Riverboats to nowhere offered themed cruises in year 2

[metro]

The Journal Record - Article

Oklahoma River Cruises offers themed events in second year
by Brian Brus
The Journal Record April 9, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – Passenger demand in Oklahoma River Cruises’ inaugural year suggested to Captain Steve Stanionis that he should cut back on routes during the day and focus on more themed cruises and corporate events.


Oklahoma River Cruises launched its 2009 season beginning Wednesday. (Photo by Maike Sabolich)

He also plans to apply for a license this year to allow the fleet’s deck hands to serve alcoholic beverages during trips.“We offer soft drinks and chips and stuff on our regular public cruises. But when it’s 110 (degrees) out there, drinking a beer while you’re going down the river is something a lot of people would like to do,” said Stanionis, general manager of Hornblower Marine Services-Oklahoma Inc., which operates the boats.

In April last year, Oklahoma River Cruises started carrying passengers on the Oklahoma River between Meridian Landing near the intersection of Meridian and SW 15th Street and Regatta Park Landing at SW Seventh Street near Byers.

City officials originally envisioned a passenger ferrying system that would draw attention to riverfront development and provide a unique mode of transportation for tourists. In 2007, the City Council approved $900,000 toward the purchase of three boats and awarded the construction of the first of several planned docks. A $1.68 million Federal Transit Administration Grant also was appropriated to the development. Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy later stepped up with a gift of $2 million to complete the purchase of the boats.

Then the council contracted with Hornblower to pay $40,000 for the service startup and $15,000 per month to operate it. Stanionis said he learned a lot from the first year and has tightened his budget accordingly.

“Ridership was not as much as was originally predicted,” he said. “We hadn’t done this before, so we had nothing to base it on.

“But what really surprised us was the number of seniors that rode the boats,” he said. “The original projection was that 15 percent of our passengers would be seniors; it turned out to be about 47 percent. It’s huge.”
He also found that sunset cruises were popular enough to expand to twice a week. Every Friday and Saturday night from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., guests can wind down the day on the river with beverages and hors’ de oeuvres from local restaurant-caterer Nonna’s Euro-American Ristorante & Bar.

This year the company will offer more themed events, such as “History Comes Alive” cruises featuring actors from the Oklahoma History Museum, children’s television cartoons on Saturday mornings, and musicians and other entertainers for “Sunday Sensation Live” evening cruises.

Currently, alcoholic beverages are available only through a caterer for special events, he said. But Stanionis said he wants to be able to offer those drinks directly. He doesn’t foresee a need to hire additional staff, once licensing is secured; deck hands will be able to serve double duty as bartenders between tasks such as tying the boats at the dock, Stanionis said.

“I think we can do it with who we’ve got on board,” he said. “My deck hands have some additional time in order to do that.”

“Our first week, we sold $96 worth of soda and chips to 147 passengers. … They enjoy the opportunity to refresh themselves,” he said.

The standard seven-mile cruises depart Wednesday through Sunday and last about 75 minutes in one direction. Oklahoma River Cruises passengers also receive day pass privileges on the city’s fledgling trolley system, with stops at Regatta Park and Meridian Landing, as well as in the Bricktown, downtown and Stockyards City districts.

So far the routes haven’t met their potential to move tourists to Bricktown from hotels along Meridian, but Stanionis said he expects that to change this year with the construction of two new hotels. Online ticket sales and promotion by local hotel concierges also are expected to boost passenger numbers.

Stanionis has been a professional sailor for more than 30 years, beginning with the U.S. Coast Guard shortly after high school graduation. His career has included working offshore oil fields on the West Coast, dinner cruises along the San Francisco Bay and Midwest casino boats.

[bombermwc]

Hm, I didn't even remember that the boats were running. There are have been times when the river was so low that I couldn't imagine that anything could have been running.

[metro]

Either way, it's a waste of private and public money. I think it's a good idea 10 years or so from now, but the money could have been better spent to a better trolley or bus system for downtown.

[bigjkt405]

I am thinking of one of the evening cruises on a Friday night followed by dinner.... could make for a nice evening....

[jbrown84]

Seems like a good move. The dinner cruises and private events will have to keep it afloat until there is more demand for regular traffic between Meridian Landing and Regatta Park.

[johnnyincog]

I am thinking of one of the evening cruises on a Friday night followed by dinner.... could make for a nice evening....

they seem like they would be nice for special events and recreation. the idea that people will use these boats for actual transportation is laughable.

[Joe Kimball]

Distinctly Oklahoma magazine needed more backdrops for their social photographs.

[Steve]

Questions:
- Do you consider this to be public transit or an excursion cruise business?
- If you consider it to be an excursion cruise business, should the city be subsidizing it the tune of $15,000 a month when city leaders say they do not have enough money to provide adequate public transit?
- What is the true extent of the city's subsidies for this operation?

[jbrown84]

I would say at this point it is not public transit and should not be subsidized with public funds.

[bristolscene]

I had no idea public money was used for these. I think they're a neat idea, but at this point, with few attractions on the river and the only programs being little "cruises," I think it's unfortunate that the public is paying part of the cost.

I can't see it being an actual transportation option until more is done near the river. Core2Shore will help, but even then I think it would take some time.

[kevinpate]

saw one heading west on the river yesterday. it looked a little lonely as nothing else was moving in the area, not people, not peeps on bikes, just the not solil' white boat and whomever it was hauling.

Like others, I'm confused why OKC is subsidizing the boats, soon to become floating pubs it seems.

If I owned a pub in/near the CBD or BT, I'd be downright angry. I suspect any of the local pubs would enjoy a 15,000 monthly booster check added to the bottom line.

[metro]

Questions:
- Do you consider this to be public transit or an excursion cruise business?
- If you consider it to be an excursion cruise business, should the city be subsidizing it the tune of $15,000 a month when city leaders say they do not have enough money to provide adequate public transit?
- What is the true extent of the city's subsidies for this operation?

I think you should do an article on it and call the city and Metro Transit out! Heck I would. It's definitely in no way public transit, who in their right mind would ride it 75 minutes one way to go about 5 miles in distance and then when they arrive at nowhere, have to walk a mile or two into downtown? Yeah the trolleys occassionally run by the boat house, but we know how reliable those are.

It is definitely an excursion cruise business, just like when I go to Miami or San Diego and tour the bay, the city sure isn't subsidizing those cruises of their waterfront. Our city should be no different, it's one of those let's create a solution for a problem that doesn't exist sort of things. If anything this city should be focusing all transportation efforts on a viable trolley/street car system for downtown. No more subsidies for the private dinner cruises.

[foodiefan]

does the City subsidize the Water Taxi's? I know they are in a different "market" and have good rider numbers. . . but when they first started they were cause for a lot of derision.