Showing posts with label Midwest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Midwest. Show all posts

Thursday, July 13, 2023

My Thoughts as I Disembark the American Queen Steamboat Cruise

It had been a wonderful trip heading north on the Mississippi River. The American Queen Steamboat experience was like no other cruise either Lynn or I had previously experienced.

We were all packed to go and it was much easier than usual because we had my van waiting at St. Louis Airport. After a leisurely breakfast, we were able to just hang shopping bags on my scooter and head out without worrying about going through security and getting on a plane.


The other thing that was nice was not having to go through a huge cruise terminal or deal with customs. We had a leisurely breakfast, walked off the boat, and got on the bus to the airport.

A big thank you to America Queen Voyages for hosting us on this adventure. Lynn and I had a great time on this cruise. Here’s a break down of more detailed opinions:

 

 

The Boat

Elegant is probably my best description for the American Queen. The boat definitely makes you feel like you are back in the 19th century and expect to see Mark Twain walking down the hallway. There are more public spaces than you’d expect on a cruise for up to 400 people so you can always find a spot where you don’t feel crowded.

The Cabins

We were in an accessible Junior Suite. I had some issues getting my scooter in and out with the lip in the doorway, but they came and put a ramp in so it made things much easier. The room itself was nothing like any other cruise I’ve been on. The furniture was antique and the room looked a bit old, but the bathroom was huge and modern. It also had a tub, which is always a big plus for me.

The Food

There are only two restaurants on the American Queen. The front porch has snacks (ice cream, cookies) all day and a small buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The main dining room is where we ate almost all our meals. I’ve lost count of how many cruises I’ve been on and I’ve never had such consistently outstanding food.

We had so many over-the-top delicious dishes I couldn’t even list them. The desserts were equally fantastic. Even though Lynn and I are allergic and couldn’t take advantage, the lobster available at every dinner was a huge draw to many people.

The Entertainment

I often skip shows on cruises because they are long and don’t grab my attention. The American Queen shows were less than an hour and we really enjoyed them. There was just one we didn’t love, but that’s certainly not something to complain about. The Broadway show was the best.

The Itinerary

The low level of the Mississippi River kept us from two ports (one was changed for something else). It was still a good itinerary, giving us the opportunity to explore five states in the Midwest. How often can you do that in a week?

Embarkation

This is the one thing I have to say American Queen Voyages could do better on. Honestly, the embarkation to the ship was fine. The problem was that they had us check-in at the hotel in the morning. That was a mess. There were no ship personnel there and information was either lacking or wrong. It took hours.

We were all able to walk onto the ship with no problem, BUT once there nearly everyone had issues with reservations, rooms, excursions, etc. because no one at the hotel could help with them. A lot of things (like dinner times) could have been done on computer or the phone before we arrived, and a table of actual AQV personnel at the boat would not have slowed down embarkation very much.

Final Thoughts

Would I do this cruise again? Absolutely, though I’d rather first check out another itinerary, such as the Lower Mississippi. I especially loved the size of this boat. Having only 300 people on board made everything we did much simpler. It also makes a trip so much better when you have everything included. All drinks, food, and hop on, hop off tours were included in the cruise fare.

I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own.

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Back to Hannibal with the American Queen

The next stop for my friend Lynn and I on the American Queen Steamboat was a town I had visited before – Hannibal, Missouri. 

The last time I was in Hannibal, it was very educational and a lot of fun. I was anxious to show the town to Lynn. Hannibal was once a lumbering town and starting point of the Pony Express, but its claim to fame is as the former home of author Mark Twain.

The city displays its legacy everywhere and Tom Sawyer and Becky Thacher are celebrated throughout. It all starts at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Complex. It was where we got off on the Hop on, Hop off bus American Queen Voyages provided at every port. 

We went through the Mark Twain Boyhood Home. I had been here before, but there is so much to learn and take in about the author and his books I felt like I learned a few things I missed the first time. There is also a lot to learn about the time period. There was a class structure as well as the ending of slavery. 


Included in this area is the Interpretive Center, Becky Thacher House, Huckleberry Finn House, J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office, Grant’s Drugstore, and the Tom and Huck Statue. It would take hours to go through it all and take in all the details, but we only had four hours in total in Hanibal. 

We next went down to the Hannibal History Museum and Mark Twain Museum Gallery, which I most remembered for all the historical Norman Rockwell covers of The Saturday Evening Post. There were other pieces of art depicting Twain and his work. 

Back on the bus, we passed the Trinity Episcopal Church before heading to Cave Hollow West Winery and Mark Twain Cave. I was happy to return to the winery as I had enjoyed their wine last time I was here. They have a nice outside picnic area, but it was a bit  chilly to go outside this time. 

Before we knew it, we had to head back to the boat. We were hungry and went straight to lunch, where we had a little of everything from the buffet, followed by a delicious Nutella Mousse dessert. 


Most afternoons passengers were resting, but they usually had events such as Bingo. In keeping with the theme of the day, there was a matinee show of A Conversation with Mark Twain, with Lewis Hankins.

We got dressed up for dinner. It was preceded by the Captain’s Farewell Reception. They were serving champagne and I took a glass with me to dinner. 

They were serving Prime Rib and Lynn really enjoyed it. I was equally thrilled with my Stuffed Poblano. Dessert was bread pudding and cheesecake. 

It was my last evening to enjoy the scenery and I took advantage, going around the boat and soaking in the Mississippi River before I joined Lynn for the show. 


We enjoyed our final show on the American Queen. It was “Singing in The 70s” and featured many of the TV themes of the years. We then had our last nightcap in the Engine Room Bar to the music of Jay and Will. 

In the morning, we would be heading off the boat for the last time. 


I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own. 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

2 for One: LeClaire and Clinton from the American Queen

After an unexpected day on the river, we had a busy day on and off the American Queen.


I got up early and went to breakfast in the dining room. It looked like another picture-perfect day and I sat by the window for my pancake breakfast. My friend Lynn joined me in a little while and then we headed off the boat to Clinton, Iowa.

The low water levels on the Mississippi had kept us from Dubuque the previous day and had changed the Bettendorf stop to Clinton on this way.  

I had made arrangements to visit Le Claire from our stop in Dubuque. It took some reorganizing, especially since the Clinton stop was shorter than Dubuque, but I was able to keep that appointment.



I still wanted to see some of Clinton, so I took my scooter around the scenic waterfront and a bit of the town. I saw the Veterans Memorial and lighthouse in a town that once had more millionaires than anywhere else in Iowa.

Lynn met me at the curb in front of the ship, where Bob Schiffe, Executive Director of the Buffalo Bill Museum, was waiting to drive us to Le Claire.



The Buffalo Bill Museum was the highlight of the town and it did not disappoint. Although Buffalo Bill, aka William F. Cody, spent most of his life in Colorado, he was born on his family’s homestead in Le Claire in 1846.



The museum offered many details and artifacts of the man who was a Border Scout during the Civil War and earned his nickname from all the buffalo he killed to supply meat to the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He would later go on to start and star in the Wild, Wild West Show.



Although most of the museum is dedicated to Buffalo Bill, it also offers history of Le Claire, the River Pilots that fought the strong rapids on the Mississippi in this area, and other famous natives, including inventor James J. Ryan III (seatbelts), Musician Cecile Fletcher, and American Pickers Mike Wolf.

I wish we had more time to explore the downtown restaurants, bars, and shops in Le Claire. Before leaving, I couldn’t resist stopping at The Shameless Chocoholic to pick up a few goodies, including their signature White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Truffle. We also made a quick stop at Mississippi River Distilling.



Bob took us back to the boat in time for lunch in the dining room. We spoke to some guests who stayed in Clinton and were able to go to the Windmill Cultural Center, Sawmill Museum, and George M Curtis Mansion on the complimentary hop on, hop off bus the cruise line provides at each stop.



Breakfast and lunch in the J.M. White Dining Room is a combination of table service and buffet. There are a few menu items (different each day) you can get delivered to your table and a nice spread (also changing each day) on the buffet. I usually had something from each.



I chose a little of everything for this lunch too. We went upstairs after for the traditional Calliope Sail Away but chose to go back and rest and shower before dinner, foregoing the activities of Match Game, Riverside Chat with Riverloarian Frank, and Jazz in the afternoon.



We made it to the cocktail hour and music before dinner. The food never let us down on the American Queen and my favorite part of this dinner was the short rib & polenta main course.



I liked all of the shows on the cruise, but this was the night of my favorite show, Curtain’s Up, Sounds of Broadway. The performances of top Broadway shows, in full costume, were outstanding.



After the show and our nightly ritual of a little music and a nightcap in the Engine Room Bar, we headed back to our cabin to get a good night’s rest for the next day on our American Queen Voyage.



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I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own. 









Saturday, April 15, 2023

Discovering La Crosse from the America Queen


Lynn and I woke up to another beautiful day on the Mississippi River. We had lucked out with this late summer weather in the Midwest.

We were ready to explore La Crosse, Wisconsin, after having breakfast and lattes at the Front Porch Café on the American Queen. I loved being on a small boat. There was never a wait for the elevator and we never saw a crowd anywhere. It made traveling in a scooter so much easier.

This was the first time in La Crosse for both of us. We didn’t know much about it, but were ready to learn.

The pier was welcoming, with beautiful sculptures and manicured grass and flowers. We got onto the hop on, hop off tour bus, complimentary to all American Queen guests. The bus guides, including Tour Director Lucy from our ship, told us about La Crosse.


When settlers came over to the U.S., this land was already occupied by Native Americans, specifically the Sioux, Ojibwa, and Ho-Chunk tribes. It became one of Wisconsin’s largest cities by the second half of the 19th century.

La Crosse is a popular tourist and day trip destination these days. It’s actually the owner of a Guiness Book of Records accolade for the most bars on one street, 3rd Street. The town has also had over 20 breweries through the years.


We decided to get off at the International Friendship Garden and it was a good choice. It was made up of many different gardens, each designated to a different country, with plants, flowers, and distinct touches about that country.



The International Garden also leads to the entrance of the Marsh Trails, an extensive development of walking and hiking routes.


I was pretty tired from the sun when we got back on the bus and we decided to stay on and do the tour around La Crosse from there. We passed the La Crosse Heritage Center, which has artifacts and detailed information about the town’s history.  

Another stop was the Dahl Automotive Museum, which houses Ford vehicles from five generations. The passengers who got back on the bus said they really enjoyed it. We also learned that La Crosse has a Children’s Museum and the 4-star Charmant Hotel, which was built in a former candy factory.

We were back on the ship in time for lunch. The food once again didn’t disappoint as I had an unforgettable Mushroom Walnut Veggie burger.

After a nap, shower, and change of clothing, we were back in the dining room again, this time for dinner. Our tablemates enjoyed lobster again (it is available every night on the American Queen).

Lynn and I, who are both allergic, tried not to show our disappointment, but we did have wonderful pasta, with a creative potato pancake appetizer. For dessert, it was a Blueberry Bundt Cake for her and Bananas Foster for me.

After dinner, I took a walk out to the open veranda and watched the sunset on the Mississippi before the evening’s show. We made a brief stop after to the Engine Room bar for Rock Music with Jay and Will.

We got back to our room and decided to put in a room service order for the morning’s breakfast. We had an early start for our day in Dubuque, Iowa. At least that’s what we thought at the time.


I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own. 



Friday, March 24, 2023

Arriving in Red Wing on the American Queen

My friend Lynn and I slept well on our first night on the American Queen. We had a full day a head of us and we started with a quick breakfast at the Front Porch Café. One of the complimentary amenities of the cruise line was unlimited specialty coffees and we took full advantage preparing our lattes to taste with our eggs and pastries.

The American Queen is all about conservation. Everyone was given a water bottle and there were water filling stations on every floor. There were no plastic water bottles available.

Another thing available to all passengers at no charge were the hop on, hop off bus tours at every stop. It was nice to have the freedom to explore, with transportation that included taking my scooter on the bus, a guide telling us about the towns and attractions, and all admission fees paid by the American Queen Voyages.

Our first experience with the tours was in Red Wing. I had never been to this Minnesota town before and I was looking forward to checking it out. It’s known mostly for pottery and shoes. Am off combination, but it worked for the town.

The tour guide told us about the stops available to us, as well as other places within walking distance of the bus stops. She also told us about Red Wing’s scenic bluff, houseboats, and fishing in Pottery Pond Park. The town is also filled with historic houses, including the TB Shelton Mansion.

We had limited time and decided to skip the Military and Marine Museums, but some veterans in our group enjoyed them. It was a beautiful day around 70  degrees, with no rain in sight so we were ready to do some walking. Well, Lynn was walking and I was on my scooter.

Our first stop was the pottery museum. We watched a demonstration of basic pottery making and heard about the history of this art and how it brought a lot of income into Red Wing. We also saw many examples of the pottery made there, from simple dishes to more complex and colorful designs.



We got back on the bus to the downtown area. There were lots of shops and some restaurants. I was drawn to Red Wing Confectionary, where the owner was actually making chocolates in the back of the store. I had a Café Mocha and bought some treats to bring home to Mom.

After the candy store, we went to the bus stop by Red Wing Shoes Museum. We missed the world’s largest boot (638 ½). We did have enough time to go to the Red Wing Arts Cebter in the old train depot. They had some locally made jewelry and beautiful scarfs.

We were back on the American Queen in time for lunch in the dining room. Lunch each day was a choice of buffet or sit down. Many chose to do a little of each, as did we. We had the first of many creative salads, this one with blueberries and feta cheese.

For a main course, I had a Thanksgiving meal, which I love anytime of year. There was blueberry cheesecake for dessert.

After lunch and some work, I took a nap before showering and dressing for dinner. I don’t have a chance to get dressed up too often and I liked it. 

Dinner did not disappoint. I started with a Spring Mix Bouquet, had a very tender pork chop with fresh vegetables, and chose the pecan pie for dessert. There was a waiter ready to pour more complimentary wine at all times.

The show was “Southern Celebration” and the music and dancing was quite good. We really liked the balcony seats to stretch out in.

Before we turned in, we had a nightcap in the Engine Room bar, where there was music and dancing each night. We didn’t stay long before heading back to our suite on the American Queen to get ready for the next day in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own. 


Saturday, February 18, 2023

Mall of America Tour and American Queen Embarkation

My friend, Lynn, and I had a good night’s sleep at the Radison Blu Mall of America, but we knew we had a very full day ahead.

It started with breakfast in the hotel’s conference room with the other passengers to be on our American Queen voyage. Everyone was friendly and we were all excited to be embarking on this journey in the afternoon.

River cruises work differently than ocean liners when it comes to check-in. Since there is no cruise port for everyone to gather in and check-in, it’s done in the hotel. This was pretty much the only thing in our weeklong trip that was disorganized. They used temporary workers in the port and we would later learn that most of the information we were given was wrong.

Everyone tried to keep their cool and figured they’d straighten things (like dinner seatings and excursions) on the ship.

When I found out I would have a free day in the Minneapolis area I wanted to finally visit Paisley Park, Prince’s former home. I thought it would work out, but it just got to hectic to try to make it back in time to get on the bus to the ship.

We decided instead to take an in-depth tour of the Mall of America and have a little time left to relax.


Dan Jasper, Vice President of Communications for MOA, was our guide. He had recently begun doing these behind-the-scenes tours. Even though I had previously visited the mall, I realized there was a lot I didn’t know.

The spot the Mall of America is on was originally the Metropolitan sports stadium. There are still metal plates in within Nickelodeon Universe still acknowledging the original baseball and football teams.

Since I was last here, the mall housed the Patriots and the Eagles for the 2018 Super Bowl, with one team staying at the Radisson Blu and the other at the JW Marriott.


A couple of new spots had opened up, including the M&Ms store and the Crayola Experience. There had also been a three month shut down for covid of the stores, and five months for the attractions.  This led to the opening of the Community Commons, a spot where local shops would get three months free rent to try to get their business back. It has been successful as eight of these stores are now up full time.

We learned that the mall has been home to more than 10,000 weddings, has the Guiness World Record for the World’s Largest Cupcake, has given away 5,205 bicycles, and made the World’s Largest Gingerbread for a nursing home benefit.

Before we finished the tour, we were able to go into the warehouse and see the upcoming Christmas displays. Lynn and I even sat in Santa’s chair.

Dan mentioned Fly Over America to us and I remembered how much I enjoyed it. We decided to go and enjoyed the feeling of flying through the wide-open spaces of the United States, including the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.

We had time for more Minnesota Wild Rice Soup and Popovers at the FireLake Grill before getting on the bus to Red Wing. The bus, which we’d be using for excursions at ports, was equipped to take my mobility scooter.

It was an absolute pleasure getting on a small ship. With only about 300 passengers on the American Queen, getting on the ship there were no lines and our room was waiting.

We had a Junior Suite and it was a combination of old antique and a brand new, very large, bathroom with a tub. It was one of many accessible cabins on the boat.


The Coast Guard Muster Drill was short since there were so few passengers. Before we knew it, we were at the Front Porch Café sipping champagne.

A cocktail hour with music was held in front of the dining room every evening. Cocktails, wine, and beer were complimentary throughout the cruise.

This would be the only night there was confusion at the dining room entrance as it seemed that no one (including us) liked their dinner assignments. It would have been so much simpler to just ask people when they booked their cruise.

 

We decided to eat at the buffet at the Front Porch, which had Prime Rib every night. The Maitre’d did a great job of getting the dinner seatings straightened by the next night.

Every night after dinner there was an orientation telling us about the port we would be going to the next day.  

American Queen Voyages includes a hop on, hop off bus at every port. They also pay for admissions at every stop on the bus. Additional tours are available at a reasonable cost if you want to see or do something more specific.We would be staying put in Red Wing the next day.


The orientation was held in the same place as the Grand Salon, a spectacular theater that reminds you of the days of Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln. Since we were in a suite, we had balcony seats reserved each night.

The show on the first night was a welcome by Cruise Director Alex Bernhardt and a performance by his team. They were quite impressive.

It had been a very long day and we were ready to retire for the night right after the show. There would be plenty more time to explore the American Queen.

I was hosted by American Queen on this voyage, but opinions are my own.