Thankfully we had a good night's sleep. So good that John almost missed breakfast! I took my shower and got ready while he went and had breakfast in the dining room, he is a saint to bring back coffee for me. We just made it to the River Orientation in time (9:30). It was very interesting. We learned the following facts: Where the Ohio and Mississippi meet, it is the largest confluence of rivers in the US. We will pass 2 locks on the Ohio River, one is around 60ft. They never refer to North, South, East, or West on the river because we will be going EACH of these directions along the river. You are either going "up" or "down" the river - We are going up. You must give right-of-way to boats going down river. We cruise at the astonishing speed of 7 mph. They do not refer to knots in speed either, but miles per hour. The upper and lower Mississippi are treated like two different rivers in regard to navigation purposes. Directly after the River Chat we had a Shore Excursion orientation. It was good to finally understand the process. See more on that below.
After these to events we went outside to see what we could see along the river. We were approaching our first bridge (that we were aware of) and they announced they would be putting down the smoke stacks to go beneath the bridge. They simply lay them over into a sort of cradle and then pull them back up later. It is slow moving and peaceful along the river but it is time for lunch now! Another enjoyable meal! There are options this afternoon. 1:15p is a documentary about building the American Queen (largest steamboat in the world), 2:15p is Banjomania with Will Kiefer and the Steamboat Syncopators, and then Bingo, $5 per card, at 3:15p. The activities are different from those on cruise ships, it is a more mellow atmosphere with relaxation and watching the river go by, which is very nice, just different.
Sharon and I played Bingo at 3:15p, no we are not bragging about our winnings that didn't even come close. We all went to the Captain's welcome and from that straight to dinner. It was delicious. After dinner we went up to deck 4 and watched lightening in the distance, no rain today. From there we went to the 7:45p show, the blues and well done. The guys went back to their respective cabins but Sharon and I enjoyed the rest of the show. That's it for tonight.
Dining Options: There are two main eating areas that I know of so far. First is Front Porch dining, which is a self-serve cafe of sorts. There are also snacks there all the time such as popcorn, ice cream, cookies, fruit, etc. Second is the Dining Room where we had dinner last night. We opted for the Dining Room for lunch. Once we were there we discovered even in the Dining Room there are two options - order off the menu OR help yourself at the buffet OR both of course!
Shore Excursions: In each port we have Hop-On, Hop-Off buses that are exclusively American Queen. There are specific stops along they way that are included excursions, along with other things to see. There are also Premiere Excursions in some ports that you can pay extra for. The day before you stop in a port you go to a machine in the lobby and get your free boarding pass for the bus. Therefore, there is no rush for the first bus, etc. For instance, tomorrow the buses begin at 8:45a and depart from the boat every 15 minutes. After the first 2 hours you no longer need a boarding pass to get on the buses. You get a map in every port and your return time to the boat is noted on the map. I think they have it very organized as most of the people on this boat are our age or older! I think that just about explains how the system works.
After these to events we went outside to see what we could see along the river. We were approaching our first bridge (that we were aware of) and they announced they would be putting down the smoke stacks to go beneath the bridge. They simply lay them over into a sort of cradle and then pull them back up later. It is slow moving and peaceful along the river but it is time for lunch now! Another enjoyable meal! There are options this afternoon. 1:15p is a documentary about building the American Queen (largest steamboat in the world), 2:15p is Banjomania with Will Kiefer and the Steamboat Syncopators, and then Bingo, $5 per card, at 3:15p. The activities are different from those on cruise ships, it is a more mellow atmosphere with relaxation and watching the river go by, which is very nice, just different.
The Stacks are down!
Chandelier from the 1904 World's Fair
Sharon and I played Bingo at 3:15p, no we are not bragging about our winnings that didn't even come close. We all went to the Captain's welcome and from that straight to dinner. It was delicious. After dinner we went up to deck 4 and watched lightening in the distance, no rain today. From there we went to the 7:45p show, the blues and well done. The guys went back to their respective cabins but Sharon and I enjoyed the rest of the show. That's it for tonight.
Show
Shore Excursions: In each port we have Hop-On, Hop-Off buses that are exclusively American Queen. There are specific stops along they way that are included excursions, along with other things to see. There are also Premiere Excursions in some ports that you can pay extra for. The day before you stop in a port you go to a machine in the lobby and get your free boarding pass for the bus. Therefore, there is no rush for the first bus, etc. For instance, tomorrow the buses begin at 8:45a and depart from the boat every 15 minutes. After the first 2 hours you no longer need a boarding pass to get on the buses. You get a map in every port and your return time to the boat is noted on the map. I think they have it very organized as most of the people on this boat are our age or older! I think that just about explains how the system works.
This is very interesting! I haven't done much with river cruises, so I'm living vicariously and taking mental notes!
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