All Star Game

In the early 90's we did a bunch of baseball theme cruises on the MQ and they were pretty cool. Paul, you would've been in heaven with all the stars of yesteryear along with the trivia, the lecturers, the memorabilia dealers that accompanied such greats as Stan Musial, Elroy Face, Bill Mazeroski, Don Larsen and Bob Feller. To have done something like that in connection with an All Star game, or even a regular season game, or maybe even just a visit to the stadium would've been a great theme. Though there was always controversy about whether we should even have themes at all, you can't argue with the fact that baseball and steamboatin' go together like Mom and apple pie!

A Cardinal, two Pirates, an Indian and a YANKEE??!!! Thanks a lot. :O)

Actually I did have a baseball moment on the AQ during one of our 50s cruises. Bob Feller was a guest lecturer and I got to ask him what it was like to pitch to Ted Williams. His response was, "Trying to get a fastball past Ted Williams was like trying to get a sunrise past a rooster." It was a stock answer that he has used elsewhere, but still a cool moment.

I loved theme cruises. They gave the boat a different energy. Especially Big Band cruises. In addition to the extra members of the tribe (musicians) on board, the guest acts were always a kick. My favorites were the Four Aces. Amazing singers. Nice to hang with. I even went to Sunday Mass with two of them in St Louis.

Go Red Sox!
Paul

With the possible exception of In the Good Ol' Summertime, I liked all the themes. It was a nice way to tailor the shows, the food, along with other aspects, thereby giving the cruises a different accent. This only enhanced the passenger experience of riding a steamboat along America's waterways and enjoying the ports of call. For those who felt it got in the way of pure, unadulterated steamboating, they could simply ignore the theme aspects and enjoy the river and the boat. My favorite theme of all the many we did through the years, and the one that kept the Entertainment staff the busiest, was the Great Steamboat Race.

And how could we ever forget the 'Grand Excursion' - what an adventure that was!! As Captain Gabe said, "this is like a Trampin' trip, except the Captain doesn't even know where we're going". We did make it to the Parade into St. Paul, as did the MQ.

Speaking of the MQ, does anyone know what happened to her calliope? It was sitting all by itself amid the wreckage of the Calliope Bar in the pictures that were posted way back when. If by some miracle it's' still there, I would imagine it's been completely ruined by being exposed to the elements for so long...................

Jazzou Jones;17648 wrote: My favorite theme of all the many we did through the years, and the one that kept the Entertainment staff the busiest, was the Great Steamboat Race.

During the last GSR, Gentry, Schad and Penta performed a banjo concert in Cape G (I think), thus violating several Federal, State, County and city ordinances against having more than one banjo in the same zipcode.

Paul
(banjo felon)

When I walked around the MQ January 1st of this year, the calliope was still there, exposed to the elements. It hadn't been, and still probably isn't, covered up like the DQ's calliope was for the couple months before Chattanooga, which is too bad since it's such a wonderful instrument.

Matthew Dow;17660 wrote: When I walked around the MQ January 1st of this year, the calliope was still there, exposed to the elements. It hadn't been, and still probably isn't, covered up like the DQ's calliope was for the couple months before Chattanooga, which is too bad since it's such a wonderful instrument.

Matthew

And this has to do with baseball and theme cruises how???

It's always all about the calliope, right? :O)

Paul
Calliope Capers Specialist

This is the connection....

Pat Traynor;17649 wrote: And how could we ever forget the 'Grand Excursion' - what an adventure that was!! As Captain Gabe said, "this is like a Trampin' trip, except the Captain doesn't even know where we're going". We did make it to the Parade into St. Paul, as did the MQ.

Speaking of the MQ, does anyone know what happened to her calliope? It was sitting all by itself amid the wreckage of the Calliope Bar in the pictures that were posted way back when. If by some miracle it's' still there, I would imagine it's been completely ruined by being exposed to the elements for so long...................

Ah, Paul, thinking back to that glorious illegal assemblage of banjo players must have caused you to miss Pat's question about the MQ's calliope, and hence Bubba's posting in reply!!!
Speaking of banjos, did you ever see Vic Tooker's lighted flashing banjo?

Don't you think that baseball would be much improved if all the parks were equipped with steam cally-oops instead of electronic organs?