American Empress October 25, 2021

[edste]

Hi  Sorry i made a mistake on my first try.  We're Steve and Edna from Long Island NY and this is our first river cruise.  Hope we get there😄

[wandb]

I think you will love river cruising!  Haven't been on the Empress, but looking forward to that next year. Next up is the Countess in June on the Ohio River. 
 

i hope you will give us a great report on your cruise!

[wandb]

On 8/10/2021 at 8:00 PM, edste said:

Hi  Sorry i made a mistake on my first try.  We're Steve and Edna from Long Island NY and this is our first river cruise.  Hope we get there😄

 

Hi, Edna and Steve,

 

We never did hear hear how your cruise turned out, and I have a couple of questions. Hope you are still following, or someone else please jump in here and help. 

I’m trying to plan this cruise for next year (2023) and having a hard time deciding just when to cruise. 

—Was it too cool for this cruise by October?

—Was there a problem with smoke from wildfires?

—Did you take any premium excursions? If so, were they worth the money?

—I’ve heard that there is “spectacular color” there in the Fall. True?

 

Thanks,

Barb

[bob brown]

On 8/11/2022 at 2:05 PM, wandb said:

—Did you take any premium excursions? If so, were they worth the money?

Hi Barb

 

We were on the westbound voyage of the American Empress in July of 2021, and I would recommend the Hell's Canyon jetboat excursion.   It's a 'hoot'!🙂

[wandb]

Bob, did y'all have much smoke from wildfires (California and others) in July? I am so allergic to smoke, that I'm almost afraid to take this cruise. I had hoped that by September, the smoke would be gone, but for the last several years, it has evidently been a real problem through October. 
The friends who want to do this cruise with us want to go in late July or August. I think I would be confined to the cabin for the whole cruise!!

I'd  really like to go in early June, but wonder if it will be too cold then. 
We will also be doing the westbound cruise. 

Tell me more about the jet boat excursion. Just how scary is it?!?  😳

[ericosmith]

13 hours ago, wandb said:

Bob, did y'all have much smoke from wildfires (California and others) in July? I am so allergic to smoke, that I'm almost afraid to take this cruise. I had hoped that by September, the smoke would be gone, but for the last several years, it has evidently been a real problem through October. 
The friends who want to do this cruise with us want to go in late July or August. I think I would be confined to the cabin for the whole cruise!!

I'd  really like to go in early June, but wonder if it will be too cold then. 
We will also be doing the westbound cruise. 

Tell me more about the jet boat excursion. Just how scary is it?!?  😳

Ah, it's not scary at all.  It's basically just calm water with a boat that goes fast between the more interesting views.  We didn't go the full normal distance because of low water levels but it's a fun and scenic trip.

[wandb]

On 8/18/2022 at 10:48 PM, ericosmith said:

Ah, it's not scary at all.  It's basically just calm water with a boat that goes fast between the more interesting views.  We didn't go the full normal distance because of low water levels but it's a fun and scenic trip.

Not sure what time of the year you did this cruise, so wondering when low water levels are a problem. We have booked this cruise for early June and would love some info from anyone who has cruised the Colorado/Snake River before. 

 

Really hoping for some feedback on excursions. We generally don’t do the premium excursions, because the HOHO has been more than adequate. However, this time there are 3 premium excursions that we are considering. (Lewis and Clark, Jet Boat on the Snake River, and post cruise Mt. St. Helen’s). Help!!  Are they worth the money?  

[ericosmith]

15 hours ago, wandb said:

Not sure what time of the year you did this cruise, so wondering when low water levels are a problem. We have booked this cruise for early June and would love some info from anyone who has cruised the Colorado/Snake River before. 

 

We went the very end of August and ended the cruise on Labor Day.  There were no issues with water levels.  As far as the jet boat goes, the levels didn't really detract from that excursion either, it just didn't go quite as far as normal.  I'd recommend it as not much else in the area appealed to us and it was scenic and fun.  As I recall, the Lewis and Clark excursion departs from Astoria.  It's a neat town.  I'm not sure I'd do the Lewis and Clark instead of spending more time in town unless I was into that kind of history.  I can't speak to Mt. St. Helens.  Saw it from a distance on the way to Mt. Rainier but that's about it.