More bad news for the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE

Lower prices, more cruises

Doc always ranted when the NATCHEZ boarding prices were raised - he subscribes to the theory of Get them onboard and then get their money! The salty steamboat popcorn leads to the large soda or beer. If you don't feel like your pocket has been emptied on the wharf, you'll visit the gift shop. I've always felt the BELLE has too little available at her souvenir stand. More profit there would not extricate her from the red ink, but it would help. While I know the price of fuel is high, I don't think the BELLE is running enough trips. When I was over there for the Chautauqua weekend, we watched the BELLE pass Kingfish three times - all three were charters. There were no public trips that weekend. I would think that the month of May has good enough weather to merit weekend trips at least, ditto for September. And what about a midweek 'matinee' trip during the summer? The management uses the SPIRIT instead of the BELLE too much - yes it is cheaper to operate, but how can the BELLE make money sitting there? And of course we've discussed the layers of administration before. The problem with cutting costs and positions in administration is that this is decided by the very people who could get cut, hence no action. Supposedly the a/c was going to bring in new revenues, especially via the convention charter business. I know the first year of a/c, the ridership was up a third, but was that from charters? I don't know how the office staff is assigned, but are there any people who specialize in booking the charter business? That has been a lifeblood for the NATCHEZ over the years. Of course one advantage the N. has is that she has her own galley and makes quite a profit from food service which the BELLE can't do. Regarding the comments about advertising - one woman who was generally positive mentioned there was no booze on board. Obviously this needs to be made clear. And the person who said there was nothing to do on board - EXACTLY! Look how GASCo. is promoting the leisurely pace of the AQ. There have to be some people out there who could manage, and even enjoy, two hours of sitting back and enjoying the scenery and ambience. What is the BELLE's budget, especially pertaining to advertising and promoting her? It takes money to make money, unfortunately. Has Eric ever done a study of the Waterfront Development Corporation and their finances?

*RE: BELLE OF LOUISVILLE*
Steamboating colleagues,
Thanks for the 'heads up' from both Travis and Judy RE: present plight of the BELLE OF LOUISVILLE along with their perceptive insights. And they should know with past experiences. Keep us posted. Cheers!

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

Y'all have both hit the nail on the head. However, Judy, as Alan said once, "Then there is the guy whose wife and kid dragged him aboard. He doesn't want to be there, and is watching his wrist wondering when he can get off.", or something to that effect.

Grouch on board, and on this board!

Yes, and nothing would probably please that guy anyway - unless you had a sports bar with mega TVs.
Remember when we could bring picnic baskets aboard and have a family picnic most anywhere on the boat? Now with the meals on the trips, the ballroom is off limits until the meal is over, and you can't bring any food on board. I found this out last week when I had offered to bring chocolate chip cookies for Alan's gathering, and Kadie sadly informed me I couldn't do that, absolutely no outside food. As to the dinner trips, maybe they are making some money having the meal, but I highly doubt if the lunch trips are very profitable, this due to having to use caterers, unlike the NATCHEZ with her own galley and food staff. Instead of adding more expensive options, maybe they should go back to the earlier days of picnicking - at least have a couple trips a week promoting families with a family rate and the option to bring your own food. Drinks could still be bought on board. And please, no Homeland Security excuses on this - the boat company writes their plan which is then approved/rejected by HS. If you want to allow food, you can. Period.
And while fuel is $$$$, seek out some short out of town charters/day trips. How many of us remember the wonderful Madison weekends when the Saturday night cruise was chartered by the local Republicans? Sunday afternoon was a public cruise which packed 1000 on board. And 200-400 or so often rode up on Saturday from Louisville to Madison. We had a bikers group ride up and then they pedaled back to Lville. Mary Bill Bauer organized our group and had box lunches for us on the tables on the bow, where the bar now is.
And then there is the old AVALON method of having groups sell tickets and get a cut of the boarding fare... a great money raiser for them, and passengers for the boat - who spent money once on board. Naw, too old-fashioned...
One more rant: remember the original governing board made up of men who worked on the river and knew boat operations? Gee, too bad there aren't any people in the Louisville area now who work on boats/in company offices/shipyards who could be the governing board instead of the political entity now in place - I doubt if Clyde Glass or CW Stoll ever made a six figure salary from that board position!
Sometimes I get so mad I could spit to see all the 'old' ways tossed out in the name of progress... if the boat isn't making the money she needs, then obviously today's ideas aren't that great.

I don't belive that a ticket price change in three years is that bad. I must agree that it would be nice to see more cruises done on the BOL rather than the SOJ. During my time on the SPIRIT OF PEORIA we would have local radio stations sponsor happy hour and moonlight dance cruises, wich were profitable, and really drew the local crowd. In recent years the GENERAL JACKSON has been doing the same on fridays and saturdays. Every year I drive three hours to Louisville to do a luch cruise and I would do more cruising during my stay if they did offer more.

Travis, Judy, Dale, Bob & Kevin: There is something that is common to you guys and to many, many more on this board...a love of paddlewheel steamboats, long experience in and around them and a gift for the written word. We preached loud and long about MAL in past years and the transition was extremely painful but they are gone and there is every evidence the current owners listened to what was said here. How about mounting a subtle, persistent, long-lasting letters to the editor campaign to the local paper there? I, who live roughly 100 miles from the BELLE can truthfully say that Louisville has the Derby, museums, fine hotels and restaurants, but the thing that draws me there more than all the rest combined is my love affair with the BELLE. Maybe you guys are already doing that...I don't read Lou papers...but gimme the address and I'll fire one off. Cap'n Walnut

Judy...your rants are exactly what I've been thinking for years. The suggestions you make are spot on. One of my chief rants is how, in order to save fuel, slow they run the boat. They don't go fast enough to generate a breeze. One of Paul Underwood's maxims on excursion boating was "You have to get them out of sight of town". These days on a two hour cruise they go about 5 miles up river and never loose sight of the Louisville wharf....people feel like they haven't gone anywhere.

Out of sight

I've noticed that on recent trips - seems we used to go up to the condo development in the bend. That is one good thing about the NOLA harbor - with so many bends in the river, the city is easily out of sight quickly. But we still go down about 6 miles minimum, depending on traffic and where we can turn. Regarding the BELLE's route: in normal water levels couldn't she go upriver faster to get out of sight and then really almost float back down? I don't know enough about the current etc. there, but it doesn't seem that she'd need a lot of power to maintain control. Burn fuel upbound, conserve on downbound to bridges at least...

*RE: A good 'rant' carries much truth*
Steamboating colleagues,
The above postings RE: present plight of the BELLE are "spot on" in Jimmy Reisings words. Many of YOU have had far more on-hands experience than me. I've also noticed, since the change in administration with the BELLE, that previous postings on her crew and doings had slacked off.

Recent presentations at the Steamship Historical Society of America's big Baltimore 'ShiPosium' also mentioned the 'plight' of excursion boats in general nationally. Changing times, interests of younger people, economy along with many other factors pulling for the discretionary dollars to consider. I view Louiville's fine PBS station here but, so far, don't recall any spot ads for the BELLE; Louisville's newspapers I only know when attention is drawn here. I note on many PBS and cable stations frequent media ads for VIKING RIVER CRUISES etc. ROYAL CARIBBEAN, CARNIVAL and other blue water lines also get coverage in high priced ads. Advertising today horrendously expensive.

I heartily agree with Jimmy RE: how "slow they run the boat....never loose sight of Louisville." Cincinnati excursion boats do the same. Some just amble along just up to St. Rose Church on old Eastern Ave, turn around and head back. Previously runs were up to near Coney Island and then back--giving me a sense of having been on an excursion. At times cruises so short one has to gobble down the paid meal with little time on deck. To most younger people today river excursions a pretty tame bill of fare.

Sounds like excursion boats could use the skills of a present day Betty Blake. Betty, in her time, was on the cutting edge of selling 'nostalgia' in her campaings for the DQ, B/B RIVERBOATS in addition to having cut her teeth selling the AVALON. Betty's PR skills also got the then new stellar Cincinnati Fire Museum here up and running. Betty was one-of-a-kind and, as Jimmy also wisely posted here a while back, "Most people wouldn't have liked Betty Blake." Yet Betty knew, and admitted, "In my buisness you have to use people graciously and with their knowledge." Well, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

Here is some free advice to any BELLE staff who might be reading .org, and also to the NOSCo. people:
This is the method to which I referred in an earlier posting. Selling tickets to ride the AVALON was a great fundraiser for groups back in the Betty Blake days. Hopefully you can read the print, but basically the group could make 25 to 40 cents a ticket back in the late 50s/early 60s on a $1.50 ticket. It didn't require you to charter the whole boat, unless you knew you could fill it, as "Band Director" Roddy Hammett did. The brochure is printed in red/white/blue - how patriotic could you get?

More ticket selling gimmicks from the AVALON

In that same brochure, here is the deal on selling smaller group tickets and still making money for your club.

And the tickets were handed out by the advance man (often Archie Streckfus Persons) to local barbershops, beauty parlors, drug stores, etc. in exchange for putting a broadside poster in their window advertising the upcoming AVALON arrival. Doc said they knew that the free ticket would generate many more because that person would bring friends, and the locations they chose were town conversation halls (gossip centers if you must).

While these methods were used by a tramping steamer, no reason they wouldn't work for a local boat. In fact, local civic pride could enter in. And if the city really wanted to help the BELLE, they could get whoever makes the money on the parking lot to give free/reduced parking rates to BELLE customers.

Judy again you ae right on. When the BELLE got her liquor license they claimed "there would never be another poor day". Well, that idea kind of backfired, a lot of charterers used to sell their own beer, etc. and make money off chartering the boat. After the license, they are no longer allowed to do that and the charters fell dramatically so now on many Saturday nights the BELLE sits tied to the wharf dark and cold!

A few stray thoughts. Within the last week or so the local newspaper ran a story about the population shifts in the City of St Louis, St Louis County, St Charles County, Jefferson County and several surrounding counties.

The gist of the article was that the population moving out of some of the Counties was being replaced by a population with a less average income. Higher dollars moving out, lesser dollars moving in.

I don't know the population shift trends in the Louisville area but I suspect there may be similar trends in play; if not in hard dollar amounts but in distance from the Riverfront, paid parking and difficulty in navigating the rerouted magic disappearing River Road.

At one time I was reasonably familiar with the intersection of 4th and River Road and now am a lost dog in high weeds trying to access the Belle.

We won't even discuss the "old" Steamboat Wharf thru the various incarnations. Amen.