RiverBarge Excursions Schedules 2009 Program

RiverBarge Excursions, which this year is celebrating 10 years of "Sharing America's Stories," has announced its 2009 program America's inland waterways. Among the options is "The Route of Jean Lafitte" Feb. 12-19. The eight-day adventure includes an overnight stay in Galveston and explores the Inland Gulf Intracoastal Waterway with a passage through Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The cruise will visit Corpus Christi and San Antonio as well as a first-time, two-night stay in Brownsville. Fares start at $2,849 for accommodations on Royal Deck and $3,029 on Platinum Deck.

A new addition to the schedule in 2008, the Barge and Bus trips were such a hit they are included again in 2009. Passengers can join the trip after the June 25-30 Cincinnati roundtrip cruise for three days at French Lick Resort in Indiana. The land tour includes the French Lick Winery, West Baden Springs Hotel and a train ride on the Indiana Railway. Accommodations are provided by the French Lick Springs Hotel. The Cincinnati cruise is priced from $2,179 while the French Lick add-on is $625 double occupancy. On the first Nashville-to-Chattanooga trip July 7-14, the River Explorer will barge the farthest on the Tennessee River it has ever gone with a first-time visit to Chattanooga, Tenn. The cruise begins in Nashville and travels on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers to Savannah and Shiloh, Tenn. and Florence and Guntersville, Ala. before concluding with an overnight stay in Chattanooga. Fares start at $2,859.

The first "Explorer Reunion" trip barges from Chattanooga to St. Louis July 14-23. Each year, RiverBarge hosts a trip to bring guests back together for a one-of-a-kind excursion. The "Explorer Reunion" trip will begin with an overnight stay in Chattanooga and travel on the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers with host landings in Guntersville, Ala., Florence Ala., and Grafton, Ill. Fares start at $3,469. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Platinum Deck staterooms have a small balcony. For more information, call Riverdiscounts 800-640-4899

Go Barging Introduces New Luxury Vessel for 2009

Go Barging announced the addition of a new vessel, the Enchanté, to its 2009 fleet. The Enchanté will operate two new itineraries in Southern France. Go Barging is now accepting reservations for the 2009 season. The Enchanté can accommodate up to eight passengers in the four double-bedded air-conditioned suites, each of which features a bathroom furnished with luxury bath products. The vessel offers onboard TV, DVD player, and Internet connection. The sun deck has an alfresco dining area, hot tub, and loungers. Five gourmet dinners will be served onboard, and guests will dine out one evening at a local restaurant. Onboard, meals are accompanied by regional wines and an open bar. Prices start at $5,890 per person, double occupancy, and include six nights on the Enchanté, all meals prepared by the onboard chef, regional wines, open bar, excursions and admittance fees. Also included is pick-up and transfers to and from designated points. One of the Enchanté's two alternating itineraries features the Canal du Midi, beginning in Montpellier and exploring chateaux, the world's oldest canal tunnel at Malpas, old towns, and concluding in Le Somail. The second itinerary explores Provence and Camargue. Highlights include visits to Avignon and the Palais des Papes, cruising through Camargue National Park, and tours of Arles and Pezenas. For more information, call RiverDiscounts 800-640-4899

He said: “These designs are ships of the future, with natural timeless materials and a crisp contemporary design. The new generation ferries and cruise ships will have a distinct identity throughout - from the exterior and interior design through to the o

Go Barging is adding fine restaurant dining on three barges in 2009. In addition to meals prepared onboard from fresh local ingredients, Go Barging guests will be treated to a gourmet meal at Michelin-rated Relais & Chateaux restaurant. The featured restaurants are located at the Michelin-starred Relais & Chateaux hotels L'Espérance, Abbaye de la Bussiere, and Auberge Les Templiers. Lunch or dinner at L'Esperance is included on Belle Epoque cruises of Burgundy. Passengers on L'Impressionniste cruises through Burgundy will dine at the Abbaye de la Bussiere. The restaurant at Auberge Les Templiers is the venue for cruises on the Renaissance, whose itinerary traverses Western Burgundy and the Upper Loire regions. Go Barging's guests will have an opportunity to meet the chefs at the restaurants, and when possible, will accompany the chef on a tour of the kitchen. For more information, call 800- 640-4899.

Bid to renew exemption for Delta Queen fails

WASHINGTON — The future of the storied Delta Queen steamboat appeared in peril Tuesday after a key House committee rejected a vote on legislation to renew a fire-safety exemption for the vessel.



The exemption has allowed the Delta Queen to run overnight trips.



The House Rules Committee on Tuesday rebuffed Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, who wanted to amend a Coast Guard reauthorization bill to exempt the Delta Queen from federal fire safety standards.

But the Rules Committee said Tuesday that Chabot could not offer his Delta Queen proposal as an amendment when the bill is scheduled for debate.

For more than 80 years, the Delta Queen has cruised the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, operating on an exemption from Coast Guard rules that bar overnight trips on vessels made primarily of wood. The exemption has been renewed nine times since 1968, but it will expire Nov. 1 unless it is reauthorized.



Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, who cosponsored the exemption, told the Rules Committee that to deny a debate and vote "flies in the face of reason and will only contribute to the declining respect that Americans hold for this institution."



Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, opposes the exemption.



"The Coast Guard thinks it's a fire hazard," said Mary Kerr, a spokeswoman for Oberstar's committee.



Delta Queen supporters say the Coast Guard rules are intended for ocean vessels, and that the Delta Queen is safe for use on rivers, where the shore is never more than a few hundred feet away.



An Ohio-based group of Delta Queen fans delivered last week to House Democratic leaders a petition with 5,000 signatures from people supporting the exemption. People from around the world are networking online for grassroots lobbying.



Proponents said Chabot's measure could still be brought up for a House vote as a stand-alone bill, but prospects for that seemed dim.

French Country Waterways Offers 40 Percent Off Discount

French Country Waterways is offering 40 percent off select departures of barge cruises in July and August. The 18-passenger luxury barge Esprit makes its way through Burgundy's Côte d'Or wine-growing region for $2,995 per person, double, a 43 percent savings off the normal rate of $5,295. Standard fares of $6,595 and $6,795 for the eight-passenger luxury barge Princess, formerly the private barge of shipping magnate Daniel K. Ludwig, are reduced to $4,500 and $4,700. The July 6 departure of the company's newest barge, the 12-passenger Adrienne, which sails in Champagne between Maizy and Château-Thierry, is priced at $4,495, a 30 percent discount, and also includes a night at the Hotel Raphael in Paris.

These six-night cruises combine a leisurely upscale existence, tastings of dozens of Grand and Premier Cru wines and locally produced cheeses, and meals both aboard and at a Michelin-starred restaurants. Passengers can explore the villages, century-old vineyards, historic architecture and wine tastings in private cellars. The Esprit's route follows the narrow 18th-century Canal du Centre, the River Saône and the Canal de Bourgogne between St. Léger-sur-Dheune and Dijon. The Princess plies the Canal de la Marne au Rhin between Nancy and Hochfelden in the Alsace-Lorraine region. And the Adrienne sails on the Canal de l'Aisne à la Marne and the River Marne, showcasing champagne producers including the House of Ployez-Jacquemart and the vast cellars of Moët & Chandon. Prices cover accommodations, all meals, estate-bottled wines, open bar, daily sightseeing excursions, bicycles for riding along the towpaths and the surrounding countryside, and escorted transfers between Paris and the barge. Hot-air ballooning is an option. For more information 800-640-4899