The Mississippi Queen, one of the boats of the Delta Queen Steamboat Line, will arrive at the new North Shore docking facility on Tuesday, July 16. This is the first voyage of one of the Delta Queen boats into Pittsburgh this year and it will be repeated by the Mississippi Queen in August.
Dale McClelland of Celebrate Pittsburgh and Beyond, the contracted receptive operator in Pittsburgh, is "very excited about the arrival of the Mississippi Queen and the future of the Delta Queen Steamboat operation. The possibility exists for expanding the Queens' layovers and making Pittsburgh a multi-night port city in the future." Providing the needed hotel rooms, dining facilities and entertainment would give an economic lift to tourism in Pittsburgh. McClelland said, "We are currently working with downtown hotels to put together `pre' and `post' packages for when the boats come into Pittsburgh. For this stop on Tuesday, passengers can take a city tour including the Duquesne Incline, the Heinz Regional History Center and the Nationality Classrooms in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh before they go out to the airport."
Development of the dock on the North Shore has been a collaborative effort of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, the Sports and Exhibition Authority and the City of Pittsburgh Planning Department. Next year all three boats in the
Delta Queen Line, the Mississippi, Delta and American Queens, will utilize the dock with a total of eight visits.