Empress cruise features Peter Ueberroth

So according to that itinerary, the flap about the Jones Act and the inability to stop at more than one Alaskan port due to time constraints is over??????

Interesting speaker...

I know some years ago, might have been under the Zell regime still, a group around here approached DQSC about a charter with shore stops & tours focused around their organization for an UMR trip..they never heard a reply so they decided on something else...I won't name them publically...but I for one would have readily gone on the charter...

There are loads of "cruise themes" that could be explored if ventured...

Hemmings Motor News does an annual cruise on a Carnival ship each September, I think MAL's marketing team should go after these folks (for example) and offer an American cruise experience...considering 70-80% of Hemmings deals with classic-collectible American cars & trucks...

http://www.hemmings.com/events/cruise.html
Just my 2 cents...take it for what it's worth~considering...

Charters

You've brought up an interesting but almost forgotten concept: charters. How many times has any of the QUEENS been fully chartered in the last couple of ownerships? This used to be a fairly common practice, with at least 4 or 5 charters a season. It probably reached its peak numbers when Dick Billings had all the State Bank charters back in the '70s, but there have been many organizations over the years: Stanford, National Trust, a Mormon group, etc. What happened, too expensive? not enough interest to fill a whole boat? Or have the recent owners not pursued that route? Any ideas?

The EMPRESS OF THE NORTH flies the American flag, so she, her owners, and crew are amongst the few being protected by the Jones Act.

American Cruise Lines, same deal. They regularly operate seven night cruises between various American coastal ports. I just found out I'll be performing again aboard the American Star in port in Bangor, Maine (yes, because it is situated at the head of the tide, our lovely little city is considered "coastal" even though it lies 30 miles up the Penobscot River) this summer. ACL's Maine Coast and Harbors cruises depart each Saturday from Bangor and call at Bucksport, Castine, Bar Harbor, Camden, Rockland and Belfast, returning to Bangor on Friday night. They serve lobster on board every night - and of course it is not frozen lobster tails imported from Africa. Call Phyllis if you want to book!

I know none of this has to do with steamboating and the rivers, but it does concern the Jones Act, which you can now catch on Friday nights in Bangor if you book passage on the American Star this summer.

Good for you Jazzou- guess I will have to do a road trip this summer.

7 days with Mr Ueberroth!!!

MAL announce a 7 day "Empress of the North" Alaskan cruise with Mr Ueberroth as the host...
If this guy gets a daily earful from some of us DQ supporters, it may just be the breaking point, of course that could be a break to the positve or negative. But what an opportunity to float along and enjoy the granduer, and discuss how the loss of the DQ would have such and impact on Us the Co, America etc...

http://www.majesticamericaline.com/cms/Files/Peter%20Ueberroth%20Alaska%20Cruise%201%2008.pdf

On the EOTN, I suspect it will be a problem to get enough DQ supporters on a single trip as to become a viable "voice". Too few and the supporting will sound like whining, I fear...But frankly I'd like to buy the guy a few drinks and chew his ear off...

I honestly, sincerly hope Mr. U. cares what we think about the DQ. Hopefully, this is a guy that will take a hard look at his customer base, at their needs and wants, something that I think has been very, very lacking up to this point. However, if you look at the recently released specials on ModernAgent, Majestic America Line "PROUDLY CELEBRATES the FAREWELL season of the Delta Queen...". What does that mean? Now I'm hoping that the announcement special is innocent but the way it is worded just sent me into a rage the first time I read it...However, I will admit that I cannot see a way to re-word those three words...

Here's hoping that Mr. U. has multiple, long, sincere talks to any and all past DQ passengers on the EOTN. As an obviously selfish DQ admirer, I would like to invite Mr. U. to the July 1st DQ cruise. And yes, Mr. U., drinks in the Texas lounge are on me, anything you want, and you betcha top shelf, along with the best entertainment and munchies in the land, are you in?...or better yet, the August 19th DQ cruise...there will be a mess of dot.org DQ devoted people on that trip, for sure.

Let's do this, I'd like to meet you!

Guys, let's please maintain fairness. The "celebrate ..." press release is more than half a year ago, a lot of things happened within Majestic America Line since then. Let's concede that people can change their minds by learning from mistakes or by simply recognizing by themselves that not everything they or their management team at Majestic America Line did was perfect.

All of this might be for naught. The Ueberroth traveling on the EotT is the father of the current acting president of MAL, although daddy Ueberroth is also on Ambassadors International's Board of Directors.

Even as the father of the current president, this could be a great thing. My father was one of the wisest men I knew, and I was absolutely amazed how geometrically smarter he got between the time I was 16 and when I turned 30 🙂

I suspect the trip for the elder Mr. U. is for economic self preservation of his portfolio as well as an advice discovering trip to present to his heir when he gets back. This has got to be a good thing.

I still would like to meet and get to know the guy, my offer of drinks in the Texas still stands...

Bruno- I agree that there is great power in negotiations over drinks in the Texas bar.- well any bar but especially the Texas bar.

And I still maintain that the reason why Delaware North bought the boats was because of drinks at a bar at a private but large Christmas party in December 2001.

Come on up - the lobstah prices are dropping slightly, but buy your gas in New Hampshah, deeyah, since it's wicked high up heeyah.