How Would YOU Do It ????

Bruno Krause;20192 wrote: My take, and I suspect there will be moans to be heard right now...

My "changes"...
Eliminate menu Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners. And eliminate the infamous continental breakfast in the Forward Cabin lounge, Front Porch, etal...ALL should be buffets...the cookie plate is still a good thing...
Eliminate bed "redo" for the whole trip. Passengers should ask the purser any additional "soap, shampoo, and the like" each day that they feel is necessary if they should so need. Beds ARE NOT gonna be remade every day. Advertise it this way so there is no misunderstanding...
Eliminate the "come on board and we'll feed you cold cuts" buffet...

B, I think you can file all those under, "ambience", a concept that cannot be marginalized when you consider the marketing, target demographic and justification for the price. Eliminating menu meals would also eliminate the give and take between pax and some of our more famous food service personnel. How many times has a DReed or a Maurice done something extra special for you and in the process make the trip even more memorable? And, frankly, how much of a stretch is it from "eliminate the menus" to "why should I tip the waiter, all he did was spoon out the soup". You know how important tipping is to most of the crew. Same with housekeepers.

I can agree with the Welcome Aboard buffet, since I never found it so delicious anyway.

Bruno Krause;20192 wrote: Eliminate the daily single page newspaper to each stateroom, a daily "what is happening..." page to be posted in the public spaces......

See "weight reduction" below

Bruno Krause;20192 wrote: Eliminate nightly turn down and the Andes Candies...
Eliminate the nightly entertainment, but BEEF UP the lounge entertainment...
Beef up, make it a whole bunch more impressive, all rewards to past passengers, and INVITE ALL PASSENGERS to attend the ceremony, what a hell of an incentive...
Make it a BYOB boat, why not?
Become EXTREMELY FRIENDLY with AAA and/but ESPECIALLY AARP concerning advertisements.
Convert the boat to burn No. 2 fuel oil.
Make plans to convert the boat to No. 2 fuel oil powering generators, generators that power the paddlewheel and EVERYTHING else... Yeah, I get it...steam is cool, but it's also less efficient, make steam for the calliope and whistle only.........

Agree on all the engineering stuff if only because I bow to your expertise on the subject. Now, if you ever want to know how to play an Abm7b5 chord on a banjo I expect you to come to me. (Trick question. You can't play an Abm7b5 chord on a banjo - not enough strings.)

Eliminating the nightly entertainment in the Grand Saloon? I can't agree. And it has nothing to do with any personal bias in the matter, since I only started working the GS in my last year. For that matter, beefing up the lounge entertainment would have put me back in the ERB. While I enjoyed my year and a half with the Synchopaters and learned a hell of a lot from them, I was always more comfortable in the ERB. I'm a lounge lizard at heart.

But I digress...

Nightly entertainment shows were usually very well attended and appreciated. You cannot beleive the work and sweat that goes into those shows, both by the cast and the band. It was mostly because of their efforts that Conde Nast once considered the old DQSC entertainment department the best in the business. And the cast also had other on and off stage responsibilities that made valuable contributions to the pax experience.

Bruno Krause;20192 wrote: Provide a SERIOUS 'weight reduction' program on all boats. Call me, I think I may be able to help you through this... Provide a serious 'reduce drag' through the water program.........

Actually you've hit on a big weight saving idea. I think a daily single page Steamboatin' Times is still essential. Folks like to fold it up and put it in their pockets for a handy reference, available anytime anywhere. BUT...as constituted when I was on board, anyway, the Steamboatin' Times was not a single page. It was folded inside what we called a "shell" - a pre-printed pamphlet describing either the next day's port or, in the case of steamboatin' days, info of general river interest. Those shells are loaded onboard every couple of months at major ports. In the meantime, they are all stored away, riding the boat along with all of us. And in bulk, they are HEAVY. If you eliminate the shell, you are eliminating 2/3 of the weight of a daily newspaper.

Bruno Krause;20192 wrote: As Dale says, "what do I know..."

You know what you know, buddy. Times spent around the Calliope Bar with you and Deb and Phil talking about the company were always memorable. I guess the cuts you mentioned just reminded me too much of similiar cuts Majestic America made in the name of saving money, especially in the entertainment department. As Mary said, Dixieland without a trumpet is just dumb. And they didn't save all that much putting Steve Walters out of work, trust me. Or, for that matter, when they got rid of the Synchopaters en masse, either. Those walk aboard guest entertainers made a hell of lot more than we did. It's all about the ambience, I guess. If you lower the river instead of raising the bridge, you're cheating the pax, who would, I assume, be paying just as much for less. B, I know you. You wouldn't put up with it and should not have to do so.

Paul

Well, for what it's worth, that welcome aboard sandwich buffet was a darned welcome sight to pax who had just spent the entire day fighting their way to the boat with little or no sustainance. It may not have been gourmet but, believe me, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and, the sight various cold cuts, salads, breads and freshly baked goodies made me feel as though I'd arrived home. Don't ever take that away!
Same goes for steam. Yes, I'm aware of the additional costs, but I alway figured that was one of the reasons we paid 2 or 3 times the rack rates other cruises charged.
I would "do it" just the way the old DQSBC did it. Seems to me that they had it pretty well figured out. The repeater rate certainly bears that out. BTW, my opinions are based on my past trips and work experience aboard the DQ. I never rode any of the other boats and, never wanted to.

Paul, and Greg, you're both 100 percent correct. There is no way Deb and I would wish any changes from what we had (and that is the definitive word had) if times weren't so tough and the boats were running with a black bottom line. Matter of fact, the changes made since 2000 always upset me, and you heard how vocal I was about them. I was upset that Al went away from Walter's band, was upset that the midnight buffet went away (not because I took advantage of it, but that I could take advantage of it if I so felt like it). We missed the old time shows in the Orleans that last bunch of cruises, and, and, and... come-on, I had to rely on the Dewey's to finally fly a kite off the back. Some of our best experiences were conversations with the wait staff, the maitre 'd and the chief of hotels, people that Deb and I feel privileged to be friends with...and I always carried the Steamboatin' Times with me...

You're right any change would make us upset. But let's face it, either the steamboat owners charge a bucketload more (didn't work in 2008 did it?) or they reduce their day to day expenses down to something that will turn a profit with the fares we passengers are willing to pay. There are no other choices.

What the boats meant to the Krause's was that Herman, Kenny and in earlier days William were always there to take care of our room. The boats meant that I could always find something really good to eat in huge quantities even if the buffet wasn't to my liking. The come aboard cold cut buffet? They should have charged me for the cold cuts by the pound. Sad to eliminate those, you betcha...but it's even sadder with the situation we have now.

How 'bout absolutely no changes, bring back the band members, bring back the familiar Orleans shows and provide two-fer pricing again or 45% off early bird specials? See that pig fly by?

Keep in mind I did propose motivating the DQ with outboards, Gawd help me! But if that is what it takes for me to cruise overnight on the rivers, let's see a show of hands.

I'm just trying to be realistic, as painful as that can be to all of us, crew and passengers alike, especially since Deb and I haven't ridden on any overnight steamboats in a while...and unless serious changes are made, this thread is a moot point, I fear...

WOW ! What A Great Response !

Greetings From New Orleans !
WOW , What a great response ! I am very impressed with the responses , thoughts and suggestions and that everyone has come up with to this date ! If and when either of the three steamboats that are now in mothballs and in use as a bed and breakfast are ever resurrected back into full time service , wouldn't it be great if the future powers that be take into account and consideration and practice when these boats are put back into service .
One other thought I had was to either charter or purchase outright a helicopter service which would cater to the passengers inorder for them to view both the river and the boat from the air . Of course there would be a charge for this attraction but wouldn't it be great to view the boats and scenery from the air ?? Just food for thought !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson

Bruno Krause;20233 wrote: Paul, and Greg, you're both 100 percent correct. There is no way Deb and I would wish any changes from what we had (and that is the definitive word had) if times weren't so tough and the boats were running with a black bottom line. Matter of fact, the changes made since 2000 always upset me, and you heard how vocal I was about them. I was upset that the Al went away from Walter's band, was upset that the midnight buffet went away (not because I took advantage of it, but that I could take advantage of it if I so felt like it). We missed the old time shows in the Orleans that last bunch of cruises, and, and, and... come-on, I had to rely on the Dewey's to finally fly a kite off the back. Some of our best experiences were conversations with the wait staff, the maitre 'd and the chief of hotels, people that Deb and I feel privileged to be friends with...

You're right, you know both of us pretty well and any change would make us upset. But let's face it, either the steamboat owners charge a bucketload more (didn't work in 2008 did it?) or they reduce their day to day expenses down to something that will turn a profit with the fares we passengers are willing to pay. There are no other choices.

What the boats meant to the Krause's was that Herman or Kenny were always there to take care of our room. The boats meant that I could always find something really good to eat in huge quantities even if the buffet wasn't to my liking. The come aboard cold cut buffet? They should have charged me for the cold cuts by the pound. Sad to eliminate those, you betcha...but it's even sadder with the situation we have now.

How 'bout absolutely no changes, bring back the band members, bring back the familiar Orleans shows and provide two-fer pricing again or 45% off early bird specials? See that pig fly by?

Keep in mind I did propose motivating the DQ with outboards, Gawd help me! But if that is what it takes for me to cruise overnight on the rivers, let's see a show of hands.

I'm just trying to be realistic, as painful as that can be to all of us, crew and passengers alike, especially since Deb and I haven't ridden on any overnight steamboats in a while...and unless serious changes are made, this thread is a moot point, I fear...

Bruno Krause;20233 wrote: I'm just trying to be realistic, as painful as that can be to all of us, crew and passengers alike, especially since Deb and I haven't ridden on any overnight steamboats in a while...and unless serious changes are made, this thread is a moot point, I fear...

Good points, B, but I guess my bottom line is this. Let's say all the cost cutting ideas that have been floated here are implemented and all available boats come back. Wouldn't that be marvelous? Maybe not.

How much of what is cut constitutes what makes the trip worthwhile in the first place? I mean cumulatively? A scaled down, Motel 6 version of the AQ could maybe float, but how much time would we spend together at the Calliope Bar (provided there are enough bartenders to operate it) pining for the good old days. And don't laugh when I say "provided there are enough bartenders". Fourth of July, 2006, the MQ was at the Arch in St Louis stern to the arch. The Calliope Bar was packed with people watching the show. The Calliope Bar itself was closed. And it wasn't some legal, "you can't serve liquor while tied up in St Louis" thing becayse the Paddlewheel was open,

More crucial to my point though, is this question. Should all that happen, should the Str Motel 6 get underway, should it actually start making money, how likely is it that any of the stuff given up for economy would ever be reinstated? Not bloody likely.

Youi want to talk steam purists? Well, I'm a DQSC purist and I'd rather have no company than one which compromises all that "Delta Queen Steamboat Company" means.

Paul

Some interesting points and interesting feelings, now, how much would YOU pay for a "motel six" version and could it make money at that rate?? Anybody know how much it costs to move a "dead head" boat with no hotel staff?? Is that half the cost (hotel staff entertainment, food the other half)?? I'm not even gonna ask what you all think about tipping...might start a fistfight. Cap'n Walnut

Tom Schiffer;20237 wrote: Some interesting points and interesting feelings, now, how much would YOU pay for a "motel six" version and could it make money at that rate?? Anybody know how much it costs to move a "dead head" boat with no hotel staff?? Is that half the cost (hotel staff entertainment, food the other half)?? I'm not even gonna ask what you all think about tipping...might start a fistfight. Cap'n Walnut

The River Barge just called and wants to know why we're talking about it.

Paul

Tom Schiffer;20237 wrote: Some interesting points and interesting feelings, now, how much would YOU pay for a "motel six" version and could it make money at that rate?? Anybody know how much it costs to move a "dead head" boat with no hotel staff?? Is that half the cost (hotel staff entertainment, food the other half)?? I'm not even gonna ask what you all think about tipping...might start a fistfight. Cap'n Walnut

But seriously, folks.....is there not some company that puts your RV on a barge and transports it along the river?

(Could have included this in previous post, but it would have messed up the timing of the joke).

Paul

RVbarging

Yes, Paul, there used to be a company which towed RVs on barges. We saw them at Woldenberg Park (Bienville St.) quite often. As I recall, one barge was the 'parking lot' and a second barge may have had some lounging areas, don't remember for sure. They probably ceased business in the early 90s. For some reason I want to say that at least one of the owners became part of the River Explorer company...

OK, you got me...a bit, my friend. Do I wish the three/two inland river Queens to morph their operation into something similar to the River Explorer? Of course not. Do I want the American Queen to ease on down to a Motel 6 ambience? Please, please, please no! And ya know, I don't think that was what I was pushing for...

But what would you as a passenger give up and still plunk down your $450 a night or so dollars for a bunk room, or in the case of the AQ $650 for an outside "E"? My ideas are what the Krause's would give up and still cruise. Notice I didn't say we would be silent about the changes. Come on, you know me, how silent can I possibly be?

My friend Judy talks about the changes on the boats since the 70's/80's. They changed enough that she stopped cruising. They changed enough that what she thought was the DQSC experience had gone away forever. Now you and I come along, Paul, and we have a different idea on what the experience should be. Who's to say there shouldn't be a brand new 'experience' to take the boats into 2010? And my ideas, obviously my opinion, are things that really wouldn't change the riverboat or river experience. These ideas of mine aren't really new, I'm not that clever, they have been stolen from other overnight (but not 'stay overnight') riverboats that are still running in the black...

You are so very right about the DQSC experience. I was ballistic on one item of the experience that was in jeopardy and had absolutely nothing to do with the riverboat or river or steam...the removal of the Eagle...the Eagle didn't change anything, but then again...

So I offer all my ideas again, except the BYOB policy, but in a different light:

The band stays!
All you can eat, fantastically cooked, tasty food stays!
The staterooms still have the latest, fanciest soap and shampoo products and the sheet count is still above 400...!
The boat still cruises all the little rivers they can find pilots for!
The calliope is Steam!
The bars are still open serving liquor (I stand corrected, a very happy man am I)!
Banjo players and piano players will provide an individual shows in the "big" rooms!

Paul, how 'bout a "Homewood Suites", we ain't ready for a Motel 6.... 🙂

Gee Bruno, let's throw in some bagpipe players too!! Heh heh heh!!!
Figured we needed a LITTLE levity thrown in here!
S'
David D.

DQ eras

The main reason I quit taking DQ trips in 1984 was the price jump - I was paying $95-105 a night on a share basis in 1983, and when they knocked out Skid Row and changed the lowest share basis fare to $240 a night for 1984, I was a goner. Luckily that same year I was offered a summer job on the NATCHEZ. So while I maintained my contacts with the QUEENS and their crews, I wasn't a paying passenger again until 2002. Needless to say, 19 years will bring changes anywhere, including on a steamboat. My favorite place on the DQ was the Sundeck stern, looking at the paddlewheel and where we had been, not to where we were headed, which is basically my life's outlook I guess. And I am one of those Motel 6ers, not a RitzCarlton or even a Hyatt. So all the newer amenities which are prized by most were not by me, hence the bowing out to the current generation. As Bruno said, this is a normal progression, and nothing to get upset over. I had my day, just as our dear friend Dorothea had her day in the 50s and 60s, but we could both relate to the ol' DELTA QUEEN anyway!

Bruno Krause;20256 wrote: ...My friend Judy talks about the changes on the boats since the 70's/80's. They changed enough that she stopped cruising. They changed enough that what she thought was the DQSC experience had gone away forever. Now you and I come along, Paul, and we have a different idea on what the experience should be. Who's to say there shouldn't be a brand new 'experience' to take the boats into 2010?

Fair enough. But the ambience and the "experience" from my initiation in 2000 was still a rather lively one.

Having read your entire post, B, I realize that a lot of what I'm about to say does not apply to your ideas. But I offer it to paint a picture of what a scaled down DQSC experience would probably look like, since these items are usually the first to be cut.

There is nothing so quiet and peaceful as the on deck experience of a steamboat trip, that is until the calliope plays. But inside the boat there was plenty going on if you cared to participate. There was bingo. Riverlorian talks, bingo, guest lectures, bingo, steamboat races, bingo, sing a longs, bingo, dance lessons, bingo, craft lessons, bingo, chef demonstrations, bingo, putting competiions, bing... well you get the idea.

Even outside the boat we had Calliope Capers, kite flying, night time Riverlorian sky talks, pilot house tours and the like.

On the EON and QOW, you got an escort from the boat (read- entertainment dept) to accompany each shore tour, representing the company and handling emergencies like pax falling down at Bouchart Gardens in Vancouver (that happened on one of my tours).

All of those activities don't cost all that much by themselves, but you need people to run them. That's part of the stuff for which your ticket pays. I hate when it sounds like I only whine about cuts in the entertainment department, but that's the sum total of my experience so I naturally go there.

Now, the Krauses are old school style steamboaters and I could see you not minding any of the above being cut. But if you're gonna appeal to a demographic that expects more than a peaceful float down the river where do you draw the line?

I have the benefit of being able to compare a steamboat under normal operating conditions, with pax aboard and stuff going on, and a steamboat with no pax, or activities going on. This was during the week when they suspended MQ ops to fix the the hull. You want to talk quiet? You want to talk spooky?

Bruno Krause;20256 wrote: And my ideas, obviously my opinion, are things that really wouldn't change the riverboat or river experience. These ideas of mine aren't really new, I'm not that clever, they have been stolen from other overnight (but not 'stay overnight') riverboats that are still running in the black...

You are so very right about the DQSC experience. I was ballistic on one item of the experience that was in jeopardy and had absolutely nothing to do with the riverboat or river or steam...the removal of the Eagle...the Eagle didn't change anything, but then again...

So I offer all my ideas again, except the BYOB policy, but in a different light:

The band stays!

NOW you're talkin' :O)

Bruno Krause;20256 wrote: All you can eat, fantastically cooked, tasty food stays!
The staterooms still have the latest, fanciest soap and shampoo products and the sheet count is still above 400...!
The boat still cruises all the little rivers they can find pilots for!
The calliope is Steam!
The bars are still open serving liquor (I stand corrected, a very happy man am I)!
Banjo players and piano players will provide an individual shows in the "big" rooms!

Paul, how 'bout a "Homewood Suites", we ain't ready for a Motel 6.... 🙂

Sure, as long as you realize that Homewood Suites would never, ever become a high end Hilton again. But come to think of it, that was always one of the strengths of DQSC. All three boats offered a different experience. Something for everyone.

Paul

Even though I'm in many ways a newcomer to riding the boats (but an oldtimer to following the boats and pestering congress about them too), I am not of the "target audience" as I am happy staying in a small bunk in a "closet" of a room (as long as I can look out the window!), spending much of my time watchin' the wheel and the rollers (or visiting in the engine room!). As long as I can be on deck, play the calliope (badly) once in a while (MORE than ONCE a trip, BTW!!), listen to the calliope, visit friends (both crew and pass), watch the river, fly kites (anyone who has been on a trip that I'm on, knows there WILL be kite flying--even if half a suitcase is devoted to a stash of kites; to allow a pass. Kite flying, you have to have enough kites to go around--BTW, two dozen is usually more than enough), and ignore the modern world; I'm happy!
Now the "A pound a day, that's all we'll gain" feeding trough is nice, but not critical--as long as there's some southern cookin' and that "five day old" bread pudding (the first night it's fresh, it gains age as the trip goes along)! And yes, when not listenin' to the calliope, it is nice to hear some dixieland, and banjo, and piano (Pat Taylor always had some fun stuff to play--another example of multi-talented staff).
That's the kinda stuff that made me come back. I remember y'all being worried when I took the first trip that it might not be what I had been wishing for for some 34 years. Well, no worries, mate! Now the worry is that no one else will ever get to have the same experience. We were/are the lucky ones, as Bruno reminds me often.
Without the big wheel a turnin', life is just not as rich. . .
S'
David D.

My friend from Rock Island hits the nail squarely on the head. My point to all that are reading, my post is to "what would you do" if the price of a cruise is a hugely large part of the deciding argument (Geeze, ya think it is?), and the price is way too high( Geeze, you think it was?)...we need to reduce the amenities without losing too much of the experience. We all know that Majestic tried to price the boats beyond all of our means, beyond anybody's means, with stuff that didn't mean a rat's to any of us. I mean, come-on does ANY cruise line brag about their thread count? Silly, very silly....and this silliness and their ridiculous prices put them under.

Soooo, what can we eliminate to get the price down? I agree with you Paul, that there are a huge bunch of things that make up the experience, but are they all worth the cost? My friend David talks about the steam experience, frankly, Deb and I love the steam, but we could live without it, and sorta did on the AQ. Do I want steam? You betcha, but I promise not to complain too loudly if it goes away.

You talk about the wait staff experience, and yes we would truly miss the staff, but if the boats were 100% buffet we we stop cruising in protest? Thinking not...Would we miss D? Lloyd? Yep, a whole bunch, and we'd all talk about it ad-nauseum while snarfing down our soup...

Same with the room service, Yeah, I'd be a little upset, but I wouldn't stop flashing my Visa because of it.

The band...The Texas ( and the Captain's) were a part of the experience that I personally picked which cruise Deb and I would be on based on who was playin', way too important to us... but who was playin' in the Orleans? You bet in 2006 we loved it, but in 2008, Deb and I skipped out, except for the banjo and piano...and of course Walter and the boys playing Muscat Ramble at my request.

As an engineer that has to deal with this stuff on a daily basis, the savings target I would recommend to the client would be $100 per night per stateroom, universal, across the line, all staterooms, from bunks to AAA's. I'm thinking that would mean, in a nutshell, $50 additional blackline profit each night for each stateroom, with an additional reduction of $50 redline loss for each night for each stateroom. For the DQ, this is an additional $8800 per night, an additional $62000 per 7 night cruise if the cruise is full! How do we get there?

And you know, I'm parlor talkin' here, absolutely not a clue if this money alteration would be enough...but it feels right... And maybe we could reduce Majestic's rates in the process, just a tad?

Yes, the experience is very important, but there are parts of the experience that most of us have given up already versus the '70's group.
We could give up what I talked about before, also the Huck Finn party, the Captain's reception, even Vox Caliopus ( and no, neither of us have one of these). I'm thinking these and what I mentioned before would reduce the cost a bit...and would we still cruise? Would we still be walking advertisements? Does the bear do his thing in the woods?

Missing the boat?

We've been talking about saving money, cutting the expenses. What have we cut/reduced/eliminated? STUFF ON THE BOAT. How about cutting where the really increased expenditures have been - the office and landbased operations?
No, we can't have the 6 person office staff the DQ had in 1966, but did the DQ Co., under whatever name it was then, really have to leave the Robin St. Wharf office complex for fancy new digs in Jupiter Florida? Anybody know why that was done? The formal excuse was to be nearer the other cruise industry businesses. WHY WAS THIS NECESSARY????? How did the DQ work in conjunction with the oceangoing companies, huh???? Or was it so Brucie and others could golf at the same country clubs as their cruise industry buddies, who often landed at DQ after being canned elsewhere? I have no clue how big the reservations department was, nor how many office personnel there were at the end, but were they all necessary? With the computer age, isn't someone supposed to be able to be more efficient? When I cruised back in the dark ages, I called Missy in Cincy, told her even what room I wanted, and usually got it - always got the trip and category. One on one and done! Yes, you've got to spend money to make money, but as far as advertising went, how many splashes did you see in the AARP magazine, or AAA, or Sunday travel sections of major newspapers? How many times did you hear of a DQ Co. rep coming to your hometown to talk to TAs and media????
But you take care of yourself and your colleagues, so Paul's banjo strings are plucked out of the budget, but your country club friend who hasn't done anything but grow the company's deficit is safe and sound.... sorry for this rant, but we just had our annual "We've got to make 3 million in cuts this year" in our school district. What is suggested? teachers, janitors, secretaries, aides. Not one central administration person or one of 60 or so 'consultants'. No, make the cuts where it directly affects the student(passenger)... the end.

Yeah, Judy is again on the mark. I was sent the telephone lists of all office personnel from if I remember was ACL. Hundreds, yes that is not a typo, hundreds were on that list.

And, no, I will not identify which past employee sent it to me...

The best way to run a boat (or any business) is to get good people and leave them alone to do their jobs. The support staff on shore should be exactly that, for SUPPORT. Give the boat the schedule and the Captain, Chief or Purser will call if there is a problem. Do the marketing and book the passengers. Of course, groceries, water, garbage pick up and so forth have to be set up...how many does that take?

To echo anther thing that's been said (and that all of us have witnessed at one time or another), have the office staff go on the boat once in a while!

Here's a thing to ponder: We recently stayed in a Super 8 motel, expecting no ammenities. I went to the lobby the next morning to see what kind of stale donuts, etc. they might have and some friendly lady immediately asked if I wanted a nice hot waffle and another friendly lady pointed out other unexpected breakfast items, what amounted to a full breakfast. This was not expected but certainly appreciated and I can't explain if it was company policy or just some eager local manager, but I shall seek out Super
8's to see if it happens again. The people there were very friendly as were the people at another Super 8 I stayed in, although they didn't have the full breakfast. Friendliness, just a little extra, that's all it takes for most of us. Even on something as spectacular as the Delta Queen, it's a good thing to have, over and above all else.

Why is it always education that gets whacked? See my above post about brain dead leadership.

Why not go one step further?

You could advertise cruises to young around 21 - ?? for X cruises. By this I mean serving pizza and fruit and low fat foods. Take the lounge acts and replace them with sporting activities while cruising (i.e. ping pong, sports shows). With the river system in America most of the area around the rivers are undeveloped so you could instead of docking in a town dock alongside a smooth part of the river and take hiking or mountain bike excursions, also focusing on natural wonders that are along every mile of the rivers and byways of the country. With foods like pizza or low fat alternitives geared for a more active group, you eliminate the need for raising ticket prices. Make it known up front that this is not a luxury cruise. By offering cruises that are not catering to fine dining and standard entertainment you can keep prices down.

ed frazier;20320 wrote: You could advertise cruises to young around 21 - ?? for X cruises. By this I mean serving pizza and fruit and low fat foods. Take the lounge acts and replace them with sporting activities while cruising (i.e. ping pong, sports shows). With the river system in America most of the area around the rivers are undeveloped so you could instead of docking in a town dock alongside a smooth part of the river and take hiking or mountain bike excursions, also focusing on natural wonders that are along every mile of the rivers and byways of the country. With foods like pizza or low fat alternitives geared for a more active group, you eliminate the need for raising ticket prices. Make it known up front that this is not a luxury cruise. By offering cruises that are not catering to fine dining and standard entertainment you can keep prices down.

Well, there's a thread stopper if I ever saw one.

Sincerely,

Paul
(former Lounge Entertainer, DQ/MQ/AQ)

:O)

The problem with this is that there will be a gift shop at that landing even before the hikers and bikers get back.

dq coi

Roger you are right, in spite of what many say, she still needs a current COI to sail, even with only 49 souls... Captain Blum?

Rodger, what you suggest is a contradiction, saying that the Coast Guard has no jurisdiction, but the Delta Queen needs a COI to sail...who else has the authority to issue a Certificate of Inspection for an American Flag vessel, wether it be for 49 passengers or 500, certainly not the local Fire Marshal in Chattanooga. Try taking the Boat out for a cruise and see what the local Coast Guard office says, COI, 49 passengers or less... Gee, Although they alledgedly have no authority over the vessel now, they sure come down and tell the owner how to secure/ moor the vessel.. I've been there a few times as a paying guest, you? Call me. Ask Steve