Topic starter
22/05/2010 4:16 pm
What do the DQ, AQ, MQ, RIVER BARGE, NEW ORLEANS, ARKANSAS EXPLORER, and DOGWOOD all have in common? That's right they were all overnight river passenger boats that went out of business (those are the ones I can remember in the last 25 or so years, there may have been more.) My question is why did they all go out of business? They all had different management with their own ideas, heck the DQ, etc. had 3 different owners in about 5 years. No demand for river trips? Onerous Coast Guard regs? Not offering the right product? Too expensive?
What do you think?
22/05/2010 5:58 pm
It's The Money
If you price a seven pay cruise on any cruise line from any port to any location, you could sail two people in deluxe accomodations for the cost of a river cruise for one. These new super liners can carry seven thousand passengers that drink, gamble and spend money. The river cruises had a limited number of passengers and limited revenue streams. When the economy went south the market dried up. Look at the Queen of the West here in WA state. Today (right now) they want five thousand for a week long cruise. The costs of operating a river cruise line will continue to climb and the average person can no longer afford to cruise. When the economy improves, river cruising has a good chance. The Delta Queen and American Queen could certainly make it. But, it is a limited market and there may not be room for others in the overnight market.
25/05/2010 4:12 pm
Whatever happened to the Dogwood? I got a tour through her right after her conversion and marine architect Bill Preston had done a beautiful job on her.
26/05/2010 4:45 am
It is in Bayou Lafourche, LA. For Sale.
Topic starter
28/05/2010 2:14 am
How come there are English speaking overnight cruise vessels on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, but the Inland Waterways of America can't support just one vessel? Why are boats too expensive and can't attract enough passengers to operate here while river cruising is profitable practically everwhere else in the world?
28/05/2010 4:07 am
the only other one I can think of Jim was the Viking Explorer.