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Food
and Entertainment
Several
novel ideas mark Queen of the West's food service.
There
are no assigned tables. So passengers may choose to
meet new acquaintances whenever mealtime arrives. By
the end of the journey, most passengers have met and
made many new friends.
Single-sitting
dining accommodates all passengers.
Half-portions
of anything on the menu may be ordered. From soup to
desserts, portion sizes are up to the consumer.
Views
from the parlor-decor dining room are never-ending.
Because the room is situated on the first deck, sight
lines of the river and the banks beyond are continuous
through large tabletop-to-ceiling windows. No dining
room chair is more than 25 feet from a whole wall of
windows; most are closer.
An
alternative dining room, the top-deck Calliope Bar &
Grill, serves breakfast, lunch, snacks, chili, and desserts.
Soft drinks and coffee are available 24 hours a day.
Printed
menus and recipes are freely given to those who request
them. And requested they are, because passenger comments
about food are virtually unanimous in praise of both
the creativity and delectability of the offerings. They
include fresh Northwest fish like salmon and halibut
daily, different soups daily, complimentary hors d'oeuvres
daily, fresh-baked rolls and breads, prime rib, steaks,
lobster, duck, rack of lamb, chicken, salads, vegetarian
entrees, and scores of desserts.
A resident band, a cruise staff, and other small vocal,
instrumental, dance, and comedy groups provide the entertainment.
Most nights have an entertainment theme, like Best of
Broadway, Country Western, Golden Oldies, or America the
Beautiful. Different entertainment is possible each evening
because the ship customarily picks up entertainers on
the day of their show and drops them off just after the
show at one of the many landings along the route. The
boat is never more than a few hundred yards from shore.
Because of a novel adjustable bow and shallow depth, it's
always easy to simply walk on and off. No rough-bucking
big-ship tendering here. Information about each day's
activities and highlights is provided to each cabin the
night before via a Western-style newsletter titled "Queen
of the West Times." It offers historical tidbits
of upcoming ports, an hour-by-hour program of activities,
and previews of the next day's entertainment program.
America
West Steamboat Co and American Orient Express, which
provides private rail cruises, are under common ownership.
Visit www.Cruise-news.com
for more information.
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Fleet:
American West Steamboat Company
Size:
163 passengers, 47 crew, 280 feet long, 50 feet
wide, 4 passenger decks, 73 staterooms and suites.
Accommodations:
There are nine categories of staterooms, among
them an owner's suite, penthouses, veranda staterooms,
and value staterooms. All have outside views.
All
have TV with cable channels and view of the river
ahead available, VCR (video library tapes available
for loan), music channels, thermostat, and sitting
area. Most have a writing desk. Some have refrigerators
and extra windows. Some come with robes. Modern
prefabricated bathrooms with seamless enamel-finished
walls and wall-hung toilets.
Public
Rooms and facilities Showroom, lounge, bar and
grill, formal dining room, elevator, 3 bars, gift
shop, 11,000 square feet exterior deck space.
There is artwork throughout depicting the history
of the Columbia River and its early steamboats.
Itineraries:
Year-'round except for January maintenance: seven
day cruises cover Portland, Willamette River,
Columbia River, Snake River, Bonneville Dam, Multnomah
Falls, Pendleton, Tamastslikt Cultural Center,
Hells Canyon Jet Boat, Wine Tasting, Columbia
Gorge Discovery Center, Mt. St. Helens Volcano,
Astoria, Cannon Beach. Daily, guided tours are
included in cruise price.
Year
completed: 1994
Web
address: ColumbiaRiverCruise.com
Toll-free:
1-800-434-1232
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(Source:
Cruise-News) (...BACK)
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