Queens post-Katrina

I guess it depends on what you mean as relief? The AQ, I've heard, housed Exxon/Mobil workers I believe, I guess to get their platforms/refineries back on line, somewhere down in Texas, along the Inland Waterway, Port Auther I think...someone correct me if I'm off on all or any of this...

The company that owned the Queens at the time was hoping/expecting for a lot more rental than that, so much so that it cancelled all cruises, cancelled all reservations on all three boats starting with October 2005 through the end of the season in January, if I remember, so the boats would be free and empty for that easy government money at anytime. Deb and I and a whole bunch of Phyllis Dale reunion people had our cruise first week of December 2005 cancelled. But Congress investigated one of the cruise lines that was doing exactly that, renting to FEMA and others and found that the cruise line was charging the government more for them to stay on a non-moving cruise ship than the cruise line was charging regular cruising passengers. The government clamped down on the whole Katrina cruise ship rental process, and as a consequence the company that owned the Queens took a severe financial hit, as the government wasn't interested in renting space anymore, either that or the government was unwilling to pay what the Queen's owners wanted. Without incoming capital, and no reservations for at least 4 months, the company was in a world of hurt. The Queens were sold to Ambassadors International in 2006.

And I need to add, 'cause I'm in that mood, if Katrina had never happened, it is my opinion that the Save the Delta Queen campaign would never have been required and the Mississippi Queen will still be rollin' in all her boxy glory...I miss Delaware North, they were better hosts, better keepers of the flame, than you know who, with a much better handle on how much their service, their product was worth...Not saying DN didn't have their faults, says the man who truly misses the old entertainment, but at least they were steamboaty...Nico, you lurking?....

Interesting

I hadn't heard that version of the story. I had heard that one of the boats had taken on workers and gave them MRE's to eat. But if the AQ was in Texas, I doubt that's true. I saved a pack of that yummy stuff for old time's sake. Maybe I'll serve it on Katrina's 5th anniversary.

AQ Engineer

I was aboard the AQ post Katrina. We were in Beaumont,TX contracted to Exxon/Mobil for a month. Then on to Belle Chase for Conoco/Phillips.