Rolling on the river with the American Queen

By Anita Dunham-Potter

Travel columnist

updated 6:44 p.m. ET Oct. 1, 2007

Anita Dunham-Potter Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

The prospect of cruising up the Ohio River from Cincinnati to my hometown of Pittsburgh didn't exactly thrill me. I am a cruise columnist, and I have grown accustomed to the azure waters of the Mediterranean and the glitzy glamour of ocean-going vessels. What I saw in the brochure in front of me was a river I've lived next to for a decade and a steam-driven paddle-wheeler, the 418-foot-long American Queen.

OK, so it's the world's largest steamboat. But still, I was pretty sure it would be a dull voyage, and there was no way I was going to fit in with a crowd that averaged the age of my parents and grandparents.

Boy, was I wrong.

The Queen
I had more affection for the American Queen when I learned her checkered past. Built in 1995 for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, the ship ran aground on her first sailing. Later, after Hurricane Katrina put a halt to steamboat operations on the lower Mississippi River, the Queen's then-operators, the Delaware North Company, laid her up for more than a year. Fortunately, a financial white knight came to the Queen's rescue. Seattle-based Majestic America Line bought all five of Delaware North's paddle-wheel vessels (American Queen, Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen, Empress of the North and Queen of the West), and the American Queen was returned to service in March 2007.

As I boarded the American Queen in Cincinnati, I was greeted by the strains of "My Old Kentucky Home" played on an old-fashioned calliope. Clearly, I was headed up the gangway for a trip into America's past. I decided not to fight it. I recalled the escapades of young Tom Sawyer, the lore of America's mighty rivers, the luxurious, wild and sometimes racy era of steamboat travel. Maybe this would be a nostalgic, somewhat quirky voyage.

Indeed, there are some quirky items aboard this ship, including a pair of chirping parakeets in the Ladies' Parlor and, in the Gentlemen's Card Room, a veritable shrine to taxidermy that includes a stuffed boar's head and a fierce black bear positioned by an old typewriter. I looked at the bear and thought, "This must be what I look like when I have a tight deadline," so I got out my notebook and went to work.

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As I walked around I couldn't help but admire the ship's gleaming woodwork and the beautiful design of the Grand Staircase. Details count on this ship, and so do the views. There are open and shaded promenades on four decks; two of them, the Promenade Deck and the Observation Deck, fully encircle the ship. Attractive sitting areas abound, and Mark Twain's presence can be felt throughout the ship. A bust of him graces the Mark Twain Gallery, a library area with cozy nooks, comfy couches and enough old books to please an antiquarian.

The ship has seven lounges, a shop, a buffet restaurant and terrace, the amazing two-story J. M. White dining room, and the two-story Grand Saloon, one of the most elegant entertainment venues I've seen on any vessel. While the ship pays homage to the past, it also has some modern features, including a small wading pool, a fitness center and a movie theater.

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There are 222 staterooms, all decorated in a Victorian style; they range in size from 77 square feet (for the smallest single inside stateroom) all the way up to the opulent Owner's Verandah Suite (which measures 353 square feet). Most staterooms and suites provide outside views, and many have private verandahs. At 190 square feet, my Superior Verandah Stateroom was a homey haven. The modern amenities include the plush pillow-top bed with a fluffy duvet and soft sheets, a flat-screen television, a DVD player, an iron and ironing board, a full-size tub in the bathroom, a hand-held shower massager, plush towels, a bathrobe and plentiful H20+-brand toiletries.

The ship itself is a technological marvel. The pilot house is retractable, lowering into the top deck to allow the ship to pass under low bridges. The old-fashioned fluted smokestacks can also be lowered. The steam engine was salvaged from a 1930s vessel and then restored; a modern electric z-drive engine serves as its auxiliary. Passengers are welcome to visit the engine room at any time of day to chat with engineers and watch the engines turn the giant paddle wheel.

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