Steamboat Natchez: what to expect

The evening in order

The evening runs in a fixed order. You reach the wharf, collect or show your ticket, and board. The boat leaves close to on time, the captain begins the narration, and the band plays as the riverfront moves past. The company's cruises board before departure and sail very close to on time, so the evening has little slack at the start. If you booked dinner you eat from the buffet while you sail. About two hours after departure you tie up at the wharf again. Nothing in the evening needs a reservation beyond your ticket and, for dinner, the option you chose. The sections below take each step in turn, with what the company says about it.

Finding the wharf

The Steamboat Natchez docks at the Toulouse Street Wharf, and the company gives 400 Toulouse Street as the best address for GPS. Its Lighthouse Ticket Office sits behind Jax Brewery, and there are walk-up ticket kiosks around the French Quarter. The meeting point on the ticket can vary with the option you select, so read the one in your confirmation before you set off, especially if your date uses the Riverboat City of New Orleans. A taxi or ride-share can drop you at 400 Toulouse Street.

• Address for GPS: 400 Toulouse Street.
• Ticket office: the Lighthouse Ticket Office, behind Jax Brewery.
• Kiosks: walk-up ticket kiosks around the French Quarter.

Arriving and boarding

The company says it is best to arrive 30 minutes before departure or sooner, and that the boats sail very close to on time. The ticket says boarding begins one hour before departure on this sailing. Some guests on the booking page say clearer boarding and timing details would help and mention waiting at the dock before departure, so read your confirmation closely, keep your party together and agree a meeting spot before you reach the wharf, since a crowd gathers around departure time. A group of ten or more needs physical tickets, collected at the Lighthouse Ticket Office, and the check-in takes extra time. Have your confirmation ready.

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.
• Keep your confirmation ready.
• Collect physical tickets first if your party is ten or more.
• Go to the meeting point named in your confirmation.

The calliope

The Natchez's steam calliope has 32 notes and was custom crafted to echo the instruments of the Gilded Age. A plume of steam shoots upward from each whistle that plays, and coloured lights flash in time with the notes. The company schedules calliope concerts three times a day, and the daytime ticket lists a calliope concert before boarding. Wikipedia notes that a calliope cannot vary its tone or volume and that its pitch drifts with the temperature of the steam, which is part of its character. Wikipedia adds that steam calliopes were especially common on riverboats and in circuses, where their very loud sound carried a long way.

• 32 notes.
• A plume of steam from each whistle.
• Coloured lights in time with the notes.

The engine room and the wheel

The Natchez is a steam-powered sternwheeler, which means a single paddle wheel at the back drives her. Her two tandem-compound steam engines were built in 1925 for the sternwheeler Clairton, and the company says guests can explore the steam engine room. The Riverboat City of New Orleans is a different kind of vessel, first used as a casino riverboat. If a steam engine is the reason you are going, ask which boat your date uses. Wikipedia says she was built at Bergeron Shipyards in Braithwaite, Louisiana, downriver from her French Quarter dock.

What the narration covers

The ticket promises a detailed narration of the history of New Orleans, and the company describes a live captain's narration of the French Quarter's history on the City of New Orleans. It helps to know the outline. French colonists founded New Orleans in 1718, and the city grew as a port, the gateway for goods moving between the interior of North America and the Atlantic world. Before the Civil War the river was filled with steamboats, flatboats and sailing ships, and New Orleans is still a major port and commercial hub for the Gulf Coast. A narrator who knows that story gives the riverfront its context, and the Mississippi, the second-longest river in the United States, is the thread that runs through it.

Decks, seats and bars

Seating is available indoors and in covered areas on the deck, and the company describes multiple onboard bars and open-air decks with riverfront views. The ticket highlights full-service bars on every deck and a seasonal cocktail menu. Cocktails, beer and wine are bought on board. The boat is non-smoking both indoors and on the outer decks. On the Natchez the top and bottom decks are reached by stairs only. On the City of New Orleans the lower three decks have elevator access and the rooftop deck is stairs only. The ticket promises indoor and outdoor seating, so you can move between a seat inside and the rail outside.

• Indoor seating.
• Covered seating on the deck.
• Open-air decks for the view.
• Bars on every deck, with drinks bought on board.

What to wear and carry

All the company's cruises are casual, and it recommends dressy casual for the dinner jazz cruise. The ticket says you can dress up as much as you like. Shoes are required, since the rule on board is no shirt, no shoes, no service. Bring a photo ID with your birth date if you plan to drink, because you must be 21 or older to buy alcohol and servers can ask. A passport, a US driver's licence and military or federal ID are all accepted. Leave bulky bags at your hotel. The vessel is non-smoking indoors and on the outside decks, so plan any cigarette break for before you board.

• Shoes, because the rule on board is no shirt, no shoes, no service.
• Photo ID with a birth date if you plan to drink.
• Casual clothes, or dressy casual for the dinner cruise.
• Your confirmation, with the meeting point.

Weather and the river

The company sails in rain or shine. It cancels cruises only when the Coast Guard determines there will be severe weather along the river. Covered seating indoors keeps you dry in a shower. If the forecast is poor, look at your inbox and the booking page on the day, and remember that cancellation follows the Coast Guard's assessment, not a shower. The booking carries free cancellation until 24 hours ahead, which is the window to use if a long-range forecast looks bad, and payment can be left until later.

Getting there, parking and afterwards

Parking lots in the French Quarter on Decatur Street and beside the dock are not owned or run by the company, and they charge hourly or daily rates. Parking is not part of the fare. Getting to the wharf, parking and tips are yours to arrange. If you are driving, work out where you will leave the car before the evening, and pay for the length of the cruise plus the time you will spend arriving early. Afterwards you are in the French Quarter, and Congo Square lies just across Rampart Street from it.

Who this isn't for

A few things make this cruise a poor fit, and it is better to know them before you book. If any apply, the daytime sailing, a walking tour or a restaurant evening may suit your plans better than a fixed two-hour sailing that leaves on time. The cruise rewards guests who are happy to sit, listen and watch the river, and it is less suited to anyone who wants to be on the move for the whole evening or who needs the freedom to arrive at the last minute.

• Guests who cannot manage stairs, if your date uses the Natchez.
• Guests who want a certified gluten-free or vegan dinner.
• Anyone hoping to dance, since this is a seated sightseeing cruise.
• Travellers who dislike a fixed schedule, because the boat leaves on time and does not wait.
• Guests who want a quiet dinner with no music, since live jazz is part of the sailing.