St Louis to St Paul, August 16, 2014

Just booked this cruise. First river cruise for us! Looking forward to cruising the upper Mississippi on the American Queen! This will be a totally new experience for us , especially after our two week cruise to New Zealand from Sydney on the Solistice in January!

That's a beautiful stretch of river. The scenery gets more spectacular as you head north with historic cities, interesting fauna, and incredible vistas.

Was looking at this itinerary but maybe in Sept when it is cooler ;)

What hotel did they give you?

Enjoy the cruise please post when you return

Lyn

We did this cruise in October, 2007, when the AQ was still being managed by Majestic America. It is a very scenic cruise, much more scenic than the flat lower Mississippi and features more than 25 locks, including a most impressive 38-foot lift in Keokuk, Iowa. We enjoyed it very much! We hope to do the upper Ohio next year (still waiting on 2015 schedules).

We have never done a river cruise but this looks interesting.

Any recommendations on cabin types we should look at booking?

Thanks

We have never done a river cruise but this looks interesting.

Any recommendations on cabin types we should look at booking?

Thanks

We liked the cabin deck ones ...much more private

The others open up onto the public veranda ...some people like that option

You do not seem to spend much time in your cabin as you will likely want to be outside watching the river go by ;)

Lyn

We have never done a river cruise but this looks interesting.

Any recommendations on cabin types we should look at booking?

Thanks

It depends greatly on the time of year, stretch of river, and more importantly your budget. Also if you prefer a shower and tub or just a shower can make a difference in the room choice.

As Lyn stated the rooms on the Cabin Deck with a large bay window and a tub and shower are really quite nice. For a late fall or winter trip those rooms would be ideal.

We have never done a river cruise but this looks interesting.

Any recommendations on cabin types we should look at booking?

Thanks

We just got back from a R/T New Orleans and were on the Texas Deck (Deck 3) that had french doors that opened onto a shared veranda, and loved it. I believe it was a catagory "D", which is the lowest, i.e. cheapest catagory that opens to a veranda. The location was very convenient to the Front Porch, which is the casual dining venue. Of course on a boat this size nothing is ever too far away.

Our cabin wasn't huge, but the layout worked for us, and we found the room to be very comfortable.

Want to thank everyone for their info . We were looking at booking a private veranda, but booked a category A cabin that opens to a public deck instead. It is suppose to be a bit bigger than one with a private balcony and we will most likely be spending most of our time out on the deck(s).:)

Our pre-cruise hotel is the Hilton Inn at the ballpark, St Louis. Reviews show it as a good place to stay, within walking distance to the Arch and other places of interest. There were complains about slow elevator service at one of the towers.

Since our flight from Minneapolis/St Paul leaves at 5:05pm, we have booked the post-cruise city tour ,which ends at the airport. Would like to hear from any past cruisers who have been on this tour.

You will like that A cabin on Deck 5, I think. We had a D cabin on Deck 3 our first trip and an A on the second, and the A is appreciably bigger. Not large, of course, but the extra space was welcome. We loved being on the public deck with folks passing by. Not nearly as many passers-by on Deck 5 as on Deck 3. We have chosen a B cabin on Deck 4 for the upcoming trip because it is nearly the size of an A but closer to the Front Porch and one less flight of stairs to climb from the dining room and the Grand Saloon!

Its reassuring to know about our cabin choice. Does anyone know American's policy about bringing alcohol onboard, some lines let you bring one or two bottles of wine to drink in your cabin.

I don't think they have any restrictions. We brought wine with us and no one said anything.