MRC01A The Original Plan - D

 

In the early summer of 2019 Ken + Virginia got the idea to try cruising in a smaller ship.  This was because they liked the idea of “checking-in” once and having the hotel move, but were somewhat unhappy with the fact that on their ocean cruise a bit too much time was wasted shuttling thousands of people on and off the ship.  GOOD PLAN – and lots of others apparently saw the attraction.  They found all the cruises were already full.  Eventually they ended up going on their fantastic Yellowstone, etc., trip in late September/early October 2019.  Then, sometime around Christmas or so of 2019 they booked the Mississippi river cruise for September of 2020.

MRC01B Distraction #1 - D

And then Covid hit!  No one went anywhere really.  The cruise was canceled and all the money Ken + Virginia had already paid was put into an account at the cruise line (along with a 25% bonus credit, presumably for not demanding a refund).  As the vaccines rolled out and things seemed to be getting better, Ken + Virginia re-booked the cruise for roughly the same time in 2021, with an 8 day (7 nights on the boat) New Orleans to Memphis itinerary.

And then weeellll, let’s just say the vaccine roll-out did not go as expected!!  Lots of people, especially in the southern states Ken + Virginia were to visit, declined to get vaccinated.  But since Ken + Virginia were fully vaccinated they decided to push ahead, while acknowledging the need to wear masks when not on the boat.  (The cruise line required proof of vaccination AND a negative PCR test prior to boarding, so masks were not required while on the boat.)
 

MRC01D Distraction #2 - D

 

And THEN, two weeks before the cruise Hurricane Ida DEVASTATED southern Louisiana and New Orleans.  A few days before they were to start the drive from Derby, KS to New Orleans Ken called the cruise line and they swore they were going to run the trip, with little to no impact from the hurricane.

MRC01E First Day Route - D

FINALLY, on Thursday, September 9, 2021 Ken + Virginia picked up their one-way rental car at a local Hertz location.  On Friday they began the drive to New Orleans.  They decided to avoid the crowded Dallas metroplex by mostly staying off the interstates.  They picked their way diagonally across Oklahoma from the north central region to southeastern area.  It was a nice but somewhat hazy day, and during their lunch stop in Atoka, OK, ash from the wildfires out west was falling all over the black rental car.  The overnight stop was at a Hilton Garden Inn in Shreveport, LA.

 

MRC01F Second Day Route - D

On Saturday Ken + Virginia proceeded on to New Orleans, via the interstates since there was REALLY nothing out there to slow them down!! (Well until getting near Baton Rouge.)  As they got closer to the city of New Orleans the scale of the devastation became increasingly evident.  But when they got into the city itself they relatively easily found a place to get gas for the rental car, checked into the hotel, and dumped the rental car at a location within easy walking distance of the hotel.

All of these shots were taken by Ken with his Cannon D-SLR unless otherwise noted.  A – V notation means Virginia took it with her brand new Panasonic Lumix Point-and-Shoot.   A – P notation means Ken took it with Virginia’s Panasonic Point-and-Shoot.  The – I notation means Ken took it with his iPhone.  The ones with the – S notation mean this is a scanned image of something that exists on paper.  The ones with the – D notations mean these are just illustrations Ken pulled from the internet to accompany what would otherwise be the long but important stories that add context to the bigger story.

By now hopefully you’ve got the background story and are ready to get on to Nawlins!!

MRC02A A Room with a View

 

The hotel booked by the cruise line was the Hilton Riverfront at the very end of Poydras St. at the river.  Its power had only been restored the very day Ken + Virginia checked in.  The only people in the hotel were the people going on the cruise, and power company personnel working to restore power to the surrounding area.  Perhaps because of the extremely low occupancy, Ken + Virginia’s room was quite nice and had quite a view of the big bend in the river at New Orleans.

MRC02B Algiers Riverfront

 

Basically the same shot as above but zoomed in to show the riverfront across the way in more detail.  Soon after checking-in Ken + Virginia went to the ballroom area to check-in with the cruise line, show their Covid vaccination cards, and take their PCR tests.

MRC03 Going Upriver

The Mississippi is renowned as a wandering river and at this exact point is flowing north/south, but not the way you might expect.  This shot is looking east, and the downriver part is to the left (so to the north), and the south/upriver part is to the right.  You can also see the pool for their hotel at the lower right but Ken + Virginia didn’t even bring swimsuits with them since the boat did not have a pool or hot tub.  After getting settled in the room the next big adventure was to find some dinner.  The restaurant in the hotel was not yet back in operation, and the first 5 places Ken called apparently were not operating either since they didn’t answer the phone.  The sixth place Ken called answered so – SOLD.  The Ernst Cafe was in easy walking distance of the hotel too!  Ken + Virginia sat at an outside table with another couple that was also going on the cruise.

 

MRC04 Up and At It

 

The next morning Ken was up with the sun – and playing with his camera as usual.   Ken + Virginia then headed down to the cruise line’s provided breakfast.  After showing their vaccination cards to the hotel’s restaurant, they got a fairly nice meal and started chatting with some of the other cruisers.

MRC05 St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square - V

Since Ken + Virginia been to New Orleans for a week back in 2011 they didn’t take the precruise city tour and decided to head out on their own.  The French Quarter was a bit farther away than they thought, but after walking for a half-hour or so, they arrived.

 

MRC06 Minor Damage

 

The French Quarter was surely not devastated but some minor damage was evident.

MRC07 The Home of the Muffuletta

 

Central Grocery, the home of the muffuletta (or so they claim!) seemed to be open.

MRC08 Joan was Still There

 

The statue of Joan-of-Arc was still there, standing upright and as bright as ever.  This shot was taken on September 12, 2021, 20 years and one day after the 9/11 attacks, so presumably that is why the flags were at half staff.

MRC09 More Minor Damage

 

MRC10 A Bit More Damage

 

This was right down on the riverfront.

MRC11 Riverfront Still Life

 

Ken sure hopes the rider, and the rest of the bike, were OK.

MRC12 The Countess Awaits

 

While down at the riverfront Ken + Virginia got their first view of their ride for the next 8 days.  The Countess is the one at the fair right.  Notice its size in comparison to the two ocean-going vessels just to the left of it.

MRC13 Classic New Orleans View

 

MRC14 Hitching Post – V

 

MRC15 Faulkner House

Here in 1925 William Faulkner wrote his first novel "Soldiers Pay".  About this time it started to drizzle so Ken + Virginia headed for shelter.

 

MRC16 An Empty Cafe du Monde

 

Ken had been to New Orleans about 4 other times but had never seen Cafe du Monde this empty!  Unfortunately it seems that they were serving beignets baked long ago, and the powdered sugar was all clumped up too.  VERY disappointing!  After this it started raining harder so Ken + Virginia worked their way back to the hotel and killed the remaining 2 or so hours hanging out there until it was time to board the boat.  In all they’d walked about 4.5 miles that day, and they felt like most of that was in the rain.

***

The next 34 shots are to acquaint you with the boat and were taken at various locations and various times throughout the week.

MRC17 The Boat

Virginia + Ken’s boat was the American Countess operated by American Queen Steamboat Company (now known as American Queen Voyages, with the new brand merging American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines).  For those that are curious, the difference between a ship and a boat is basically that a ship plies saltwater whereas a boat cruises in freshwater.

 

MRC18 Fake Smoke Stacks

 

The forward smokestacks seen here are just for show, and in fact are folded down when going under some of the bridges on the route.

MRC19 A True Paddle Wheel Boat (sort of)

While the forward smokestacks may be just for show, the paddle wheel on this boat provides about 30% of the propulsion.

 

MRC20 Well Make That 29.95 Percent Maybe

During a tour of the bridge with the river pilot he mentioned that it is basically impossible to avoid all the debris in the river and some damage is considered to be inevitable.

 

MRC21 Deck Plan

 

All the passenger cabins were on Decks 2 and 3, with Deck 1 serving as the main communal areas (main restaurant, bar, theater).  There were also smaller communal areas on Decks 2 + 3, including a buffet restaurant (handy for quick breakfasts and lunches), a library, a game room, a workout area, a snack bar, and the river-lore “Chart Room”.  Deck 4 housed the bridge and the sun deck.  The later sure didn’t get used on this cruise!!  Ken + Virginia’s room was 322 (circled in green in this shot).

MRC22 Elevator

 

Even though there were only four decks the boat had three elevators.  Ken supposes that tells you a lot about the expected clientele.

MRC23 Elevator NOT

 

Even though the boat was nearly new, riding the elevators was quite a rickety adventure.  For a good portion of the trip two of them were out of service.

MRC24 Not That Far to Walk

 

As might have been clear from the deck plan, walking the entire length of the boat only took about a minute or so.

MRC25 Entryway Gangplank

 

Getting on and off the boat was always via the gangplanks at the bow end.  Now let’s explore the boat deck by deck.

MRC26 Forward Entryway Lobby

 

Upon entering via the starboard (right side) gangway this was Ken and Virginia’s first view of the boat, the forward lobby.

MRC27 Snack Bar

 

On the port (left) side of the ship just forward of the entry lobby, was the “Perks” snack bar.  It was open most of the day and offered popcorn, ice cream, cookies and coffee, tea, and juice.

MRC28 Fitness Center

 

On the starboard (right) side of the ship just forward of the entry lobby, was a small fitness center.  With all the other activities both on and off the boat, free time was dang slim so Virginia and Ken never used this room.

MRC29 Purser’s Office

 

Staying on the main deck and working aft after leaving the entry lobby was the Purser’s Office and Excursion Desk

MRC30 Main Lounge 1

 

Just aft of the Purser’s Office, and in the same overall room, was the main lounge/bar.  When Ken took this shot it seems he managed to find one of the few times this area was NOT occupied.

MRC31 Main Lounge 2

 

Here is a much more realistic shot taken from the opposite direction.

MRC32 Theater 1

 

Just off the main lounge was the Theater where most of the events were held.

MRC33 Theater 2

 

Events held in the theater included things like the nightly show and various other forms of entertainment during the day like lectures and games.

MRC34 Main Dining Room 1

 

The last feature on the main deck might be the most important one – the main dining room.  This was the only place dinner was served, though it was also open for breakfast and lunch as well with both a buffet and selections from a menu.

MRC35 Main Dining Room 2

 

Unfortunately, poor planning by Ken meant he didn’t get a good picture when the tables were set.

MRC36 Grand Staircase

A cruise vessel, no matter its size, is not complete and proper without a grand staircase.  Now that we’re done exploring the main deck, let’s take the Grand Staircase up to Deck 2.  On your journey notice how the carpet on the last step is different than the others to provide a visual cue that it is the last step.

 

MRC37 Grand Staircase Chandelier

 

And of course no grand staircase is complete without a chandelier, though this one was rather sedate in comparison to many others on the boat.

MRC38 River Grill 1

 

On Deck 2 and directly above the main dining room on Deck 1 was the less formal dining area called the “River Grill”.

MRC39 River Grill 2

 

Virginia and Ken ate most of their breakfasts and lunches in the River Grill as it was quicker and offered the same buffet choices as in the main dining room.

MRC40 Card Room

 

The rest of Deck 2 is mostly guest rooms, but all the way forward on the starboard side is a card/game room.  This room Ken only visited long enough to take this picture.

MRC41 Library

 

Also on the forward end of Deck 2 but on the port side is the library.  This was another room that Ken only visited long enough to take this picture.

MRC42 Chart Room

Deck 3 is also mostly guest rooms, but forward end port side (directly above the library on Deck 2) is the Chart Room.  True to its name is does contain lots of charts of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, but mostly this area is used as a sheltered river viewing room.

 

MRC44 River Viewing Area

 

Also on Deck 3 just outside the Chart Room is the prime river viewing area.  It seemed like it would be a nice area if it was dry, though Virginia and Ken never saw it that way.  The stairs to the right lead up to Deck 4 and the Pilot House and sun deck area.

MRC45 Sun Deck 1

 

The top deck (Deck 4) is what is referred to as the “Sun Deck”.  Due to the weather it was generally empty during the cruise.  In this view looking forward you can see the ornamental smoke stacks.

MRC46 Sun Deck 2

 

In this view looking aft you can see the real smoke stacks doing their job.  On many vessels this would be where the pool/hot tub is located.  This vessel didn’t have one, though you can see the lounge chair and cabana area just aft of the railing.