My husband and I finally decided to take the American Queen on a round trip lower Mississippi cruise. My expectations were a slow boat down a muddy river. Boy howdy was I wrong. The ship was elegant but not overstated. The staff, everyone we encountered totally delightful. The entertainment as good as it gets, a professional 8 piece Dixieland jazz band, 4 very talented song and dance performers, and a piano man extradoaire. I wish the food wasn't so good. The maitre d, Dana handled the dining room with grace and true hospitality. The front porch buffet was cheerful and served prime rib every evening. Weather cooperated enough to dine outside.

We tried to compare this cruise to other cruise experiences and we could not. The American Queen stands alone. We especially liked the hop on hop off bus. It allowed the best possible experiece of the historical towns we visited. A stand out is the civil rights museum and the basillica in Natchez, the Kidd and Lousiana state Museum in Baton Rouge.

Our balcony cabin had plenty of room and the bathroom roomy with a full tub. My husband loved watching the commerce on the lower Mississippi. The cabin was refreshed twice daily. We never had to ask for ice. Embarkation was very easy from the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. One thing that stood out in my mind was how kind the employees were to folks with moblility issues. Golf carts were available to access the levees. The excursions gals were excellent. The riverlorian, Bobby was a great banjo player and story teller.