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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Along The Mississippi - Part 6

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

We stayed anchored in Paducah almost overnight and it quickly became clear our riverboat was as much an attraction for the locals as the town was for us. A steady stream of cars drove by throughout the evening, cruising by as slowly as possible so as not to get a ticket for parking!

The Queen of the Mississippi may be a familiar-looking vessel in historical terms, but it is a good few years since the cruise-going traffic was a regular visitor hereabouts, hence it is a welcome sight once again, as well as being a great travel vehicle for those on board.

We eventually sailed at 4am which meant we were slowly returning along the Ohio River as we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and the latest in a series of fascinating talks from our Riverlorian Jim, taking A Journey Through Time in the story of the mighty Mississippi.

As Jim was finishing up his talk, it became clear we were slowly navigating our way into our next port of call. Now, we had come across some fairly small stops on the river in the course of the first few days, but nothing quite prepared us for the view when we pulled into Columbus, Kentucky.  

Our first reaction was 'Have we stopped short of the town?' Our second reaction was 'OK, where IS it?' And our third reaction was 'Huh??'

In truth, there was a town (or village) of Columbus, but it was situated at a safe height from the river, up a small hill and completely out of sight of our boat. We were told the local population numbered all of 160, so we weren't expecting anything grand, and Susan's hope of a little morning shopping expedition was completely torpedoed.

Our ship excursion, to the Columbus-Belmont State Park & Museum (a Trail of Tears and Civil War National heritage Site) wasn't scheduled until after lunch, so we postponed any pre-meal wanderings in favour of coffee in the welcoming Sky Lounge and then the usual mid-day meal at 12.30.

A series of three 12-seater buses was there on the dot of 2pm ready to take us to the State Park, which turned out to be a small but beautifully wooded park on a large bluff overlooking the river (and dubbed the Gibraltar of the West). It consisted of an old mansion house converted into the museum, a small gift shop and, er, that's about it. But the setting was stunning and the history was compelling - this was a key Civil War site in the battle for control of the rivers - and they provided several interpreters in period costume, while, with the trees in full fall foliage, the overall look of the place was extremely eye-catching.

Back on board, we all agreed that Columbus probably wasn't the most enticing of our ports of call, and we wouldn't be in a hurry to return but, once again, we had learned more about the river and the Civil War than we expected, and, coming from Florida where the change to autumn consists merely of a change in temperature from 90F to 80F, it was a welcome change of scenery.

After the obligatory Cocktail Hour - this had really become a key social event by now, full of convivial bonhomie - and another excellent dinner, highlighted by a tasty French Onion Soup and a main course of Steel Head Trout, we were able to kick back in the Magnolia Lounge with the docu-drama 'Trail of Tears: The Cherokee Legacy,' and put another nail in the coffin of President Andrew Jackson and his fellow land-thieves. Sad and tragic and all too true.

Up next - New Madrid, Missouri.

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Along the Mississippi - Part 5

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

It was pretty clear by Day 4 that our journey along the waterways of the mighty Mississippi was very much one of small-town America, taking in the kind of places that might have been significant stopping points for Mark Twain but which the world has largely by-passed ever since.

Alton and Cape Giradeau were certainly charming enough, but their 19th century roots were still clearly showing. They offered a fascinating, if slightly jaded, view of their waterside history, yet they were struggling to remain relevant in a 21st century world that has little time for that sedentary pace.

And then we came to Paducah. Like Cape Girardeau, this key river town is sealed off behind an impressive river wall, but there the similarity ended, as this Kentucky town offers much more in the way of modern sensibilities, from the award-winning National Quilt Museum and state-of-the-art concert venue to the sprinkling of vibrant art galleries and boutiques, while remaining in touch with its heritage via the Tilghman House & Civil War Museum, the River Heritage Museum and the surprising Railroad Museum.

Although two tours were offered, at a modest $35 and $15 per person, we decided to strike out on our own this time as everything was on a very walkable scale, yet still offered plenty to see and do given a full day in town. 

We learned Paducah's Civil War history with John, an excellent docent at the Tilghman House (former home of the railroad tycoon who became a fine Confederate officer before his death, along with his son, at the Battle of Champion Hill, near Vicksburg); we soaked up the 20th century railroad history and a truly wonderful train simulator experience, where we both got to sit in a half-size Amtrak engine mock-up complete with genuine controls, sounds, 3-D screen and other special effects; and we dived into the full River Heritage, learning how the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers have shaped the region for centuries (while also trying our hand at a neat riverboat simulator).

We browsed a dozen or more shops, all with unique, individual styles and stopped for  lunch at Kirchhoff's Deli, where fresh sandwiches and salads made for a tempting array and the neighbouring Etcetera Coffeehouse served a delicious Spanish Latte. There were at least half a dozen other alluring alternatives and, while the weather wasn't exactly balmy, the day here passed in total enjoyment.

Was it action-packed and dazzling? No. Was it busy and bustling? No. Was it beguiling and thoughtful? Absolutely. And we'd go back in a heartbeat, just because - like almost everywhere else - they had some of the friendliest people we've met, and the town had some genuine fascinations, both period and modern.

Back on board, dinner that night featured superb Sweet Corn Chowder, Gulf Swordfish and Blueberry Cobbler that set the seal on a great day. To top it off, local country and bluegrass musician Alonzo Pennington entertained one and all in the Magnolia Lounge and we were truly in the heart of the Mississippi (OK, the Ohio River) as we signed off for the day.

Up next - Columbus, Kentucky.

PS: Like Cape Giradeau, Paducah boasted a superb array of murals along their riverwall, and it's worth adding a few pics of that, as, if anything, they were even more striking than their Missouri neighbour.

 

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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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Follow Us On The Mississippi!

It's time for another 'live' cruise with World of Cruising this month as we head out for a unique voyage along the mighty Mississippi on the brand new Queen of the Mississippi of American Cruise Lines.

Our voyage goes from St Louis to Memphis for a look at the heart of America's greatest river, taking in parts of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. This route is part of the great paddlesteamer era of the 19th century and offers a genuine view of some essential American heritage, from Native American history to the travels of Lewis and Clark and some of the essential Civil War battles.

Along the way, we will discover the likes of America's "most haunted city" (Alton, Illinois), a former French trading post (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), the Chicasaw village site of Paducah (Kentucky), the Civil War port of Columbus (Kentucky), the town that made history as the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake to hit the US (New Madrid, Missouri), the bustling historic town of Tunica (Missouri) and finally the City of Elvis, Memphis itself.

It promises to be a fascinating look at small-town America and the charms of a different age, when Mark Twain travelled the river and the world was a much slower, gentler place.

And we will also be travelling in some style. The Queen of the Mississippi was launched this August and is in her very first season of travels up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. A classic-style stern-wheel paddlesteamer, she is built in retro style but with all mod cons and features, including larger-than-average staterooms, gorgeous lounges and public rooms, and a reputation for fine dining in the best traditions of American Cruise Lines.

It promises to be a fascinating and charming journey, so be sure to check in with us every day as we bring you a daily look at this genuine five-star travel experience.

It all starts on Saturday, November 3, and will last a full week (internet connection permitting!), and we hope to have some great photos to go with the daily blog. The full review, of course, will be in the Spring edition of World of Cruising.

And make sure you keep reading next month as we travel to wonderful Hawaii! 

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Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.