by guest writers Chuck & Clarice Uken, Grand Rapids, Michigan
On our Grand Ohio River Cruise with American Cruise Line, I saw one of the senior staff give a gentle embrace to a sweet, white-haired gentleman who rested his head against her shoulder. This scene reminded me of an old-time gospel hymn, “Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast.” In this spirit and in accord with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) American Cruise Line makes ample provision to seniors who need wheel chairs, walkers and canes to get around. Port excursions and museum stops are for them too.
During the two weeks that my wife and cruised the Ohio River, we gained three or four pounds. The food was delicious. Dinner options in the dining hall always included fish, chicken, pork, beef and vegetarian entrées. These were preceded by an appetizer of soup or salad and followed with some dessert-pie, cake, ice cream. A more informal setting was offered on the fourth deck with cold-cuts, hamburgers or hotdogs. Mixed drinks were offered each afternoon and evening in the third-deck auditorium.
Evening entertainment was offered each evening, often by a guitar ensemble from town where our ship docked for the day. Other times enrichment speaker provided music and song with his guitar. Music offerings were popular favorites from the 1960s through the 80s. Once an illusionist presented a program.
We were on the boat for two Sundays, but a time-slot for a worship service was not offered. We have been on ocean cruises where nondenominational, guest-led, worship was scheduled for one of the lounges. The last cruise line we were on listed Sunday worship in the daily schedule of events at 7:00 a.m. Being a minister, I could have led a service. We met other guests who could have led as well, if given the opportunity. Of course, what is possible on a cruise with over 2,000 passengers may not be feasible on a river boat with a capacity of 180 passengers.
The cruise schedule followed a rhythm of a river cruising day followed by a day in port. In the afternoon of the cruising days, Jim our singer-speaker gave talks about river lore and local history of the area. We were introduced to life along the Ohio River during the post-Revolutionary War period. Topics ranged from river bandits to pioneering land settlers and city founders. The talks were accompanied by slides and maps. The inevitable question surfaced in my mind, “Why couldn’t high school history have been this interesting?”
In port four to six land excursions were always offered. All of them were either complementary included in the cruise price or required a nominal fee of $15 or $20. These were most popular and closed rather quickly, long before the cruise started. Those like us who ordered their cruise and put off signing up for land excursions till a couple weeks before sailing were out of luck.
Port excursions fell into two categories: first-class world-class museums and second-rate museums that drew visitors from the region. Here I reveal my own bias. What would I like to see if I were an international traveler? Museums in this first tier are the National Quilt Museum of Paducah, Kentucky; the Audubon Museum of Henderson, KY; the Kentucky Derby Museum and the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory Museum of Louisville, KY; the Underground Railway Museum of Cincinnati, Ohio; the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center of Maysville, KY, that featured a huge selection of doll houses with exquisite miniature rooms and furniture, and the Andy Warhol Museum of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. All of these merited more than the two hours allotted for our visit.
https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/Second-tier museums were worth the visit but we probably would have skipped them on a road trip since we’ve seen better examples elsewhere. For example, the Oglebay Institute Glass Museum and Factory of Wheeling, West Virginia paled in comparison to the Corning Glass Museum of Corning. NY and the Chihuly Garden and Glass of Seattle, Washington. Others would disagree with me, but I found the huge Antique Mall near the dock in Marietta, Ohio as interesting as the toy and doll museums that were offered.
A common excursion was the Local Loop, a bus route through the older, historic part of a town. A cruise bus generally made four stops at local tourist venues and museums. On these routes we could take in the museums that we found to be interesting and stay as long we wanted. A bus came by about every 15 to 20 minutes.
A museum worthy of note that ranked between the first and second tier museums was the Harriet Beecher Stowe Museum of Maysville, KY that featured the struggle for freedom from slavery that preceded and then followed the Civil War. It complemented the presentation of the Underground Railway Museum of Cincinnati, but lacked the finesse, the square footage and wealth.
Wheeling, West Virginia was an unscheduled stop because the city of Pittsburg did not want our tour boat to be docked near its Fourth of July Fireworks display. In Wheeling the barge where fireworks cannons were ignited was situated only a couple hundred yards away and were spectacular. Local people were gathered in the park next to our ship and were regaled by the local symphony orchestra playing mostly patriotic music some of which were accompanied by an opera singer. To fulfill its commitment to passengers the cruise line arranged for bus transport to the museums in Pittsburg.
Workers with American Cruises might have entertained the idea that they would see the sights of American. This is an illusion. Sight-seeing would be difficult considering their working conditions. Entry-level workers shared bunk beds in their rooms, had a healthy meal in a bowl, and worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for 28 weeks! Restaurant servers and housekeepers started with a wage of $10 per hour and could rise to $14 an hour towards the end of a contract. This seems very low, but this was take-home pay and did not have to cover travel to work, home, and meal expense. Some said, “I took this job so I could save money.” They came to the place in their young lives that they were aiming for something greater.
I would rate the service as good. Those in housekeeping and meal service always had a cheerful smile when interacting with us. They didn’t rush through the work, but often took time to converse with us. The accommodations were adequate and the beds were comfortable, with a couple of soft pillows and lovely white fluffy duvet covers. Each day our beds were made and the bathroom and shower cleaned. Towels that we left on the floor were replaced. Once, however, our housekeeper forgot to leave wash clothes and we had to specifically ask for them.
Wi-fi was available at all times, although it was slower than what we enjoy at home. Speed varied depending upon how many guests were in their room and not sleeping. A large-screen TV dominated the wall at the foot of our beds, but we shut it off and never turned it on again. Did the cruise use this to make announcements, and share schedules, and events? I don’t know. Was network TV programing available. I don’t know this either. I used my laptop for emails and network newsfeeds and programs.
The cruise line expected all passengers to use the cruise portal for the daily schedule of events. Some passengers were put off by this. In the introductory orientation session, one passenger said, “Why don’t we get a paper copy? I didn’t take my cellphone with me.” During the rest of the day, staff struggled to teach passengers (Remember, we are all old) how to download and then use the portal.
Some special conveniences that were offered were a weight room and an exercise room. There was also a walking track of ¼ mile on top of the boat, a shuffleboard, and cornhole game which could be used. On the second level, the guests were able to use three washers and dryers for no cost, also there were washing pods and dryer sheets available to those who needed them, also at no cost. Jigsaw puzzles and games were also available to those who enjoyed those activities. Each level had a lounge area where friends could gather and look out at the passing scenery.
The shower and the sink did not drain as quickly as they should. I told our housekeeper about this, but his cleaning of the shower never solved the problem. The next day, by happenstance, I happened to see the hotel manager and told her of the problem. Within 15 minutes someone was knocking on our door to clear the drains.
Discipline is strict. I heard of someone who left the boat after hours and returned drunk. He was promptly driven to the nearest airport where he could buy a ticket home with his own money. Workers have no time for tourism in their free time-tourist attractions are closed. However, they can leave the boat for a couple of hours to relax.
Was the Grand Ohio Cruise worth the money? I thought that it was expensive, but after getting back home, we got a brochure from another river cruise line. American Cruise Lines’ prices were competitive. The people we met on our cruise certainly thought so. We heard of one person who made over 30 cruises! At the bottom of our name tags a number, if any, showed the number of previous cruises that a person had made. Eight to fifteen cruises were common.
One inducement to continue cruising with American Cruise Lines was the offer of a 15-percent discount if someone signed up during a cruise. At the dinner table, a man from California said, “I have two condos. I’m seriously thinking of selling one and using that to cruise several times a year. For many river-cruising is a way to enrich their senior citizen living arrangement.
July 11, 2025
For more info go to American Cruise Lines.
