American Empress sept 20-27 what a trip!!!

My husband and I just got off in clarkston Washington after the best cruise out of over 250 cruises. The staff, the entertainment, food, excursions etc were all the best. The cruise directors are a husband wife team. Lindt and Greg. They provide the show for 4 of the nights and they are amazing! The talent of those two is not to be believed.

The maitre d is a young woman, Ann, but do not let her age fool you, she is an expert at dealing with special requests, crowds etc. I have numerous and strange dietary needs and they were all taken care of perfectly. I want to especially mention a waiter named Smokey, he. Made me my special muffins each and every morning and made sure we were super happy

Also of note is the riverlorian, Mary. Her knowledge and love of rivers and history are a true joy. We learned so much from her.

Negatives? None, absolutely none

My husband and I just got off in clarkston Washington after the best cruise out of over 250 cruises. The staff, the entertainment, food, excursions etc were all the best. The cruise directors are a husband wife team. Lindt and Greg. They provide the show for 4 of the nights and they are amazing! The talent of those two is not to be believed.

The maitre d is a young woman, Ann, but do not let her age fool you, she is an expert at dealing with special requests, crowds etc. I have numerous and strange dietary needs and they were all taken care of perfectly. I want to especially mention a waiter named Smokey, he. Made me my special muffins each and every morning and made sure we were super happy

Also of note is the riverlorian, Mary. Her knowledge and love of rivers and history are a true joy. We learned so much from her.

Negatives? None, absolutely none

We met Lindy & Greg last December when they were aboard American Queen for a cruise when American Empress's season was over. They are fabulous! After 5 Queen cruises since 2012, we're expectantly looking forward to our first Empress cruise sometime in 2017 (we're booked full for 2016). Glad to hear it will be as good as our Queen cruises.

Mary was our riverlorian on our American Queen cruise. She was great. SHe said her normal boat was the Empress.

Can you tell me if people dressed for dinner, or simply came in their daytime touring clothing? I'm always trying to pack light and was hoping that we didn't need to change for dinner. We are very excited about this cruise...where are all the Cruise Critic users:confused: -Eileen from Texas

Can you tell me if people dressed for dinner, or simply came in their daytime touring clothing? I'm always trying to pack light and was hoping that we didn't need to change for dinner. We are very excited about this cruise...where are all the Cruise Critic users:confused: -Eileen from Texas

We always change for dinner, as do most people. I suppose it depends on what you wear during the day. The minimum dress code for men is long trousers, a collared shirt and no athletic shoes. Having said that, I continue to see a number of males in jeans, tee shirts and sneakers. Ladies always manage to look nice; I think it's in their genes.

The bottom line is, depending on the maitre 'd, the dress code is not actively enforced, although I think that someone showing up in a tank top or muscle shirt might be asked to change.

We definitely pack light; we travel as much as 30 days with a carry-on and a matching tote, each, and we bring changes for day and evening, layers if it's chilly, and I usually pack one sport coat (because I like wearing them from time to time). My packing list includes khakis or dressy trousers (at least 3 pair) but no jeans as they take up too much room, shorts, combination zip off trousers, and my new favorite for anytime wear, Duluth Trading quick dry trousers. I bring 4 long sleeve dress shirts, 5 or 6 golf shirts (in "tech" or "golf performance" material, packs better), a couple of tee shirts, a bathing suit, underwear (Ex-Officio fast drying, pricey but perfect for traveling), and the aforementioned spot coat. I also wear sandals instead of shoes -- men's shoes take up the most room. I wear Mephistos open toe sandals during the day and closed-toe leather "fisherman" dressy sandals in the evening. Sandals pack much better. All that fits in a carry-on. I use the tote for toiletries, medicine, electronics (computer, tablet, camera, chargers and other miscellaneous gear). The totes are designed to slide down over the extension handle, so everything can be managed with one hand.

Betsy travels even more lightly; most of her outfits for evening can roll up into almost nothing. She does not wear heels, so sandals (daytime and dressy Mephistos) work for her, also.