July 5th Cruise Review

[IllinoisAuthor]

On July 4, my husband, my mother, and I sailed on the American Queen from St. Louis to Louisville. Having sailed on the Mississippi Queen and Delta Queen several times, we knew what to expect in terms of a river cruise versus one on an ocean liner. We were prepared for the smaller cabins, fewer meal options, and small-town type shore excursions. Having said that, there were many issues we weren’t prepared to encounter.

 

We rented a car and drove from our home in Illinois to St. Louis, where we returned the rental car. We stayed overnight at the Hilton at the Ballpark which was the hotel provided by the cruise line and very nice. We had been told that there would be a representative of the American Queen available that day from 7 AM to 7PM, but when we checked in at 3 PM, the front desk clerk told us that the AQ rep had never showed up.

 

When the rep finally appeared, I asked if there were any optional tours that we could purchase for the next day. Although we had been in St. Louis many times, I was interested in a tour because we had to checkout of the hotel by 11 AM, but couldn’t board the boat until 3 PM. The AQ rep seemed surprised that we would need something to do in that four-hour window and told me to check with the hotel concierge. We ended up spending the time at a nearby casino since the only tour available through the concierge was on an open-air trolley and it was 106 degrees outside.

 

Boarding the boat went smoothly, until one of the crew members insisted on taking my carryon. She promised to meet me at the top of the gangplank, but there was no sign of her or the bag when we arrived. Several hours later, after scouring the boat, I found the bag sitting in a hallway.

 

Our room, category B, was pretty much what I expected, about the size of a smallish hotel room, but with plenty of storage. Esthetically, the wallpaper was peeling and the chair upholstery was ripped. Mechanically, the door lock and toilet was broken. It took over 24 hours and 3 trips/calls to the purser, to get those two issues fixed.

 

Misinformation was one of the most irritating problems of the trip. For the muster/fire drill, one officer told us where to go and what to bring there, then the Riverlorian gave us a second set of instructions, and finally over the PA the captain gave a third announcement. This theme continued for the entire cruise, especially with information concerning ports and debarkation. This was especially annoying since it messed up arrangements we had made for our return rental car.

 

On the positive side, the food was delicious, the housekeeping staff efficient, and the entertainment, with the exception of the Mark Twain impersonator, superb. For the first four days, the service in the dining room was terrific, but on the fifth day, apparently, the director of operations changed the way the servers worked and our dinner took 2½ hours for us to complete during the next two nights.

 

The small towns we visited on the included port excursions were charming and the townspeople are beyond excited to have the boat in stop in their community. Despite the continual changing and misinformation the shore excursion employees did an amazing job.

 

The Front Porch, where soft serve ice cream, soft drinks, coffee, hot dogs, and cookies are available 24 hours, is terrific, and the crew there worked hard to keep it stocked and clean. The entertainers, Riverlorian, and guest lecturers were all excellent.

 

Although we enjoyed our trip, due to the many problems, we would be hesitant to try this boat again. One more note, there is very little to do onboard except read (bring your own books unless you want to read about river history) and watch the river go by, so if you enjoy organized activities, this may not be the trip for you.