23 Day Duchess Cruise

Has anyone taken the 23 day cruise from New Orleans to Minnesota aboard the Duchess? If so I would love to hear about it. We are thinking about taking that cruise next year.

I'd love to hear from ANYBODY about ANY Duchess cruise!

We just completed a cruise on the Duchess from Red Wing to St. Louis. We have complete many river cruises in Europe and were looking forward to this one in the USA. The boat is beautiful but some areas are not quite finished. Some trim is missing in places, some painting still needs to be finished. The cabins are spacious and very well appointed. The bathroom is large, huge by river boat standards, with nice features and fixtures. The dining room is very nice and the food was excellent and the variety of choices is good. The wine with dinner was a good quality and no limit. The hop-on hop-off tour bus is a great idea and works well. ... Now the not so good about the boat... The wait staff in the dining room was slow, we waited over an hour once our orders were taken to be served, the waiter was not familiar with the computerized ordering system was the excuse. The check in at the hotel in Minneapolis was slow, long line because only one person checking the guests. The in room safe was not secured to any thing, it was just sitting on the top of the cabinet in the closet. The in room thermostat is difficult to understand how to control it.

All in all - an interesting trip, they are on the up hill side of the learning curve, they will get it right sometime...:(

Thanks!

All in all - an interesting trip, they are on the up hill side of the learning curve, they will get it right sometime...

rag43, do you know if this was the very first trip the Duchess did with paying passengers?

I think the inaugural trip was supposed to be in late August. But something Cruise Critic Chris said makes me think the ship wasn't ready then -- maybe your cruise was the first.

If so, maybe this is just a case of not getting all the bugs worked out, and by the time I board in December, things will be glitch-free. Here's hoping...:)

Thanks for posting this information.

Oh, one other question I forgot to ask...

How formal was the meal attire? The usual "resort casual," or are they trying to be more upscale than the normal?

DaveinCharlotte,

The christening was Aug 14th in New Orleans. It takes the boat at least 14 nights to get up to red wing. I think the first 7 nights was an invitation only cruise. So the one rag43 was on might have been the second or third with paying passengers.

The boat was delayed and several cruises had been cancelled. She should have been out since July.

The problems in the dining room are normal for the first couple of weeks. New staff, not used to the boat (or even boatlife) and often new in the job itself. Adding a new ordering system and you have a chaos.

The rest are sort of finishing touches. Sure this should not happen but it does (and pretty often - I have been on a view brand new cruise ships mainly on pre inaugural cruises and you can see workers all around trying to fix the last odds).

steamboats

The christening was Aug 14th in New Orleans. It takes the boat at least 14 nights to get up to red wing. I think the first 7 nights was an invitation only cruise. So the one rag43 was on might have been the second or third with paying passengers.

steamboats

The second, I'm thinking now (couldn't have been the third). After the northbound post-christening cruise, rag43 would have to have been on the first southbound cruise from Redwing. I was thinking the northbound cruise was without paying passengers. But I just discovered a comment posted to Cruise Critic Chris's christening article. It was from a passenger on the northbound trip castigating the ship for being thoroughly unready.

At least rag43's post seems to indicate progress - appears that the ship was only somewhat unready - so hopefully the kinks will have been worked out by the time the ship leaves Memphis.

The boat deadheaded from New Orleans to Red Wing. Her first revenue trip was from Red Wing south, so Rag43 would have been on the maiden voyage.

Calliope,

I do remember some photos of the AQ and the Duchess meeting in Paducah and the Duchess had passengers onboard. If they were just deadheading up to Red Wing there wouldn´t have been a need for the side trip up the Ohio river. Or do I mix something up?

steamboats

On August 24th,the AQ arrived Paducah 8 AM with scheduled departure @ 1PM, but due to low bridge, Dover was scrubbed and AQ did not depart until late afternoon. In afternoon Duchess arrived and docked next to and up stream AQ. I did not pay attention to passengers on Duchess. Both boats departed late afternoon and sailed down the Ohio with AQ turning south and Dutchess turning North at the Mississippi.

Calliope,

 

I do remember some photos of the AQ and the Duchess meeting in Paducah and the Duchess had passengers onboard. If they were just deadheading up to Red Wing there wouldn´t have been a need for the side trip up the Ohio river. Or do I mix something up?

 

steamboats

Hmmmm...That's a good question! I was on the AQ's August Red Wing round trip. and from what I gathered sitting on the lazy bench the AD was deadheading up. I could be wrong though.

Thank you to all those who have replied. Appreciate the comments. Looking forward to more from future cruises on the Duchess.

Calliope,

I do remember some photos of the AQ and the Duchess meeting in Paducah and the Duchess had passengers onboard. If they were just deadheading up to Red Wing there wouldn´t have been a need for the side trip up the Ohio river.

steamboats

Steamboats, I'd say you are right in thinking the August northbound trip had paying passengers:

I was thinking the northbound cruise was without paying passengers. But I just discovered a comment posted to Cruise Critic Chris's christening article. It was from a passenger on the northbound trip castigating the ship for being thoroughly unready.

Check out this article, and scroll to the bottom for the comment:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7999

I think only a paying passenger would post such a comment.

I just asked one of the captains of the AMERICAN QUEEN and AMERICAN DUCHESS and he verified that there were no paying passengers on the AD's delivery trip up to Red Wing, MN. Her maiden revenue trip was from Red Wing to New Orleans.