Queens Schedules

Bruce MacCullagh;1185 wrote: The Delta Queen web site says that the boats land at Marietta Ohio at 8 am and depart at 5 pm. Officals in Marietta say that is more like 4 or 5 am depending on fog, with departure on schedule.

I have seen several reviews where the boats did not leave until passengers with delayed fights had arrived. Is it usual for the boats to arrive at a scheduled landing three to four hours ahead of the announced arrival time?

Yes, a lot of times they arrive late at night. They let you off the boat at the posted time.

You are talking about 2 different things: Marietta isn't an embarkation point, merely a shore stop during a trip. As Sally said, the boats often arrive early (or late), at shore stops. This is a function of traffic, lock delays, desire to get in to save fuel, etc. Here at Davenport, the schedule is 8AM to 1PM. However I am usually watching them arrive at 4 or 5AM. The shore tours go on as scheduled, and the departure is at the designated time....unless its 6 days later after boiler repairs...or 3 days later for a broken lock gate.... the phrase which has always been used to cope with these unpredictable times is: "That's steamboating!" I guess now it will have to be: "That's river cruising!" As to waiting for late flights at the beginning of a trip, yes that happens frequently. They wait within reason, several hours usually. This depends on where they have to be the following day, if there is extra time built into the schedule. The Great Race always starts at 6PM in New Orleans so it can be live on the news, but I've seen the 'race' start and then the boats come back to the dock to await the late-arriving passengers. NCP is the guiding principle, not brochure schedules. (NCP=Navigating Conditions Permitting). Also, I hope you don't have a departing flight booked too close to the scheduled end time of a cruise - things can happen at that end too.

My issue with time was that I was hoping to have a photographer record our landing in Marietta. Unless the photographer is a steamboat fan and is willing to monitor a scanner, I guess that won't happen.

Our time in Marietta is to be a family celebration. The booking is a celebration of my parents 50th anniversary. They met in Marietta. My dad proposed at the landing (actually a few feet further up river, under the old Williamstown bridge), and they were married there.

They loved to watch the Avalon, and this is the trip of a lifetime.

Bruce, they don't necessarily need a scanner. They can check with the lock above/below town (depending on which way the boat is going) and get a pretty good idea when the boat might be in. They would also be able to see the boat from the highway, and even from the landing for quite a while before it got there. If this does not occur in the middle of the night it should be easy. Only moderately more difficult in darkness. With cell phones, you can call this person ahead of time and give them a heads up. The boat crew will help you figure your E.T.A.

Hi Bruce,

It´s very likely that the boat does not arrive at 8 am in the morning but will be there much earlier. On our recent cruise on the MQ we´ve been early at all ports. Some were noon arrivals and we came in at 10 or 11 am. Even if there´s someone following the boat boat online for the locking time and then waiting somewhere it´s very likely that at this time of the day it´s too dark to take a photo anyway. It might be better to take a photo of your departure and get all lined up for a nice group photo waving down to the shore.

Carmen

Carmen Winkler;1191 wrote: It might be better to take a photo of your departure and get all lined up for a nice group photo waving down to the shore.
Carmen

If we do watch the departure and end up being late for the begining of the first sitting for dinner, will that be a major problem? My guess is that no one is going to want to stay in their church clothes all Sunday afternoon, but shorts, jeans and tee shirts are not allowed for dinner. I think many in our group would rather lend a hand than watch, but watching is still better than missing it altogether.

Bruce MacCullagh;1192 wrote: If we do watch the departure and end up being late for the begining of the first sitting for dinner, will that be a major problem? My guess is that no one is going to want to stay in their church clothes all Sunday afternoon, but shorts, jeans and tee shirts are not allowed for dinner. I think many in our group would rather lend a hand than watch, but watching is still better than missing it altogether.

Bruce, on these river cruises nothing is a major problem as far as your enjoyment. They will still let you eat even if you are running late. I am going on my 9th cruise on Sept. 15 and i will take a river cruise over an ocean cruise any day. The whole draw for me and my friends is the laid back way these cruises are ran.

Bruce, relax!!!! This is not the QEII... its great that you are thinking ahead, but don't ruin your 'trip of a lifetime' with exacting details. Tell the dining room people the meal before that you may be late next meal, and that will be fine. You won't be thrown off the boat or put on galley duty for appearing late once for a meal. Hopefully once you're aboard, you'll be able to quit worrying about the kids, the photos, meals, etc. and you'll have a great time!

Bruce,

Do as Judy said! We were late for two - early seating - dinners (including the Captain´s Dinner) on our recent MQ cruise. We talked to our waitress the night before that we need to watch a certain lockage. On Captain´s Dinner night we only had 10 min to dress up and get out again to watch the departure and wave to our friends. And we got out of the dining room again when we were at the next lock. Fortunately we had a table next to the rear exit of the MQ´s dining room and the waiters already expected us to come in and go out frequently :-)!

Carmen

Hey, it might not be the QE2 (Arabic numeral here, please; we aren't talking about the reigning monarch of Great Britain.) either! Those dining in the Caronia Restaurant or the Grill Rooms show up when they please during the specified dining hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner . It's your table and no need to vacate it for second seating.

Thank you everyone !

You're going to have a wonderful trip, and I'll bet even your teenagers will enjoy it, whether they'll admit it or not! The hardest part now is the wait and anticipation!