Exemption Opposition - American Cruise Lines

THANK YOU!!
This is the information we need to pass onto ALL our friends, AND to our congressional representatives. The DQ is being bullied by a Big Money company, and usually our representatives are FOR the underdog! They also like to wave the flag, so I would suggest something stated like the following:
From 2013 through 2015 American Cruise Lines has spent at least $120,000 hiring Blank Rome Government Relationships to lobby against the exemption for the Delta Queen. They have spread misinformation about the Delta Queen and its exemplary safety record. Apparently ACL fears the competition and wants to keep the Delta Queen from returning to overnight river travel. Competition is the American Way; do not let this company with big money subvert the American Way and destroy a significant piece of our American Heritage!

Time is short, re-post all your friends, acquaintances, co-workers and your government representatives. Let them know we are fighting for the rights of the "little people" -- the ones they are elected to represent!

Thanks Mike, for sharing that enlightening information. Some of us have known this was going on, but I, for one, did not know the extent they had gone. How awful! However, it is also obvious that our Congressmen are helping thwart FREE ENTERPRISE! What a pity! Okay, more calls to Congressmen from. I have new ammunition and I'm not afraid to use it!

ACL is probably not spending wisely?

Maybe ACL should have tried to block Viking instead of worrying about the DQ A vastly different set of clients. I agree with the above threads, when folks ask us about riverboats we make it clear to look for AQ and not ACL websites. Another ACL trick seems to be that their site pops up first on internet searches, even when you type in American Queen Steamboat.

What ACL (and to some extent AQ folks) need to be afraid of is not the DQ, but Viking. With all the advertising and a big following from people who have sailed European Rivers with Viking there will be some stiff competition. Too bad ACL didn't put the same effort in blocking a foreign owned company from barging into the American riverboat trade. (no pun intended....)

This year, for the first time ever, we decided to try a European riverboat trip, and went with AMA. during that trip we really gave the AQ (and AE) some good comments and advised others to avoid ACL. I was surprised at the number of Americans who had never heard of the AQ, or even knew that there were overnight steamboat or riverboat trips on US rivers. Even with all the advertising I have seen in the US I was still surprised at the number of Viking boats on the river compared to other companies. I am concerned a bit that they will try to take over the US riverboat market, we shall see. In the mean time, although we don't have our next AQ trip planned, there are several options we are looking at. We also will never consider an ACL trip, regardless of price, due to their actions.

I did a lot of GOOGLE searches into American Cruise line, an interesting item was that Charles A, Robertson, President and CEO, is a licensed master and first class pilot, unlimited tonnage "who has appeared as an expert witness for the NTSB and the Coast Guard". He is also on the board of the Mystic Seaport Museum. So, he is not a "light weight" when it comes to influence.
His remark about Viking coming to the rivers was something like "they are a good company and they are coming, I know the president and he is a smart man". I think he knows they can't fight them and that Viking will make the market, just like they did in Europe.

Thanks Richard for your timely updates. I would like to point out as well, one evening late, about a month ago my mom decided she needed information on an AQ trip, so I called one of those "online" travel companies. The gal was very nice, but asked me more than once if I wasn't sure I wanted American Cruise Line rather than American Queen. Wonder if he's paying off travel agencies as well?

ACL is not "paying off travel agents". A google search of ACL shows that they feel travel agents are very important in bringing in new business and therefore they pay higher commissions....up to 25% of the published fare......than other cruise lines. To me, if a company can get travel agents to steer prospects their way, that's darn good business practices not something shady.
I'm not supporting ACL, but in all fairness, they have done nothing wrong hiring lobbiests, that's the way the world works today and, after all, is that not exactly what the DQSC management is doing when they go to Washington, lobbying?

Well, I hate to disagree with Jim, but paying higher commissions is, in effect, "paying them off" as they make it more profitable to send business their way.
As far as lobbying, paid lobbyists were not considered by the forefathers. The other thing that isn't right is the current situation in Congress whereby the chair of a committee can, by only his/her own actions, prevent the body from voting on an issue if that bill is in his/her committee; thus giving ONE person the ability to thwart what may be wanted by the majority.
By what logic does ACL have the right to prevent competition by abusing the electoral process? I'm not talking legal issues here as much as moral issues I guess.

*Agent % commissions/Steering clients*
Morning, Steamboating colleagues:
Jim & David, interesting reading your thinking on the above subject of 'Agent commissions,' 'Steering' potential cruise clients. Both right--to a point. Concept of paying 'agent commissions' goes way, way back to the beginning of travel services by early railroad, steamboat, steamships companies. Commission on, at times, a sliding scale. Early THOMAS COOK CO. in England one big mover--and I interned a year in their shipping office in Cincinnati while completing my graduate degree. I also recall a period when 'some' of our fellow DELTA QUEEN fans were in a tizzy over the commission rates paid by the company to agents; along with sentiments that travel agents, travel executives were being given preferred treatment aboat the boat. Ture and not true as that's how this business works. Again Betty Blake, upon hearing this, just scowled over her desk biting her cigarette filter, "To h--- with them," she barked. Yes, Jim Reising right in a posting a long while back here stating, "Most people would not have liked Betty Blake." My silent retort from experience was, "And Betty Blake didn't like most people [us] in return." The former GREENE LINE STEAMERS a pioneer in travel company individual and group bookings way, way back to the GORDON C. GREENE in tandem with the big CARTAN CO. with rail, bus, air connections to the GORDON and later DQ. Passenger auto were parked on the huge GREENE LINE wharboat under cover here for a nominal fee.

The travel agency industry considered "one of America's dying occupations" now with direct phoning, Internet booking etc. Professional agents don't "steer" clients other than showing options, asking about past cruise experience, time, budget. Some large companies in travel do hold or block groups of boat/ship cabins for sale often on a discount. I seriously doubt ACL would have independent agencies 'steering' anybody. It's an easy mistake with the name AMERICAN QUEEN and AMERICAN CRUISE LINE being linguistically close in names. Whether we like it or not, that's how it works. In my time back in the late 1960s the DELTA QUEEN was NOT represented by more than a few travel companies here considering the boat a "special, nodal market" with "an uneven history." OUCH! Clients were asked politely to "phone or write the DELTA QUEEN directly." In time, with the company reorganized, Betty worked for full national and international exposure with % commission rates increased, PR programs. The company also brought aboard then 'regional representatives' to travel servicing agencies with updates, literature, information. Most regional representatives now gone due to Internet communication--except for the very tip top luxury resorts, hotels, cruise boats and ships. I remember the day here when THOMAS COOK represented nearly all passenger cruise boats/ships around the world. Big cities like New York, Chicago etc. had offices with agents representing the major Atlantic/Pacific passenger and cargo shipping lines. I handled many a day CUNARD, FRENCH LINE, ITALIAN LINE, MATSON, UNITED STATES LINES, NORD GERMAN LINE, AMERICAN PRESIDENT LINES etc. And in the blink of any eye they were gone. For that reason I returned quickly to academia and school administration. A job is a job and believe me that there's nothing romantic being a travel agent or steamship representative.

In short the DQ--then and now--no different than any other 'product line' offered. It's a tough business competing for those 'disposable income' dollars for travel experiences. If you think the baby boomers are demanding then wait until you get a dose of these younger millenials coming up behind all of us. All of this angst over food, cabins, outside decks, tight weave bed linens, slippers, robes etc. part of the new trend in travel. If people don't like what is offered [Or don't want to pay the higher tariffs] then move on to another company. Whatever service, perk or luxury item you receive just remember you're paying for it one way or another. I think we all kid ourselves thinking that when the DQ is exempted, renovated and running, her cruise rates would be a return to the old days. Those days long, long gone. Again, what do I know?

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

Here are a few things in this vein: As mentioned, a lot of folks don't even realize you can cruise the rivers in the US. If they inquire of a travel agent (and if I did not know about the boats, I certainly would consult one), the agent has to know about the boats/companies operating. Certainly the payment of higher commissions would get my attention if I were a travel agent, but all the companies offering river cruises need to get their info "out there". Part of the trouble may also be that each agent's personal bias would play into things: does the agent love gourmet food? Does the agent have mobility issues? Does he or she want Vegas entertainment? Do they want to tour Nauvoo, IL all day or go on a riverboat ride and see the sights and learn about the river?

Let's face it, the stairs and the small rooms (and tiny bathrooms as Jim has mentioned) on the DQ are a drawback to a lot of people, for various reasons. Those of us who know and love the DQ will take that boat over others, but what about those who do not know anything about any of the boats? Steam and authenticity will always appeal to a few people, but not everyone. We can see what some people think of the Hotel Lafayette in Marietta -- some of us love it for various reasons, but others do not for various reasons, some of which are valid (and what turns some off may be the very thing that turns someone else on). The same applies to riverboats.

You might say that taking a steamboat cruise is a way to "live in the past" a little bit. Some want just that. But Capt. Wagner and Vic Tooker are long gone, as great as they were. The DQ is adequate for her market, but other more modern boats fill a need for those who need an elevator, need larger staterooms and baths, etc. I can see both sides of this issue. I love the DQ, though, and would choose her over the more modern boats. The word has to get out there, though, as to what she is and is not.

Excellent response, Bob, I love the DQ as much as anybody and would give anything to ride her again. I fell in love with her the first time I rode her as a mere lad of 9 and now 62 yrs. later I still love her, she has been a great influence in my life. I know some of my postings seem awfully critical, but I do feel there is a place for her as well as the other boats that are now running. Once our beloved Queen starts running again, the traveling public will have a choice..old or new, traditional or modern....and to me that is a good thing. I don't see the other companies as enemies, I see them as an offering to those who don't care about authenticity a way to experience America's beautiful inland river system.
By the way Bob a happy belated birthday.

Be herself

Yes Bob and Jim, the DQ is different and not for a lot of people, probably not for most of today's travelers. My hope is that the owners don't try to make her 'just like the others', as past owners have done. Present her for what she is, not for what the others are. She'll never have the big rooms, elevators, verandas, etc. so don't try to cater to that crowd.(Forget the fisheye lens photos of the cabins making them look bigger than they are too.) Make what she is clean, pleasant, comfortable. Spend money on maintenance and First Class Pilots, not bathrobes. And do something the others don't: CRUISE DURING THE DAY! Save on fuel if you must by choking a stump at night. Come into ports, and certainly the final port, in the daylight. Find an alternative income source to the apparently big bucks these day long shore stops are providing the others. Don't follow the Viking mantra of "spend less time getting there and more time being there". Go back to the river being the attraction, not the concrete sidewalks. "Spend more time getting there and less time being stopped there!"

Quite simply advertise: "Discover America by Steamboat" !

*Well said Judy and Jim!*
Morning, Steamboating colleagues:
Judy and our two Jims hit it on the mark superbly with their postings above. I had to laugh in agreement with Judy's comment on "fisheye camera lenses...make rooms look bigger." That one of the oldest tricks in the trade going years back. The big blue water babies then and now still do that in promo literature, videos etc. Jim Blum, Jim Reising a while back even pointed out how the then AVALON mangagment--with Betty Blake--had interior photos taken, spliced making her dance floor to look like it was a mile long. 'Tricks of the trade' are always alive and well. Just look at the horrendous Wall Street debacle then and even now. An old saying not mine I always get flak over is, "It's not always what you do, it's what you get away with."

Even Betty Blake [Here I go again] had to face reality with the DQ years ago after the company invited tip top travel executives to 'experience' the DELTA QUEEN for free, mind you. When the reviews came out--one in a leading travel magazine--they were shocked reading one write, "The DELTA QUEEN is nothing more than a well-peserved relic." That with another writing, "The steamer DELTA QUEEN seems to appeal to the pre-nursing home passenger crowd." Betty also caught flak passing the DQ off as a "Mississipi cotton packet boat...hoop skirts, top hats etc." She

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

As Jim pointed out, the other boats are not really competition, as the DQ's features are not attractive to the crowd that wants all that "fru-fru." Which is way we don't understand ACL spending all that money--unless it's a personal grudge, which it could be, there's lots of that in the biz. Which would really mean that ACL is just being a bully.
As to those reviews Betty got back then; I found it interesting that back around 2007 or so Conde Nast's Traveler magazine reviewed cruise ships. The DQ came out with the fewest on-board amenities, but had the greatest repeat customer base of any of them. MAL tried to add some, like having some exercise machines on deck by the backsplash (Where they'd get in my way of getting good wheel photos.) although I don't recall ever seeing anyone using them. Funny, CN didn't count the Hot Dog or Popcorn machine as "ammenties." WELL!! What do they know??
🙂
Oh, and what about Kite Flying--show me that on any other ship!!
Now them's amenities!!

Exercise Machines

I remember back in the late 70's or early 80's the Queen had a couple of stationary bikes forward on the cabin deck. I forget the name right now but it gave your legs and arms a good workout. I liked them so much we went out and bought one after that cruise. Now it's sitting in the basement collecting dust like other equipment.

Money is money

As for the 'pre-nursing home crowd' ---guess what? Our dollars are worth the same as the GenX, Milleninals, etc.!!!!! But I suppose its not the image a company wants, which is why they all employ beautiful people models for their brochures and videos. I've asked this before: if those are truly their type of passenger, where can we plain, ordinary, or fat people go????

Back in "the Day" the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) used office personnel [so I've read] in some of their publicity photos. The Streckfus bunch used "models" in advertising as we have all seen in various photos-----possibly to suggest the "dress code--so to speak" of riding the JS Deluxe.

As I mentioned in another post the ACL boat on the Mississippi River had a spot on the AWE channel. Maybe the AQ could get a spot on that channel [hopefully with some underway scenery footage] to show the beauty of the RIVER! not card tricks or lectures.

I've been re-reading this thread, and thought of something that made me laugh (at myself).

As some know, in the 1970's, the Greene Line/Delta Queen Steamboat Co. published a little newspaper for their customers and others called "The Calliope". I always thought it was a pretty interesting paper, and it had sort of "human interest" stories about the crew, about the boat and what was being done, cruises being offered, etc. Once there was an item in there about a "Bridge Cruise". This 15-year-old thought, "Oh, boy, they're gonna go somewhere with lots of bridges and look at different types [Suspension, cantilever, truss, box girder, etc.] of bridges!" I wondered how/where this would and could happen. As I read the article, though, I realized it was a cruise focused on playing contract bridge, the card game. 😉 This just goes to show you how different people's minds work, and what appeals to different people!

Bob,
Hmm, I would have thought the same thing too, and would be interested in such a cruise! Some people say I'm enough of a card that I don't have to play any!
This reminds me of a "Monty" cartoon strip where he's visiting a Mystic, who tells him, "You are about to meet an exotic foreign model!" As he excitedly leaves the shop, a guy sitting on the porch hands him a box and says, "It's a Ferrari, snap-together kit."
Yep, different minds go different places!

Bob, remember Bobbie Meyer's mother, whose name escapes me now, who was on her 90+ trip back in 1974.. she pretty much stayed in the After Cabin Lounge playing cards in her heyday I recall. By the time we knew her, she pretty much just sat back there and visited with everyone. I of course was on deck as much as possible, and if inside it was by a window - with one exception. Usually the last night of a trip I'd go and sit on a sofa at the stern of the After Cabin Lounge, after the show/dancing was over, and just listen to the machinery below and just think how lucky I was to be on there and to be a part of such a grand experience that is steamboating.

Amelia Wheatley! Yes, the DQ was many things to many people. You and I both realized at the time what a grand experience we were having, and that it was a multi-faceted experience. I think many, if not most, did also.

Another of our generation, Bobbie Steinike, emailed me with Amelia's name too. The DQ has had many generations of loyal passengers, each with their own memories and favorite reasons to ride...I'm thinking the emphasis away from the river and to the hotel/shore stop regime started about when I switched from riding the DQ to working on the NATCHEZ, 1984. That was the first year the bathroomless rooms were integrated into adjoining rooms and Skid Row was turned into those two suites. It was also about that time when the Hotel Manager, began to dictate arrival/departure times instead of the Captain, right?

*1980s DQ changes/'Important' Managers*
Morning, Steamboating colleagues:
Judy not only dead on the money but accurate in her memories of how the DQ operation back then [1980s + or -] took on the aura of a major ocean liner operation. Granted, improvements were made, 'Skid Row' turned into new suites etc. The crew seemed to expand over night with really 'important' people strutting around in full new uniforms brandishing those phones in hand and hanging on hips whispering to others. Others in full regalia stood like royal guards at the stage or were running with cell phones from the landing to the boat again whispering with wide eyes. The company also went ga ga over the emerging computers with even meal seatings of passengers having to be worked out ahead--often separating family or travel groups. But that didn't make any difference as that's what the computer did. More than once a Hotel Manager had to be corrected with people phoning the home office from a port stop here to have their seating arrangements changed by a real living person and not a computer as they couldn't 'get through' mentally to those 'important' people working aboard. One prominent river personality commented, "That company has more working for them on that boat than the whole CUNARD LINE in New York." The company learned in short order that 'Hotel Managers,' office people back here couldn't give the captain orders on what to do so as to meet some PR campaign with the media in the next town.

One aspect I noted way back then [And this a touchy subject] was in the open protest days when the company allowed those deck guys working with long dirty hair, jeans [some with a bad attitude] with the American flag sewn down in front or on their rears--even the America flag painted on boots--and it wasn't done as a sign of respect. I never understood Betty and the company allowing that kind of image to pevail. Yet 'image' was what she thought she was projecting. Tough talk perhaps but true. At least that's the way I saw it. Again, what do I know?

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

Amelia Wheatley, a dear, sweet lady liked to brag she was the first social hostess on the rivers. Always a steamboat fan...as C.W. Stoll liked to say "she got it".....in her younger days she loved riding the Eagle Packet boats and they made her honorary hostess on the CITY OF PEORIA.
When LBJ decided the Army needed my services more than the Greene Line did, Amelia and I would occasionally exchange letters. Oh how I looked forward to her letters sharing news about the DQ when I was in Vietnam.