The legendary Delta Queen is the last remaining historical paddlewheel steamboat for overnight cruises on the Mississippi River system. She started service as early as 1927. The Delta Queen is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

With a maximum of only 174 passengers and a total crew of 80, you're part of a family within the first few days on the river. The super structure of the boat is mostly wooden, which gives the boat the look of a beautiful and cherished antique.

Even though the Delta Queen is celebrating her 80th birthday in 2007, you don't have to worry about safety: The Coast Guard and the company keeps a very close eye on the Delta Queen making sure that everything is perfectly safe. She does have a steel hull. Don't worry about the wooden super structure. Behind the scenes, there is enough steel to give perfect stability to all the decks. All paint on the boat is a very special fire-protecting paint and the boat is completely sprinkled.

You will feel at home from the moment you step on the boat. Her well-trained crew is used to pampering the passengers. The Delta Queen is a Historic Landmark. She does not have elevators. For those confined to wheelchairs and wishing to go Steamboatin', you would want to book the Mississippi Queen or American Queen.

The Delta Queen and her identical twin the Delta King - called the million dollar boats - were built from 1924 to 1927 on the River Clyde in Scotland, and assembled that same year at Banner Island shipyard in Stockton, CA. The boats were completed on May 20, 1927. The Delta King today is a hotel and restaurant boat at Sacramento, CA.

On December 17, 1946 the Delta Queen was bought by Capt. Tom R. Greene of Greene Line Steamers of Cincinnati, OH, for use on the Mississippi River system. The Delta Queen started her legendary voyage through the Panama Canal on April 19, 1947. She arrived in New Orleans on May 18, 1947, after 29 days covering 5,261 miles of open sea. She went back into passenger service on June 21, 1948, based in Cincinnati, OH.

In 1966 the Safety of Life at Sea Law nearly ended the Delta Queen´s carrer. Because of her wooden structure the legislation would end her passenger cruise. After a long fight, the Delta Queen eventually got an exemption from the law, and this exemption has been prolonged every few years until the present time.

In 2007, the Delta Queen and her many fellow passengers and crew, will celebrate her 80th anniversary with the new owner Majestic America Line.