Oct 5th St Paul to St Louis

[njhoo]

Sitting here in the hotel waiting for our steamcoaches to take us to the boat this afternoon. After breakfast and checkin this morning we walked over to the riverfront and saw her docked about 15 minutes from the hotel. It would have been a shorter walk, but there were a fair number of traffic lights as we are in the middle of the city. While we were originally booked for the Westin, about two weeks ago we notified that a group was being put up at the St Paul Hotel. It's a wonderful old hotel and very comfortable.

 

We came up a week earlier to see more of the upper mid west during the height of the season. Timed it perfectly. Stood at the headwaters of the Mississippi in Itaska State Park and miles and miles of Lake Superior shoreline as we drove as far east as Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. As we drove from Marquette, MI to St Paul the temps dropped significantly as the cold front moved in. It should move east by tomorrow.

[DebbieMH]

Great! Hope y'all have a wonderful cruise. Looking forward to hearing about it!

[njhoo]

Here's the low down on dinner this evening..... sitting here in the lounge waiting for the 8:15 show. To start one of our two pieces of luggage wasn't in the cabin. Stop at the Purser's office resulted in a concerned facial expression while he's telling us not to worry. He took the information and that was it. About 45 minutes later, just before the muster drill our cabin attendant stopped by to introduce herself. When we mentioned the issue, she went into action to go find our missing luggage. In turns out the tag was torn off and the replacement was for one flight down. The bag was found sitting in front of the Purser's office.

 

On to dinner. We have first seating at 5:15 and were at a four-top with a lovely couple from the LA area. She retired in March as a nurse after 43 years at the same hospital working night duty in labor & delivery. She was given this trip as a gift from her co-wokers! There was a choice of 4-5 entires. We all had the short ribs and they were excellent. The staff was pretty good , had to ask for water re-fills and wine. So far so good.

[DebbieMH]

Glad you got your luggage! Hope you have a wonderful first day.

[njhoo]

Here's an update since last evening. Our stop today was Red Cross Minnesota. We chose to do the HO-HO bus. Took us on a brief overview of the city. You can stop and get off at several stops along the way. We jumped off at the second to last stop and walked around the city for a while to get some walking exercise and burn the breakfast calories. Since it was a three block walk back to the boat we did that also. Since a cold front came in on Thursday it was a bit cold there for this time of year. We had layers including down vests and gloves. Even so, after about 30 minutes or so of walking we were cold and walked back.

 

Breakfast was either at the front porch or sit down in the main dining room. We chose off the menu at the dining room. Lunch were the same options and we chose the buffet in the dining room. Dinner was again excellent and we noticed the service was a bit better but we noticed that the asst. head waiters and maitre 'd do much greater supervision than on the ocean vessels.

 

Last evening's entertainment was good, we just like to be entertained and are not too critical there.

 

One of the best things we like is that they serve Starbucks coffee and make it right!

 

What can they do better...... we didn't receive the tickets for the two shore excursions we booked. I stopped by the desk this afternoon and mentioned that I thought she told us we'd get them in the stateroom last evening. She was confused but then she found our form in about 30 seconds. The reason..... one was a new excursion and they had't yet added the excursion to their system to then add passengers to the list. Our impression, they really do seem to be a bit disorganized operationally.

[DebbieMH]

How full is your cruise? Wondering if the amount of the passengers that is causing the confusion? (baggage & tickets). From what I hear on the weather channel, it's pretty chilly up there, as well. Hope you are enjoying yourselves, and thanks for letting us partake of your vacation!

[njhoo]

Quick update..... have an outline of a review hand written while on the bus from Hannibal to St Louis. The internet on the boat was almost nonexistent, since wife needed to use the laptop for work purposes that got priority. Lock # 26 is closed for 72 hours due to repairs, so we couldn't go below Hannibal. We were bussed to St Louis yesterday afternoon and spent the night at a Marriott before we head to the airport this morning. Full review will come sometime this weekend.

[njhoo]

Where to begin…..most importantly a Mississippi River cruise is not a Caribbean cruise or cannot be reasonably compared to any ocean cruise. We are veterans of over 30 cruises including Empress of the North (Columbia River) and France (Viking). On the American Queen there was a refreshing different atmosphere – no loud casinos, cruise staff constantly selling, drinks flowing, no belly-flop contest or chair hogs on the sundeck. At the various ports my pretty wife didn’t need her hair braided nor did we need a taxi. So here we go down the mighty Mississippi with 389 passengers from St Paul to St Louis – Hannibal, more about that later.

 

We chose this trip for several reasons, particularly because we’ve never traveled to the upper mid-west. Upon the completion of this trip, including the week before on our own we’ve now visited all 50 states! We also studied the fall foliage maps in an attempt to maximize the best of the area for the two weeks. We believed we accomplished that; however, once we traveled south into Iowa and Missouri the trees were more green than colorful. The weather was a bit more chilly than normal for this time of year, we packed down vests and gloves – used them only in Red Wing. It was mostly either a fleece or windbreaker. These were fine for walking around the river towns, but made sitting and watching the river flow by almost impossible. The River Grille was closed the whole time as was the pool. Things on the Front Porch were always tight because there was really no use of the outdoor tables and chairs in front. The Chart House on deck 4 was a great place to hang out and watch the river.

 

The cast of characters – the riverlorian was Travis Vasconcelos, besides daily 45 minute river talks, we’d find him in the Chart House marking our progress and answering questions. The cruise director was Steve Spracklen who I would describe as a nice guy, but not the life of the party. On the piano was Phil and back in the Paddle Wheel lounge were Jackie & Bobby. Both Travis and Phil would play the calliope as we were leaving port or in some of the locks. Following the centuries old tradition, folks were lining the docks and locks watching the river boat pass through. Thoroughly enjoyed watching the parents bringing their young kids out to see us.

 

Excursions – there were the buses that followed us and provided a hop on-hop off experience. I would say that AQ worked well with the local historical societies in providing the best that the respective towns had to offer. Admission to the local museums was included. After the first day we found that just about everything was within walking distance for us and only used the bus in Davenport to travel to the sites over in Illinois and back. We both walk a lot, in fact my wife ran the Disneyland ½ marathon over Labor Day weekend, so we are probably the few that would not use the buses. We only took one of the premium excursions to Nauvoo in Burlington. We sensed a bit of disorganization and confusion on the part of the shore excursion staff. This may be attributed to this was their second time on this part of the river.

 

Accommodations – we were in a category B on deck 4 outside. We found the room to be fine space wise, the bed was very comfortable. The only downside was that the walls were paper thin, it sounded like we were part of the conversations in the adjoining rooms. Suggestion is to bring a night light for the bathroom in that it is behind the bed wall and very dark at night. There is a guest laundry located on deck 4 with two washers/dryers at no charge.

 

Entertainment – We had first seating for dinner so our show was at 8:15. The theater usually was 2/3 to 3/4 full so there were no find a seat issues. There were 4 singers and dancers who work under a full year contract. Four weeks on, four weeks off. There was a six-piece jazz band to accompany them. We also had Mark Twin talk to us for an evening and a local Wisconsin band (Brian’s Mississippi Valley Dutchman) one evening. We enjoyed the shows.

 

Cuisine – I know some are you are patiently reading through all this for our take on this topic. We thought the food itself was excellent, absolutely loved the soups. It was well presented and we had sufficient choices. Only once did we select off the alternative and that was just the caesar salad. You had a choice of red or white house wine for dinner. Just about everyday we did the buffet for breakfast and lunch. While there were lighter choices for breakfast (cereals) on the Front Porch, there just was not enough seating for this to be possible. We love Starbucks coffee and this was served in each venue. The service in the dining room was a weak point. We consistently noticed that they were 3/4 good. For example, fill three of the four water glasses, get three of the four entrees right. If they want a “great” reputation in their dining room they definitely need to step up their training and expectation of the staff. We’d prefer it to be better than hearing all the apologies.

 

Internet – this was an issue. From what we were told they connect through cell towers and these seem to be few and far between along the river once you leave the towns. We needed a connection for work purposes and this took priority when we could connect.

 

Final day – The passengers were advised on Monday that lock #26 above St. Louis was to be closed for 72 hours due to repairs. The result is that we could not go further south than Hannibal. The cruise line put together 7 options for travelers based on your debarkation requirements for Friday morning. While we had a flight at 11:10, we were concerned about trying to make the two hour bus trip to the airport that morning. We originally had a noontime flight, but Delta changed the timing three times and kept making it earlier and earlier. We took the option of leaving the afternoon before and AQ put us up at the Marriott Union Station providing dinner (with a glass of wine), breakfast and transportation to the airport. In the end the flight was delayed and we would have easily made it to the airport in time. AQ switched the gala dinner menu and the final show from Thursday to Wednesday to include those departing early. Have to say that they really did this right and we didn’t hear any of the usual complaining from travelers you get when things have to change. Pretty good group of fellow passengers.

 

Overall assessment of our trip, it was nice and glad we experienced it. Met a lot of wonderful folks both on the ship and in the towns along the way. We admit we had a difficult time answering the question on their questionnaire with respect to value for price paid. If certainly would have been much less costly to just drive from town to town along the river, but there is a lot to be said about “Rolling on a River!”

[Riv39]

njhoo, great to read your comprehensive review. thank you.

 

you mentioned the 'value for money' issue. i'm anticipating a lot of value for money from the guide info i hope to hear on the boat as it travels down the river. can you give us some feedback on this? is there ongoing commentary on the history of the area as the boat passes or is this primarly part of the shore excursions? also, are the shore excursions for AQ passengers only or are passengers folded into tours available for anyone to join?

[Responder]

 

 

Cuisine – I know some are you are patiently reading through all this for our take on this topic. We thought the food itself was excellent, absolutely loved the soups. It was well presented and we had sufficient choices. Only once did we select off the alternative and that was just the caesar salad. You had a choice of red or white house wine for dinner. Just about everyday we did the buffet for breakfast and lunch. While there were lighter choices for breakfast (cereals) on the Front Porch, there just was not enough seating for this to be possible. We love Starbucks coffee and this was served in each venue. The service in the dining room was a weak point. We consistently noticed that they were 3/4 good. For example, fill three of the four water glasses, get three of the four entrees right. If they want a “great” reputation in their dining room they definitely need to step up their training and expectation of the staff. We’d prefer it to be better than hearing all the apologies.

 

Overall assessment of our trip, it was nice and glad we experienced it. Met a lot of wonderful folks both on the ship and in the towns along the way. We admit we had a difficult time answering the question on their questionnaire with respect to value for price paid. If certainly would have been much less costly to just drive from town to town along the river, but there is a lot to be said about “Rolling on a River!”

 

Having done the Aug 9 New Orleans to Chattanooga, also in a cat B deck 4, please allow me to offer some comments.

 

I really enjoyed your analysis and will only reference what I saved.

 

These are our observations....

 

Our cabin 417, listed as 205sq ft was so cluttered with old, overstuffed, bulky furnishing, that much of the space was unuseable.

Yes, the walls are quite thin and at times could almost have been done away with. In our home, since we read so much of the time, we require good, comfortable seating and good lighting...none of which were really available anywhere on the Boat.

 

With respect to the dining, the food was different and some of it interesting, but we would find it difficult from a health standpoint to eat this way routinely.

 

Now I will expand on the service issue. Much has been said about why the Steamboat costs so much, or as you put it, value for price paid.

I hear all the time about why we allow foreigners to take those jobs that could be filled with Americans from this country. Here is a good example of why that idea doesn't seem to work.

 

The reasons given are that because they must hire Americans and pay them Social Security, Workers Comp, vacation, medical care, etc., that this runs up the costs, and indeed it does. But in our 45 years of cruising and traveling around the world, we experience service people from other countries and compared to the service and attitudes on the Steamboat, no contest.

 

Most of the studies I have read indicate that for the most part, the Americans won't do the jobs that the foreigners do...even at a considerably higher wage. Why is that?

Here is an example of an American company hiring only American employees at decent wages and yet, in our opinion, even though they are trying as some have said, either don't have the skills or don't want to learn them or don't care. Yes, there are exceptions, but from our observations...very few.

And yet, there are millions of people out of work.

 

Why is it that when you go into a restaurant, even a Pizza parlor in Italy, France, anywhere in Europe, service is a professional endeavor. The servers know the menu, they serve the wine properly, etc. Here, when you experience this, it seems to be the exception. Sure, in some of the costly top food establishments you will find this, but we don't always go to 4* restaurants.

 

I suppose my cry is that when I read the brochure and digest the expectations and finish with many disappointments, I wonder about the whole thing. Sure, I could say that this is Americana and it is, but for the cost of the experience, I wonder.

[DebbieMH]

Thank you very much for your very detailed review. My husband and I sail Crystal for the most part, and their service is exceptional. I'm honestly not expecting that level of service on the AQ in December, but am really looking forward to the river experience and going places we actually know as tourists. Again, thank you for all the effort you put into your review!

[hondorner]

I guss I'm the exception to the service point, or it may be that service was excellent simply because the ship was less than full. Either way, in my experience, service was equally as good as Regent or Oceania, both of which I have sailed, Oceania extensively. In fact, they use the same management company as Regent and Oceania to train their staff, something that was implemented after teething problems on the first couple of cruises back in April.

 

We sailed on back-to-back cruises with a difference in service policies -- on the first cruise, Chatanooga to Memphis, the dining was fixed seating at a fixed time. Our waiter, assistant waiter and wine servers were excellent. In fact, our table waiter is second generation, with his father having been a waiter who rose to maitre'd. Every order was perfect, wine was poured in a timely manner (almost too often). They made a perfect pair -- the waiter reserved, proper and elegant, and the assistant waiter gregarious, "hugging" friendly and always happy. Our waiter was so reserved and elegant, it was a shock to see him leading the final night "parade", a New Orleans style "congo line". There he was, with umbrella waving and whistle blowing> "getting down" in a way we would never have suspected!

 

We also dined with Master Captain John Sutton on the first leg, and he was gracious and entertaining.

 

On the second leg, as an experiment, they tried open seating -- come to dinner at any time during the open hours, and choose your table and table mates. This worked very well, probably partly because the boat wasn't full, and reminded us of our favored open-seating practice on Oceania and Regent. I'm not sure it would work as well with a full boat, because the kitchen is too small to provide so many a la minute meals.

 

Our only service issue was humorous -- our housekeeper often left something behind -- a dust cloth on the dresser, for example, and once a sponge. They were always gone the next day -- we got to anticipating what she would forget each day :). It was never obtrusive or annoying, but then, we tend to be "glass half full" folks.

 

We can sympathize with Responder's frustration with the furniture, as he has stated he has all modern and functional furniture in his South Florida condo, but we have a rural house filled with antiques, and we were thrilled with the decor on American Queen, feeling right at home.

 

We sailed a different part of the rivers than njhoo, which may have had more cell towers, but our only issue with internet was that our cabin was as far to the stern as one can get on deck 4 (directly over the paddle wheel), and we could only get a spotty signal. However, all we had to do was use one of the copious lounges forward (the Front Porch, Chart Room, Gallery, Parlor or Card Room), and we got a solid, dependable internet signal.

[steamboats]

The cast of characters – the riverlorian was Travis Vasconcelos, besides daily 45 minute river talks, we’d find him in the Chart House marking our progress and answering questions. The cruise director was Steve Spracklen who I would describe as a nice guy, but not the life of the party. On the piano was Phil and back in the Paddle Wheel lounge were Jackie & Bobby. Both Travis and Phil would play the calliope as we were leaving port or in some of the locks. Following the centuries old tradition, folks were lining the docks and locks watching the river boat pass through. Thoroughly enjoyed watching the parents bringing their young kids out to see us.

 

Thanks, njhoo, for your review!! Lots of familiar names :D!! BTW one tradition of steamboats was to throw dublons and candy to the folks waiting at the locks.

 

Why is it that when you go into a restaurant, even a Pizza parlor in Italy, France, anywhere in Europe, service is a professional endeavor. The servers know the menu, they serve the wine properly, etc. Here, when you experience this, it seems to be the exception. Sure, in some of the costly top food establishments you will find this, but we don't always go to 4* restaurants.

 

As a European I don´t agree with this. Most of the wait staff had never learned it and in an Italian pizza restaurant you might find friends and family of the owner serving you. Here in Germany you can make a three years apprenticeship to become a restaurant or hotel service expert. Those folks don´t work in regular restaurants but mainly in larger hotels (4 stars plus) or on German cruise ships. Having learned this you can become a restaurant manager (Maitre d´). But in most restaurants you won´t find any trained staff (regarding this apprenticeship).

 

And looking at a typical Bavarian waitress I can tell you that "service" or "friendly" is not part of her business :D:D!! I remember scenes in typical Bavarian restaurants where the waitress yelled over to the "chef" to put more water into the soup because a guest complained that it´s been too salty :o:o (of course the whole restaurant was able to hear this).

 

steamboats

[njhoo]

njhoo, great to read your comprehensive review. thank you.

 

you mentioned the 'value for money' issue. i'm anticipating a lot of value for money from the guide info i hope to hear on the boat as it travels down the river. can you give us some feedback on this? is there ongoing commentary on the history of the area as the boat passes or is this primarly part of the shore excursions? also, are the shore excursions for AQ passengers only or are passengers folded into tours available for anyone to join?

 

The riverlorian gives talks on the history of steamboating, but not really the history of the towns along the river. This is left to the local folks on the HO-HO buses and of course inside the various museums. In your daily "RiverTalk" guide that you receive the evening before there is a brief history of the town we'll be visiting that day. The museums are general museums open to the general public. In many cases our day started before the museum was scheduled to be open, but they had someone there to greet us and start the tour. The premium tours are for AQ passengers only, but again once you arrive at a site that is open to the general public, you are with others.

[hondorner]

... also, are the shore excursions for AQ passengers only or are passengers folded into tours available for anyone to join?

To amplify the excellent explanation by njhoo, in the vast majority of ports you will visit there ARE no tours that anyone may join. It's nothing like the ports visited by most cruise ships, where tours are provided by local excursion companies. That's why American Queen provides their own buses, which follow the boat from town to town and provide virtually all of the transportation. In some cases AQ will hire an additional coach or two, but for the most part your shore transportation will be the same buses driven by the same drivers.

 

There are also 6 bicycles which may be reserved with the riverlorian, and many people walk a good part of the towns. We generally rode the hop on- hop off bus around all or most of their route, getting an idea of the lay of the land, and hearing the comments of the local "guides" (usually volunteers from the local visitors bureau), then walking much of the town. If you're not up to walking, you can easily get back on the bus at each stop and get off at the next, within the time constraints (some ports are only a half day).

 

[Riv39]

Great info njhoo and hondorner. Thanks. My understanding of how this is all going to come together is really taking shape and we're getting excited (even though it is still some months away). Hopefully the river will be a bit higher in May than some other posters have experienced in the last few months.

[Tigerfan85]

I was on this same cruise, with my mother, and also enjoyed it. I was also trying to work onboard and was a bit frustrated with the almost complete absence of wifi, so I would say, don't count on being able to connect between St. Paul and St. Louis. I did use an internet cafe in Hannibal to catch up a bit. On the plus side, it made the vacation a real vacation since I could not work. And the work is here waiting for me now that I am home.

 

We did our hotel stay at the end of our trip, so were able to stay in Hannibal all day on Thursday and take the steamcoach to St. Louis on Friday. We had a fun group perform Thursday evening - the Juggernaut Jug Band. We also thought that AQSC did a good job handling the lock closure. It's a refreshing change from an airline. Having been recently stranded in Atlanta overnight, I am probably sensitive to that.

 

We found the food to be uniformly very good to excellent and I had no complaints with the service. We tried buffets at breakfast at lunch, but occasionally ordered from the breakfast and lunch menus. The menu food came out very fast and was always hot. The buffet food was also always hot and fresh, and we were usually very late to lunch with no ill effect. In fact, when they were taking down the buffets, they would come by each table to let you know that the meal was ending and you should go get more if you wanted it - nice. I would say desserts are their weak spot. We found some of the cakes and bars dry and started leaning towards the non-cake desserts like cherries jubilee and bananas foster. Compared to major cruise lines, I enjoyed the interaction with the friendly, english speaking staff. I will admit that I am younger than the average AQ passenger and pretty casual. If you need fancy, extremely formal service and interactions, I am sure you would find fault with a few things.

 

As to cabin size, we had plenty of room and our bathroom was larger than the one we had back at the Hilton in St. Louis and included a full size tub. The room was kind of dark. There are only two windows in the doors, and they are permanently covered with curtains that can be closed completely or cinched in the middle. Either way, they block most light. In Hannibal on our last day, it was finally warm enough to leave the doors open and enjoy the balcony and abundant light.

 

I will agree that the front porch was crowded due to the cold weather. We were a fairly full boat and everyone needed to stay inside. Many of the most pleasant areas to be on the boat are outside, but we were all inside to stay warm. I think if I ever did this again, I would try to go a bit earlier in the year so that I could enjoy sitting outside on the rocking chairs and porch swings watching the view.

 

We also struggled with the value for price issue. It's so expensive that it's hard to justify no matter the perks, food, and service. We looked at it as a one-time bucket list trip to experience the riverboat and for that it was worth it to us. Price would be the only thing that keeps me from going back with my mother for another trip.

[DebbieMH]

Thank you all for posting your insights regarding your AQ cruise. We all appreciate reading them!

[sailaway5]

Thank you Tigerfan85, hondorner, njhoo and Responder for sharing your valuable experiences on the Steamboat. We are booked for next May for our first American Riverboat experience (we have been on the Rhine, Danube & Main in Europe).

 

DH at times uses a small mobility scooter (Travelscoot) if we have to walk any long distances. Can you take a small scooter and store in bottom of bus compartment when going on the Hop-on/off bus? Did you notice if any passengers using wheelchairs used these buses?

 

Thank you again for all the great information you all have provided.

[Tigerfan85]

I did see people using wheelchairs on the boat. At dinner, most would shift to a chair and the wheelchairs were left just outside the dining room. I did not see anyone using a scooter or wheelchair on the hop-on, hop-off buses, but certainly there are compartments under the buses where something could be stored.

 

The first couple of rows on the buses were always reserved for mobility impaired passengers and people were very good about honoring that, to the point that there were usually empty seats up front even when people had to go all the way to the back of the bus. Also, the driver got off at every stop to stand at the bottom of the stairs and offer a hand to every passenger.

 

It should be noted that getting on or off the boat is a bit more complicated for those who cannot use stairs. The "pretty" way to get on or off involves going through the Mark Twain gallery and out doors and down a big flight of stairs. If you cannot manage the stairs, the way in or out is to travel down the outside of the dining room which is otherwise kind of a service area. They do put down mats over the various cords and things that would be an obstacle, but under normal circumstances, they even have a "crew only" sign on the doors that lead out this way. It's definitely possible and people did it at every stop, but it's not the primary way on and off of the boat. I probably would not have noticed all of this had I not sprained my ankle the first day and been hobbling up and down the stairs all week.

[hondorner]

There was at least one fellow in a wheelchair on our voyage; one of the buses is equipped with a wheelchair lift near the back, and a couple of rows of seats are moved close together to make room for the wheelchair.

 

There was also at least one gentleman with a scooter, sailing alone. He was in a single inside on deck 3, just behind the Front Porch. He was quite adept at navigating within the ship -- we'd often spot him on different decks, near the rail, either watching the scenery or dozing in the scooter chair. However, I don't think he left the boat much; I never saw him (or his scooter) on any of the buses.

 

If a scooter rider was able to negotiate the bus steps, the "basement" compartments are certainly large enough for the scoooter, but I don't know if they have a ramp for that purpose. Certainly, the scooter with it's rider could use the wheelchair lift. The driver is very adept at operating the lift, and the wheelchair accommodation caused very little delay.

 

By the way, that "crew only" sign mentioned by Tigerfan85 leads from the elevator out to the lowest deck, which in turn leads to the Stage (the name steamboats give to the gangplank). The reason for the sign is that no passengers are permitted out on that deck while the boat is underway; there are few if any railings and it would be too dangerous. When the crew is out there while the boat is underway, they generally wear life jackets. As Tigerfan suggested, it isn't "pretty" (it's a working deck), but it's safe enough when the boat is tied up.

[sailaway5]

I did see people using wheelchairs on the boat. At dinner, most would shift to a chair and the wheelchairs were left just outside the dining room. I did not see anyone using a scooter or wheelchair on the hop-on, hop-off buses, but certainly there are compartments under the buses where something could be stored.

 

The first couple of rows on the buses were always reserved for mobility impaired passengers and people were very good about honoring that, to the point that there were usually empty seats up front even when people had to go all the way to the back of the bus. Also, the driver got off at every stop to stand at the bottom of the stairs and offer a hand to every passenger.

 

It should be noted that getting on or off the boat is a bit more complicated for those who cannot use stairs. The "pretty" way to get on or off involves going through the Mark Twain gallery and out doors and down a big flight of stairs. If you cannot manage the stairs, the way in or out is to travel down the outside of the dining room which is otherwise kind of a service area. They do put down mats over the various cords and things that would be an obstacle, but under normal circumstances, they even have a "crew only" sign on the doors that lead out this way. It's definitely possible and people did it at every stop, but it's not the primary way on and off of the boat. I probably would not have noticed all of this had I not sprained my ankle the first day and been hobbling up and down the stairs all week.

 

Thank you both Tigerfan85 & hondorner for this information. DH's new Travelscoot only weighs 35 lbs & also folds up. Many people use them for air travel & large cruise ships as it is easy to tender off the ship (which we recently did on a California Coastal Cruise). My DH is mobile and only needs the Travelscoot for longer distances (like over a block or thru an airport to the gate). Since we would like to visit some of the plantations on the shore excursions, we thought there would be ALOT of walking over the grounds. Do you know if this is the case?

 

Thank you again for this information. We are really looking forward to our RT New Orleans next May.