Sailing America's waterways: close-to-home cruising is bigger and better than ever

Travel America, Nov-Dec, 2004 by M.T. Schwartzman

THE YEAR WAS 1811 WHEN A NEWFANGLED CONTRAPTION SHOWED up on the "western" waters just beyond the Appalachian Mountains. It was the steamboat, and its appearance began an era of inland cruising that continues to this day.

The first steamboat departed from Pittsburgh, but soon riverboats could be seen coming and going from Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, and other points up and down the Mississippi River system. Nearly 200 years later they ply these same routes, keeping the spirit of steamboatin' alive and kicking.

It's more than just history, though, that make these journeys so appealing. Life along the river moves at a leisurely and even nostalgic pace, recalling a more genteel time: "It's small-town America," explains Karen "Toots" Milloy, who created the "Riverlorian" enrichment program for Delta Queen Steamboat Company.

While sailing America's waterways remains a time-honored tradition, many of the latest trends in cruising have taken root. These include a renewed interest in close-to-home cruising and a preference for drive-to homeports. The heartland is the focus of inland cruising, and cruise companies have made this type of vacation more attractive than ever, offering new products and convenient services.

RiverBarge Excursion Lines, for example, offers its "Home Free" program to make connecting with the barge easier. Depending on the traveler's point of origin, this may include air transportation from the barge's landing point back to the boarding point--which allows guests to purchase less expensive roundtrip air tickets--or free motorcoach service.

RiverBarge's excursions on the 198-passenger River Explorer last four to 10 days and navigate six rivers--the Mississippi, Cumberland. Tennessee, Atchafalaya, Ohio, and Missouri--plus the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Itineraries have inviting names like "The Route of Jean "Lafitte," "Cajuns and Creoles," "Expanding Frontiers," and "America's Junction." Departures in 2005 are scheduled from a variety of convenient gateways, including New Orleans, St. Louis, Memphis, Cincinnati, and Nashville.

Delta Queen Steamboat, meanwhile, has introduced its "Riverboat Adventure Week," based on the short-cruise concept so popular among big-ship cruise travelers. With this itinerary, guests can sample steamboatin' for three or four nights and spend the rest of the week in New Orleans, all for the same price as the cruise alone, according to the company. Packages include all the usual cruise amenities--entertainment, meals, and accommodations--plus a hotel room ashore, breakfast daily while in the city, and vouchers for dinner at well-known New Orleans restaurants, such as Arnaud's. Muriel's, or Emeril's.

In order to experience New Orleans in its entirety, the "Riverboat Adventure Week" also includes admission to a choice of local attractions, like the National D-Day Museum or Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World. Hotels, which may include properties of Ritz Carlton, Inter-Continental, or Marriott, are assigned according to cabin category aboard the 436-passenger American Queen.

Of course, Delta Queen has longer and wider ranging itineraries that encompass the entire Mississippi River system. A look at Delta Queen's route map shows just how far the company reaches. At its northernmost, the Delta Queen steamboats range all the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul, passing through St. Louis and Memphis on their southward route to New Orleans. Cruises along tributaries like the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers stretch all the way to Louisville, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Chattanooga.

Beyond the Mississippi, Clipper Cruise Line has a full range of close-to-home, all-American cruise itineraries. The company is one of the few to offer overnight passenger cruises of the Great Lakes region. Elsewhere, the line traverses American waterways from the coastal heritage of Colonial America in the East to California wine country in the West.

The West Coast has its own group of regional cruise operators, ranging from the small to the very small. American West Steamboat Company, as its name suggests, has two authentic sternwheelers including the newly built Empress of the North, cruising the storied Columbia, Willamette, and Snake rivers. The itinerary is comprehensive, covering 1,000 miles roundtrip from Portland and touching three states--Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Highlights include historic attractions along the old Oregon Trail and the natural wonders of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Other companies follow the path of Lewis and Clark as well: Lindblad Expeditions, which helped pioneer this route in 1989, returns every year for a series of cruises aboard the 70-passenger Sea Bird and Sea Lion. The latest entry in the field is Glacier Bay Cruiseline, which offers "the only multisport adventure cruise on the Columbia," according to the company, "combining cruising, kayaking, and hiking plus optional mountain biking and whitewater rafting."

Cruise West, too, plies this route. Best known for its Alaska trips, the company operates on the Columbia and Snake rivers, along the British Columbia section of the Pacific Northwest, and through California's Napa and Sonoma valleys. Onboard guides may include a historian, naturalist, or wine expert, depending on the itinerary. At the tiny end of the spectrum, American Safari Cruises has two "mega-yachts" with room for 12 to 22 passengers, sailing on similar itineraries. Each boat offers upscale amenities like an under-the-stars hot tub and complimentary libations.