1980s Bob Mills - Mississippi Queen Steamboat

foreign flight from San Diego a few pages turned in the old history book and I stepped back over a hundred years to Mark Twain's life on the Mississippi except this up-to-date Stern wheeler was commissioned only three years ago in 1976 the Mississippi Queen combines the graciousness of the golden Steamboat ERA with the comfort and convenience of a modern cruise ship but all the sounds and excitement of a circus are there when she casts off including the world's largest steam calliope I'll tell you it's a bit of a thrill to be among the 350 passengers aboard when this Majestic lady heads out into the mainstream of Old Man River here we go with our own swimming pool gym sauna a movie theater terrific live entertainment bands and shows bars and restaurants [Music] you can even take an elevator to the deck your stateroom is on the price of these three four or seven day cruises depends on your accommodations they range from around a hundred dollars per person per day for a room like this to over double that amount for the large Suites a travel agent is the person to call for more details my state room even had a private Veranda where you could step out and feel the breeze and it's a lot of fun to watch the changing Shoreline as you go cruising down the river people to write about Steamboat and being a romantic page out of a past history I halfway expect to see old Finn and Tom Sawyer on a raft or whatever the shore but there's a lot more to do aboard this grand lady than just your watch like singing along with Vic Tucker in the gang in the Paddle Wheel Lounge [Music] here oh man give yourselves a round of applause but most of us out versus they even have their own Mardi Gras parade that you can join and there's somebody aboard who'll help you with a costume in the winter months this gorgeous panel wheeler and her sister ship the Delta Queen start and end in New Orleans but cruise to Baton Rouge visit the historic Antebellum Mansions of Natchez and the famous Battlefield sites of Vicksburg or perhaps a shorter trip to the bayous and plantations of the Deep South they sometimes have movie stars like June Allison or Van Johnson aboard with their Classic Hollywood films or the big bands of Duke Ellington or Bob Crosby and in the summer it's all the way up to St Louis Minneapolis-St Paul Cincinnati and even Pittsburgh Cruise fares always include all your meals and the dining room menu is something to behold Kentucky smoked ham with red eye gravy Steamboat rounds of beef Southern Fried Chicken Louisiana shrimp creole and Arkansas fried catfish no wonder they call these the only cruises with a view of America and let me tell you neighbor I never see enough of this beautiful land of ours and although you'd have to totally disregard the truth to call me a musician when I love a place I learned to play a song about it well the news this is Bob Mills tooting Along on Old Man River aboard the Mississippi Queen take it away Jazzy [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]