American Queen Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We were a party of 8 and picked this cruise to see more of the USA after doing a lot of international travel...all very experienced travelers. It was a good itinerary and a unique experience to be on a steam paddle wheeler on the Mississippi and it did not disappoint. Very friendly staff. Older cruiser crowd 70+ but they were all up and dancing to the rock and roll. Go figure! The boat is pretty well maintained, clean, and in the period for which is it duplicating. The entertainment all over the boat was truly excellent and far, far exceeded our expectations, especially the shows before or after dinner. The Hop on/Hop off bus shore excursion offering at each port was efficient and smooth and we did not feel the need to book premium excursions. Dining room dinner service left a lot to be desired: orders sometimes never delivered with no apology or offer of substitution, missing silverware and glassware, perfunctory menu explanations (with a let's move on attitude), sometimes coffee never offered with dessert. Food was OK but not excellent and sometimes way too salty. Three days into our trip we got a new wait staff which greatly improved things but still was not up to snuff in our opinion and we are not fine diners. Wine with dinner was poured freely and changed each night which was nice. It was nice to have 24 hour access to coffee, tea, soft drinks, cookies and soft service ice cream with full array of toppings. All and all a good trip and we would do it again.
Cabin Review
Cabin and bath were smaller and darker than we expected but we managed. We had a private balcony which we expected would allow in more view and light but not so much. It had stained wood French doors with small windows covered by shutters. To get a good view of the Mississippi you either had to stand out on the balcony or open the doors completely which let in the hot humid air and the bugs. Still, when weather permitted we enjoyed sitting out there and would do it again. We would not advise picking a stateroom at the back of the boat near the paddlewheel. There was a lot of engine noise and vibration, particularly in the middle of the night when the boat was changing course or doing something which we could not figure out. The rooms at the far back (our friends) got paddlewheel mist plus noise from the Engine Bar music one deck below which could go well into the night. Would definitely recommend mid-boat for bookings. Room was clean and in pretty good shape. Luggage fit easily under the bed. Bathroom was small and no counter space or storage to speak of so you could not really unpack toiletries. Still, we managed and enjoyed ourselves.