American Queen Steamboat Company Buys Second Paddlewheeler

The American Queen Steamboat Company, which operates the U.S-flagged, 436-passenger American Queen paddlewheeler on the Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, has purchased the Empress of the North paddlewheeler for an undisclosed sum from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), which has maintained the vessel since Majestic America Line shut down in 2008. The vessel will be rechristened as American Empress. The American Queen has ushered in a rebirth of U.S. river cruising, welcoming thousands to discover the heartland of the United States and its iconic port cities, said Ted Sykes, president and COO of the American Queen Steamboat Company. Now the American Empress will continue that tradition as an ambassador to the Pacific Northwest, a region equally rich in American and natural history. A U.S.-flagged riverboat, the American Empress measures 360 ft. with five towering decks and accommodates 223 guests in seven stateroom categories and will have 97 crewmembers. The American Empress will sail the Columbia River and Snake River, offering seven-day voyages between Portland, Ore. and Clarkston, Wash. Ports of call include Astoria, Wash.; Stevenson, Wash.; The Dalles, Ore.; Umatilla, Ore.; and Richland, Wash. American Empress is set to enter service in April 2014 and will offer cruises through November. It will sail seven-day voyages between Portland, Ore., and Clarkston, Wash., on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Ports of call include Astoria, Richland and Stevenson, Wash.; and The Dalles and Umatilla, Ore. The eight-day program will include a pre-cruise hotel night. Sailings have already been entered into the American Queen Steamboat system and are available for booking effective May 22. A new brochure is being published for all American Queen Steamboat itineraries and will be sent to travel agents and past customers in early June. Over the next several months, American Queen Steamboat will completely refurbish the ship and bring it up to the standards of its existing American Queen boat and work to staff the ship with existing crew members from American Queen and other staff hired from the Pacific Northwest. Cabin configurations will be changed and the total number of cabins will be reduced to 112 outside accommodations. Like American Queen, American Empress will offer a fully inclusive product, including hop-on, hop-off motorcoach tours of the ports visited using the company’s dedicated fleet, wine and beer with dinner, free Wi-Fi (with an upgraded satellite system as was just installed on American Queen). Also like American Queen, American Empress will offer premium shore excursions for a surcharge, which is commissionable at 10 percent to travel agents if pre-booked before the sailing. Dining will feature specialty cuisine from the Pacific Northwest with a menu designed by Regina Charboneau, who also is the culinary consultant on American Queen. A large show lounge will feature nightly entertainment with two shows a night geared to the region. Theme cruises will focus on such topics as Lewis & Clark and wine-focused sailings. Other attractions will include venues developed in concert with American Queen Steamboat’s new partner, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Typical pricing for a nine-day, eight night sailing will be roughly $3,795, according to Sykes. A U.S.-flagged riverboat, the American Empress measures 360 feet with five decks. It was originally built in 2002 for American West Steamboat Company and was later acquired by Majestic America Line, which operated it until 2008 on Alaska’s Inside Passage and the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.

For more information and to make reservations on the American Empress or American Queen contact TheCruiseOutlet.com at 203-288-1884 or info@thecruiseoutlet.com