You're addressing the wrong person if you think I've
been praising the office staff while leaving out the
crew. For your information, I don't know most of the
repeaters posting on this board because the office
stuck it to me back in 1984, when they raised the
lowest share fare from $105 to $240 a night. I've taken
39 trips on the DQ, but they were from 73-83. I will be
taking one this October, as I booked to show my support
for the boats prior to the buyout, and I have 2 next
year. But after the initial lower prices, they have
gone up again and I don't see my retirement wages
funding many more cruises. HOWEVER, I have remained
loyal to the boats and crew - I don't know any of the
office staff now - and have followed the boats up and
down the UMR and at New Orleans, have run errands for
the crew, baked cookies, taken many pix of both boats
and crew(none of office personnel), etc. As a crew
member for 11 years on the Natchez, I am well-aware of
the flag of convenience and how it gouges American
shipping industry. I, as I'm sure most of the board
members know, that the 3 boats were doing well on their
own and that it was AMCV and their corporate greed
which screwed everything up. The river wasn't big
enough for them, they had to conquer the oceans too.
And when they had an ally in Sen. Trent Lott, who saw a
bonanza for his Mississippi shipyards, they went for
the bundle, the empty sack which we taxpayers are now
holding. As Franz said, the office thinks the crew is
unworthy, the crew thinks the office is unworthy.
Unfortunately it does take both to run a company and
boats. Years ago, the New Orleans Steamboat Co. hired
an accountant to run the office. He had words before a
Natchez cruise with the Chief Engineer and fired him on
the spot. Doc Hawley was Captain and told the
accountant to get the passengers off the boat, refund
their money, and tell them why the boat wasn't going on
this trip. The accountant didn't understand why the
boat couldn't go out....Doc explained that an engineer
was needed and he had just fired him.....needless to
say, the Engineer was rehired on the spot and that
accountant learned an on-the-job lesson about mar
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