On board the AQ

[Sir William]

That might just have been the old DELTA QUEEN working her charm on you! She did that to a lot of others too.

 

 

She did indeed, but then we also liked her because it was smaller, more intimate, and of a similar size to the original steamboats. I go with a group of history enthusiasts that like to dress up in Victorian-era attire (long dresses, frock coats, etc) and the DQ brought out adventure to life.

[Needhamite]

Debbie,

 

I have seen conflicting info on this question. Since you just got off the vessel, can you tell me if there are washers and dryers available to passengers? If so, is detergent provided and would it be difficult to find a machine available when you need it?

 

Thanks,

Peter

[steamboats]

Yes, there´s one washer and one dryer plus detergent (as far as I remember). I had to use it as we´re usually on a longer trip when we fly over from Europe (and our DD was much younger then - 6 to 8 yo).

 

steamboats

[DebbieMH]

Debbie,

 

I have seen conflicting info on this question. Since you just got off the vessel, can you tell me if there are washers and dryers available to passengers? If so, is detergent provided and would it be difficult to find a machine available when you need it?

 

Thanks,

Peter

 

I am deferring to Steamboats above. I did not use the washer/dryer, I do know there is one ... but again, I never saw it or looked in there. We were on a very short cruise - 5 nights - so didn't need it! Thanks

[Needhamite]

Thanks to you both for clearing this up. The older I get the less I want to have to lug around a lot of baggage.

Peter

[sailaway5]

What was the dress code in the evening -- for dinner?

[Sir William]

What was the dress code in the evening -- for dinner?

 

Resort casual. For the Captain's Reception some men wore sports coats and the ladies cocktail dresses.

[sailaway5]

Resort casual. For the Captain's Reception some men wore sports coats and the ladies cocktail dresses.

 

Thank you... Just received our travel documents for our Feb 23 sailing. I notice they add the gratuities directly to your account.

 

We are getting excited about this cruise!!! Hope the river levels are okay and the oil spill in Vicksburg doesn't hinder stopping here.

[sailaway5]

Resort casual. For the Captain's Reception some men wore sports coats and the ladies cocktail dresses.

 

Thank you... Just received our travel documents for our Feb 23 sailing. I notice they add the gratuities directly to your account.

 

We are getting excited about this cruise!!! Hope the river levels are okay and the oil spill in Vicksburg doesn't hinder stopping here.

 

Sorry - double post....don't know how to remove it..

Edited January 31, 2013 by sailaway5
Double post

[DebbieMH]

Great! Wish we were going again. I'm sure you will have a great time. I don't think you will have any problems in Vicksburg. Actually, I don't think AQ added ours automatically, how soon. We forget these things! Have a wonderful trip.

[gillianrose]

AQ is proving to be our "river" Crystal.

 

That's high praise. Have you done a river cruise in Europe, and if you have, how does this compare?

Edited February 1, 2013 by gillianrose

[DebbieMH]

I have been to a couple of places in Europe, Italy, Germany and Austria, but not on a cruise. AQ was a great experience, and worth the price. It was my first river cruise, but wont be my last!

[Sir William]

Thank you... Just received our travel documents for our Feb 23 sailing. I notice they add the gratuities directly to your account.

 

We are getting excited about this cruise!!! Hope the river levels are okay and the oil spill in Vicksburg doesn't hinder stopping here.

 

 

On the New Year's Eve cruise we weren't able to dock at Vicksburg due to water contamination (all water had to be boiled) so we docked at Natchez for 2 nights. They bused us to the Vicksburg Battlefield (90 min ride each way) which made for a long day, but OK by me rather than miss the tour (which is the only one I signed up for). There were signs up everywhere in Vicksburg not to drink the water, but the AQ provided lots of bottled water.

 

When I looked out the window on the morning we were suppose to be in Vicksburg, I wondered where the flood wall with the murals was, then I noticed the buildings and thought "This looks like Natchez", and it was!

 

Ironically, when we were on the Delta Queen in 2005, we weren't able to dock in Baton Rouge due to a chemical spill so did 2 days in St Francisville.

 

The AQ went into drydock for 3 weeks after our cruise, so hopefully they were able to address a few things that needed some attention. Worse part for us was that the paddlewheel was broken. They used auxilliary screws to propel us but had a tug lashed to the stern for any emergencies. Took away a bit of the charm of being on a paddlewheeler but since it was too cold to sit outside at the bar, we didn't really miss it too much.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Sir William

[sailaway5]

That's high praise. Have you done a river cruise in Europe, and if you have, how does this compare?

 

Hope you don't mind me jumping in.....

We have done a river cruise in Europe (Vienna to Basel, Switzerland). We loved it. We will be happy to do a comparison upon our return from this cruise the end of the month. We are really looking forward to this one.

Edited February 3, 2013 by sailaway5

[sailaway5]

On the New Year's Eve cruise we weren't able to dock at Vicksburg due to water contamination (all water had to be boiled) so we docked at Natchez for 2 nights. They bused us to the Vicksburg Battlefield (90 min ride each way) which made for a long day, but OK by me rather than miss the tour (which is the only one I signed up for). There were signs up everywhere in Vicksburg not to drink the water, but the AQ provided lots of bottled water.

 

When I looked out the window on the morning we were suppose to be in Vicksburg, I wondered where the flood wall with the murals was, then I noticed the buildings and thought "This looks like Natchez", and it was!

 

Ironically, when we were on the Delta Queen in 2005, we weren't able to dock in Baton Rouge due to a chemical spill so did 2 days in St Francisville.

 

The AQ went into drydock for 3 weeks after our cruise, so hopefully they were able to address a few things that needed some attention. Worse part for us was that the paddlewheel was broken. They used auxilliary screws to propel us but had a tug lashed to the stern for any emergencies. Took away a bit of the charm of being on a paddlewheeler but since it was too cold to sit outside at the bar, we didn't really miss it too much.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. We have also booked the Vicksburg premium tour...and no matter what, we will look forward to seeing this area. Hope the water problem is solved by the time we go!!!

 

Cheers...

Edited February 3, 2013 by sailaway5

[CRUISEWITHH]

We are trying to get a stateroom for a May sailing, but we may not be able to get a H/C stateroom.

 

My husband uses a mobility scooter and although he can walk a little he cannot step up to use a shower over a tub.

 

What is the bathroom configuration for the regular staterooms?

[sailaway5]

We are trying to get a stateroom for a May sailing, but we may not be able to get a H/C stateroom.

 

My husband uses a mobility scooter and although he can walk a little he cannot step up to use a shower over a tub.

 

What is the bathroom configuration for the regular staterooms?

 

We just gave up a H/C stateroom (#305) for the May 5th sailing a couple weeks ago. Check it out --- it may be available. We are now going the end of February. We can comment about the showers after the end of the month as we are not in a H/C room now. Maybe someone else can share that information with you.

 

Have fun on your travels..

[Calliope]

Call the office and make sure that a handicaped accessable room has a shower and not a tub. When the boat came out during 1995 all H/C rooms had a large bathroom with grab bars for the toilet and tub, but none of the rooms were equiped with roll in showers. Of course the bathrooms might have been remodled since then, but I am not aware of that happening.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Calliope

[sailaway5]

We are trying to get a stateroom for a May sailing, but we may not be able to get a H/C stateroom.

 

My husband uses a mobility scooter and although he can walk a little he cannot step up to use a shower over a tub.

 

What is the bathroom configuration for the regular staterooms?

 

Our regular deluxe stateroom on the back of the boat had a very large bathroom, with tub and shower. I do not know what the other staterooms are like. There were two other H/C with mobility scooters on the boat and everything seemed accessible. The elevator was very convenient.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We sure did.

[DebbieMH]

Our regular deluxe stateroom on the back of the boat had a very large bathroom, with tub and shower. I do not know what the other staterooms are like. There were two other H/C with mobility scooters on the boat and everything seemed accessible. The elevator was very convenient.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We sure did.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise. Thanks for posting.

[Sader417]

On the New Year's Eve cruise we weren't able to dock at Vicksburg due to water contamination (all water had to be boiled) so we docked at Natchez for 2 nights. They bused us to the Vicksburg Battlefield (90 min ride each .

 

We're leaving on this NYE cruise next week. It's our first time on the American Queen.

My wife is asking about the dress code, particularly for NYE. Most concerned about how dressy the crowd is that night, as well as the general level of dress other nights. Any info you have would be appreciated.