Delta Queen cruises

Natural History, March, 2003

TAKE A TRIP BACK INTO TIME when you go Steamboatin' with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company.

This cruise company specializes in nostalgic river cruise vacations that transport passengers back to an earlier, genteel time. From the time you board one of the company's three impeccably preserved steamboats, you will find yourself in the refined milieu of the Great Steamboat Era.

Delta Queen's three steamboats are the Delta Queen, so grand that it is a National Historic Landmark; the magnificent Mississippi Queen, with its Victorian ambience and decor; and the majestic American Queen, the world's largest steamboat. These three authentic steam paddle-wheelers offer 3- to 11-night cruises on America's great inland waterways.

The Delta Queen has been hostess to three presidents, a princess, and too many dignitaries to count. As America's oldest overnight paddle-wheeler, she is in a class of her own. This wonderfully refurbished boat offers the comforts of today with the style of yesterday. Tiffany-style lamps; the warm, polished wood of antique furnishings; gleaming brass fittings; a Siamese ironwood floor; and a magnificent Grand Staircase crowned by a crystal chandelier. On the Mississippi Queen, old-time banjos and a calliope belt out favorites from long ago as passengers explore six decks worth of elegance. And on the American Queen, you can gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the two-story dining room and delight in entertainment in a Grand Saloon so elegant it is reminiscent of a small river town's opera house. Whatever cruise you choose, you will benefit from Delta Queen's commitment to showcase the history, heritage, and magnificent scenery that abounds throughout America's heartland.