Paddlewheeler ready to sail 6 weeks early

American Cruise Lines new paddlewheeler, Queen of the Mississippi, has left Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., and is en route to New Orleans, six weeks ahead of schedule. The vessel has received its Coast Guard certificates and will begin operating revenue cruises in early August. The 150-guest Queen of the Mississippi has many staterooms that are twice the size of those on other Mississippi riverboats. Almost all staterooms feature private balconies with sliding glass doors while maintaining the Victorian style of classic late 1800s Mississippi riverboats. American Cruise Lines will operate the paddlewheeler over the entire Mississippi River system, including the Ohio and Cumberland rivers. The Queen of the Mississippi also can travel at higher speeds than other riverboats, minimizing night travel and making more itineraries possible with longer visits to the river towns. A number of journeys are planned that take guests as far north as St. Paul, Minn., on the Mississippi River and as far east as Pittsburgh, Pa., on the Ohio River.