Delta Queen and
Civil War theme Cruise

The Delta Queen boat was built in 1927 and is considered a National Historic Building. It is a steamboat which is moved along the rivers by a large paddle wheel at the back. It was much quieter than expected. The ship is smaller than most, holding only 175 passengers. That probably explains why the cost was so high. Much more than you would pay for a Caribbean cruise on a large ship.

The staterooms were very small with either bunk beds or twin beds. Most rooms had a pedestal sink in the room itself with a toilet and small shower in a separate room. There was a small chest for clothing; almost no hanging space. but suitcases could be put under the bed. An upgraded room got you a night stand between the 2 beds, otherwise there was barely walking space between them. No chairs for reading. The decor was as you would expect with lacy curtains, flowery prints and totally wood interior. The lighting was very dim. There was air conditioning, which was a pleasant surprise and much needed with the humidity. One nice feature was the shutters which raised up out of the wall to cover the window from the bottom up. The doors are very small and the ceilings are low.

There were 3 levels of cabins. On the lower level the cabins opened into an inside corridor (and were much more expensive). The 2 upper decks had the doors opening to the outside. There were no elevators and the stairs were on the outside deck for the upper levels. When it rained you got wet going to dinner.

The food was good with an adequate selection. It was slightly southern with catfish, hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, cobblers, pecan pie, etc. They also had steaks, chicken, pork and vegetarian dishes. Breakfast and lunch were small buffets; however you could also order from a menu. Coffee, tea, juice, water and snacks were available between meals, and was set up in the forward lounge.

This cruise started in Chattanooga and ended in Memphis, TN. The scenery along the rivers was trees, trees and more trees. We did go through several locks - mini versions of the Panama Canal. It was a Civil War theme cruise, which meant all the land tours and lectures were about the Civil War and the people in them. The land tours consisted of looking at trees and meadows where battles took place - and sometimes a few cannons. An expensive way to see trees and meadows. The tour guides were very good and almost made a dull subject interesting. The passengers were primarily old coots (men) who were into military and war games.

Two couples at our dinner table.