Oceania Cruise Line Exec Joins G.A.S.C.

Frank X. Prudent;26835 wrote: Tim Rubacky, part of the founding management team at Oceania Cruises is joining Great American Steamboat Co. If he brings along ideas from Oceania Cruises, and implements them, steamboating will be taken to a new level of first class service and cuisine.

I have known Tim for many years and he will help change river cruising, I cant wait until next April or May when I step on board his new River Boat
Jancruz1

Jan,

Welcome to steamboats.org!! Thanks for your comment about Tim. I´ve got some more good comments about him on another (German) board. Hopefully there will be some official news about the purchase pretty soon!!

We loved the American Queen and rode her two times (three times on the Mississippi Queen and 5 times on the Delta Queen).

Carmen
(aka steamboats on CC)

Carmen;26845 wrote: Jan,

Welcome to steamboats.org!! Thanks for your comment about Tim. I´ve got some more good comments about him on another (German) board. Hopefully there will be some official news about the purchase pretty soon!!

We loved the American Queen and rode her two times (three times on the Mississippi Queen and 5 times on the Delta Queen).

Carmen
(aka steamboats on CC)

Thanks Carmen, I think we have talked before on the boards..I can ask him if you have any questions as I speak to him almost every day..I was on the American Queen in Alaska a couple of years ago and loved it.
Jancruz1

Jan,

I assume you´ve been on the Empress of the North (as the American Queen has never been to Alaska). The Empress of the North is a great boat too. We´ve done the Alaska trip in 2005 and really enjoyed that one.

I don´t have any specific questions for Tim. Franz has signed up on the media/press contact form but never received any kind of reply (not sure if there were any press releases yet). Besides steamboats.org we also operate a German website about cruising called CruiseTricks | Kreuzfahrt-Blog, News, Fotos, Tipps und Tricks. And as a journalist he´d be more than happy to report about the GASC (also in German newspapers).

Carmen

Jan Fishbein;26843 wrote: I have known Tim for many years and he will help change river cruising, I cant wait until next April or May when I step on board his new River Boat
Jancruz1

That might be good or bad. M.A.L. thought they would do the same. If he listens to what the past passengers and travel agents want, and does not dictate what they should want, then that will be a good change.

Help change river cruising

Jan Fishbein;26843 wrote: I have known Tim for many years and he will help change river cruising, I cant wait until next April or May when I step on board his new River Boat
Jancruz1

What needs to be changed, other than getting a boat running again?
If this is someone experienced in blue water who plans to make a river steamboat into a blue water ship, we've been that route before.... instead of trying to make the steamboat into a little ocean boat just like all the big ones, celebrate and capitalize on its uniqueness. As Frank said, a change would be to listen to those who actually take river cruises and spend their money regularly on steamboats, rather than to get some 'focus group' in Seattle or Vanuatu or Bora Bora and follow their off the wall suggestions...

You're ever so right Judy. Let's get the boats running, especially one DQ, and that would improve the picture immensely. I would like to get some more specific input from those of you who think this new guy is so great. As Judy said, we have been down this road before, so why is he better than all the other overpaid suits? Does he like banjo music?

Carmen;26847 wrote: Jan,

I assume you´ve been on the Empress of the North (as the American Queen has never been to Alaska). The Empress of the North is a great boat too. We´ve done the Alaska trip in 2005 and really enjoyed that one.

I don´t have any specific questions for Tim. Franz has signed up on the media/press contact form but never received any kind of reply (not sure if there were any press releases yet). Besides steamboats.org we also operate a German website about cruising called CruiseTricks | Kreuzfahrt-Blog, News, Fotos, Tipps und Tricks. And as a journalist he´d be more than happy to report about the GASC (also in German newspapers).

Carmen

I apologize about the error I made after I wrote it I realized it was the American Cruise Line I was on. The truth is that was the only river boat I had ever been on in the US and was very underimpressed. I realize it was my error but I did not realize dinner dress was Jeans and plaid shirts..so I was surprised and of course felt overdressed but as I said my error for not taking more time and coming on this board to check. The boat itself was very pretty, old fashioned decor which I loved and very lovely staterooms. Unfortunately the food and service was terrible and I was really disappointed. I did have a long talk at the time with the GM and he admitted they had lots of problems. I submitted a report to the main office after my return received a nice reply and put river cruising out of my mind thinking I would never again be on a river in the US. So now as they say, never say never and I hope to be cruising on GASC quite often (if they listen to people on this board and travel agents dont try to turn it into a Blue Water ship)
What Ive heard they are planning has been interesting but of course time will tell.
Thanks again for correcting me I appreciate it..
Jancruz1

Lexie Palmore;26857 wrote: You're ever so right Judy. Let's get the boats running, especially one DQ, and that would improve the picture immensely. I would like to get some more specific input from those of you who think this new guy is so great. As Judy said, we have been down this road before, so why is he better than all the other overpaid suits? Does he like banjo music?

I think hes great (of course he is my friend) and he was with American Express Travel before Oceania, has great ideas and is innovative..I will have to ask him if he likes banjo music..I sure do..
Jancruz1

also...

Why is he joining the AQ group? Hopefully it isn't because he's just been fired from a blue water company, like so many of the previous DQ corporate geniuses had been. It sounds like the first people named as being involved are good river people:Krida, Sutton, et. al, so presumably they are hiring good people to revive the river steamboat. Steamboating on the rivers isn't for everybody, but to think that the customer base could be broadened by making it, or trying to make it, 'just like a Caribbean cruise' won't cut it. The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. at one point had the highest rate of repeat passengers of any cruise line - and we aren't talking taking a second trip here. My 41 DQ trips probably wouldn't even put me in the top 100 of living repeat passengers. "There is money in them there hills pardner", or in this case in the good old loyal customers - you know, the ones who don't make it as models in the perfect, high society brochures! For the love of the AQ and overnight steamboating, listen to them! That's a wonderful base on which to start. It was obvious M.A.L. was trying to dump the repeaters, probably because they knew the product wasn't as good as pre-mal and they didn't want that to be discovered or blabbed... By the way, just to ease the mind of whatever GASG person is reading this board, I'm not campaigning to be contacted - overnight steamboat pricing has long passed me by. I'll be thrilled to be able to bake cookies and run errands for the crew when the AQ returns to the beautiful UMR!

Jan, check your private messages

I just sent you a private message, Jan.

Jan Fishbein;26858 wrote: I apologize about the error I made after I wrote it I realized it was the American Cruise Line I was on. The truth is that was the only river boat I had ever been on in the US and was very underimpressed. I realize it was my error but I did not realize dinner dress was Jeans and plaid shirts..so I was surprised and of course felt overdressed but as I said my error for not taking more time and coming on this board to check. The boat itself was very pretty, old fashioned decor which I loved and very lovely staterooms. Unfortunately the food and service was terrible and I was really disappointed. I did have a long talk at the time with the GM and he admitted they had lots of problems. I submitted a report to the main office after my return received a nice reply and put river cruising out of my mind thinking I would never again be on a river in the US. So now as they say, never say never and I hope to be cruising on GASC quite often (if they listen to people on this board and travel agents dont try to turn it into a Blue Water ship)
What Ive heard they are planning has been interesting but of course time will tell.
Thanks again for correcting me I appreciate it..
Jancruz1

Sorry, Jan, American Cruise Line doesn't run to Alaska. You were on M.A.L., and you experienced what they did to all of their, self proclaimed, "ships". They raised prices, cut services, didn't listen to their customer base, and quickly led the whole operation into bankruptcy.

Change Steamboating? Do Not Fear

Dear Steamboaters,

I am elated to see that there is such passion for the revival of this iconic piece of America and wanted to just drop by and say hello!

First and foremost, I want to say that I am honored to be party of the Great American Steamboat family and the reason I chose to join is because of the history, heritage, nostalgia and above all else, passion that is the fabric of this team and the Steamboating experience.

Jeff Krida is someone whom I greatly admire and he, along with Christopher Kyte, Russ Varvel and many others of my new colleagues have a rich, storied past with the former DQ boats and have no ambition to change what you love as some have tried to do in the recent past, nor do I.

Our goal is simple - to bring the AQ back and deliver an experience that is even warmer, richer and friendlier than ever.

As the team is just beginning to assemble in Memphis, we have a lot to accomplish in the next few weeks and I can promise you there will be more details forthcoming in the near future. For the moment, we kindly ask your patience as we get the offices up and running. More than anything, we are looking forward to welcoming all of you back home next year!

Kindest regards,

Tim Rubacky

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Thanks for some reassuring common sense words! While obviously the passenger base needs to be expanded in order for the AQ to be profitable, you do have a very solid base upon which to start, and yes, it is a passionate base. Maybe that was one of the failings of the not-to-be-named previous ownership: bathrobes and pillowtops instead of an experience which connected to the heart and soul...

I just got home from a difficult Saturday night at work. I saw four patients in various Cincinnati neighborhoods, but seeing Tim's posting here certainly made things much brighter here on the homefront.

WOW!! A response!

Amen to that. To put it in a nutshell, it is more than just a cruise. Much, much more.

A W E S O M E !!!!!

Having moved to the Cincinnati area just 3 years ago, I was terribly disappointed to hear that all 3 of the steamboats were removed from service. But now, thanks to 2 great cruise lines, I see that all is not lost and that before long the Cincinnati riverfront and the Ohio river will echo the sound of calliopes and steam whistles again. THANK YOU !

Tom