Down the Mississippi on American Cruise Line, day 3
I drove a Coast Guard ship — luckily, on a giant simulated screen — in Paducah, KY, today.
Like many of the all-American experiences on my river cruise down the Mississippi, it was not the kind of experience, or the kind of town, one sees on a big ship.
The museum in which the simulator is housed had a hard time accommodating the 25 of us who showed up.
But Paducah is bigger than Cape Girardeau, where we stopped yesterday, or Chester IL, birthplace of Popeye the Sailor Man, which we toured on Sunday.
It’s not Paris or London, I grant you. Or even the Caribbean. But there is a distinct charm to this leisurely cruise and its flock of friendly and devoted repeat customers.
Most everyone seems to have done the big ships many times (one couple is on its 50th cruise), and given them up for the pleasures of small and intimate and quiet.
I hear American Cruise Lines today announced it is building more ships, and adding another Mississippi River itinerary for next year.
The repeat customers on my cruise will be happy to hear it. They tell me the Queen of the Mississippi has the best accommodations on the river, and the best food. They give her four stars, and the best of other US small ship lines just three.
As I said in my first blog, you do have to reset your expectations a little when you take to the river. Besides the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio, the biggest highlight so far is an ice cream soda and a banjo player, who also will teach you if you’d like to learn.
There is no spa, no midnight chocolate buffet.
There is just America, her towns and her rivers, her history and her sunsets, her sons and daughters, rolling south through the heartland.
For most of those on board, that seems to work out just fine.
By Cheryl Rosen
Cheryl
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026