After a four year hiatus, the largest passenger steamboat ever built, the American Queen, was back in Cincinnati. In honor of this special occasion, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory declared the day “American Queen Day in Cincinnati”.
The American Queen is the only authentic overnight paddle wheel steamboat in America.
A special bon voyage celebration was held on the Cincinnati Landing as passengers began to embark on a 4 night river cruise to Louisville, Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby. John Sutton, the captain of the American Queen, joined Mayor Mallory in honoring river cruising coming back to the Queen City by giving the city a plaque commemorating the event.
Riverboat cruising is back in 2012 for cruises on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. This is the first of 3 river cruises that will make port in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2nd cruise will be a 7 night voyage to Memphis beginning on May 7 celebrating springtime on the river. The 3rd cruise beginning on July 21 will be a 5 night voyage to Pittsburgh celebrating the music of the 1960s.
River cruising has began to grow in popularity as it offers a completely different experience than the typical Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise. Fares include shore excursions, luxury hotel stay before/after your cruise, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks, and dining options by famed American chef Regina Charboneau. It provides an elegant way to cruise while giving passengers a taste of Americana.
The American Queen can accommodate up to 436 guests in 222 state rooms and was launched in 1995. She will make port in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, and New Orleans this year and is operated by the Great American Steamboat Company.
This is probably the strangest request you will receive this year Or ever, for that matter). My wife is a very accomplished pianist and organist (an 1890 restored Roosevelt at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Springboro, Ohio) and has been there for the last 30+ years. She started as a teenager playing this same instrument at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Ohio. She has also played the Carrillon Bells at Carrillon Park in Dayton.
Now, the reason for my writing: Susan will be 75 on February 2nd this year and has had a secret desire to play a calliope such as on the American Queen. I realize that this can’t be done by her birthday, but I was wondering if there was any way she would be able to come down to Cincinnati and play the calliope for a few minutes sometime when the boat is in dock and not going out right away? I know this would mean the world to her but I also understand that this is an unusual request and may be against company policy, but I thought it might be a possibility.
If there would be a charge involved, if it is not too strenuous, I could make arrangements to get that covered for you.
Thank you for your time and consideration. You can either email your reply to the above address or call me at (937) 620-8465. You can rest assured there would be no liability on your part if this is a workable situation.
Ron Pfeiffer