Priscilla relaunches American Queen on the Mississippi

EXPERIENCE true southern hospitality while cruising the Mississippi on the American Queen, writes Barry O'Brien.

the american queen

PRISCILLA Presley hauled off and, with a grimace and a little grunt, let fly with a mighty whack. Champagne sprayed everywhere.

The drenched and delighted Presley led the audience in a round of joyous applause.

Elvis's former wife was re-christening the American Queen steamboat in Memphis, Tennessee, before the inaugural voyage to Cincinnati, Ohio, through the little towns of Henderson and Madison and the large Louisville in Kentucky.

Ceremonies concluded, a piercing shriek of the steam whistle, a puff of smoke from the highfalutin stacks and the largest and most opulent steamboat ever built left its troubled past behind and set off on the mighty Mississippi on a new career with the maximum 436 passengers.

Built in 1995, the steamboat, along with the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen, plied the rivers of the south before Hurricane Katrina wiped the New Orleans-based company out of business.

Another company took over and moved the boats north but the venture was short-lived.

The Delta Queen is now used as a hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the Mississippi Queen was scrapped for spares last year. With much government money invested in the luxurious American Queen, it was caulked up and put in mothballs, standing idle for four years until the present company moved in, restored the outer decks and returned the grand lady to near-original condition.

The opulence and grandeur is a step back in time and is displayed in the carved period furniture, voluminous ornate ceilings, festoons of lights and Tiffany lamps, drapes and tapestries.

We ate crab cakes, grits, scones with sausage gravy, crawfish, fried frogs legs (yes, they taste just like chicken), dry rub and moist ribs, jambalaya and nearly every delicacy the south has to offer, as well as more conventional food. It was washed down with soft drinks, wine or beer all included in the fare.

In the Grand Saloon - and it really is grand, with ornate balconies, rich gold ceilings and clusters of lights reminiscent of a bygone era - the entertainment was outstanding. Each cruise has a different theme, such as jazz, 1960s music or the Civil War.

Our feature acts were the Harry James orchestra, led by long-time HJ trumpeter Fred Radky, playing two shows a night on alternate nights, with dancing if desired, and bluegrass/country band Storefront Congregation, which came aboard for one night and wowed the audience with classic tunes and high and lonesome harmonies. A Mark Twain impersonator gave us tales of his childhood and a "riverlorian" told stories of the rivers.

While steamboating through Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, bluegrass trio Dr Elmo's Wild Blue played an afternoon concert. They're famous for the poignant Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, which originally had a pressing of 500 for family members but now has sold more than 11 million copies.

A local comedian/magician/musician had us chortling to such Kentucky classics as If My Nose was Running Money, I'd Blow it All on You.

The highlights were the production shows - beautiful harmony and hoofing from four singer/dancers and the show band Steamboat Syncopators. No taped music here. The shows - Hooray for Hollywood, Showboat Jubilee and Victory Canteen - all featured great old favourites that forced you to sing along.

At our second stop, Louisville - or, if you want to sound like a local, Louaville - had so many attractions it was impossible to do it all in one day.

A baseball walk of fame leads to the Louisville Slugger baseball bat company that has been making bats since 1884.

Tours of the working factory show the progress from a piece of maple to the sprayed, glistening and branded club. Once taking about 20 minutes to craft each bat by hand on a lathe, a mechanised production line now turns out between 2000 and 5000 bats a day, of which 10 per cent are major-league quality. The rest are sent to minor clubs. Each year, 1.8 million bats leave the factory.

Big-league players order 100 bats a season and 40,000 80-year-old white ash and maple trees provide the wood.

Personalised bats can be bought and batting skills can be tested in batting tunnels, 10 hits (or misses) for a dollar.

Babe Ruth's massive 35.5 inch (90cm), 40 ounce (1.1kg) bat, with notches carved for every home run it hit on his way to the record 60 in 1927, is on display, as well as much other memorabilia from famous players. Major League stars such as New York Yankees short stop Derek Jeter order bats and these are made on a special machine to the exact specifications developed by that player.

From the Louisville Slugger factory, it was a short walk to a slugger of a different kind.

The Muhammad Ali Centre is four floors of Ali memorabilia, films of his fights and displays showing the highs and lows of his career.

Steamcoaches - buses painted to look like steamboats - accompany the ship to each port of call and shuttle passengers on free shore excursions.

With departures from iconic cities such as Memphis, New Orleans, St Louis, St Paul, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, this legendary mode of travel is easy to enjoy.
 

Go2 - MISSISSIPPI

Cruising there: There are some bargain fares available while the American Queen re-establishes on the southern US rivers. A variety of voyage lengths, ranging from three nights to 10 nights, are available and fares start at $US995 ($A980) a person. A pre-voyage hotel stay, complimentary espresso, cappuccino and specialty coffees along with all bottled water and soft drinks, wine and beer at dinner, plus shore tours in each port of call are included on every voyage. More See greatamericansteamboatcompany.com.

For bookings, contact Cruiseco (ph 9492 8520, email concierge@ cruiseco.com.au) or Cruise Office (ph 9959 1300, email [e-mail])

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