Welcome Aboard
Your Mississippi River Cruise St. Louis, MO to New Orleans, LA
Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly™
Table of Contents
Welcome.....................................................3 Itinerary Overview......................................4 Getting to St. Louis and Your Ship..............6 Staying in St. Louis.....................................7 Boarding Your Ship.....................................8 What to Bring ............................................9 Meals & Cocktails.......................................10 General Shore Tour information..................11 General Onboard Information.....................12 Concluding Your Cruise..............................13 End of Cruise Transportation Services.........13 Port by Port Shore Tour Information...........14 Recommended Reading...............................19
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Welcome Aboard Thank you for choosing American Cruise Lines. From your reservation to your experience aboard your ship, American Cruise Lines is with you every step of the way. Your cruise specialist is always just a phone call away and will be happy to assist you with everything from celebrating a special occasion to ensuring that your stateroom is just the way you like it.
The following pages will answer many of your questions about the cruise and your onboard experience. Your cruise specialist is available and can be reached at (800) 894-8570. www.americancruiselines.com
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St. Louis Illinois Missouri
Tennessee
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Ports of Call West Virginia
St. Louis, MO
Memphis
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Arkansas
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Point Pleasant
Mississippi
Memphis, TN Vicksburg, MS Nachez, MS Baton Rouge, LA
Vicksburg Natchez Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Itineraries are subject to change. A detailed itinerary will be mailed with your boarding documents. 4
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Getting to St. Louis and your ship Whether driving, flying, or taking the train, getting to the ship is easy.
Your Ship Will Be Docked At:
500 South Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101
Driving To St. Louis
The ship is docked at 500 South Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63101. Upon arrival, you will see American Cruise Lines deckhands in bright red shirts ready to assist you. You may drop your bags off at the ship before parking so they can be brought to your stateroom in advance. Parking is available near the landing. Mansion House Garage 330 N. 4th Street St. Louis, MO 63101
(314) 621-8723
A shuttle is offered from the garage back to the ship. For more information, prices, or to reserve a space on the shuttle, please call your cruise specialist at (800) 894-8570.
Flying Into St. Louis:
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is the best airport to fly into. It is serviced by most major airlines, and is approximately 20 minutes from the ship by taxi. 6
Subject to change.
Staying in St. Louis Hotels
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Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch (314) 231-3003 2 South 4th St. St. Louis, MO 63102 www.druryhotels.com
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Drury Inn Airport Hotel 10490 Natural Bridge Rd. St. Louis, MO 63134
(314) 241-3200
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Pear Tree Inn Union Station 2211 Market St. St. Louis, MO 63103
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American Cruise Lines offers a shuttle from this hotel to the ship. For more information, prices, or to reserve a space on the shuttle, please call your cruise specialist at (800) 8948570.
Mansion House Garage 330 N. 4th Street St. Louis, MO 63101
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If you are arriving to St. Louis the night before your cruise, these hotels are located a few minutes from the ship. Please ask for the special American Cruise Lines rate. Each hotel can arrange for taxi service to the ship.
SHIP LOCATION 500 South Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101
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Boarding Your Ship Boarding Time
Please plan to arrive at the ship between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. You may not be able to access your stateroom until about 11:30 a.m. The ship will leave at 1:30 p.m. or earlier if all guests have arrived. From the moment you arrive, everything will be handled for you. American Cruise Lines deckhands
wear a distinctive red shirt and will unload your luggage from your car or taxi and bring it to your stateroom aboard the ship. Please keep your boarding passes with you, as it is not necessary for you to stay with your luggage.
The Cruise Director will be awaiting your arrival at the gangway of the ship. Please present your boarding passes and photo ID at this time.
Luggage and Luggage Tags
American Cruise Lines places no restrictions on luggage. However, it is recommended that you bring as few bags as necessary. Suitcases less than 10 inches high may be stowed under your bed. You will be receiving luggage tags with your boarding pass before your cruise. If you would like additional tags, your cruise specialist will be happy to send you more. If you have cruised with us before, please remove your old luggage tags.
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Subject to change.
What to Bring Casual resort attire is recommended both on the ship and ashore. For dinner, men’s clothing might include a sport shirt and slacks, with sport coat or sweater. Women might find a sweater and slacks, or a dress appropriate.
American Cruise Lines also recommends that you bring the following: • • • • • • • •
Comfortable resort attire Comfortable walking shoes Sunscreen Hat Light rain wear Jacket for cool evenings Camera Photo identification
Please do not hesitate to ask your Hotel Manager for any item that you may have forgotten.
The Missisippi River near Alton, IL 9
Meals and Cocktails Glasses, ice, mixers, and soft drinks are available at all times. For other liquor requests, your Hotel Manager will assist you.
American Cruise Lines offers open seating at every meal in the Dining Salon on the Main Deck. Dress is resort attire. At dinner, men often wear a sport coat and women often wear a dress. Breakfast is prepared to order at your leisure between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Special Diets and Medications
American Cruise Lines will cater to any special dietary needs. Please tell your cruise specialist approximately two weeks prior to your cruise so that we may plan accordingly.
Lunch is served at 12:30 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:30 p.m., and you are welcome to join us at any time before 7:30 p.m. American Cruise Lines provides complimentary wine and beer during lunch and dinner service. A complimentary cocktail hour with full bar is hosted each evening at 5:30 p.m. before dinner. 10
Refrigeration is available to store insulin or other medications requiring protection. Subject to change.
Shore Tours
Please note that all shore tours are subject to availability and change. Your onshore experience is as important as your onboard experience, so American Cruise Lines has taken special care to research and plan excursions at each port. With American Cruise Lines, you will experience what makes each destination a special place.
Every tour will take you to the finest local sites at each port and give you true insight to the area’s culture, heritage and history. On each excursion, you’ll be joined by local experts, historians or naturalists to further enhance your experience.
For detailed descriptions of each tour, please see pages 14-18.
For additional information about the places you will visit or alternative activities available, your Cruise Director or onboard guest speaker will be happy to help.
There are two categories of Shore Tours.
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Featured
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Premium
Featured tours are complimentary to all guests. Premium tours typically cost between $20 and $70 and can be paid for onboard, near the end of your cruise.
You may sign up for most tours onboard with the Cruise Director. American Cruise Lines is dedicated to making your onshore experience a true American Adventure.
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General Onboard Information American Cruise Lines will work to meet your onboard needs and cater to special requests. If at any point there is an item that you would like to see provided, please let your Hotel Manager or Cruise Director know.
Tipping
Emergency Messages
Tipping is entirely at your personal discretion. Tips are generally given to the Hotel Manager near the end of the cruise. They are then divided equally among the stewards and deckhands. Tips generally average about $125 per person on a 7-night cruise. Stewards and deckhands do not expect and cannot accept tips directly. Credit cards, personal or travelers checks, and cash are accepted. If you choose to pay by credit card, please contact the Hotel Manager at least one day before the end of your cruise.
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Subject to change.
Emergency messages can be directed to the main office in Connecticut at (800) 894-8570. They will be relayed to the ship at the first opportunity. You are urged to provide American Cruise Lines with email addresses and cellular phone numbers, as well as an emergency contact prior to your departure date. Cell phones are generally available onboard the ship for emergency purposes.
Concluding Your Cruise On most cruises, the ship will arrive in New Orleans, LA the evening prior to the final day of the cruise.
The ship docks at the Thalia St. Wharf, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70160. On the last day of your cruise, breakfast is served from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. and passengers may disembark until 8:30 a.m.
At the end of your cruise, consider extending your stay in New Orleans with the tour listed on pages 18. Your Hotel Manager or Cruise Director will be available to assist with tour arrangements.
End of Cruise Transportation Services For passengers flying home, American Cruise Lines offers transportation from the ship in New Orleans to: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport - departs the ship at 8:30 a.m.
For more information, prices, or for other transportation that may be available, please call your cruise specialist at (800) 894-8570. During the cruise, your Hotel Manager or Cruise Director will also be happy to assist you with travel arrangements.
Subject to change.
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Port by Port Shore Tour Information Memphis, TN
Narrated City Tour
F
Relax and let your guide show you the highlights of this fascinating City on the Bluff. Memphis is located on the Mississippi River at the northern end of the Mississippi Delta where the blues were born. Its history is linked to cotton and to music. You’ll drive past Mud Island, a Mississippi River Educational Park; Cotton Row, where 60% of the nation’s cotton was once traded; National Civil Rights Museum, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated; St. Jude Children’s Research hospital, the largest research center of its kind in the world; and old neighborhoods such as the Pinch District. You’ll be entertained all the way and you’ll experience Southern hospitality at its best!
Graceland Tour Memphis is the hometown of Elvis and a stop here would not be complete without a tour of 14
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Graceland. A local guide will take you on a brief tour of the historic downtown area, Mississippi Riverfront, Sun Studio and other interesting sites before you head out of the city limits to the Presley estate. Here you will enjoy a self-guided tour which include the Jungle Room, the Trophy Room, and more.
Vicksburg, MS
Battle of Vicksburg Tour
F
Our first stop is at the Old Depot Museum. Recently renovated and moved to its present location, this small collection boasts a 250 sq foot model of the Vicksburg Battlefield. This model offers a unique, bird’s eye view of the battlefield that will serve to enhance the visit to the actual site. National Military Park commemorates the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg in 1863 and includes over 1,370 monuments and markers, a restored Union gunboat, and a national cemetery.
Graceland
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War’s impact on Natchez. Everything that the magnificent city has to offer is available to you on this unique tour.
Frogmore Plantation Tour
Vicksburg National Military Park
Natchez, MS
Historic City Tour
F
Natchez is a grand city steeped in a rich and tumultuous history. Tour through the heart of downtown Natchez, bustling with activity around every bend. Hear blues musicians playing along the city’s streets, and discover how music has helped shape the city. Tour beautifully restored antebellum homes while you learn about the Civil 16
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An 1800-acre working cotton farm, the Frogmore Plantation has 18 restored antebellum structures that date from the early 1800s. Along with the history of the early Natchez planters, the tour includes a rare Smithsonian-quality steam cotton gin. The tour continues through modern day farming life, including the planting, harvesting, and computerized ginning of cotton.
Baton Rouge, LA
Cajun Heritage & Rural Life Museum
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Experience 19th century plantation life during a guided tour of this outdoor living history museum. The Plantation Quarters showcase the kitchen, slave cabins, and grist mill of a typical 19th century working plantation. After a tour of the Plantation Quarters, discover the life of early Louisiana
Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge
settlers during a tour through a replia 19th century town. Highlights include the pioneers’ cabin, shotgun house, and dogtrot house.
Historic Baton Rouge
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We begin our tour at the Louisiana Old State Capitol. Enjoy the new Sarah Morgan exhibit, “The Ghost of the Castle.” A one of a kind immersive theatrical presentation, visitors come face to face with the 17
castle’s history, told by the ghost of Sarah Morgan, an authentic Civil-War era figure who loved the castle and wrote passionately about it in her book, A Confederate Girl’s Diary. We then continue our tour through town, passing Governor’s Hall and the New State Capitol and finally on to see the exterior of Magnolia Mound, a French Creole plantation house built in 1791.
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans City Tour*
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New Orleans’ rich history has influences from Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa and features a brilliant mosaic of culture, food, and music. Experience one of America’s most culturally and historically rich destinations during this unforgettable tour. Your guide will introduce you to some of New Orleans most celebrated landmarks, including Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the Garden District, French Market and the famed French Quarter. * This Saturday morning tour will conclude at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. 18
Subject to change.
Recommended Reading Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain Engrossing and entertaining anecdotes by a peerless storyteller from a now-finished chapter of American history. Old Man River: The Mississippi River in North American History by Paul Schneider Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc. “[A] vivid history.”—The New Yorker “Reminiscent of a Ken Burns documentary...this historical book becomes surprisingly moving and meditative.”—Cedar Rapids Gazette “Stunning...With such an expert hand on the tiller, Old Man River is an astonishing journey.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Jazz on the River by William Howland Kenney Publisher: University Of Chicago Press “Jazz on the River is the first book of its kind . . . We are treated here to a heady mix of local history, riverboat mythology, trends in the making of jazz, and even biographies of its leading luminaries. This is a beautiful book full of color and detail.”— Thomas Brothers, Duke University Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times by Calvin R. Fremling Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press Immortal River is written for the educated lay-person who would like to know more about the river’s history and the forces that shape as well as threaten it today.
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America by John M. Barry Publisher: Simon & Schuster A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, winner of the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the Lillian Smith Award. Upper Mississippi River History: Fact-Fiction-Legend Paperback by Ron Larson Publisher: Steamboat Press “If you love River Lore, like we do, you will love this book. It has stories, pictures, and some real history.”— Amazon Customer Review
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Thank you for cruising with us! (800) 894-8570 www.americancruiselines.com
741 Boston Post Rd., Suite 200 Guilford, CT 06437 (800) 894-8570 111814