at around 4mph – to break up the uber-rural scene.

We are not destined to reach our next port of call, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, until the early hours, so we take (another!) leisurely set dinner in the 150-seat dining room and then enjoy an evening’s talk from our Riverlorian, Jim Williams (the onboard river expert and naturalist).

It is typical of the kind of relaxed, educational style we can expect each evening and serves to underline the ‘Mississippi vibe’ that has been quickly established aboard. There is no formality aboard, with a casual dress code and ambience – jackets and ties are not required.

Each meal with our fellow passengers is an exercise in gentle, convivial conversation. With the vast majority in the 60-plus age group (and many 70 or older), this is an extremely well-travelled group, and much of the enjoyment is derived from swapping travel stories and other highly social discourse. The daily Cocktail Hour at 5.30pm is an inspired choice (all drinks are free, too), and leads seamlessly to an amiable meal, in the company of dinner companions you may just have met.

This is certainly not the all-action, multi-activity, high-tech cruise of the big ships, and it is all the better for it.

Next morning, Cape Girardeau is revealed as typical small-town America, lurking behind a solid levee wall that serves to keep the river’s more excessive moments at bay. The wall is decorated with a series of impressive paintings and it makes for an impressive arrival tableau.

The town itself features a striking 19^th century Catholic church – one of only a handful of English Gothic Revival style churches left in the US – and a modern college campus that sports the Crisp Museum, where the history of this stretch of the river was evocatively laid out. A short film presentation provided the essential story of east Missouri and the effects of the Civil War hereabouts, with the importance of the river offering a narrative thread that would run through the whole cruise.

After the two-hour bus tour, with its two stops, we were free to wander the downtown for an hour. After yesterday’s “Closed” signs in Alton, we were hoping for something more inviting, shopping-wise, today. But, apart from one antique store and a restaurant, everything here proudly proclaimed it was open ‘Tuesday-Saturday.’ Not a lot of good on a Monday, then.

By early afternoon, we were back on the river, heading for Paducah, Kentucky. This required a left turn into the Ohio River, one of the Mississippi’s two main tributaries (along with the Missouri) but the river scenery stayed the same, slow, steady rural passage of the previous day.

The afternoon offered the opportunity to tune in to the resident TV channel showing the second part National Geographic’s excellent “Mississippi River Quest” programme or indulge in Afternoon Tea in the Sky Lounge.

Dinner is followed by our first live musical entertainment of the trip, with award-winning banjo player Dan Knowles and his band, a wonderfully lively five-piece, who turned their hand to country, bluegrass and other folksy toe-tappers. It’s a great slice of musical Americana and sets us up nicely for what is promised to be one of the port highlights of the week.

Up next – Paducah, Kentucky.

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Mississippi River Cruise - Pt 3

Continuing our journey along the Mississippi aboard the new Queen of the Mississippi of American Cruise Lines from St Louis to Memphis…

 

It is quickly very obvious there is a real daily routine about our week’s cruise on this smart 150-passenger paddle-steamer. Everything starts with breakfast from 7.30-9am (or tea, coffee and pastries for early risers in the Sky Lounge for early risers).

 

Then it is time for our Cruise Director Nikki and Riverlorian Jim to give us a quick talk on the day’s events and some history about the River. At 10am there are fresh cookies to be enjoyed in the Sky Lounge (the regular availability of free snacks and drinks about the boat is quite notable) and lunch is served at 12.30pm.

 

If we’re in port, it is off on an excursion (or exploring under your own steam); if not, the morning lecture is saved for the afternoon, accompanied by afternoon tea at 3.30pm, a free cocktail hour at 5.30 and then dinner from 6.30-8pm.

 

Live musical entertainment is provided after dinner in the main Magnolia Lounge, accompanied by popcorn and, a bit later, by ice cream sundaes (because, apparently, we haven’t eaten enough during the day!).

Our first port of call after leaving St Louis, Missouri, is the town of Alton in Illinois (about 30 miles upriver). We arrive in the evening and it is possible to visit the riverside Casino for those who like a flutter. Instead, we stay aboard to enjoy a memorable dinner and get an early night ready for a 9am excursion.

 

Alton is a major stop on the former Underground Railroad that helped escaping slaves reach the northern states and, ultimately, the freedom of Canada, and our coach tour of the town is ostensibly to learn all about this history, although it actually turns out to be more of a town tour than Underground Railroad lesson.

 

We have slightly less than an hour after the tour finishes to see some of Alton on foot, as our steamboat sails again at mid-day, destined for Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Sadly, as it is a Sunday, most of Alton is closed, hence it takes about 15 minutes to complete a tour of the immediate downtown area.

It is a cute town, with some original 19th century brick-built streets and an impressive memorial to the owner of the local newspaper, a slavery abolitionist who was murdered back in the 1830s. More importantly, it was here that a certain lawyer by the name of Abraham Lincoln made a name for himself a few years later, both for his legal work but also for a series of public debates with a renowned pro-slavery politician.

 

The special statues and signage dedicated to the debates are well worth seeing, and, after a few photos and a quick look around the Casino (complete with its billion slot machines), it is time to be back aboard.

 

Next up – Cape Girardeau.

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