Summer bookings for American Queen

How are summer cruise bookings? Is the boat filling up for Upper Mississippi or Ohio tours? Are good suites and pricings still available at this date? We are close to booking, but curious about the forecast. We hope to celebrate an anniversary in lazy but grand style. Chime in, please!:D

Why not call AQ & ask ?

I am sure not many people here would have the answer

You cannot see what cabins are open like on the main stream lines

Yes, the American Queen office can supply "the obvious" (official data), but I'm wanting candid comments from other cruisers. I enjoy gleanings from other river travelers, even their speculations!:D We learn (more than we know) from conversation. Let's have more conversation!

Well, the June trips are 2-for-1, or at least they were when we booked a couple of weeks ago. Friends who booked the same trip (actually, 2 back to back short trips out of Cincinnati towards the end of June) were told they got the last cabin. But that might have meant the last cabin in that particular category, which is B.

As I have said before, I worry about the financial viability of AQSC if they have to do 2-for-1's in the summer time. Maybe there was a pent-up demand for the trips over the first year or two they were in business, but now the prices are keeping folks away. I guess time will tell.

Thank you, LDVinNC, for your candid insights. Have an extra slice of chocolate cake!:) We are trying to understand the drift of the current (pardon the pun) before we book. I welcome any further comments.

You are welcome. It truly is a wonderful experience and I hope they can make it over the long term. We have taken 2 cruises with them - last September and in March and did not see any major changes from one trip to another that indicated financial problems. Okay, maybe they were a little less generous with the dinner wine on the second trip. I say go for it!

You have reassured us, LDVinNC. We won't kvetch about wine selections!:D If you did not notice serious discrepancies between cruises, the AQ must be in trim shape, even in a slow-growth economy. We book soon...

Even in the days of The Delta Queen Steamboat Co., I was a stock holder during those fabled times, sales were soft during the summer and winter. The heaviest bookings were for trips during the spring and fall, so having to offer discounted rates during June while the boat is operating on the Ohio River is really no surprise to me. In fact I waited to book my round trip out of Cincinnati next month until the discounted rates appeared, and my guess is there will be further discounts offered for later in the summer.

Thank you, Calliope, keep on piping! We are hoping for the laziest, most romantic summer cruise on the river that money can buy. But we'll settle for a nice bargain!:D You seem to know your way up and down the river. What stretch appeals to you in summertime?

My favorite stretch of river during the summer; that's a tough one! I guess though that I have to say that the Upper Ohio is my favorite. It's beautiful year round. My sainted father who was a chief engineer on river steamers favorite was the Tennessee which the AMERICAN QUEEN does travels on. He was an officer on the Str. GORDON C. GREENE which cruised there regularly.

Loved that historical note regarding your father. The upper reaches seem to be favored. That's what we are learning. This is instructive. The narrower the river and the more she bends, the greater the feast for the senses. If anything else comes to mind, I welcome it.