American Queen Review

4.5 / 5.0
230 reviews

Lies

Review for the USA Cruise on American Queen
User Avatar
boatpat51
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Cabin
Family
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation

Additional details

Sail Date: Sep 2021

We had been on this lines American countess in the northwest 2 years ago and had a wonderful time. With all of the Covid precautions we felt very comfortable. The ship was lovely, but the trip began with a mechanical problem that held us over in New Orleans for an extra day. Being experienced cruisers we did not find this upsetting, besides, an extra day in New Orleans is a bonus. I do have to point out that New Orleans had a strict masking policy and a vaccine requirement for all public buildings, so we still felt safe. We were told that the problem was with one of the generators, that there were three and we could run with two but only one was broken. Ok, so the first thing we noticed when we got on the ship was that there was a huge, semi trailer sized generator on the front deck of the ship. That was NEVER turned on. Lie number 1? So we leave the next day and the food was good and the entertainment was great. New plans were issued and sadly, we were going to miss Nottaway and Vicksburg. When we talked to the riverlorean he said we could not get into Vicksburg because of low water. We had booked a suite and with that came our wonderful river butler Adam. We saw him constantly as he catered to our every want. We met nice people and enjoyed the freedom of not having to wear a mask. The cruise line had limited guest size to 260 for our safety. Big problem with downsizing the passenger list because they understandably downsized the crew. Service was terrible. Only because Adam was in the dining room as well did we get anything in a timely manner. The grill and bar on the back of the boat was closed. Despite all of this and because of a great offer from the cruise line we booked two weeks in December on the Duchess while on board. The night that we booked it, we made an unscheduled stop after midnight at VICKSBURG so much for low water. The next day all of the crew were wearing masks. When asked, they said someone had complained to corporate and they were told to wear masks. By afternoon, the rumor mill was buzzing, apparently 5 people had gotten off the ship. By evening we found out one of those was Adam. We really expected to hear something official, but nothing was said. The next day because of no info coming from the Captain, we decided to cancel our next cruise. No problem, but it has been three weeks and no refund yet. On Sunday, the day before docking, three days after Vicksburg, we heard from the Captain that two passengers had tested positive for Covid and that they and their traveling companions had left the ship and all CDC guidelines had been observed and contact tracing had been done. There was no danger, but if we wanted we could wear masks. This was three days after the crew began wearing them. In the morning while watching the ship dock, I talked to two passengers who had had drinks with the affected passengers every night. They had never been contacted and when they went to the nurse, they were told there was no need to be tested. The final result was that the day we got home, my husband suddenly could not taste or smell and was diagnosed with a thankfully mild case of covid. Since, i have heard of at least one other passenger who got very sick with the virus. We never expected to be completely safe from covid, but transparency was expected. If we knew when the crew started wearing masks, we might have mitigated our risk. After arriving back we also heard that the mechanical problem was not the generator but one of the engines. Why the deception? Anyway, bottom line is I guess we will wait until Viking starts their American River cruises.

Cabin Review

30 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.