The 75% All New Trip! - All done! Bonus Material finished, Link to new TR!

[skier_pete]

Enjoying the heck out of your TR so far. Looks like a cool trip. Doesn't surprise me it's mostly seniors - they are typically the ones with the time and money for these types of trips. Vicksburg doesn't look all that exciting, but it IS interesting seeing the history of the Mississippi and the riverboats.

Too bad about Jim and Alberto being delayed, but at least it seems like you won't have that bungalow all to yourselves! We are strongly considering a Universal trip early next year. (Not the whole week at Universal, but a "no Disney" trip.)

 

[Pinkocto]

Oh my goodness, that was stressful just reading about the last minute changes, let alone having to do all that work to fix them! Awesome that your Universal hotel was refundable. Sad that they're going to miss the Universal plans though.

What dates are you going to be there? I thought I asked this but can't find where I did or that you responded. I'm taking mom on an impromptu Mother's Day trip May 4-9, will we overlap at all?

 

[Flossbolna]

Wow! I think you are dealing quite well with your friend's last minute attitude!! I would slowly pull all my hair out of my head in a similar situation! What a relieve that the room deposit was refundable...

I have also been meaning to comment on your last update about the Mississippi history. I am currently reading a book about the year 1927, it is non-fiction. And a big topic in there is the flood of 1927 and what it caused, not only with regard to water damage, but also giving Hoover the push to raise to where he got to. Besides the flood it is also about Charles Lindbergh's first transatlantic flight and a lot of other things. I find it quite fascinating and it does exist as an audio book: http://www.amazon.com/One-Summer-Am...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1460747608&sr=1-1

 

[dhorner233]

Wow! I'm impressed with your ability to handle last minute adjustments to your plans! I'm like you, I want everything planned out 3 months in advance! I savor the anticipation. Sometimes the anticipation is better than the actual act. Ever read the Tao of Pooh? One of my favorite books!!

 

[rentayenta]

Ugh on the flight/room headache. Glad it's going to work out but I feel ya, I try to have everything set as well ahead of time.

 

[franandaj]

I enjoyed the history lesson, thank you! I'm learning all sorts of new things from your and Corinna's TRs. Too funny the maze getting out of that art park.

Well there are more lessons coming...this was a rather educational trip!

I'm confused though, currently there is a football stadium being washed away every hour? Even with the changes they made?

The changes help the cities up stream, but Captain Oblivious got it right, the river is more streamlined so that the water moves faster and at the mouth of the river it is eroding the banks.

Mom would love that coffee machine.

I really liked it!

Don't think so. Just lumps.
Looked horrible.
But people were greedily scooping it up, so...

There are lots of variations on Biscuits and Gravy, some are better than others. I would encourage you to try it at some point. If you have it from a place that serves good ones, Biscuits and Gravy are quite good.

That's not so bad then.
Otherwise it'd drive me nuts and probably ruin the whole vibe of the trip.

You could have just gone to a different bar that had better music. Besides he only did 45 minute sets from 5:30-6:15 and then another later one after the first dinner seating. I don't think I went there every night. Maybe every other.

I don't want to get like that.
Really.

I would hope that none of us wants to get like that. However, I found so many folks who were just pushy and not willing to wait. Not that everyone was like that, but there were enough

That's nothing!

I used to drive longer than that for my daily commute, when I had a job.

Not a bad gig.
At least it sounds like it.

According to the bus driver we talked to, they did this 10 1/2 months a year, then got six weeks off while the boat goes in drydock. I would imagine they get days off, which is why I suspect there are a couple more drivers than total buses.

Now that's... weird.
I never thought about that.
You always see on TV and movies these steamboats loaded with people.
But you're absolutely right!

They said in the early days they would fill the boat's with cotton on the decks and anywhere else they could stuff it. Passengers would just sleep out on the decks as it was until the later boats of the Victorian era that they became fashionable methods of transportation.

Oh, okay. That makes sense.

When we checked in for the voyage Monday morning at the hotel, that was your last chance to make any changes to your dining arrangements.

See, that's the last thing I think of.
I always give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they've joined the 20th (now 21st!) century.

I never used to think about it until I met Fran, in the beginning she went there a lot. Now neither of us think about it much, but after a couple nights of the cold shoulder and only to us, I couldn't think of anything else that differentiated from anyone else.

Oh, geez. I'm such a doofus.
I never even thought of that.

I really need to get out on a cruise some day.
Any cruise.

Actually we have paddlewheel tours here.
But they only last a few hours.
And the boat's nothing like that one.
Umm... I think two decks? Maybe three?
It's been a while.

I love that Disney Cruises have so many photo opportunities, with and without characters. Evidently many of the other sea going cruise lines do as well. I realize it's a money maker, but I like to come back from vacation with some group photos!

Multiple night cruises are the best, especially when you have a while to settle in and get a groove. I've found that 7 nights is good, but I've never been on a longer cruise.

That was... nice? Or disconcerting?

For that first morning I was a little disconcerted. I didn't realize we were going to hit our destinations in the middle of the night. But I got used to it.

Not a coffee drinker myself, but I certainly get how that'd be a good thing.

On Disney Cruises they charge you $3-4 for one of those!

That ramp doesn't look much easier to navigate than the hose it's for.

Yeah she got up and walked over the hose and I picked up her scooter and maneuvered it over the hose manually.

Better down than up.
Unless..... "Brakes! Fran! Use your braaaaaaakes!!!"

The scooter has no breaks!

You had me at the bennies.

They always win for me!

Is she the one in yellow or pink?

In pink and her husband is the guy in the salmon colored Polo shirt and sporting the shiny dome cut.

Oddly enough, that's how they look, too.

The eggs looked a little funny. Like they used an odd shaped mold to poach them.

Nice that you only need to be back 30 minutes prior.

We were always back well in advance of sail time except once.

Why? Too steep at times?

Mostly the problem was a very severe angle at the crest of the ramp. She was afraid that she would "bottom out" if she rode over the top of the ramp. So she would get off and let me walk it over the top.

Interesting. We have one of those as well.
Pretty much the entire city was underwater in 1950.

That's crazy! What river is near Winnipeg?

That would've been interesting. I think I would've done that one.

It was probably small and wouldn't have taken very long, but unless I have a strong desire to do something, I usually let Fran decide. She says she does that for me, but I'm not sure she realizes how much of her stuff we really do. She wasn't interested once she saw the store front, so I went along with it. Besides we did a lot of standing and reading at the River Museum.

What was your overall impression of the town?

It seemed quaint and stuck in the 50's from what I saw. I imagine farther from the river you would find all the 21st century plagues like fast food, chain megastores and the like.

Ah. I was wondering about that.

They really had this touring thing down. It was very efficient!

Thank goodness you mentioned the TVs!

I figured with the number of smart alecks I have reading along I'd stop that one right there.

Holy crap!

Yeah it was really bad. On those screens they had "stories" as told by 4-5 family members. There was the perspective of the husband who stayed behind to rebuild, the young girl who left with nothing but her dolly, the wife who tried to keep her kids safe in the Red Cross camp. I think the last one was from a Red Cross Worker. It was really sad and fascinating.

And the other part is called an oxbow.

Thank you. I'm sure I learned that somewhere along the way.

Holy crap! Seriously?

This wasn't the last museum where this fact was mentioned.

You guys have had a busy day.

For me and my normal activity level, I did quite a bit of walking and standing!

See you tomorrow when you get to a point 10 feet away!

It was funny we went through the park so we weren't in the middle of the street. The road wasn't busy, but when cars drove by they were going fast. I didn't realize we were going to practically get trapped inside the park!

Thanks for this, so definitely something that we'd do as a couple only then no kids. Fine with me!

I actually saw an advertisement in DS's doctors waiting room last week with the boat you were on and made me think of you guys!

They have really been advertising a lot lately. It's a nice boat, but there is absolutely nothing for kids to do. Plus at the prices they charge, you wouldn't want to pay for a kid to be along whining about how bored they are. There were lots of times that we didn't have service, so if your DH needs that to play his games that might be a problem. Also there isn't a lot of room to hook up his Game station in the room. These rooms make Disney rooms seem like a mansion!

Yikes no thanks!

I know! At least they had a decent sized parking lot on the land. It wasn't even 1/10th full.

This would have put DH in a real bad mood. You know, you really need to talk to him and tell him that one doesn't win every time they gamble. He has been BUGGING me, especially lately (like I can do anything right now for him at 36 ish weeks pregnant ) about going to Vegas so he can gamble.

That's the problem having good luck your first time. It wasn't until I'd been gambling for 20 years or so that Fran and I started to do fairly well. Sure I hit a small jackpot on the slots every once in a while, but mostly my money is for "entertainment" and I have no expectations of winning. When that's gone it's gone. I don't know if I can help him realize that first trip was a fluke!

What a sourpuss.

Yeah I think it was this day, maybe another. We were sitting on the bus and they were getting off. The husband said "Hello" called us by name and she just walked right on past.

I love that you're getting your nails done before every trip now!

Actually I'm just getting then done every two or three weeks. It keeps me from biting them and sticking my hands in my mouth when I'm talking on the phone. I have an appointment Friday for a mani pedi so I'm ready for the Disney trip.

OH heck yes!

I had one of those coffees almost every day. I've felt so crappy lately that I've only had one coffee in the last few weeks.

This is really scary.

I know it makes me think that I prefer our earthquakes!

Oh my gosh how pretty the streets are! That would be cool to see.

These small towns were all very quaint and pretty.

Vicksburg looks like a quaint little town.

I think that describes it perfectly.

 

[pkondz]

There are lots of variations on Biscuits and Gravy, some are better than others. I would encourage you to try it at some point. If you have it from a place that serves good ones, Biscuits and Gravy are quite good.

I'll give it a shot.
I've always tried to not let the way something sounds or looks keep me from trying it.
"tried" being the operative word there.

You could have just gone to a different bar that had better music.

Ah.

Besides he only did 45 minute sets from 5:30-6:15 and then another later one after the first dinner seating. I don't think I went there every night. Maybe every other.

Not bad then.

I would hope that none of us wants to get like that. However, I found so many folks who were just pushy and not willing to wait. Not that everyone was like that, but there were enough

According to the bus driver we talked to, they did this 10 1/2 months a year, then got six weeks off while the boat goes in drydock. I would imagine they get days off, which is why I suspect there are a couple more drivers than total buses.

I wonder what they get paid?
Sounds pretty nice.

They said in the early days they would fill the boat's with cotton on the decks and anywhere else they could stuff it. Passengers would just sleep out on the decks as it was until the later boats of the Victorian era that they became fashionable methods of transportation.

Interesting.

I never used to think about it until I met Fran, in the beginning she went there a lot. Now neither of us think about it much, but after a couple nights of the cold shoulder and only to us, I couldn't think of anything else that differentiated from anyone else.

On Disney Cruises they charge you $3-4 for one of those!

Oh! Didn't know that. Now I see why it made such a big impression on you.

Yeah she got up and walked over the hose and I picked up her scooter and maneuvered it over the hose manually.

And no one helped you?!?!?

The scooter has no breaks!

They always win for me!

Just made some this morning!

In pink and her husband is the guy in the salmon colored Polo shirt and sporting the shiny dome cut.

Got it.

We were always back well in advance of sail time except once

Uh, oh...

Mostly the problem was a very severe angle at the crest of the ramp. She was afraid that she would "bottom out" if she rode over the top of the ramp. So she would get off and let me walk it over the top.

Oh. Well... that sucks.

That's crazy! What river is near Winnipeg?

We have three rivers and a few creeks that go through the city.
But there are only two that can cause flooding, the Assiniboine and the Red. And the Red is the one that can cause widespread damage.
The point where the two main rivers joined is called The Forks and has been a meeting place for centuries.
Now it's the location of our most popular tourist destination.

Here's a couple of pictures from that flood in 1950 (thanks Google!)

Since then, the then Premier of our Province, Duff Roblin, spent an enormous amount of money to build a "Floodway" to divert the excess water around the city. It cost $63 million in 1965-68 (about $500 million now.) It's save the city numerous times. However, in 1997 we had a very close call and the floodway was expanded in 2005 at an additional cost of $665 million. It's been calculated that the Floodway (or as it's fondly called "Duff's ditch") has saved the roughly $32 billion (yes... billion) in damages.

It seemed quaint and stuck in the 50's from what I saw.

I like that.

I imagine farther from the river you would find all the 21st century plagues like fast food, chain megastores and the like.

Probably.

I figured with the number of smart alecks I have reading along I'd stop that one right there.

Good idea! Not everyone is as forgiving of these things as I am.

Yeah it was really bad. On those screens they had "stories" as told by 4-5 family members. There was the perspective of the husband who stayed behind to rebuild, the young girl who left with nothing but her dolly, the wife who tried to keep her kids safe in the Red Cross camp. I think the last one was from a Red Cross Worker. It was really sad and fascinating.

That'd be something that I would've been interested in reading too.

 

[franandaj]

On what?

OK this made me totally LOL!

Wow. That's crazy high. I can't even imagine what that would be like.

This is the area that was completely flooded. Note we traveled to three of these cities over the course of five different days.

I'm sure that's not easy to make ADA-compliant.

I think they're grandfathered in. But if an earthquake ever rips that road up, it's gonna cost them a lot of money to fix it!

Looks pretty interesting.

The whole museum was pretty well done.

Wow, that's awful!

Yeah, not something that I would have liked to say that I lived through!

I guess because the river is flowing faster without all the meandering? Faster flow would lead to more erosion.

Bing! Bing! Bing! We have a winner!

Hold your breath!

Actually it was a perfect fit. No disassembly required, just some good steady driving.

I got behind again as for some reason I no longer got notifications for this thread. Fortunately I am all caught up again.

The sunrise was very pretty.

The breakfast menu looked delicious.

I'm glad you're caught up. I need to get over to your thread, as I'm sure there have been a couple of updates since I was last there.

The part of redirecting the flow of water to get rid of the silt problem was really interesting.

I love the look of that swing and the rocking chairs on the front porch. Shame that it was so windy.

I figured that they had to do some serious work to make sure the river did what they wanted but I had no idea how extensive it really was!

How nice that you were actually able to check out the engine room. I would find this utterly fascinating.

If I knew enough to ask questions about what was going on I'm sure I would have loved to hear about it, but I didn't even know where to start. I didn't want to say, "So what the heck is going on down here?" Which would have sounded really dumb.

That is really neat that the boat does not need a dock.

I guess that is why the Riverboats became so common on the river. It is so unpredictable with it's banks overflowing and such that they needed something that could just pull up anywhere and start unloading.

It's a shame that only the later buses were still available when you found out about the ticket system. I am sorry that the casino did not really work out for you. Lunch looked very nice.

We had discussed this city even before leaving home and decided that there really wasn't anything that interested us in this town anyways. I mainly got the ticket so that I could understand how the system worked for future days.

How strange that one of your table mates would not talk to you, but as you said, that was her loss.

Yeah, I didn't let it get to me, we had plenty of fun with the rest of them!

I love the early morning photo from Vicksburg. I also enjoyed the photos you took from the bus.

Thanks! There's lots of bus photos to come. Normally we got that front seat since Fran couldn't walk very far into the back of the bus.

The history of Vicksburg was very interesting where you were able to do quite a lot. Learning a lot from your trip report.

Thanks! There is a lot more interesting history to come. I didn't realize how much I would be learning when we originally booked this trip!

whoops.

That's just... weird.
Opposite of what you'd expect.

I know, she would put me on hold, come back, "What kind of accessible features do you need?", hold again, "OK Ma'm if you could just be patient." Hold again, this happened for like three or four more times. I never did find out what features they got, I didn't request a roll in shower, but we'll see if we get one. The cancellation part? "OK, I will cancel the room and the balance will go back on your credit card. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

And they didn't notice????

I think he was so focused on getting the cheapest flight that he didn't think about the fact that a hotel room for an additional night could cost $200 or getting to a cheaper room might still run $200 with taxi fees. I decided to be nice since they have been through a bunch in the last year.

Okay, that impresses me.
In this day and age the attitude is almost always "Oh, well. Too bad for them."

I had already called back the 800 number and was waiting in the queue when my phone rang with a 407 area code, I was so glad that he got back to me!

That's a big deal. I mean it took two hours!

Thank you for validating that!

Please. Please don't forget the litter boxes.

Ew.

Yeah, they can get a little ripe when not done every day.

For your sake, I hope not!

Yeah, me too! Once I get my clothes together, I'm going to start really pushing her.

What a shame that they are going to miss that.

I know. And I was looking forward to doing it as a group. Fran and I have fun, but it's even better with more people.

That was a bit of luck.

Yeah, the last room I had reserved at US/IAO I kept pushing the reservation forward for almost two years as the first night was not refundable, so I was definitely pleased!

I always surprises me that usually sometimes turns up fairly last minute at Kidani or Jambo House. We benefitted from this a few times.

Yeah, I've noticed you've had that luck.

That is very kind of the two of you to take care of this.

Like I said earlier, they have had a bit of a rough year.

Sounds like you are on a roll. I wish I could do the same thing for our trip and two weeks from now I am officially on leave.

Sort of. I have finally compiled my list of what to bring. Now I have to start assembling it.

I have a similar collection, but mine includes a blue one. Of course, now they have also added a purple one.

Yeah, I just learned that. Blue on the October trip and Purple on the March trip. Then I will have them all!

Oh boy... I can only imagine the frustration and stress you felt when you had to deal with all the last minute changes. I'm glad that Universal was good about working with you and able to get you a refund.

I was sort of freaking out that we would be out $300+! Once that was solved the rest was just sort of a PITA.

That stinks... I'm sure the Hollywood version is just as good (maybe even a little better from what I hear?). Does it have Diagon Alley though? I'm sure he'll be really bummed if he can't see Diagon Alley. It is really pretty amazing.

I don't think the Hollywood version will be as extensive. I think they only have Hogsmeade there. They have a problem of being landlocked in the middle of a very expensive area with a high demand for land.

Holy crap! Your cats eat better than I do!

And now you can add purple to the collection too...

Yeah, that will have to be on the March trip.

 

[pkondz]

The cancellation part? "OK, I will cancel the room and the balance will go back on your credit card. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Well. That was easy.

Yeah, they can get a little ripe when not done every day.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up!
So much to take in on this tour. Loving all the details of the towns on the Mississippi.



WOW! That's leaving things late for planning a trip to WDW.

 

[franandaj]

Enjoying the heck out of your TR so far. Looks like a cool trip. Doesn't surprise me it's mostly seniors - they are typically the ones with the time and money for these types of trips. Vicksburg doesn't look all that exciting, but it IS interesting seeing the history of the Mississippi and the riverboats.

Another reason it's big with seniors is that it's not an adrenaline based trip. They even boast that it's a relaxed, laid back style of vacationing. They did offer bikes at every stop if you wanted to go for a ride through any of the towns. I'm sure the battlefield tour would have been the highlight of Vicksburg.

Too bad about Jim and Alberto being delayed, but at least it seems like you won't have that bungalow all to yourselves! We are strongly considering a Universal trip early next year. (Not the whole week at Universal, but a "no Disney" trip.)

A no Disney trip!

I am really bummed they can't make the first part, but glad that the meeting didn't fall right in the middle of the trip. At least they will make the part where I used so many DVC points.

Oh my goodness, that was stressful just reading about the last minute changes, let alone having to do all that work to fix them! Awesome that your Universal hotel was refundable. Sad that they're going to miss the Universal plans though.

Yeah. It is what it is. At least we were able to salvage enough of the trip.

I hope that nothing else changes between now and then, it's enough just for me to get the two of us packed!

What dates are you going to be there? I thought I asked this but can't find where I did or that you responded. I'm taking mom on an impromptu Mother's Day trip May 4-9, will we overlap at all?

No you never asked. I just noticed your ticker about a week ago, but I figured you two were on a cruise.

We are there until the 7th, so we overlap quite a bit. I'm not sure if you have plans for the night you arrive, but we are having an early dinner at O'Hana and then going back to our room to watch Wishes from the patio of our Bungalow. If you ladies wanted to stop by we would love to share our lovely Bungalow with friends!

The 5th we're at MK most of the day (although we'll probably take a midday break). The 6th we split up from Jim & Alberto and we're going to DHS in the day and dinner is at the Boathouse in DTD. We leave at 2PM on Saturday so not sure what we plan to do for that day.

Wow! I think you are dealing quite well with your friend's last minute attitude!! I would slowly pull all my hair out of my head in a similar situation! What a relieve that the room deposit was refundable...

You're so funny! I'm finding that very few people that I travel with plan to the extent that I do. My parents are also rather casual about their planning for our cruise this summer, although they are more on top of it than Jim!

I have also been meaning to comment on your last update about the Mississippi history. I am currently reading a book about the year 1927, it is non-fiction. And a big topic in there is the flood of 1927 and what it caused, not only with regard to water damage, but also giving Hoover the push to raise to where he got to. Besides the flood it is also about Charles Lindbergh's first transatlantic flight and a lot of other things. I find it quite fascinating and it does exist as an audio book: http://www.amazon.com/One-Summer-Am...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1460747608&sr=1-1

Sounds like an interesting book. I will have to look into it. Right now we are listening to something much less admirable, it's a series of books where a caterer solves murder mysteries.

 

[franandaj]

Wow! I'm impressed with your ability to handle last minute adjustments to your plans! I'm like you, I want everything planned out 3 months in advance! I savor the anticipation. Sometimes the anticipation is better than the actual act. Ever read the Tao of Pooh? One of my favorite books!!

I'm laughing at myself with all the planning I'm having to do. Last minute with the upcoming WDW trip, minor details for Alaska, and in a couple days, ADRs for my October trip.

Ugh on the flight/room headache. Glad it's going to work out but I feel ya, I try to have everything set as well ahead of time.

Yeah last minute things stress me out. I like having everthing in place and a nice folder with everything in sheet protectors and all in order.

 

[franandaj]

I'll give it a shot.
I've always tried to not let the way something sounds or looks keep me from trying it.
"tried" being the operative word there.

You really should try it sometime. I would have them more often but there are sooooooo many calories. Maybe once I hit my goal and hold it for a month or so, I'll make some at home. I put lots of sausage in my gravy!

I wonder what they get paid?
Sounds pretty nice.

It sounded like some of them had been driving for quite a few years, so I would imagine that they pay them pretty well.

Oh! Didn't know that. Now I see why it made such a big impression on you.

Yeah, the Cove Cafe on any Disney ship charges for their specialty coffees like any Starbuck's, Pete's, or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

And no one helped you?!?!?

Oh, there was always three or four guys who would run over and try to help, but I usually had it taken care of by the time they would get there. You've got to remember I lift these things in and out of the car all the time at home. Granted I tear it down into the four pieces, but it's not that heavy, mostly bulky.

Just made some this morning!

Oooh! I probably won't have any again until we get to WDW.

Uh, oh...

No, the one time we came back late, we were on an excursion sponsored by the Company, so they held the boat for our bus.

Here's a couple of pictures from that flood in 1950 (thanks Google!)

Thanks for sharing those! That's a crazy amount of water there!

It's been calculated that the Floodway (or as it's fondly called "Duff's ditch") has saved the roughly $32 billion (yes... billion) in damages.

That's great!

Good idea! Not everyone is as forgiving of these things as I am.

That'd be something that I would've been interested in reading too.

Actually those stories were on the video monitor. You would touch the photo of the "character" and then their story was read by an actor (or actress) while pictures from the period showed on the screen.

Well. That was easy.

I know! I was totally surprised after all that time I spent trying to get the accessible room.

Catching up!
So much to take in on this tour. Loving all the details of the towns on the Mississippi.



WOW! That's leaving things late for planning a trip to WDW.

Been missing you on the DIS lately!

Good thing that I planned most of the trip. All that they had to do was buy admission tickets and book airfare and all of that happened in the last month.

 

[franandaj]

Hi everyone! I'm going to post a "mega update" today since I'm not sure if I'll get in another one before we leave for WDW. Over the next 10 days, I'm going to try and catch up on everyone else's reports so that I'm not behind when I leave!

Once back on the boat, we wanted to have a sit down lunch on the boat, especially since we missed it the day before. We brought our stuff back to the room and headed down to the dining room. Here is the Captain’s Lounge just outside the dining room.







Looking back up the staircase





Looking into the dining room



Lunch was also available as a buffet or ordered from the menu. They were carving some type of meat.







Here was the menu.



We were seated with an older woman from Nixon, MO and a couple from Visalia, CA. Both of us got the gumbo.



Then we both ordered a Swiss and mushroom burger. I don't know what we were thinking, we should have just split one between the two of us. We each ate half.



I got us a couple desserts off the buffet.





At this point we both had the tired and crankies and needed a rest. In her form it was falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She had put American Pickers on the TV so I just let it go in the background. They just kept playing more and more episodes. With that in the background I was futzing around on the DIS and working on an update. I was great online between 2:30 and 4:30. I got a bunch of photos uploaded and just as I was posting the update was "All aboard" time. I could literally feel the slow of the WiFi as everyone picked up their tablets after coming home from their shore excursions. So I packed up the computer and decided to go watch us sail away from somewhere besides my balcony. I wasn't facing the dockside and it would be more fun to watch the action.

I went to the opposite balcony on the boat and there was a couple sitting there. I asked them if this was their stateroom, and got a blank look. The woman muttered something which I thought might have been German so I asked if they spoke German and they said yes.

In my best broken German I told them that I had the room on the other side of the boat and just wanted to look at the shore for a bit. They seemed OK with that and went on to ignore me.







For those who complain about the dumpster view at the VWL, this cracked me up.



I ended up going to Deck 3 and taking a seat there. As we pulled out of Vicksburg you could hear the music of the Calliope rickosheting off the hillside.





This bridge was off in the distance and I heard a group of guys all excited to see the stacks retract to go under the bridge. The boat could make itself as low as 55ft tall for low bridges.



Here we are heading for the bridge



Another Casino on the river



I heard a guy say to his wife, "Why don't they just come in and make this river go straight?"

And I couldn't help but chime in with, "Actually, after the great flood of 1927, the USACE did that in parts of the river just north of us and a little farther south." I talked about how we went to the museum today and I learned all about that part of the river. It was something I had wondered ever since I looked at the map a couple months ago. It boggled my mind how it took so much time to go from stop to stop. Evidently I made the correct choice of selecting a downstream voyage.

It takes less energy going downstream and therefore we get more time for each stop. Going upstream the time in each city all depends on the force of the river and how much time they can make up in between each stop. The couple invited me to sit down, and it turns out they were from Napa. She had a friend who just bought a house about 7 houses away from our 1st St rental property.

Those who followed the house Saga remember that there were some nasty neighbors who wouldn't approve our building plans (it's a historic district). Well her friend painted their house, but they shunned the historic committee and painted it the color they initially wanted and not the one that was approved. The commission said they would let it go if no one complained. One. Person. Complained. They had to repaint. I laughed because I know just who it was. Our next door neighbor. Isn't it funny what a small world we live in?

By this point I was ready to go back to the room, get showered and change for dinner. I did take a few Sunset photos though.





All our table mates showed up again tonight. Here was the menu.



I don't think anyone fancied having Prince Naveen for a starter and everyone went for the Shrimp and avocado tower. There was a small problem though. It appears they misjudged their clientele. Hardly anyone fancied Prince Naveen for a starter. They had run out of avocado and had to come up with a new dish on the spot. Because of this we got our soup/salad next. I ordered the wedge salad. It was OK. I'm a huge fan of wedge salads and this was not really a wedge, but more of a slice. It worked for what it was.



Fran got the Corn and Crab Bisque It was good.



Then we got our shrimp dish. I think they fried it with some kind of marinade on it. I was happy with it as I'm not a huge avocado fan. I'll eat it, but don't necessarily miss it when it's not there. So this worked as a substitute for me. However Jenny and Nigel were very upset about not having any “Avo”.



For our main we had Roasted Prime Rib of beef. This was absolutely perfect. Cooked to exactly how I like it and they gave me real horseradish to go with it!



Again the wine was flowing, but Fran kept a better handle on it. At one point they ran out of the red wine and had to break into a more expensive bottle. Nigel got a glass of it and I said that I wanted one. The waiter said, "She told me you were done!"

"I meant the Chardonnay!" Fran quickly piped in to save herself. In the end I got another glass of the new wine and it was much better than the included complimentary wine, but was still free. We ordered dessert. I had the white chocolate bread pudding, it was just awesome!



Fran had the Red Velvet Cake. she liked it, but said mine was far superior. I think she might have finished what I couldn't of mine.



We excused ourselves and headed back to the room. Now here I’m going to gripe about our stateroom host a little bit. Perhaps we weren’t the model cruisers. We didn’t go to the show. So our room was not vacant until we went to dinner. Now really what the hostess should have done is just waited until we went to dinner and taken care of our room. Instead, she sort of tacked this little guilt trip on us that “we were her last cabin, and she just waited up for us to go to dinner, so that she could go to bed.” Yadda yadda yadda. As a result, instead of turning down our room at night and giving us candies, she would just hand me the Navigators (or whatever you call them) and any candy or gifts while I was outside on the balcony with a beverage. I have been putting the paperwork in at the end of the night as if it was there when we came back from dinner, but in reality, I usually had it before we went to dinner because our hostess couldn’t stay up that late. I'll post tomorrow’s stuff in the next update.

 

[franandaj]

Natchez.
















Again we arrived well before sun up and were docked before I got up. I had been feeling a tickle in my throat. "I can't be getting sick." I thought. But my head was congested and my nose was slightly plugged up. I took some generic Zicam and hoped for the best. We went down to breakfast and we were again seated with the nice couple from Texas. we both tried to keep it light again but couldn't resist what looked like Beignets on the buffet.



We couldn't have been more wrong. They were not light fluffy little pillows of goodness, they were doughy little boulders of evil. Well, something to look forward to in New Orleans. Fran’s Plate.



When I mentioned that I felt like I was getting sick, the woman said that just about everyone on the ship was experiencing a similar sensation and that it was more than likely an allergic reaction to the pollen in the air and our lack of tolerance to the river fauna. I hoped she was right. So after breakfast Fran really surprised me here. All of a sudden she decides that she wants to add the "Backroads of the Plantations" tour tomorrow afternoon. Back when we were discussing excursions about a month ago, I was sure she would want to do this, but she declined. I guess this is what happens to her when she gets wrapped up in the spirit of things. She sent me to the pursers office, but they said we should ask the gals who are loading the busses as they handle all the excursions.

We headed out (in plenty of time) to our Hop On/Hop off bus.



We had tickets for the 9:30 HO/HO bus, and this time we arrived promptly at 9:15 and boarded the bus, but not before inquiring about the tour.









Once we were seated and comfy, the tour coordinator came on board to tell us we were confirmed for the tour. Just as soon as we were on the bus it started to sprinkle. Then it started to pour. As we climbed the hill, our guide explained that back in the day (1800s) for someone on the bluff, it would be scandalous to have traveled down to the river's edge, as that was a den of sin, with gambling, drinking and women of ill repute. So just another day in the life!

We had told the bus driver that we wanted to get off at the first stop, but immediately changed our minds.



I looked up the weather on the weather kitty app, and the storm front was right over us. The second stop was the visitor's center and we decided to get off here and weather the storm.









Our guide thought it would blow over in about 20 minutes.



There was a movie on the history of the city, plus they had a nice wall that depicted the timeline of Natchez. It has quite an interesting past. I'll try to make it brief.



The Indians were here first. The French came around 1716 and everything was hunky dory until a Frenchman took a fancy to an Indian woman. The Indians retaliated in 1729 and killed all the men and kidnapped the women and children. Two years later the French came back and mostly annihilated the Natchez Indians. Those who survived relocated to Oklahoma and Southern Louisiana. Throughout the next 70 years the Spanish held the territory, followed by the British, but eventually with the Louisiana Purchase, Americans came to populate the region and began to grow the crop that put the south on the map, cotton.

Huge mansions exemplified the southern landscape starting in the early 1800's. Cotton became the crop of the day and people got very rich. However, when the talk of succession came around, Natchez was having nothing of it. They knew that an agricultural based economy could not beat an industrial economy, but when MS voted to secede, Natchez joined in. We all know how the "War for Southern Independence" worked out. When Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863, Natchez was quick to surrender. That is why they still have over 500 Ante-bellum homes that are still intact. The Union took over the home which was the first stop on our HO/HO tour and used it as a headquarters.

Once the war ended the US government came in gathering taxes. Many citizens had traded in their cash for confederate dollars which were obviously worthless. Most people were flat broke. However, because two years went by without the South being able export cotton, and they burned everything that was saved up when the city surrendered, local merchants knew the next crop would command a hefty price.

It was then that the economy turned to merchant based instead of grower based. The merchants gave the growers whatever they needed, seed, tools, fertilizer, whatever. All on credit, and gave them a year to pay it back. After the harvest. Those who were able to replant had to hire the slaves as workers, and actually made more money than when they were slaves! Those who weren't able to replant lived in poverty or relocated. Those who could replant, may or may not have been successful, but in 1907 the entire cotton industry was wiped out due to the boll weevil. It never recovered in the area after that because once the boll weevil was wiped out, they had overfarmed the land and leached out all the nutrients in the soil. Rotate your crops people.

The rest of the story is fairly similar to the rest of the country, with African-Americans fighting for their freedom, and the city moving forward in the 20th century. I tell you this because it is relevant to our upcoming tours.


Back to the day. So with myself feeling all edumacated (Fran already knew all this) we strove out into the wild. The rain had passed and now there was just a slight drizzle.



Here’s me taking another shot at the original fort.



It was 11:17 now. Our plan was to have lunch at the Carriage House at Stanton Hall. It was one of the largest Plantations in Natchez and is now a museum and operates a restaurant. I had read on Yelp that they strictly enforce their 11-2 open hours, like they won't seat people who arrive at 1:45. We both decided that we were getting hungry and would rather skip the next two stops and head directly to lunch as Stanton Hall was higher on our list than the other two. Here’s one of the Antebellum homes not on our stop list.



This poor mansion had a huge fire, and the guy who owned it wouldn’t even take care of the place, yet he wouldn’t sell it either.



This one was called the key house.



This street was known for it’s trees along the sides of the road. Our guide said that it had been used in several movies.



Magnolia Hall was on our list, but I couldn't see the ramp and when I asked the guide about it, she thought it had been removed several years earlier, so I was glad we had decided to skip it.



This water tower was visible as we approached our next destination.



Stanton Hall is a beautiful example of the Plantation manors in Natchez in the Ante-bellum south.









But before the tour we decided to have lunch.


[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

The restaurant is not fancy and I was surprised there were not more people having lunch, but it was a Thursday and not the weekend.











They started you off with these mini biscuits and Jam.













I went with a classic southern cocktail, the Mint Julep. It certainly wasn't my favorite, it was really strong, but I'm glad I tried it.



I had the fried chicken. It had an awesome crispy skin and was really tasty. The mashed potatoes were real potatoes, the black Eyed Peas could have used a tad more flavoring.



Fran got the Chicken fried steak. She let me have some and it was really good too!



For dessert I had Creme Brule. It wasn't burnt enough on top and custard was way too eggy. I just ate the top layer. However that brownie you see there next to it! That was the best!!!! I would have gladly had a plate of those for dessert!



Fran had pecan cobbler and really liked it.



Then we went and took the 1PM tour of the house. These are my pictures from the tour.





Sorry.

I can tell you about the house. They spent 9 years building the house and Frederick Stanton lived in the house 9 months before he passed. It was just months before the Civil war began. His wife was left to run the house and plantation three children. He left her $200,000 which she converted to confederate dollars. When the war ended she had to sell off much of their property just to cover the taxes on the house owed to the US government. She lived until she was 86 in 1893. And when she died the children tried to live in the house, but it was such an impractical home, it was sold and became a girl’s school. The classes were held downstairs in the living room and the girls lived in the bedrooms upstairs. When the house was going to be torn down two women of the garden club (who were schooled in the house) convinced their husbands to pool their resources and purchase the house. It was run as a B&B, but they had to add bathrooms out on the patio. Then it was purchased and turned into a museum.

I was able to find these few photos of the interior online. The living room:



The Main Hallway:





The Dining room:



Something else to note here, classic southern home design dictates that there be a main hallway down the center of the home and rooms off to the sides. This allows for cooling in the summertime and the breeze can flow throughout the house. There is always a small window near the top of the house to allow the warm air to escape.

Another fun fact! This house served as the inspiration for Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion! Take another look.



I’ll be back with how we finished up the rest of our day!

 

[ACDSNY]

Love the Disneyland connection on the Stanton Hall.

 

[rentayenta]

Great mega update! So excited your trip is in 10 days!

The ship staircase looks like a mini model of the Titanic's.

Dumpster view. I have yet to have a crappy Disney dumpster view. Knock on wood.

Love the sunset pics. Those are sunrise pics are my favorite.

I had to double check to see if the frog leg's were really called the Prince Naveen. LOL!]

Carriage House looks quite pretty. Those little biscuits look like scones.

I have yet to have a good Mint Julep.

 

[Steppesister]

Southern charm was definitely an elegant way of life. Very beautiful homes and nicely restored! Looks like a marvelous tour! LOVE me some chicken fried steak!

The last mint julep I had was a Mt. Vernon on the way to WDW in 2010; it too was VERY strong, and unless you like bourbon may not be the best choice. I don't love it; a little goes a long way.

I"m not sure why they don't allow photography in those homes. Maybe the flashes bother people? or maybe it can harm the antiques? I dunno, I was frustrated at Mt. Vernon too.

 

[Malia78]

Getting caught up on the bonus trip--finding the river boat cruise very interesting. Definitely inspires me to look into the Empress sailing since its right in my backyard.