Creole Queen question

John, I can't answer the question as to the status or condition of the boat, buit according to my AIS, it is at its dock at the foot of Poydras Street, or thereabouts. I am about 5 miles above there, tied off, but I can see it with the AIS/electronic chart. Ain't technology wonderful?

John,

According to their website they only do special cruises and charters. No regular harbor cruises available at this time.

Carmen

Apparently this was another of my postings which went to cyberspace heaven... The Creole Queen runs very infrequently now, only charters or trips with large convention groups. Her sister boat the Cajun Queen is smaller and runs a few trips too. They were laid up pre-Katrina due to bankruptcy proceedings with their parent company, which was partially attributable to intrafamily squabbles. The lack of business post-Katrina has kept them tied up. I don't know the progress of the company's bankruptcy case. This includes a fleet of buses and a hospitality company too.

Daughter of the Queen

Who knows that the daughter of the CREOLE QUEEN is the GRAND VICTORIA II, nee HILTON FLAMINGO? The FLAMINGO was built as a much larger version of the CQ. Captain Troy Manthe was fond of saying that "the best of the CREOLE QUEEN went into the FLAMINGO."

What happened to the first, smaller, gambling boat which preceeded the Flamingo? I used to go aboard to get a Mother's poboy, as their little shop aboard the Flamingo was much less busy than the regular Mother's Restaurant.

I know the daughter, in fact we became very close in 1996. It was a love-hate relationship.

Here is an old picture of the Flamingo Casino. I took this picture on our first trip to New Orleans back in 1995.

Marie Laveau's Still Aboard

Each deck of the FLAMINGO had a New Orleans-style name. Main Deck was the Mardi Gras, Second was the Voodo Deck, Third: Vieux Carre, and Lagniappe was the Fourth, or top deck. The only vestige of those days when the FLAMINGO was paddling the waters of the Mississippi River in New Orleans is Marie LaVeau's (LaVeaux) Bar which, of course, can be found on the Voodo Deck where there still hangs a copy of the only known likeness of the Voodo Queen of New Orleans.

Mardi Gras must be around the corner. Judy?

The smaller boat is now in New Westminister British Columbia as the Royal City Star Casino. It is also listed for sale on the Coastal Marine website.
Jim

Mardi Gras is Feb. 20, and now that the black and gold can be put away, the purple, green and gold reign! Jan. 6 is the official beginning of the Carnival season. They are having the same number of days of parades as last year, 10. This compares to the usual 14 and is due to fewer krewes parading and fewer police to work the extra hours. Hopefully this Carnival season will bring some tourists into town. I know the NATCHEZ is counting on it. For the uninitiated, I think the best time to go if you don't like crowds and a lot of hubbub is the first weekend, which this year is Feb. 9th. There are plenty of parades and decorations everywhere and you get the effect of the season without the jacked up hotel rates too!

Hey Sam, if the best psrt of the CQ went into the Flamingo, what was the worst part, or parts?

Sorry.......

Sorry, but I can't answer your question, as those "worst parts", if they existed, were never transferred over to the bigger boat. Thankfully, the pilot's wheel was left over on the CQ, so the PINK FLAMINGO was, and continues to be, steered by "sticks". Plans originally called for restrooms on the Lagniappe Deck, but they were never constructed; an inconvenience that remains. The wheelhouse gang have often expressed the desire for a private head under the pilothouse, but that has never materialized either.

Captain Bert Schwarez once told me that the FLAMINGO was the best boat he ever handled, to which I added: "Try to build a better boat, and I don't know how you would do it."

If the FLAMINGO / GRAND VIC II was run by steam, perhaps then, she would be perfect.

If you ask the band members who played on the CQ sitting on the stern facing forward, adding the sheer to the stern as an afterthought was murder... it was so steep they had trouble staying in their seats (almost)! That boat has no natural sheer, and maybe after looking at their competitor-to-be the NATCHEZ, they thought they'd better have some, so the stern end is an uphill climb, while the bow is almost MQ flat.

A Funny Tale...

Boy, I'd love to hear Cap'n Doc tell that story. I know from personal experiece, though, that the CQ is both FUN and FAST!!!

http://groups.msn.com/WillieandBustersWhirlwindTouroftheWorld/tallstacks2003.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=3215

It is not generally known that I designed the Creole Queen's hull and basic cabin. That sheer curve was in there from the beginning. Perhaps if I had not fired the client in the middle of the project the bandstand would have been built like the Belle of Louisville's with a level floor. As far as I am concerned the owner was about as easy to take as brick pills. I did have two worse clients, so maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought at the time.