Excellent Cruise - Parking Situation Not Good
We purchased tickets online before the cruise, but you can buy them at boarding time, one hour before departing. They advertise that there is no parking on site and direct you to park in a pay lot across from the Visitors Center located down the street from the cruise boat dock. When we visited the Visitors Center, they said we could park there for free and walk to the boats. The cruise boat website says if you have a person who needs assistance, you can drop them off at the boarding area near the boat. (Note: we saw people going on the cruise park right in front of the cruise boat on the riverbank and walk right onto the boat and nobody chased them away. Just sayin'.) Here's the problem. The riverbank by the boat dock slopes at a pretty steep angle from the street down to the water. To make matters worse, the bank is covered in cobblestones. Some drivers may not be comfortable driving on that angle and on the stones down towards the dock. Now once you get close to the dock, there is a concrete sidewalk, again sloped at a good angle, that leads you to the boat. The other choice is drop off a person at the street level. They would have to make it down maybe 20 stairs, then to the long sidewalk. Either way, this is not a good setup for anyone that needs assistance. I suggest you go drive and look at the drop off area first before buying your tickets to make sure you can handle it as tickets are non-refundable. The other consideration is for people parking in either the Visitors Center of the paid lot. It's a bit of a walk to the docks. Make sure you are up to it. As for the cruise, it's wonderful. Boarding starts one hour before departure time. There are three decks. The lowest deck has the restrooms (nice flush toilets) and a bar that sells snacks, some light hot food, beer, wine, cocktails, soda, water and more. This is an enclosed space that is air conditioned with tables and chairs. The second level, accessed by stairways on both sides, front and back, has many tables and chairs and has open sides allowing a nice breeze to pass through on a warm day. I did not go up to the upper deck, but I think it is mostly open. The bar is open right at boarding time so you can get drinks and find a place to sit for the cruise. Shortly before departure, a fine gentlemen starts talking on a microphone on the second level. He is the tour guide. He goes over safety concerns, some rules and starts the cruise talk. He does so for about the next hour, telling us all kinds of history about Memphis - the river, music, food, people, etc. The cruise boat first heads south, then turns to go north, then returns to the dock. All the while, the muddy and debris laden Mississippi River rolls on by. It is amazing. During the last half hour, our tour guide goes below and plays music recordings that made Memphis famous. We have been on several river cruises like this and this was one of the best aside from the parking issue. There is no doubt that you will really enjoy this. read more