The royal treatment: Albemarle Queen evening cruises a hit

Before last week, Nancy Cook had never been on a river cruise.

Now that she has, she can’t wait to go back on one.

“That was really special,” Cook said after returning from a two-hour cruise of the Pasquotank River aboard the Albemarle Queen, the paddle wheel dinner-excursion boat operated by Harbor Town Cruises.

Cook, who lives in Elizabeth City, and her daughter were among the 68 passengers taking a sunset cruise aboard the Albemarle Queen on Friday, Aug. 23. The 99-foot vessel Harbor Towns purchased earlier this year launched from Waterfront Park, taking passengers an hour out and hour back on the Pasquotank River, showing many sights from the water they’d never seen before.

“I loved the breeze, the wind as we were going out,” Cook said. “The wind was blowing toward us and that felt wonderful. I was surprised at how much land the Coast Guard occupies out there. They turn the boat around so you can actually see it (the boat dock) before we came back.”

Kathy Harris and her husband Bob also took the same Friday evening cruise. Kathy had a birthday last week so the cruise was part of her celebration, she said. Harris said Bob is “into boating” but this was her first venture on the river.

Bob Harris said he was really happy to be taking the excursion, and not just because he was enjoying the views and the beautiful sunset.

He talked about how his friend, Harbor Towns board member Peter Thomson, has worked for years to bring something like the Albemarle Queen to the region. He noted that an effort to offer dinner cruises on the Pasquotank River a number of years ago had worked but eventually fizzled.

“It should be well supported locally because we had this years ago but it disappeared. I think this is a great idea,” Harris said.

The Albemarle Queen is one of three vessels owned and operated by Harbor Towns, the nonprofit that was formed to jumpstart economic development in the region by offering a ferry passenger service between six waterfront towns and cities. Harbor Towns’ two specially designed passenger ferries — the Penelope and Moses Grandy — have been sidelined with mechanical issues in the first several months since being put into operation. The Albemarle Queen, which arrived at the Edenton town docks in May, also was briefly out of service because of an engine cooling problem.

Those issues all seemed like churned water in the boat’s wake during last week’s cruise.

The Albemarle Queen’s crew welcomed passengers aboard as they began arriving, many of whom seemed eager to check out the views from the vessel’s top deck. Casey Jennings, the cruise manager, carefully collected passenger tickets. While most of the evening’s passengers purchased their tickets ahead of the cruise, 10 bought their tickets before boarding. Harbor Towns accepts only credit cards.

“We’re going out for an hour and back for an hour,” Jennings said. “There are snacks for people to purchase but we won’t have dinner tonight. Next week, (the cruises will be on) Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As long as all goes well, we are hoping to do three or four (evening cruises) each week.”

The Albemarle Queen isn’t limited to just scheduled river cruises. The vessel can be rented for private celebrations and gatherings. The boat, Jennings explained, is merely the venue for those gatherings; passengers have to arrange their own caterer or DJ for weddings, reunions or birthday celebrations aboard the boat.

“You can leave from any of the six places — Plymouth, Elizabeth City, Hertford, Edenton, Columbia and Manteo,” Jennings said.

Jennings said the boat’s passengers have said “they really enjoyed their cruise and it’s been great to see the scenery.”

Helping entertain passengers on the Aug. 23 cruise was local musician Bobby Plough. He said he sang a selection of songs whose lyrics included references to rivers, river cruising, sailing and boating. While he’s played a lot of venues, Plough said this was the first time he’d performed aboard a river boat.

“I played some covers tonight and some originals from my CDs,” he said after the cruise ended.

“I wish I had played Lyle Lovett’s ‘If I Had a Boat,” he joked as he unplugged his microphone.

Plough, too, thought it had been a great evening.

“It was a nice night to be on the river and the people seemed to have a real good time,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of places and would like to come back aboard the Albemarle Queen.”

Dr. Walter Swan, director of choral activities at Elizabeth City State University, said he had enjoyed listening to Plough perform and interact with passengers on the cruise. He also complemented the Albemarle Queen’s captain and crew for the smooth ride.

“The weather was perfect for those who chose to sit on the top deck in the open air and the Queen was superior in how she handled the water,” he said. “The glow in the sky provided a platform for any painter and would have been a photographer’s dream.”

The best part of the trip, Swan said, was “meeting new people and hearing their stories.”

“The hospitality amongst strangers who departed acquaintances (at the end of the night) was refreshing,” he said. “Speaking with locals about the hopes, dreams, and possibilities of this city was invigorating.”

Swan said he’s eager to take another cruise aboard the boat.

So is Cook. Her only complaint, if you’d call it that, is that the cruise wasn’t longer.

“The sunset was good. The entertainment was fun. It was just a pleasant trip. It’s too bad it’s not longer — like four hours,” she said.

The Albemarle Queen was scheduled to make a “Bites and Sights” cruise on the Pasquotank River Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Boarding starts at Waterfront Park at 6:30 p.m. and the boat leaves at 7 p.m. and returns at 9 p.m.

Beer, wind, liquor and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase on the cruises. Passengers are not allowed to bring beverages aboard the vessel.

Ticketholders for Friday’s evening cruise could choose from heavy appetizers offered by TNT Grill & Catering that included warm spinach dip, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, chips, truffle mac n cheese, coconut shrimp skewers and pulled pork sliders with blueberry bacon jam. There were also lemon bars and marble brownies for dessert. Cost of the cruise is $65, according to Albemarle Queen website, the https://www.albemarlequeenevents.com/upcoming-events.

The Albemarle Queen’s Sunday cruise will feature live music. Boarding also begins at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. departure with return at 9 p.m. Cost for that cruise is $30, according to the website.