CITY GETS FIRST LOOK AT NEW BOAT

"Overwhelmed by elegance," is how one traveler described life aboard the new American Queen steamboat.

For six hours Monday the sternwheeler's 406 passengers toured Cape Girardeau while a few area residents were allowed to tour the boat.

The tour, organized by the Cape Girardeau Public Library, permitted inspection of the decor of the steamboat docked at Cape Girardeau.

They saw the state rooms, ornate staircases with carved-wood banisters, the dining hall modeled after a turn-of-the-century paddlewheel steamer, and the Grand Saloon, which resembled a 19th-century opera house.

"A team spent two years going to auctions all over the Midwest acquiring antiques for this," said Patti Young of the Delta Queen Steamboat Co., which owns the American Queen and its sister ships, Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen.

On the lower guest decks are the more elaborate suites, named after the great plantations of the South. On the mid and upper levels of the steamboat, the names of towns along America's riverways adorn state rooms instead of numbers. The Cape Girardeau is a cabin that sleeps two.

The boat has 222 cabins, housing up to 436 passengers and 160 crew members. Guests can sleep one, two or three to a cabin.

Passengers can relax in antique furniture or comparable replicas in the Mark Twain Gallery or Pursers' Lounge, which bears patterns and designs similar to the old-time paddlewheelers that cruised the riverways 100 years ago. The hardwood floors, carpet and detailed ceilings also were designed with that era in mind.

Although the decor of the boat is 19th-century palace, a few modern conveniences are added for the passengers' comfort: A television set, found with a tug on the mounted boar's head in the Gentlemen's Card Room; a modern-designed hull made for smooth rides so passengers don't spill their champagne from the Captain's bar while chatting with other guests; and the air-conditioning system add comfort on the Front Porch of America while watching the river pass by on hot, humid days.

"This is the best way to see America," Young said. "This is really taking you through everyone's backyard. It's great."

The American Queen received international attention for a few days in early June when it ran aground on a sand bar in the Ohio River. No one was injured, and passengers said they didn't mind the inconvenience because it turned into a big party.

Those who toured the boat here were impressed by the sternwheeler, which took three years and more than $65 million to build.

"Absolutely amazing," said Danny Back of Cape Girardeau. "It is really true to the time period."

Back and others said they were ready to take a cruise after their hour-long tour.

A five-night cruise on the boat costs from $1,190 to $3,000 per person based on double occupancy. The company also offers three- and 16-night cruises.

The American Queen, on its third cruise since it was christened June 2, was scheduled to dock at 7 a.m. but was early, tying up at 4:30 a.m. The pilot resumed the voyage to St. Louis early, casting off at 10:30 a.m. -- an hour and a half before its scheduled departure -- with the calliope whistling out a Stephen Foster song.

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors' Bureau expects the American Queen to stop at Cape Girardeau again Sept. 6.