KCRag Forum

[url][http://www.kshb.com/news/port-of-kansas ... -years/url]
Port of Kansas City has reopened.

Will the Carnival cruise ships dock there?

moderne wrote:Will the Carnival cruise ships dock there?

You joke, but a steamboat cruise would be great. Too bad the Missouri is only for commercial freight. Or I think it is?

The river is smaller at Omaha and passenger cruises happen there.
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/missouri ... 18627.html

the port itself is a freight operation only as I recall

the main reason against a riverboat cruise is you really can't see much at KC that you can't see in the first five minutes. maybe through service from Omaha to St. Louis could work. The Mississippi has this right now.

flyingember wrote:The river is smaller at Omaha and passenger cruises happen there.
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/missouri ... 18627.html

the main reason against a riverboat cruise is you really can't see much at KC that you can't see in the first five minutes. .

You can't tell me that doesn't apply to Bismarck and Omaha, as well. We riverboat cruises ever a very big draw here before the boats moved to other states?

I think it's more about having enough stops in a small enough distance and then getting the facilities setup. The Mississippi has more facilities along it.

Like there's a local day trip boat service out of Hannibal and a lot of distance cruises along the Missisisippi. There's a number or local cruises at new Orleans

I could see a MO River tourism cruise working. A lot of our major historic sites are along it.

start at St. Charles for the first state capital, a bus-delivered stop at Defiance for the Daniel Boone home, stop in Wine Country for German heritage, at Jeff City with a capital visit, biking the katy trail from Rocheport, Arrow Rock, Lexington for the civil war history, Fort Osage, at the city market for the Arabia, Parkville or Weston, St. Joseph for the Pony Express museum and the like.

That's 11 stops and can do a leisurly 4-5 days with several hours minimum in each place

it would bring a boat to Kansas City and figure out interest for more.

Gambling is a lucrative possibility on the river as well. There's a historical precedent to it that might make it lucrative. Why go to a seedy north KC casino when you can enjoy how steamboat gambling used to be experienced on an actual moving steamboat?

The ports the steamboats dock at could be spur new development on riverfronts along the route. Hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. could emerge as small entertainment districts catering to river cruisers.

That being said, what's the plausibility of building a civilian port near KC's riverfront (to avoid a West Bottoms landing)? It would certainly be a boon for Port KC's attempt the develop that area. I don't know the logistics of river traffic

I wonder why they don't do riverboat gambling like they use to a few years ago? Maybe it is because with other options available to the gamblers it didn't work.

aknowledgeableperson wrote:I wonder why they don't do riverboat gambling like they use to a few years ago? Maybe it is because with other options available to the gamblers it didn't work.

I was not aware that there was riverboat gambling in recent years. Regardless, the focal point isn't the gambling which is just a perk. The main attraction is the cruise

I believe you'll find that the river is too treacherous for the gambling boats. That's why the law was modified so they could stay "docked".

And on the water you can't have all of the restaurants, hotel rooms, etc. that you can have on land.

JBmidtown wrote:That being said, what's the plausibility of building a civilian port near KC's riverfront (to avoid a West Bottoms landing)? It would certainly be a boon for Port KC's attempt the develop that area. I don't know the logistics of river traffic

The channel is on the KC side at downtown. Kaw Point would be the best spot

Mark Twain drank like a mother fucker

The Plymouth Rock of Kansas City: http://kcdv.tv/big-muddy-speakers-serie ... d-gentile/

This is the best thing on the rag in a long time. Thanks Moderne.

Thanks for that, fascinating stuff.

moderne wrote:The Plymouth Rock of Kansas City: http://kcdv.tv/big-muddy-speakers-serie ... d-gentile/

Thank you and I just bookmarked that site for future reference.