Last week, American Cruise Lines announced that its new Queen of the Mississippi was going to be even more like an authentic riverboat with the installation of a 23-ton paddlewheel.
Everything that goes around…
Paddlewheelers on the Mississippi were originally designed to transport goods from state to state. That made them trade centers, which attracted people with money, which led to professional gamblers. Hence the terms Mississippi gambler and riverboat gambler. By being on water, it circumvented state laws prohibiting gambling and besides, on land, gamblers were known to be hanged for their vices.
That was about two centuries ago and It’s ironic that with the return to the authentic ways of the past, gambler seems like a four-letter word. American riverboats are growing, albeit not as fast as their European counterparts, and are trying to attract customers with trips to the Kentucky Derby, visits to Graceland, Civil War vacations and retro music ranging from Glenn Miller to Paul Revere and the Raiders.
And now, an authentic paddlewheel!
What about the riverboat gamblers?
While we seldom know what exactly motivates people to go river cruising, we’ll never know if it’s to be a Mississippi Gambler.
You’d almost think they were afraid of the hangman.
DAILY DEAL:
Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas
12 nights
May 28, 2012
Rome (return): Palermo, Chania, Rhodes, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, Naples
Inside $899
Cost per day: $75
www.royalcaribbean.com