My husband and I took the American Duchess from St. Louis to Minneapolis on the Mississippi River. We knew it would be quieter than other cruises we have taken, but we were not really prepared for how little there was to do (both onboard and at the ports of call). The boat had virtually no entertainment, other than cheesy 45-minute shows given each day by an entertainment staff of 3 people trying really hard. Other than listening to the excellent talks by the "riverlorian", there was really nothing to do on the boat. They did offer bingo, board games, and trivia, but there is nothing even remotely active to do. You really can't even stroll the deck easily, as the boat isn't designed for that.
As for the ports of call, please know that there is really nothing to do in these sleepy little towns. They offer hop-on/hop-off bus service to the local museums and heritage centers, but we were hard pressed to even find 2 hours' worth of interesting things to do at each port. The highlight was the opportunity to go kayaking in Red Wing, MN - very enjoyable. But that was the only excursion that had any active aspect to it at all.
If you research this trip, you will see that it is fairly expensive. In fact, we paid as much for this cruise as our one-week cruise on the Danube in Europe a couple of years ago. Between the 2 cruises there was no comparison. On the Danube we had a beautiful room with a king-sized bed, panoramic window and 2 sinks in the bathroom, gourmet meals, interesting and informative excursions, and highly attentive staff. On the Duchess, we had an adequate stateroom with a queen-sized bed and a veranda that had no awning (which meant it was too hot to sit out there for very long), virtually nonexistent internet, mediocre meals, dull excursions, and overworked employees that were doing their best on an understaffed boat. We were extremely disappointed.
Response from BriannaH, Guest Relations @American Queen Voyages
Queen-sized bed was comfortable, but if you are used to a king-sized bed, know that there are no king-bedded rooms available on the boat. Only one sink in the bathroom. The veranda has no awning, so for most of the day it is too hot to really enjoy it. Storage space is adequate. Internet virtually nonexistent.