On Board American Melody

Our first cruise experience was last September on a land-sea excursion to Alaska. The cruise portion was 7 days on board the MS Holland America Noordam. 

We wanted a smaller cruise experience the next time. Even though it was a smaller ship, the MS Noordam had 986 staterooms with cabins spread across various categories, nearly 70% featuring private balconies, 16% ocean-view cabins, and the remainder were inside cabins. 

We wanted to explore U.S. waterways on the next cruise. Seeing ads for American Cruise Lines (ACL) riverboats, we booked a lower Mississippi riverboat trip on the American Melody (9 days/8 nights) for April from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN. Cruising was the slowest possible way to travel that distance, perfect for us.

Launched in 2021, the five-deck American Melody riverboat has 91 staterooms, all with private balconies and full-length sliding glass doors. It holds a max of 180 passengers (157 were on our cruise) and a crew of 40 to 50. Cabin types range from 250 square-foot, single-occupancy rooms to 650 square-foot Grand Suites. All staterooms feature modern amenities. The ACL motto is Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly. 

(Generally, a riverboat, ship, or boat is a vessel or craft., a distinction based on size: ships are large/ocean-going, while boats are smaller and suited for inland waters. A riverboat is classified as a boat, river cruiser, barge, or ferry.)

ACL currently operates a fleet of over 20 modern riverboats that cruise in 35 states on boats US-owned and built and crewed with U.S. citizens. The fleet includes riverboats, paddle wheelers and coastal cats, covering major rivers and coastlines from Alaska to Florida visiting over 150 domestic ports yearly. Founded in 1972 by Charles A. and Carol Robertson, the boats are built in Salisbury, MD, at Chesapeake Shipbuilding. (The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a federal statute that requires specific construction and crew stipulations for goods transported by water between U.S. ports. It supports the domestic maritime industry for national security and economic purposes and defines certain seaman's rights.)

We preferred an all-adult cruise and the guest mix aboard American Melody fit perfectly. Many, like ourselves, were in their 70s, others in their 80s and one passenger celebrated his 94th birthday on board. We talked to other passengers who had traveled extensively and now wanted to avoid a lengthy flight or had mobility issues that made travel challenging. (River cruises in the U.S. must follow requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but that's not the case abroad.) We met folks from California (highest number) Texas, Oregon and Florida, and also the UK and Australia, but none from NH.

American Melody has several lounges, a fitness center, large dining room, café for casual dining, sun deck, library, laundry room and a four-story glass atrium in the center of the ship. The top deck has a sun deck and walking track. What you won't find are casinos, buffets, gift shop, photographers, pools, large crowds and no formal nights, the emphasis is on relaxation and enjoyment.

The riverboat's bow opens for passengers to walk on and off

The riverboat’s flipped-up bow looks like large jaws which open to extend a walkway for passengers to get off and on off. At some docks, there was the usual gangplank, sometimes quite long. The riverboat stows golf carts onboard to help disabled passengers. Mississippi riverboats have unique challenges; however, with its shallow draft and unique bow, American Melody can dock where other boats could have issues. ACL claims that its riverboats have never missed a scheduled sailing due to low water depth. 

At docks where the bow opening could not be used there was a gangplank

ACL includes a complimentary pre-cruise hotel overnight in the departure city. This ensures that passengers have time to get to the departure destination. A designated ACL coach transports everyone to the riverboat the next morning.

Our New Orleans visit was too short to really see the sights

Our cruise departed from New Orleans, LA. Unfortunately, we had less than 24 hours in a city renowned for music and food. We did venture to the French Quarter and Café du Monde, the legendary home of the classic beignet. This square piece of dough is fried, covered with powdered sugar and served in orders of three.

Beignets at Café du Monde in the French Quarter were a must taste

Based on 2026 data, ACL boasts some of the largest average staterooms in the cruise industry, particularly within the small ship and river cruise markets. When we arrived at the riverboat, our stateroom was ready. The luggage had been delivered, there were no boarding lines, lunch was being served in the dining room. 

Our veranda stateroom on American Melody was about 320 square feet

Located on Deck 2, our stateroom had a king-side bed, four pillows, nightstands and lamps on both sides, chairs, large flat screen TV (movies, ship info, selected news channels), dresser with plentiful drawer space, closet, vanity/desk and Keurig coffee maker. There were enough electric outlets so we could both charge cellphones and other devices. The bathroom had a shower (no bath), towels, shampoo, lotion, soaps with room for personal toiletries Our room was a short walk from the two elevators, stairs were always an option. 

Lifejackets were tried on as part of shipboard safety

After lunch, the first thing we were instructed to do was watch a ship safety video on the TV and also to take out the lifejackets and practice putting them on.

Here's an exploration of other areas onboard the American Melody should you be considering a riverboat cruise at some future date and even, if not.

The River Lounge hosts entertainment enrichment talks and cocktail hour 

River Lounge - Located on Deck 3 forward, this large lounge at the ship’s bow, serves as the ship's entertainment center where daily enrichment programs by the resident historian, Jim Schweickart. In addition, the cruise director gave rundowns of the next day’s events titled, Chart Your Course. This preview was useful and well attended. With no theater on board, the crew was kept busy arranging and rearranging chairs for different River Lounge uses like trivia challenges, cocktail hour and evening entertainment.

The Sky Lounge has outdoor and indoor dining areas

Sky Lounge - This lounge on Deck 4 of the American Melody is a popular, aft-located indoor venue that offers scenic panoramic views, bar and 24-hour snacks. It serves as a casual spot with floor-to-ceiling windows, freshly baked cookies and access to the outdoor Back Porch Café. The indoor space has tables for indoor breakfast and lunch.

The captain met with passengers on scheduled pilothouse tours

Pilothouse/Wheelhouse - The fore-located Navigation Bridge (pilothouse or wheelhouse on riverboats) on the American Melody is located at the forward end of Deck 4 near the Sky Lounge (observation deck). It's has open viewing. We took a scheduled tour that let guests see the navigation bridge and talk to the captain.

An open airspace for and walking track was on the Sun Deck

Sun Deck - Deck 5 is a top-level, open-air space designed for panoramic river views, with padded loungers, sofa, deckchairs, shaded seating and a walking track. It also includes a putting green, shuffleboard, and tables for socializing. A 360-degree walking track circles the deck giving high-point views of the Mississippi River scenery including many heavily laden barges pushed by tow boats. Heavy industry tended to dominate the shoreline. There's no elevator access which is by stairways from the Sky Lounge, Deck 4.

The Mississippi River is one of the world's most vital commercial waterways, serving as a primary freight artery for the U.S.. Annually, it transports over 500 million tons of goods — grain, coal, and petroleum, connecting the Midwest to global markets via Gulf of Mexico America ports. It's essential for agricultural exports and handles some 60% of U.S. grain exports. Don't expect to see any nice blue water as the Mississippi River is famously known as the Big Muddy with its water carrying high loads of sediment, particularly after joining the Missouri River. The river is heavily polluted, mostly by agricultural runoff, industrial waste and urban sewage, earning it distinction as America's most endangered rivers. 

The Dining Room offered a varied meal selection daily

Dining - Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the single dining room with no assigned seating. Menus had several meal options with a vegetarian choice at dinner. Seafood was fresh, never frozen, and delivery trucks waited at some ports. Lunch and dinner included complimentary soft drinks wine, beer, mixed drinks. While not gourmet, meals were good. If a selected dinner wasn't to your liking, you could request another choice. Half portions were also available. The service staff, young enough to be everyone's grandchildren, were helpful and did their best to serve everyone quickly. Passengers usually lingered after the end of dinner hour to continue their conversations over dessert and coffee which was never a problem. 

The Back Porch Café  offered casual breakfast and lunch choices

A more casual breakfast and lunch was served in the open-air Back Porch Café off the Deck 4 Sky Lounge. Breakfast featured a daily sandwich, pastries, yogurt, fruit, smoked salmon, bagels Lunch included hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wrap, soup, tortilla chips and salsa and ice cream bars. 

Cocktail hour was a popular daily event in the River Lounge

It's 5:30 pm Somewhere - That was cocktail hour time which was held daily in the River Lounge where hors d-oeuvres and cocktails were offered with a selection of cheeses, fruit, dips and crackers. This event was always well attended. 

Snacks were available 24 hours a day, in the Sky and River Lounges. The setup included self-serve treats such as assorted nuts, cookies and snack bars, coffee and tea. A self-serve fridge had a selection of soft drinks, fruit drinks and water.

Entertainment - As mentioned earlier, there's no theater onboard and no resident group of entertainers or musicians. Evening shows were held in the River Lounge and local musicians boarded at dock stops. These 8:30 pm shows could be watched in the comfort of your stateroom, which did that as we had been on at least two excursions each day. Onboard afternoon activities included trivia games and Two Truths and One Lie in which passengers shared three things about themselves. The challenge was to figure out which were true or false. This proved challenging at times as there were some very interesting folks on our cruise.

The Game Room and Quiet Lounges

During the day, passengers could relax in the game and quiet lounges and either play games, read or work on jigsaw puzzles. At least two 1,000-piece puzzles were solved during the cruise by fellow passengers.

ACL has three coaches that followed the riverboat cruise by a land route

ACL cruise coaches are easy to spot with red, white and blue logos. Three coaches would follow a ground route to ensure that transportation was always at a dock stop. These coaches were comfortable with complimentary bottles of water always provided. They had front seats set aside for disabled passengers. Wheelchairs and walkers were stowed in the under-bus luggage compartment.

Shore Excursions - Many are included in the cruise itinerary with choices for various ports. Infomation on the onboard ACL app gave the length and “Physical Activity Level” for every excursion, low, moderate or high physical activity. There was a choice of complimentary (free) shore excursions plus premium ones (extra cost.) We scheduled many complimentary ones ahead of time, often two each port and were never disappointed. The most costly premium was a day visit to Graceland with lunch at $195/person. We passed on this one, no offense to The King.

Local tour guides would board the coaches to provide information

Some excursions offered a hop-on, hop-off cruise coach loop ride to showcase an area. A local guide would board to describe the sights and share area history. The cruise coach would return every half hour to pick up passengers for other stops or to return to the boat.

The Cochon De Lait lunch featured a roasted suckling pig (not shown)

A and delicious complimentary excursion was the Cochon De Lait Experience near St. Francisville, LA. We boarded the coach for a ride to a true Louisiana treat. This meal involves roasting a young pig on an open hardwood fire. Lunch included pork, Louisiana boudin (pronounced Boo-Dan), potato salad, green beans, salad, bread, sauces, beer, wine and soft drinks. Louisiana boudin is a cooked sausage made from pork meat and rice with vegetables and seasonings, stuffed in a natural pork casing. During lunch, Cajun music was provided by local musicians.

Disembarkation - Leaving the American Melody was as uncomplicated as embarking. The crew made the process as convenient as possible despite the unexpected steady rain on the last day. Many fellow passengers shared that they had booked their next cruise onboard.

Included in Cruise Costs - ACL doesn’t nickel and dime passengers as we've heard other cruise lines often do for services like wi-fi, laundry and drink packages. These are all included in the fare as are meals (no specialty restaurants), gratuities for ship staff, pre-cruise hotel stay, complimentary shore excursions. 

The Viking riverboat, Mississippi, was docked nearby on our cruise

With the failure of American Queen Voyages in February 2024, the Viking Mississippi is ACL’s competition on the Mississippi River. It's larger and carries 386 guests on a 450-foot vessel with a crew of 143 and was designed to operate on the Upper and Lower Mississippi River. Viking is expanding its U.S. presence. Ships that operate on U.S. rivers are being built in U.S. shipyards, crewed by U.S. citizens and legally owned by a U.S. company to comply with the 1923 Merchant Marine Act.

We have no plans to go on a Viking cruise in the U.S. as the ships are larger and costs are not all-inclusive. We had a great time on the American Melody and took advantage of a 15% onboard promo. In October, we'll cruise the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the American Song. Next Spring, we hope to cruise the Great Lakes.

Mississippi River sunset viewed on the cruise

If you suspect that we've become hooked on riverboat cruising, you wouldn't be far off in that assumption. In the future, we hope to cruise European rivers.

Friday Funnies

Welcome to a brand new month and the first Friday Funny of May. 

This post is about a little yellow bug that I saw this week in the mill apartments parking lot. 

It's one that is instantly recognized by most people.

The Volkswagen Beetle, officially Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced rom 1938 to 2003 by German company Volkswagen. A global cultural icon known for its bug-like design, it's regarded as one of the most influential cars of the 20th century and its 65-year production period is the longest for any single generation of automobile. More than 21 million were made in over 20 locations worldwide. It's the best-selling car of a single platform (based on one core engineering design, chassis, and drivetrain) in auto history.

Did you know?

Béla Barényi & Ferdinand Porsche

That Volkswagen was established in 1937 Berlin by the Nazi Party's German Labour Front as part of the Strength Through Joy program. In the early 1930s, most Germans could not afford anything more than a motorcycle, only one German out of 50 owned a car. Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, decided there was a need for a simple, mass-produced car for the country's new road network. 

In the early 1930s, German engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his design team started design and development of the car. The fundamental design has been attributed to a Hungarian engineer Béla Barényi as early as 1925, predating Porsche and his 1927 design was created 10 years before the car went into production.

Volkswagen initially slated production for the late 1930s. The 1939 outbreak of WW II delayed that until the war's end. Originally the Volkswagen Type 1, it was marketed as Volkswagen. In 1955, Volkswagen recognized Barényi as the intellectual father of the Beetle. The car became known as the Beetle in 1968.

Today, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day honoring labor movements and worker solidarity globally. In many countries, i's a national public holiday, also celebrated as May Day, a traditional spring festival with maypole dancing and flowers. In 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated it as a Catholic feast day for St. Joseph the Worker, patron saint of workers and craftsmen. Some countries, U.S. and Canada, celebrate Labor Day on other dates.

Now, you and I know the rest of the story.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're leaving on a 3-state road trip to visit family & friends

Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah

This post was planned for after we had attended a cheerleading competition of our oldest granddaughter's. However, illness and then our riverboat cruise happened, so it lingered in draft form. It's been reworked now that I'm recovered and we're home.

At the end of March, we attended the 18th Annual New England Interscholastic Spirit Championship held at Worcester State University, MA. This all-day event featured top high school teams from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The college gymnasium was packed with family and friends cheering the teams.

While our granddaughter's team performed very well, unfortunately they did not garner a top award. However, they made it through quite an elimination process of competing in prior events to win a spot at this event. This was our first time attendance at a cheerleading competition, and I wanted to learn more about the sport.

Many programs and organizations now use the term cheer teams or simply cheer instead of cheerleading teams to reflect a shift towards focusing on high-energy, technical performance, and competitive athletics. While the term cheerleading is common, especially for traditional sideline roles, modern competitive teams identify as competitive cheer.

Sideline cheerleading supports sports teams (football/basketball) and promotes school spirit and engaging crowds at games. It's more about community and entertainment. Performers are called cheerleaders. Cheerleading originated in Britain and spread to the U.S. where it remains most common. It has also become popular in Europe, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Asia.

Competitive cheer is a judged, technical sport focused on intense short routines of stunts, tumbling and dance against other teams. It's about athletic prowess and scoring with year-round training involving rigorous tumbling, complex stunting, pyramids and dance routines. All of which we saw at the March competition. The high school participants were amazing.

Cheerleading started on the idea  that cheering before spectators in the stands would boost school spirit and improve team performance. Since then, it has become an All-Star sport of its own. Cheer teams in middle and high schools, colleges, youth leagues and athletic associations enter annual competitions for prizes and trophies. There is professional and All-Star cheerleading with an estimated 3.5 million cheerleaders in the U.S. alone, not including dance team members, gymnasts and other affiliated participants raising that number to over 5 million. Who knew?

Background of Cheerleading

Cheerleading dates to the 1860s in Great Britain when students would chant in unison to support their favorite athletes. It migrated to the U.S. in the 1880s to university football games. Cheerleading started as an elite male activity at Ivy League schools where cheerleaders were known as “yell leaders" who led cheers from the sidelines to encourage spectators and as a form of crowd control. 

Princeton University male cheerleaders (Internet source)

In 1884, Princeton University in our home state of NJ, started the first known organized, rhythmic crowd cheers to boost school spirit at football games. This cheer known as the Locomotive Cheer is still used today at Princeton. It was used during the first intercollegiate football game against Rutgers on November 6, 1869. 

Ray, Ray, Ray!

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger!

Sis, Sis, Sis!

Boom, Boom, Boom

Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!

The phrase is echoic (repeating sounds/words heard) imitating the "sis" (hiss) of a rocket, the "boom" of a firework exploding, and the "bah" (or "aah") of the crowd’s reaction. The timeless, energetic cheer is still used in school sports, camp activities and popular culture to represent cheering on a team.

Johnny Campbell

A decade later, Princeton graduate and pep club member Thomas Peebles brought organized cheerleading to the University of Minnesota. 

On November 2, 1898, a University of Minnesota student, Johnny Campbell, led an organized cheer at a football game between Minnesota and  Northwestern University won by Minnesota 17-6. While the earlier Princeton cheers used Ray, Ray, Ray, the shift to Rah, Rah, Rah became the standard for yell leaders. 

The 1898 game was notable for being the very first instance of organized cheerleading, led by Campbell and is often cited as the birth of collegiate cheerleading. In 1903, the University of Minnesota organized the Gamma Sigma the first cheer fraternity of yell leaders as cheerleaders were called back then under the belief that louder shouts could help determine a game's outcome. Yell leaders usually used a megaphone. However, it wasn't until later that it became a popular accessory in cheerleading along with pom-poms.

Cheerleading Becomes Female-Dominated 

Cheerleading was male-dominated until the 1920s. The University of Minnesota was  the first to allow women a cheerleading squad in 1923. They wore ankle-length skirts and varsity sweaters. Minnesota continued to lead the sport of cheer into widespread popularity. Female cheer squads began to include gymnastics, dance and other showy stunts into routines. In the 1930s, cheers included the use of paper pom-poms (vinyl ones began inl 1965). By the1940s, mainly women were leading cheers.

In the 1920s, cheerleading was an extracurricular activity for boys in high schools, colleges, and communities across the country, related to but distinct from other spirit programs such as marching bands, drum corps and drill teams. As school and community ambassadors, cheerleaders were associated with character-building traits such as discipline, cooperation, leadership and sportsmanship. 

Many schools didn't have co-ed squads until the 1940’s, mostly due to the onset of WW II. As more males were being drafted, it  gave females to join the sport and they now dominate it.

Early University of Minnesota female cheerleaders (Internet source)

In 1948, Lawrence Herkimer, referred to as the grandfather of modern cheerleading, founded the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and led cheer workshops. The first one held that year had over 50 attendees and grew to 350 the following year. By the 1950s, most high schools had a cheerleading team. Herkimer began  teaching basic partner stunts, jumps, and crowd-leading techniques countrywide. Similar organizations started to conduct training camps regionally and nationally.

1972 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Smithsonian Museum)

By the 1960s, most U.S. high schools and colleges had cheerleaders. Around the same time, professional cheerleading was introduced in the National Football League. in 1954, the Baltimore (now Indiana) Colts created the first official NFL cheerleading team. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders debuted in the 1972-73 season and affectionately called America's Sweethearts they changed cheerleading as a profession.

The Universal Cheerleaders Association was created in 1974 to provide educational training for college and high school cheer squads. 

In the 1980s, modern cheerleading began with flashy dance routines and gymnastics stunts. By 1997, cheerleading was recognized as an independent sport attracting national attention. It wasn't until 1999 that the sport of cheerleading met with official approval. Routines became showier with more complex moves. Cheer squads did more than just encourage crowd participation, they were a sport all their own. 

Cheerleading organizations began to regulate moves and emphasize safety. In 2003, a national council was formed to offer safety workshops to cheerleading squads and their coaches, and today the National Collegiate Athletic Association mandates that college cheer coaches complete official safety courses.

Today, cheerleading is one of the most popular activities across the U.S. with over 3 million cheerleaders participating in youth, all star and school cheer. The sport has gone from simple cheers to include complex gymnastics, acrobatics and dance.

High school cheerleading competitions are judged based on a factors including difficulty, execution, and technique in stunts, pyramids, tumbling, jumps and dance, crowd appeal and showmanship usually within a 2-3 minute routine. Judges use a score sheet to award points for skills performed, separate deductions judges subtract points for rule violations, falls, or timing errors. Male and female high school cheerleaders participated in the competition we attended.

Four U.S. Presidents Cheered

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. President,  was a cheerleader for Harvard College from 1900 to 1903 and later attended Columbia Law School. 

The 34th U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, cheered for West Point Academy. Before being elected, he was a five-star general in the U.S. Army and served during WW I and II. 

These former U.S. Presidents were cherleaders

The 40th U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, was a cheerleader at Eureka College where he studied sociology and economics. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, 1937 to 1945.

George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President, was the head cheerleader at Phillips Academy his senior year of high school in the 1960s. Bush attended Yale from 1964-68, where he was also a cheerleader.

Celebrity Cheerleaders

Presidents weren't the only famous people who participated in high school or college cheerleading. A lot of other well known folks did as well.

Some celebrities who were former cheerleaders

Some of these have included Jimmy Stewart, Steve Martin, Sandra Bullock, Kelly Ripa, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry, Dakota Fanning, Madonna Jessica Simpson, Steve Martin, Meryl Strep, Katie Couric, Chrissy Teigen, Samuel L. Jackson, Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, Kirstie Alley, Paula Abdul, Miley Cyrus, Blake Lively, Lindsay Lohan, Rachel Ray and Diane Sawyer.

The Technicolor 1947 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film, Good News was based on the 1927 stage production of the same name. It starred June Allyson, Peter Lawford and Mel Tormé. The screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green was directed by Charles Walters. The setting is 1927 at fictional Tait College, where football and cheerleading are the rage. The film was a box office disappointment, but featured some fun song and dance scenes.

Since then, there's been more films that feature cheerleaders ranging from competitive high school dramas to comedies and thrillers. The Bring It On franchise is the most prominent with films Bring It On (2000), Fired Up! (2009), Sugar & Spice (2001), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), and All Cheerleaders Die (2001). None are on my viewing list.

Oldest granddaughter (third from left) with teammates

Granddaughter, mom and grandfather

Cheerleading is over for our granddaughter this year, but if she participates in competitions next year, we're planning to watch her and her teammates perform. 

Your Turn — Did you ever cheer on your high school or college school team ?

Organizing photos from a trip always takes time, so ones from our Mississippi River cruise are on temporary hold. We're going on a road trip for a graduation and to visit family and friends in RI, NJ and PA the end of this week. I hope to get a trip post done before then.

Friday Funnies

Bad parking habits apparently are not limited to drivers here in New England as this photo was taken in LA, that's the state, not the California city.

Perhaps those who drive luxury vehicles, like this Mercedes feel they have special parking privileges? However, I'm fairly certain that blocking a pedestrian walkway isn't one of these.

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my earlier post about damaged luggage and the loss of costly socks. There's been a good ending. Allianz, travel insurance company, covered the full cost of the luggage (always good to save receipts) and Darn Tough replaced the three pairs of lost socks at no cost. You can be assured this is one company that will always have my business in the future. However, Delta Airlines is definitely not on my favorites list. 

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

It's good to be home, despite the chilly and rainy weather forecast

Hope you will enjoy a nicer week ahead in your area

Only One Mishap

We're home from cruisin' on the Mississippi River and it was in a word, wonderful aside from one incident on the return home.

Hands down, this adventure is one of the best we've experienced in the U.S. without the need to do any driving or changing hotels. Granted this was not the fastest way to travel from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN, but it was the most relaxing. 

The American Melody riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines

We traveled on the American Melody riverboat operated by American Cruise Lines (ACL).  It holds up to 180 passengers, but there were only 157 on this trip. By the time we docked in TN, we had dined with most of these fellow travelers and knew them by their first names. On a small ship, you also quickly learn the names of the crew members.

The distance in land miles from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN, is about 395 miles. The total driving time is 5 hours, 42 minutes. Taking a bus or a train, this time would expand to about 8 hours and 45 minutes.

Buses identical to this one travel on roads following the riverboat route

Traveling on the river took 8 days to cover the distance, so this is definitely the slowest way to go between these cities. There were several in port days and one full day of just river cruisin' on the Mississippi. Land excursions were done on tour buses operated by ACL. At least 3 buses would travel by land and meet the boat at the port stops. We took many of the complimentary excursions, there were several to choose from in every port.

The weather was perfect which made up for the snowy start on April 7 when we left NH. We had rain-free days with daytime temperatures in the mid to high 70s and no rain except on embarkation day. Although the ship's crew covered passenger's luggage with tarps, it was definitely the worst weather for such a task.

There was a slight hiccup to the trip, unfortunately one which was all too familiar to me — damaged luggage. This happened in October 2024 trip after our Tuscany trip finding when we arrived at Logan Airport in Boston my suitcase had been being badly damaged (photo at left of the actual damage).

Fast forward a couple of years later to this trip with replacement soft-sided luggage an identical piece, different color, same brand, (American Tourister). But, this time, the damage wasn't different. There were security locks on three zippered compartments. The bottom (largest) largest one had both the lock and two side zippers missing. Unfortunately, this wide open compartment resulted in the loss of three pairs of recently-purchased, costly socks, the most valuable things stored there, aside from some other way-less-costly items. which did not go missing.

The arrows above indicate where the zippers were on each side of the luggage. These zippers had been locked at the top with a lock like the one below.

So how did the lock and both zippers go missing? That's a very good question and one which we still can't figure out. The lock was a TSA-approved one which means it could be unlocked without a forcible removal.

A word of advice here — if your luggage is damaged on a trip do not hesitate to file a baggage claim at the airport. Be insistent, no matter what you might be told by someone in baggage claim or how long it will take. It will save you a lot of time later if your luggage is damaged or items go missing. And, be sure to save receipts when and if you buy new luggage as proof or purchase will be needed when filing a claim. Saving airline receipts would also be helpful. 

I neglected to file a claim at the airport even though I showed the damage to baggage claim folks. They were not the least concerned with one telling me that the broken zipper wasn't the airlines responsibility.

It darn well is their responsibility and, while I inherently knew that, there's no good reason for my failure to insist action be taken. We were exhausted from a long trip home with an airport transfer and 30 minute gate delay, also a pickup driver was waiting. So at 10 pm, I was too tired to pursue the matter. That was a BIG mistake that won't be repeated if a similar incident happens on future travels (hopefully not).

Once you have left the airport, It's not possible to file a baggage claim report. At the time, I was unaware that the 3 pairs of socks had escaped from the unzippered compartment. I learned that sad fact when unpacking Sunday a.m.

Contacting Delta Airlines by texting with several representatives was a futile effort. Despite their empathy with my situation, it was made clear that in lieu of not having filed a claim at the airport, nothing else could be done from their end. I did mention the baggage claim folks attitudes and filed a complaint, but really do not expect anything more to happen.

Yes, we did have travel insurance with Allianz insurance and a claim was filed today, but only for the luggage damage. The travel insurance provider will always want to know if a claim had been filed with the airlines as that's usually the first step. In the online form, I explained that no claim had been filed and why.

Why not file a claim for the socks?

The 3 pairs of Open Wide socks, a subsidiary of Darn Tough Vermont were among six pairs bought before the trip at a lofty cost of $20 each. Yes, that's expensive, but after years of going through many brands and not being comfortable, I took the plunge based on the fact that these socks come in wide sizes and have a lifetime warranty. If they wear out, you can request a replacement pair after filing a claim and returning them.

My original order included duplicates of these 3 colors

I called the company to share the plight of the recent purchase made a week before our departure. You can order online or call to place an order without going through an automated system and you connect to a human being — imagine that !

After explaining what happened, the customer representative said that an exception would be made and the socks would be replaced at no additional cost — happy day after the Delta Airlines run around and I ordered two additional pairs. This is an unabashed plug for the company, I'll admit. However, wearing the socks and also receiving such great customer service I would highly recommend their products to anyone who values foot comfort, well fitting socks. All their products are made from Merino wool in the U.S. and right here in New England.

Today, I filed an online baggage claim with the travel insurance provider, less the sock replacement. I should receive a claim determination within 2 weeks or less. Thankfully, we have no long-distance travel plans until fall, which gives me time to shop for replacement luggage, if necessary.

As usual, there's a lot of photos to sort through, plus the next week or so will be spent catching up on matters here at home. That's why blog reading/commenting will be a bit slow for the next couple of weeks. As much as I enjoy the blogging community, at times, life has other priorities.

This river cruise was a great first experience. We're happy to be home until the next river cruise. An onboard offer of 15% off a future cruise booked while onboard was too tempting not to resist, so we didn't. This October we'll riverboat cruise with ACL and explore the Pacific Northwest on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. We have one more far-off adventure before then in early fall, details shared later.

Your turn — ever have luggage damaged on a trip, if so what did you do?

Friday Funnies

It's time for another round of vanity plates and here's a couple for which no explanation is needed.

And how about . . .

As a NJ native, I would definitely not want to be on the same road as this driver. According to a 2025 report, states with the worst drivers are North Dakota, New Jersey and Utah.

We are driving to our home state in early May on a family visit, and hopefully this driver will remain here in NH.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're still cruisin' on the Mississippi River