Mostly cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..
Tonight
Showers tapering off early with foggy conditions overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
The passenger cruise boat American Melody passes Huntington, with the Bradrick, Ohio, community in the background as it approaches the East End bridge on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The passenger cruise boat American Melody passes Lock and Dam 27, in Rome Township, Ohio, as it travels from Maysville, Kentucky, to Marietta, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The passenger cruise boat American Melody passes Huntington, with the Bradrick, Ohio, community in the background as it approaches the East End bridge on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The passenger cruise boat American Melody passes Lock and Dam 27, in Rome Township, Ohio, as it travels from Maysville, Kentucky, to Marietta, Ohio, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
A passenger cruise boat passed Huntington Tuesday morning. Ƶ usual, it didnƵt stop here. It was in Maysville, Kentucky, on Monday and was due at Marietta, Ohio, this morning. ThatƵs about 250 miles of river in 36 hours, plus making four locks, so there was no time to waste.
The American Melody is owned by American Cruise Lines, the last remaining overnight cruise line on the Mississippi River system. The boat looks more like an ocean-going ship with its pointed bow and its forward-facing bridge (instead of a pilothouse) at its front.
The boat was built in 2021. It has space for 180 guests in staterooms ranging from 250 to 650 square feet. It has a fitness center, a four-story atrium and several lounges. In case youƵre wondering, the nine-day, eight-night trip from Louisville to Pittsburgh runs from $4,275 per person to north of $7,000.
The American Melody wasnƵt built to mimic the look of the old-time steamboats. ThatƵs what people on shore expect to see: the pilothouse up top, the paddlewheel at the stern and lots of decorative work around the sides. No, the American Melody is not the Delta Queen, the American Queen or the Mississippi Queen. Neither was the American Countess, a passenger boat passed through the area and stopped here from time to time. That boat was more like a shoebox with gingerbread flourishes all around.
The days of those boats apparently are over. The Mississippi Queen Ƶ at the time the largest steamboat on the inland rivers Ƶ stopped here on its first trip this far up the Ohio in 1985. But it was scrapped years ago. The American Queen Ƶ even larger than the Mississippi Queen and a beautiful sight Ƶ has been scrapped, too. Both boats had functioning sternwheels, unlike other boats that have sternwheels for decoration, not propulsion.
The boat that longtime residents of the Ohio Valley want to see is the Delta Queen, which made its last voyage in these parts in October 2008. ItƵs had a tough time in the 21st century. Long story short, the Delta Queen is for sale.
HereƵs part of a Facebook post by the Delta Queen Steamboat Company on June 25:
ƵAfter saving the legendary steamboat from the scrappers torch in 2015, the revived Delta Queen Steamboat Company (DQSC) has spent the last ten years trying to secure both the necessary federal legislation that allows the DELTA QUEEN to operate by lobbying the U.S. Congress as well as the funding for the full refurbishment needed to carry overnight passengers again. The future looked bright in December 2018 when said legislation was signed into law, however despite herculean efforts the funding for the project never materialized.Ƶ
The Delta QueenƵs owners hope it can be an overnight cruise vessel again, or maybe it can be docked and used as a stationary attraction as its near-twin boat, the Delta King, is.
The American Melody has more trips through this area planned for this year. Unfairly or not, it will always be compared to the boat that really captured the hearts of people along the Ohio Ƶ the Delta Queen.
