D. Q. Crew Concerns

Fred,

I have several concerns about what you have written. First one that strikes me is the fact the crew don't know what their future or the future of the vessel is. In the past I have been in a similar place as an employee of the boats. The seasons of 2004, 2005, and 2006 ended much the same....no real knowledge of what was next. The season of 2002 and 2003 ended with knowledge of what was coming in the next year...they were the best for the crew in modern times in my estimation. We all knew when we were to return to the vessel and had air tickets as we left to return. Of course, we were never of for more than a month back then....we pretty much ran year round. Lay up was just long enough to take care of maintenance, rebuild the refractory, and throw a coat of paint and some new carpet about the boat. We never left the landing with wet paint on the paddlewheel on the first cruise back then!

Since the Majestic America take over there have been many periods of no knowledge. I have never understood this approach to management. If an employee doesn't feel safe in their position they aren't going to give 100% to it, they are gonna give 100% to looking to find security. This is my feeling about it.

Although I have not had the most savory words to say about Majestic, I feel they will lay the boat up properly and have her in the condition she needs to be for the next owner. Remember, they are hurting in these financial times and if we the steamboaters do what they couldn't (wouldn't) and get her saved form the SOLAS laws, they will have something they can sell at a profit (which is something they desperately need at this juncture!).

Last night before I went to bed I started thinking about all the people I have been so blessed to have shared the opportunity to work side by side with on the DELTA QUEEN. What will happen to them, I wondered? I know in my heart that steamboaters are very resilliant people. Some of our fellow crew members have seen 4 owners and come back time after time. My worry is this time they will not be able to survive a year or more off and will disappear in the shadow of the wharf. For all of you I did not have the ability to visit with on the 24th of October at Louisville....Godspeed to you and I look forward to working with you again aboard our beloved DELTA QUEEN. What doesn't kill us makes us better steamboaters!

So the pax on the AMERICAN QUEEN are bothered by the last breaths of history? How absolutely sad (many other words come to mind...but, this is after all a public forum) for I believe this cruise is a charter of historians aboard her. I was in hopes this cruise would cause a boat load of AMERICAN QUEEN passengers we could count on to help us push this bill through the Senate and ultimately save the DELTA QUEEN. If they have a distaste for the sounds of the last authentic overnight steamboat, I fear we have lost their support!

Best of luck to you my friend! We all will make it throught this thing and hopefully be standing proudly on her decks working for the next owner who I have great hopes will pay attention to what the crew have to say, after all....who knows better what our passengers need and want than those who serve them aboard the vessel?

~Travis~

Fred, as a passenger, I too have concerns, huge, HUGE concerns, both for you guys, that Deb and I rely on with all our hearts and that we know will give the old girl 127%, and obviously the old girl herself...But I gotta add, Deb and I are just as concerned about her very younger and bigger sister. We've gotten quite attached to the pre-teenager.

This is my take on it. Majestic is VERY embarrassed about the situation, they have said so themselves in various public gatherings, more than a few times. They know they blew it and not telling you and all the other dedicated DQ crew anything, any news at all, is their rather twisted way of trying to save face. Let's face it they didn't listen to Delaware North, they didn't listen to us, the rabid, spend a bazillion dollar repeaters, and they certainly didn't listen to you the Brains behind making sure the Legendary One is feeling loved...where are those "we paid you guys a million dollars" marketers when you just want to take them out to the woodshed and rip them a new one?

It's scary, I suspect I'm one of the few that actually estimated the cost of the two Queens conversion over to the infamous Trumpeter Swan image. Scary numbers, 7 figure numbers...And then to really put a kink in your colon everybody has to realize that there were four, count 'em four additional boats that went through the same "majestic" transformation, six boats in total. No wonder the friggin' DQ Hunter Green deck paint was still sticky when Deb and I got aboard the DQ for the very first cruise of 2007...In March, I gotta add as I pour salt in this festering Seattle wound.

So, do we really expect these people to listen to us now? Of course not, and the last thing they want to hear from any of us, because they already know it, is an I told you so!. So they do the best thing considering the very ugly situation, they clam up... and I gotta imagine the Delta Queen crew is just poppin' at the seams with "I told you so..." So the company doesn't want to hear from you, and they mouth silently: "lets just be incognito!..."

Now here is my take on it: If I were trying to sell a used car, I would certainly try to make that car look and drive the very best that I could, make it look like a gazillion bucks. Now if I was Majestic, I sincerly doubt that they are gonna allow these assets (and that is all the Delta Queen and American Queen are right now to Majestic, are assets) to lose their value just because they put them in a precarious place, security wise...so I'm not worried....yet...

Now, I have been told via pretty reliable sternline telegraph sources that the two boats, The American Queen and the Delta Queen will be layed up together somewhere other than NOLA, I was told Mobile. Another source tells me that that destination has changed, maybe...but I have been further told that Amassador's has allocated money to make sure the boats are looked after up until April. Matter of fact the big muckedy-mucks at Ambassadors mentioned this in their third quarter finacial report, something I will admit I haven't listened to yet.

Then again, these people haven't had a whole bunch of smarts up to now, so as my Michigan summer home buddy says: What do I know?

And the Delta Queen's boiler room ventilation fans caused the charter nymphs some concern? Pluheessee, deal with it...

Why THEY won't tell the crew...

Fred, I think the simplest answer is: because they probably don't know what they are going to do yet...they look with disdain at .arrgghhh, but hopefully someone will read Bruno's posting about the boats being more valuable in good shape than in poor shape - something which seems so obvious, but then so much has been obvious and ignored these couple of years in Seattle. Fred, I'm sure you know the story of how Doc and several of his AVALON crew stayed in Cincy, drained the water, and prepared her for the winter in '61 even though the owners didn't plan to do it, nor did they get paid. But they saved her for another life, as the BELLE. I hope to heck it won't be left to you and your fellow crew to save the DQ's innards for the future without the backing of the company, but don't be surprised if that's the case...

Fred ;;;
I'm sure, as is everyone else on this board,, ...
That our thoughts and prayers our with all of you at this time,,..

Steamboat crews always go the extra mile.

Thanks Judy for reminding us of the story of Doc saving the Avalon when her future was so uncertain. I knew that something like that had happened to one of the boats but could not remember the details. I know we all wish the best for the crew of the Delta Queen in these terrible times and I know they will do everything in their power to preserve her for a future time.

I have been requested, by boat managment, to stay off the computer. Since I am currently in the middle of a divorce, a few more days pay overrides my posting at this point.
I'll be back once I'm off of here and have my personal bussiness taken care of. Thanks to all.

Yes Judy, I remember hearing that story from Doc himself. And Fred sorry about all the issues your dealing with I know what thats like after 2 splits of my own. Also sorry about your civil rights being violated I.E. the gag order. Pretty chicken #### of the company. Also folks and I will post a few reminders around but I posted a photo albumn of some pics from the seventies and 80's