A Vacation Fit for A Queen

by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

"She is long and sharp and trim and pretty; she has two tall, fancy-topped chimneys...a fanciful pilot house, all glass and 'gingerbread,' perched on top of the 'texas' deck behind them... fenced and ornamented with clean white railings...."

Mark Twain wrote this passage over 100 years ago, but it could easily describe the overnight steamboat on whose deck we stood: the Mississippi Queen. This elegant steamboat travels up and down the Mississippi River at a leisurely pace of eight miles an hour and offer vacationers a chance to step back and watch life on the river roll by.

The Delta Queen Steamboat Company, based in New Orleans, operates the massive steamboat which journeys the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Paul with excursions up the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. All the cruises emphasize Southern elegance and the romance of a steamboat journey that, with the addition of modern comforts, is just like the ones made a century ago.

Experienced cruisers will find a trip aboard the Mississippi Queen a little bit different than its seabound cousins. Besides a far more intimate crowd, the activities are more relaxed than those on an ocean-going cruise. Deck chairs are replaced by wooden rockers. The casino gives way to activities like kite-flying, bingo games, and calliope concerts. Big name entertainers and elaborate shows are substituted with ragtime and Dixieland bands, banjo players, vaudeville shows, and salutes to steamboat cabarets.

But there are other features that make the journeys different from a typical cruise, and these differences account for what makes the cruise so special. "Instead of going away from America, you are going into the heart of the country," explained spokesperson Patti Young to us. "There's always something to see, instead of vast expanses of ocean. And you don't have to worry about seasickness, passports, or rocking of the boat."

The Mississippi Queen, a giant in the steamboat world, is still small by cruise ship standards, with only 398 passengers. Like her sibling, the Mississippi Queen is also decked out in full Southern regalia, from wrought-iron grill work to brass handrails. The larger boat has seven decks, a pool, library, beauty salon, theater, and many cabins with private balconies, which are great for a quiet afternoon of just watching the river.

The second decision is selecting an itinerary. Unlike many cruise companies which feature a winter and a summer route, these steamboats offer a myriad of tours up and down the Mississippi, as well as the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers. Cruises vary from 3 - 14 nights, with ports of call ranging from cosmopolitan cities like Baton Rouge, St. Louise, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to country communities like Mark Twain's boyhood home of Hannibal, Missouri and Nauvoo, Illinois, known for its bleu cheese production.

Each of the many itineraries has its own special charm. On the lower Mississippi, shore excursions travel to plantations, Cajun country and Civil War battlefields. On the upper MIssissippi above St. Louis, travelers watch the boat maneuver through a network of 26 locks and dams, a fascinating process. The atmosphere along the upper Mississippi, with its much calmer currents, is different as well. "People tend to live on the river," says Young, recounting the crowds who turn out to watch the lock process and many recreational boaters who wave at the familiar steamboats.

We cruised aboard the Mississippi Queen, a three-night round trip from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The round trip cruises are ideal for motorists, and free parking is available at the New Orleans Steamboat Terminal.

This is one cruise that doesn't wait for cries of "Bon Voyage" to let the party begin. We arrived several hours before sailing time to find , in typical New Orleans joi de vivre style, a steamboatin' party, complete with a ragtime band, a Southern belle, and refreshments.

The three night cruise may not travel far in miles, but in time it's a journey back to the 19th century. We felt like Mark Twain aboard one of the elegant steamboats, vessels the writer called as "beautiful as a wedding cake -- but without the complications."

The journey out of New Orleans is lined with industries, but after a night of steamboating, we found ourselves on a less developed stretch of the Mississippi. Here the water is deep and muddy, and the strong current limits other boating to barges and ocean-going ships. The water's edge is lined with the most expensive levee system in the world. Without it, the river would continue to carve into the land and straighten out its many bends and turns.

We had a chance to walk across the levee at Nottoway, the largest plantation in the South. A former sugar can plantation, the grand house survived the Civil War, including firing upon the house from Union gunboats. On the tour of the home, we saw the imperfect glass used by the family over a century ago to replace the broken front windows.

The second stop on the cruise was Baton Rouge, seat of government made famous by governor Huey P. Long. Passing on the long bus ride into Cajun Country, we opted for a city tour with a look at the state capital and the controversial governor's mansion Long had built after having the old one condemned and destroyed under the cloak of darkness and without the Legislature's approval.

Ports of call like these are just a part of the cruise experience. Aboard either ship, there's as much -- or as little -- to do as one chooses. Bingo games, kite flying, calliope concerts, and movies fill some traveler's afternoons, while others prefer to just grab a rocking chair and a copy of Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. Musical entertainment ranges from sing-alongs to cabaret shows to a radio dance show that's taped aboard the Mississippi Queen. Evenings are filled with after-dinner dances, usually to the big band sound.

Special theme cruises are also sprinkled throughout the year, including Big Bands, Southern Celebration, fall foliage, old-fashioned holidays, wilderness rivers, and, of course, the annual Great Steamboat Race between the Mississippi Queen and the Delta Queen. Golfers can sign up for a special golf cruise, and as soon as the boat pulls into port they're whisked away to the nearest green. The golf cruises are held simultaneously with bridge cruises, which include a certified bridge expert, special lectures and prize games.

The ship is staffed by all-American crews. Breakfast is served either buffet style or in the dining room, followed by a lively talk by the ship "riverlorean" about the history and folklore of the area. For passengers who remain onboard, lunch is buffet-style or seated, either light salads and sandwiches or full course meals. Dinners are elegant and range from frog leg appetizers to Beef Wellington. For those who've saved room, a lavish midnight buffet is usually available.

A trip aboard either the Mississippi Queen is a journey back in time, a chance to let someone else take the wheel and to be treated like royalty for a few precious days. What more could anyone expect from a vacation?

For more information: More more on the Mississippi Queen, as well as her sister ships the Delta Queen, American Queen and new Columbia Queen, see http://www.deltaqueen.com.

Copyright Paris Permenter & John Bigley

Photo courtesy Delta Queen