The American Queen Steamboat Company's famed American Queen paddlewheeler is set to return to the water today, Monday, August 9, with its first revenue cruise in 18 months.
The relaunch has some significance and nostalgia to it - it marks the American Queen Steamboat Company's 10th anniversary of the company closing on the purchase of the storied paddlewheeler on Aug. 8, 2011.
The American Queen sets sail from New Orleans, resuming the 2021 season on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
"The purchase and restoration of the American Queen ushered in a new renaissance of U.S. River cruising ten years ago," John Waggoner, founder and chairman of American Queen Steamboat Company, said in a statement.
While the American Queen embarks from New Orleans, the American Empress welcomes guests in Clarkston, Wash.; the boutique paddlewheeler, the American Duchess, is docked under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis; and the company's newest riverboat, the American Countess, is calling on Nottoway Resort in White Castle, La.
American Queen Steamboat Company bookings for 2021, and into 2022 and 2023, continue to reflect pent-up demand for cruising close-to-home. In addition, the cruise line reports 10+ record-breaking individual booking days in 2021, and the current sailing season is almost sold out with limited availability on remaining 2021 Thanksgiving- and holiday-themed voyages.
American Queen Steamboat Company is also offering the FREEDOM sale, a bonus savings of up to $2,000 on select 2022 bookings made by August 31, 2021.
Tourism represents the second-largest economy on the Mississippi River according to The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), a coalition of 101 mayors. The return of the American Queen Steamboat Company fleet to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is a welcome boost to the region's hospitality industry.
"American Queen guests will have an immediate economic impact on the port cities she calls on from pre-cruise hotel stays to visiting attractions and patronizing small businesses along the river," said Shawn Bierdz, president of American Queen Steamboat Company. "To meet the needs of having the entire fleet operational, our company is up to over 500 team members once again and continuing to grow with open shipboard and shoreside positions."
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