American Empress: Heading out next week. Questions?

Hi, am heading out next week on a 7 night cruise, Spokane to Portland, on American Empress. Have done river cruises all over Europe, but the one American cruise I've done -- on American Queen, a sister ship -- up the Mississippi River, was so fantastic, I'm excited to learn about a new part of the US. Riverwise, that is.

I've been following the threads here, and there's so much good reportage. Is there anything you still want to know? I'm happy to report in while onboard. And will be posting photos and such on Cruise Critic's Facebook page, as well (facebook.com/cruisecritic).

Let me know!

Thanks.

Carolyn

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

How much work does the paddlewheel of the AE actually do, and could she get along without the props.?

Calliope,

back in 2005 we were told she can´t run without the props.

steamboats

Hi, Calliope and Steamboats -- just got onboard this evening. Will find out and let you know!

Carolyn

I'm looking forward to your report as this is one of the cruises I'm very interested in.

Hi, Calliope and Steamboats -- just got onboard this evening. Will find out and let you know!

 

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn!

Have a wonderful trip.

Calliope

Hi, am heading out next week on a 7 night cruise, Spokane to Portland, on American Empress. Have done river cruises all over Europe, but the one American cruise I've done -- on American Queen, a sister ship -- up the Mississippi River, was so fantastic, I'm excited to learn about a new part of the US. Riverwise, that is.

 

I've been following the threads here, and there's so much good reportage. Is there anything you still want to know? I'm happy to report in while onboard. And will be posting photos and such on Cruise Critic's Facebook page, as well (facebook.com/cruisecritic).

 

Let me know!

 

Thanks.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Am interested in the cost of the premiere excursions. Can't find it anywhere. Looking forward to your report. We are thinking of doing this in Sept. 2016.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

From the AQSC homepage go to Your Voyage then to Shore Excursion Guide. Near the bottom of the page is Premium Shore Excursions and a "click here" portal. The portal offers Am Queen and Am Empress choices. Choose your dates on the next page and it goes to day by day offerings from pre-cruise to cruise to post cruise excursions with prices. Examples: Lewis and Clark Experience- $69.00 or Zip Lining Adventure -$109.00 for Astoria port of call. At the end of the page you can go on to a booking page.

How much work does the paddlewheel of the AE actually do, and could she get along without the props.?

good question.

I'm looking forward to your report as this is one of the cruises I'm very interested in.

Nous Aussi.:):)

Hi, Calliope. The paddlewheel, I'm told, is largely for ambience though it does of course work, and can contribute as much as one mile per hour speed-wise, to the overall propulsion. That's contrary to the paddlewheel on American Queen, the company's Mississippi ship; that one is absolutely essential to operate the ship.

At one point we had to make up extra ground (the stop at the Dalles was cancelled -- just for the one cruise -- due to native rights for using it for fishing) and we had to high tail it to Vancouver, Wa., instead, and that one mile per hour contribution helped out.

It's beautiful, regardless. I posted a video of it while we were underway over on our Facebook.com/CruiseCritic page.

Carolyn

good question.

Just a heads up that I've been posting photos from each day over on Cruise Critic's Facebook page (they show better there), and hope you'll wander over and take a look. Just go to Facebook.com/CruiseCritic, and scroll down until you see the Pacific Northwest photo album.

We're in Astoria today -- and I'm anxious to get off the boat and explore so this will brief -- but I just want to say what a special, special trip this has been. I'm probably not alone in limiting my experience in the Pacific Northwest to its major cities and it's been absolutely eye-opening to explore different areas. From the waterfalls in Spokane (and the absolutely wonderful pizza and dessert at a cafe called Fire), to the desert landscape of Clarkston through to Richland, the lush pine forests of Stevenson, the breathtaking heights of the mountains that frame the Columbia River Gorge, more gorgeous waterfalls, great wine from the Red Mountain AVA, gorgeous locally grown and made produce, preserves, jams, dips, chocolates (too many chocolates!), it's just been great.

The ship experience itself -- my expectations were fairly high for good food, service and comfortable cabins and public rooms since I'd traveled on American Queen last year -- and they were not only met but also exceeded. As the week wore on, passengers mingled, and especially waiters and waitresses really made the experience personal, remembering your favorite stuff, knowlegeably recommending menu items, etc. It's five star stuff, and really adds to a wonderful small town feel aboard the ship.

And the food -- oh, my, just...marvelous. Everything from a cheeseburger cooked perfectly a'la minute to the best lambchops ever at the River Grill (the sauce was honey, mango chutney and a bit of Dijon mustard, heavenly), to fluffy strawberry pancakes with a dollop of cream and bacon laced with just a bit brown sugar, well, every meal was so good.

Hoping you'll ask any other questions -- and if you're on the fence about taking this trip, my advice would be: Hop off and book :)

Carolyn

Thanks, Biker1972, for answering the question. Actually a couple of passengers and I were talking about the cost of the premiere excursions and we actually agreed that they were incredibly reasonable and in some cases maybe too cheap for what you got! I don't know that I have ever said that about a cruise line's shore excursions!

For instance the ziplining in Astoria (which I'm not doing but was interested in the cost) is $109 per person and is, I think easily the most expensive. But the last time we did a zipline (Alaska) we paid $199.

The other thing is that the "included" tours -- which are operated by the Hop On Hop Off bus system which I think is fantastic, are also very good. Each bus has a local guide on it, and in the case of a place like Stevenson and Richland, where primary attractions are some way out of town, the service provided by Hop On Hop Off meant you got to see them without the hassle or expense of dealing with public transportation or taxis.

The premium tours are typically geared to more focused interests -- wine tastings, culinary excursions, etc.

Don't forget as well that the ship has bicycles you can use to explore on your own....

Carolyn

Am interested in the cost of the premiere excursions. Can't find it anywhere. Looking forward to your report. We are thinking of doing this in Sept. 2016.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Just launched: Our take on 6 big surprises from our Pacific Northwest cruise!

Carolyn

Link: http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2014/10/06/just-back-from-a-pacific-northwest-river-cruise-6-surprises/