Another "thumbs up" for the Empress

[Tricia724]

For our first ever river cruise, we took the June 8-15 westbound trip from Clarkston to Portland on the Empress. Because neither of us had ever been to Washington or Oregon, we also booked the post cruise package in Portland.

 

To begin our trip, we flew into Spokane, WA for our overnight hotel stay at the Historic Davenport Hotel. What a fantastic start to the trip. We loved this hotel, its spacious rooms and Victorian decor, a trip back in time to a more elegant lifestyle. Think “Gone With the Wind,” but with electricity and modern plumbing! Our hotel check-in went smoothly, as did our transfer the next day to Clarkston which took us about two hours. At the dock we picked up our room keys and boarded. Our cabin was a nicely appointed “C” cabin midship on Discovery Deck with a private balcony which worked out well for us. We also thought the public rooms were pleasant and comfortable.

 

I’m not going to do a day-by-day commentary because, quite frankly, the stops were in small towns and they kind of run together in my mind. Other posters have commented about the HOHOs, the hop-on, hop-off buses, which are well run and provide an excellent opportunity for getting a glimpse of the area. I was pleased to discover that each bus also has a local guide to provide commentary and answer questions, and they added greatly to our enjoyment. We also tried two of their premium excursions, the jet boat ride through Hell’s Canyon and the bus trip to Multnomah Falls.

 

The river experience was even better than I had anticipated. I loved sitting on the deck in a big rocking chair overlooking the paddle wheel watching for wildlife and just enjoying the relaxing flow of the river. I always enjoy going through river or canal locks, and the eight locks we traversed were particularly interesting because of the fish ladders for the salmon and other migrating species. The first part of our trip was bright and sunny, and the scenery was starkly beautiful. Mid trip we began to experience climate changes, and the temperature dropped, the wind came up, and we had some rain. None of it stopped us from having a good time.

 

We did not have a full ship on our trip which meant that we never had any problem being seated in the dining room or finding a seat for a show or event. The passengers were some of the nicest people we have met in a long time. We enjoyed pleasant conversations at meal times, on deck, and during excursions, something we have found lacking of late on ocean cruises, particularly those on larger ships.

 

I can’t say enough good things about the staff onboard. We were greeted with smiles and a willingness to go the extra mile to please us, even when things were not going well, and there were a few rough patches. Food service had lost a couple of people the previous trip, and at times it was obvious that they were understaffed. It was also obvious that the people who were serving meals were making an extra effort, and for the most part, everything went well.

 

The post-cruise package turned out to be a great deal. It was an extra $399/pp and began immediately upon disembarkation in Vancouver (port of arrival) with a sightseeing tour of Portland, lunch, and a trip to Mt. St. Helens. The second day we did a walking tour of downtown Portland. Our hotel was the Portland Marriott, small but nice. We also had two full-service breakfasts included and a transfer to the airport for our trip home. I thought the post-cruise stay was well done and probably the best value of the trip.

 

While the trip itself was a great adventure, I have to say that our experience with the American Queen home office left much to be desired. We got caught up in a price change situation somewhat similar to that discussed in another thread on this board, only in our case, there was considerably more money involved. I won’t go into detail because we eventually got a resolution, but I think this company needs to take a serious look at their pricing model. They could also use some training for their customer service people. Enough said. I really don’t want to beat them up because they obviously are having problems right now filling the Empress and keeping the Queen on schedule.

 

We sincerely hope they will get their act together and keep the boats afloat because we loved the trip and would like to do another. Something else that is very important to us is that this company proudly flies the American flag, and we want them to be successful.

 

If anyone is still awake after reading this saga and has any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them.