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ACL has now confirmed that the Duchess and Countess are going to be scrapped. Obviously there´s no final decision for the American Queen yet. But it doesn´t sound that she will be back in service as an overnight river cruise ship.
So at least there is a bit of a hope for the AQ. BTW no word about the Empress.
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7 hours ago, Swiss traveler said:
Hallo aus der Schweiz! Ich bin begeistert ihr Review gefunden zu haben, weil ich und meine beste US Kollegin am Eurodam in April 2025 das gleiche Kreuzfahrt wie du, machen werden! Ich bin auch ein person der viel schreibt, so freue mich auf was kommt jetzt von dir zu lesen!! Eine Frage in voraus: Hast du eine Visum gebraucht für die vershiedene Länder, die wir besuchen? Ausser eine ESTA für den USA, denke ich eine „ein Tag“ stop in die vershiedene Länder braucht kein Visum. Danke!!
Hallo zurück,
Nein, wir als Deutsche brauchten außer ESTA für keines der Länder ein Visum.
No, as Germans besides ESTA we didn't need a visa for any of the visited countries.
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Today´s entry is covering extra costs onboard like WiFi, beverage packages, the complete wine list, laundry...
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15 hours ago, sjde said:
I read with surprise about ( most) German river cruises not including alcohol.
No beverages are included - alcoholic or non alcoholic.
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Yes, VIVA IS the only German river cruise line including beverages. I didn't want to make my answer too complicated. But VIVA is also catering the English speaking market.
With A-Rosa it depends on the fare you have chosen. Basic doesn't include beverages. BTW currently there's a media group of the UK onboard A-Rosa Sena. A-Rosa had several attempts to go more international.
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6 hours ago, sjde said:
Are there any river cruises that don’t include alcohol?
Almost all German river cruise line do not include any beverages or shore tours.
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I´m known for my lengthy reviews with lots of photos. So in April we´ve been on Eurodam for the Panamal Canal transit from Port Everglades to San Diego. My review is in German but automatic translation usually works pretty well. And as mentioned... there are tons of photos. Part 1 starts with the ship description from deck A to 8 (except restaurants, bars and lounges - those get an extra entry).
We´ve done all shore tours with HAL so this might be interesting too on what to expect from a certain tour.
This will be my longest review ever (I fear) and I just started working on my almost 4 K files (photos, videos, pdf-menus).
Hope you enjoy reading and following along!
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8 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:
And yet there is a YouTube video of a helicopter landing on Solstice helipad. Here is a still from that video
That's a small helicopter. The big ones can't land. They are too heavy. Those small ones can't fly far distances. The big Coast Guards ones have a wider range.
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20 hours ago, hcat said:
to the experts: if the helipad area location is not best suited, why is it placed where it is on most ships?
19 hours ago, papaflamingo said:The bow of a cruise ship is the only place free of obstructions with enough space for a helicopter to land. Any rails or flag staffs are removed or lowered on hinges to the deck so for the helicopter to land.
None of the helipads on larger cruise ships is for landing. They won´t be able to stand the weight of modern rescue helicopters. All those helipads are winch areas only. It´s just an unobstructed area where you can more or less easily winch a person up to the helicopter.
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On 4/26/2024 at 3:04 AM, Sonic2012 said:
Can I wear my glasses?
It depends on the staff. Sometimes I had to remove my glasses. Sometimes I was allowed to keep them but with a strap around my head (the ones you use for water activities). Sometimes they even provided a strap.
I don´t remember I had to take my rings off but I usually only have my wedding ring. I know they want to have the rings off on the water slides.
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11 minutes ago, westerdam said:
The only thing I can come up with is that they don't fit their business model. It really will be sad to see the American Queen go if it does come down to it.
Besides of getting rid of a competitor you pretty much nailed it down. All 3 don't fit into ACL's business model. Duchess and Countess are new boats but way too luxury. The AQ is twice as big as their boats and it needs more money to operate her.
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The helicopter can´t land onboard anyway. The patient is winched up in a stretcher. So with a bit of wind, that might be too dangerous.
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2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:
Wonder if the Empress will follow.
No definite answer to that yet, seems like she´s heading to a shipyard and might go into service again.
American Countess and Duchess are already in the Houma area for being scrapped. The American Queen is still sitting in New Orleans.
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Unfortunately rumors are that all three Mississippi river boats will be scrapped - American Duchess, American Countess and American Queen.
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Actually they ask whether your card should be charged in USD or in your local currency. If you opt for local currency X is charging you another 3% conversion fee. So if your card has a 2.5 % conversion fee USD is the better option. Actually with my German card I would have to pay the 3 % charged by X plus the conversion fee of my credit card (as the credit card doesn´t mind which currency the charge is made but that it´s made by a non Euro bank).
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Not the first company which tries to operate on the Spanish speaking market. So far they all failed. And this ship is not suited for warm weather destinations.
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16 hours ago, DaveinCharlotte said:
I don't know; can't find anything on wikipedia. ACL just calls it "American West, 110 passengers, Inaugurated 1995." That's pretty old, so you're probably right.
Yes, it´s the former Queen of the West.
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The Ocean Victory is an expedition ship built for polar regions. It was not really the right ship for Alaska but for the Med????
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11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:
As to the specs of American Duchess, I was led astray by the articles on wikipedia (or by my reading of them...):
American Duchess:
Propulsion Steam powered stern paddle wheel No, you´re not reading it wrong. But it proves that not everything on Wikipedia is correct. The Isle of Capri casino boat never had a steam engine. And the Duchess never got one built in. This would take a lot amount of space for the boilers plus the steam engine. And you need more staff to operate it. Plus you either have to find a historic steam engine or build one new (and I don´t know of anyone who is able to do this).
2 hours ago, ericosmith said:The Empress originally came from Alaska. It will be interesting to see if it goes back there.
As Empress of the North she did both - Alaska and the Columbia river system. I´ve been on when she was in Alaska.
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4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:
she has a steam-powered stern paddle wheel.
Nope, the American Queen has a steam engine which propels the paddlewheel. The Duchess also a old casino boat with diesel engines.
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Sold to American Cruise Lines
American Queen, American Countess, American Dutchess and American Empress.
No buyer disclosed for the Former Cape boats.
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Photo Review: Eurodam Panama Canal 04/13-04/27/2024
in Holland America Line
Posted
Today's entry is featuring our balcony cabin.
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