bcorre2 Posted December 21, 2016 #26 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Nice to see CC forum admin combine multiple threads to make this one easier to follow. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted December 21, 2016 #27 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Now if the admins could only do the same thing to the Jones and PVSA acts ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVilleGal Posted December 30, 2016 #28 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Looking forward to following along. While I have never thought to consider Viking, for this sailing I may just need to change my mind. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calliope Posted December 30, 2016 #29 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Hopefully, the Str. DELTA QUEEN will be operating again before the first Viking long boat heads up the Mississippi River! And until the time the DQ returns I see no need to to go on any overnight boat other than the Str. AMERICAN QUEEN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted January 2, 2017 #30 Share Posted January 2, 2017 All they have to do is pass that safety exemption because the DQ has a wood superstructure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcorre2 Posted January 14, 2017 #31 Share Posted January 14, 2017 (edited) Viking now has a page to sign up for information about their upcoming Mississippi River cruises. We'll continue to follow and hope to join them in 2019 as we're booked for 2 Viking Ocean Cruises in 2018. :D Our glass is always half full...... https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/contact/mississippi-cruises-form.html Edited January 14, 2017 by bcorre2 add info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted January 14, 2017 #32 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Interesting they put that up there. Unless its been there for a while, it might mean there's been some headway with the Maritime Administration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calliope Posted January 19, 2017 #33 Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) All they have to do is pass that safety exemption because the DQ has a wood superstructure. Unfortunately, as the past two sessions of Congress have proved, the money spent by American Cruise Line lobbying seems to be paid greater attention by the politicians than the voices of the American people. Once again though there is a bill that has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, S. 89, to grant that exemption. Please, write or call your Senators to support this legislation to allow a National Historic Landmark to steam once again! Edited January 19, 2017 by Calliope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcorre2 Posted March 30, 2017 #34 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) A hopeful update. Feb 2, 2017 Viking RiverCruises Still Coming to the Quad Cities :) http://wqad.com/2017/02/02/viking-river-cruises-still-coming-to-the-quad-cities/ Edited March 30, 2017 by bcorre2 format Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted March 30, 2017 #35 Share Posted March 30, 2017 The Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau may have still some hope. But fact is that Viking still has no ships being currently built and does not sell any cruises for 2018 (or 2019). So I don´t think we will see Viking ships on the Big Muddy in the near future. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted March 30, 2017 Author #36 Share Posted March 30, 2017 This is probably the more relevant article from that website: Viking Cruises Mississippi tour in Davenport delayed by federal law http://wqad.com/2017/03/29/viking-cruises-mississippi-tour-in-davenport-delayed-by-federal-law/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted March 30, 2017 #37 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Which is no news at all... It´s been discussed on here already - Jones Act/PVSA. The ships need to be owned by an US company (but acutally they´ve got that Californian investment company which should do it), staffed with US crew (which is a bit more tricky as there is a lack of licensed crew and if you don´t want to mess up with the unions...) and built in the US (which might be the major problem as there is no shipyard in the US having the knowledge to build a passenger overnight vessel except for the one owned by Robertson who also owns American Cruise Line). I doubt that with the current government Congress will skip the Jones Act/PVSA for Viking. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted March 30, 2017 #38 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Which is no news at all... It´s been discussed on here already - Jones Act/PVSA. The ships need to be owned by an US company (but acutally they´ve got that Californian investment company which should do it), staffed with US crew (which is a bit more tricky as there is a lack of licensed crew and if you don´t want to mess up with the unions...) and built in the US (which might be the major problem as there is no shipyard in the US having the knowledge to build a passenger overnight vessel except for the one owned by Robertson who also owns American Cruise Line). I doubt that with the current government Congress will skip the Jones Act/PVSA for Viking. steamboats Funnily enough, the article mentions the Jones Act as being from the 1920's and then mentions that the act did a good job "at the turn of the 19th century", so they are completely mixing the Jones Act and PVSA. As for licensed officers, the shortage would be for officers with a passenger vessel license and pilotage on the River. Cargo pushboat operators have to have pilotage for the entire route along the river that they traverse. And as NCL found out, the unions cannot provide a ready pool of crew and replacements due to the requirement of the USCG that all crew must be credentialed mariners, unlike the hotel crew on foreign flag cruise ships and river boats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted March 31, 2017 #39 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Cheng, As far as I know there´s still a big shortage of licensed pilots which affects both passenger vessels and towboats. The pilots have to be licensed for the stretch of the river they are going on and for the "size" of the vessel (tonnage). Aquiring qualified staff for the hotel operation can be tricky too. There are quite a few new passenger vessels announced for this year, American Duchess (American Queen Steamboat Company) or Grand Majestc plus a new one for American Cruise Line. Sounds not too many but staffing them can be a problem. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted March 31, 2017 #40 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Yes, as I say, getting the required pilotage for the river is the hold up, as the vessels in question can use officers with unlimited tonnage/horsepower licenses, who obtain the pilotage. As NCL found, getting the original staff is not all that difficult, with the SIU affiliated union SEATU (Seafarers, Entertainers, and Associated Trades Union) set up for hotel staff on casino and dinner cruise boats as well as the river boats. The problem comes with replacement staff, when someone decides the life on a boat is not for them, and the boat is now short staffed. Overseas, the hotel staff are not required to be credentialed mariners, while the USCG requires them to have credentials (which requires an FBI background check), a TWIC ID card, and Basic Safety Training, all of which costs money and takes time. Telling someone they have to spend this money and take the time to get all this, and then wait for a possible job opening just isn't going to happen, unless the shipowner wants to pay potential crew to sit around waiting on possible jobs. Even though NCL has a training pipeline through the unions for the POA, they still routinely sail short staffed due to the time frame of training and credentialing new crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted December 14, 2017 #41 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Seems like Viking announced the end of their Mississippi river efforts... see here. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted December 14, 2017 #42 Share Posted December 14, 2017 What's stunning to me is the seemingly complete lack of research Viking did before attempting this. It's like they had no idea the laws and costs of the US Market before announcing. A deal should have been done before they announced anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted December 14, 2017 #43 Share Posted December 14, 2017 But bright side, i think then announcing did accelerate plans by ACL and ASQC to move beyond the Victorian Paddlewheeler and think more European. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolllover Posted December 14, 2017 #44 Share Posted December 14, 2017 But bright side, i think then announcing did accelerate plans by ACL and ASQC to move beyond the Victorian Paddlewheeler and think more European. I hope ASQC never gets rid of their Paddlewheeler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puli Posted December 14, 2017 #45 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I am sorry there will be no viking sailing the Mississippi. i was so looking forward to a modern boat and modern cabins, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pontac Posted December 14, 2017 #46 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Me too. It's American protectionism, pure and simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted December 14, 2017 Author #47 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Me too. It's American protectionism, pure and simple. Passed in 1886 to protect against steamboat disasters. CC member chengkp75 [a former cruise ship Chief Engineer -- the kp stands for Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy, not duty peeling potatoes!] has written detailed explanations of why this law is important for protecting passengers and waterways from unsafe vessels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcorre2 Posted March 7, 2019 #48 Share Posted March 7, 2019 (edited) I've been leading/following this for almost five years now. An update. 2019 I'd still go Viking on the Mississippi. We'll be on our next (5th) Viking Cruise adventure June 2020 Viking making headway on the Mississippi River https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/Viking-making-headway-on-the-Mississippi-River Only way we'd ever visit Des Moines. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2018/09/26/viking-river-cruises-mississippi-river-tourism-dubuque-davenport-burlington-quad-cities-boat-cruise/1349269002/ Edited March 7, 2019 by bcorre2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJR52001 Posted March 8, 2019 #49 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Des Moines is 3 hours from the Mississippi. You wouldn't have time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pontac Posted March 9, 2019 #50 Share Posted March 9, 2019 On 12/14/2017 at 8:06 PM, Host Jazzbeau said: this law is important for protecting passengers and waterways from unsafe vessels. What might have been true in 1886 is not true today. Don't think Viking has any steamboats It's protectionism pure and simple. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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