USS Iowa precruise

[Markanddonna]

We are staying at the Doubletree before the cruise and considering going to the USS Iowa before we board. Would you recommend dropping off the luggage first and then walking to the Iowa and then walk back to the cruiseship? How much time do you think is needed for a reasonable self guided tour?

 

Any other recommendations? We are thinking of arriving at the ship at about 9:45 and going to the Iowa right away to enter around 10 AM.

 

Thanks in advance.

[southwestgal]

We visited the USS Iowa a couple of years ago and did exactly as you mentioned. We parked close to the cruise ship and gave our larger bags to a Porter. We left our small carry on bags in the trunk of the car. Then we walked to the USS Iowa and had a great time onboard. We mentioned that we were cruising later that day, and by showing our cruise "ticket", they gave us half off the admission (basically a buy one and get one free for cruisers). I don't know if they still do that, but it is worth mentioning. We spent somewhere between 2-3 hours onboard. We took tons of photos and read every placard and examined every nook and cranny, so your mileage may vary. We received a pamphlet with the self-tour route on it. Really worthwhile to follow it. Beware that, at least at the time we were on, of the various steep stair/ladders that you will need to climb up and down. If you're physically challenged, then you will be a bit limited to the sections you can reach and you may spend less time on the ship. Either way, still worthwhile to visit. When we were done, we walked back to the car, grabbed our carryons and checked in for the cruise. By then, I guess it was around 1:30pm or so, there were no lines so it was a pleasure to get on the ship. If I remember correctly, we initially got into the parking lot and gave our bags to the porters around 10-10:30 am.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise and your visit to the USS Iowa.

[kingstonKouple72]

question about the USS Iowa.

 

We were in Houston last year for a cruise and visited the USS Texas. Would this be a situation of "seen one, seem 'em all"?

[bptex]

The Iowa is a considerably more modern ship. It's longer, was way faster and carried cruise missiles. I haven't visited it yet but there are a lot of differences between the two.