Certainly, the logistics were far simpler for a cruise in the US than for another European cruise. So confident were we that this cruise was doable, we made our reservations a full 15 months before embarkation date! Well, truth be told, the cancellation fee was no greater than it would have been for reservations made 4 months in advance, say.
Our meet-up plans were simple: Patty and I would fly to Memphis while Jan and Diane, driving a rented van from State College, would arrive simultaneously at the Memphis Airport. That worked just as we hoped and, happily, set the pattern for the remainder of our journey. We had almost two full weeks together to catch-up and create new memories, many of which are documented here.
Before we boarded the American Queen, we stayed in Memphis for five nights and, after disembarking in New Orleans, we remained two more nights in the "Big Easy." When it finally came time to go our separate ways, Jan and Diane picked up another rented vehicle and headed back to Pennsylvania. Patty and I flew to Kansas City for a visit with my sister and her family. Following that, a flight to Nashville and a drive to the Knoxville area allowed us to get reacquainted with my daughter and her growing family. That included meeting, for the first time, her latest arrival, who was just seven months old.
For this adventure, we flew out of Prescott Airport and returned by way of Phoenix. Our zig-zag course is depicted below, cartoon-fashion, with planes, a car and a sail boat to define our route:
ADVICE ON NAVIGATING THIS DOCUMENT