Passengers enjoy tours of Popeye Town
By Jim Beers, Contributing Writer
CHESTER – The American Countess visited the Chester riverfront Wednesday August 2nd. The regal paddlewheel river cruise ship stopped in Chester on its way down the Mighty Mississippi. While docked at Chester Landing passengers had the opportunity to take bus tours of the city and enjoy on-off stops throughout the tour.
The American Countess is a beautiful 361-foot paddlewheel ship. It is owned and operated by American Queen Voyages. The American Queen made a similar stop in Chester two weeks ago.
The American Countess is the newest paddle wheel ship in the American Queen Voyages’ riverboat fleet of luxurious ships that regularly cruise the Mighty Mississippi.
Chester has become a popular stop on such cruises and passengers enjoy seeing the city and visiting several locations via bus tours offered throughout the City of Chester. Buses from the American Queen Voyages’ “River-Lake-and-Oceans Expedition” meet the ship when it docks in Chester and take passengers on the guided tours of Chester.
The buses stop at various locations in Chester and allow passengers to get off of the tour bus and shop, sight-see, eat, and take foot tours of the areas around the stops. Every 15-30 minutes another bus stops at the drop-off location and picks up passengers and takes them to the next stop on the tour.
There were 126 passengers on the American Countess for this particular voyage and most took advantage of the opportunity to visit Chester throughout the morning. The ship arrived at Chester Landing on the Chester Riverfront at approximately 7 a.m. and did not depart until approximately 6 p.m.
On this particular trip, passengers from the American Countess were offered the option of making the short walk or ride just over the railroad tracks to enjoy a delicious lunch or early dinner and the popular Chester attraction the St. Nicholas Landmark.
This particular voyage was traveling down the Mississippi River with the current. Many of the American Queen Voyages’ on the Mississippi River tours are traveling up-stream.
The Countess was scheduled to make its way to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for its final stop, the evening of Wednesday August 2nd. The trip proceed the next day, Thursday August 3rd to Louisville, Kentucky where the tour ended. The ship was then re-loaded with new passengers to make the slow, grinding trip up the Mighty Mississippi on its new voyage.
The beautiful American Countess paddlewheel ship, a 361-foot ship, visited the Chester riverfront Wednesday August 2. The ship is pictured here with the famous Chester Bridge in the background. Jim Beers Photo
The paddlewheel of the American Countess is shown here when the regal ship visited the Chester Riverfront August 2. Jim Beers Photo
The American Countess is shown docked at the Chester Boat Ramp. From this location passengers made their way up the ramp to board tour buses. Jim Beers Photo
The American Countess Dining Room is shown here. Jim Beers Photo
The American Countess front deck is a popular place for passengers to rest and view the riverfronts along the cruise. Jim Beers
American Queen Voyages’ Tour Buses await the arrival of guests who wish to take guided tours of Chester. Jim Beers Photo
The American Countess is shown docked at Chester Landing at the boat ramp in Chester. Golf carts transport ship guests up the ramp to meet the tour buses that take them throughout the city on guided tours. Jim Beers Photo