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Passengers who book Commodore Services on the River Ships can expect VIP service and attention from their butlers. Because the ship is so small—and itineraries are 12 to 13 days long—you really get to know the crew. I found the dining room wait staff to be exceptional, learning your preferences (both in cuisine and with whom you'd like to sit) very quickly. Right now, most passengers are American Queen Voyage loyalists—typically older couples.
Staff and Crew
Multiple industry groups previously suspended sales of American Queen Voyages cruises because of service issues, including delayed commission payments, Travel Weekly reported in January. "Despite our best efforts, demand for overnight cruises has not recovered following the pandemic, and AQV has become financially unsustainable," a guest FAQ section on the second website reads. "We thank you for your support and deeply regret any inconvenience this causes you." "It has been an honor to bring joy to so many lives, and we are deeply touched by the relationships we have formed and the memorable experiences we have created," the company said.
Cobranded Cards
I found plenty of ways to relax, from joining low-key hosted trivia and doing self-led puzzles during the day to listening to live music at night. Ocean Voyager is a homely, friendly ship with a welcoming traditional-style lounge and adjoining bar. Any solo cruisers will quickly make new friends, as will the couples -- many of them repeaters and loyal to the line -- that make up the majority of passengers. There is free-seating at meals although for those who prefer their own company there are some tables for two in the main Coastal Dining Room and The Grill, the smaller informal dining venue. The food is well presented with imaginative lunch and dinner menus featuring different dishes throughout the cruise. Our final day of cruising the Mississippi brought us to St. Louis, with a scheduled arrival time of noon.
American Queen Voyages/AQV is the first cruise line with fleetwide SpaceX Starlink Internet
There's a spa treatment room as well as a fitness center onboard, but they're fairly basic facilities. "American Queen Voyages Expedition" 2024 Alaskan season (company's third and brand's second) is based on two newbuilds - Ocean Victory (2021) and Ocean Discoverer (2023). Ship stretching included cutting the existing hull in two and adding a 60 ft (18 m) long prefabricated midship section.
American Queen Voyages ships have uncertain destinations - Travel Weekly
American Queen Voyages ships have uncertain destinations.
Posted: Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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As well as creating a really friendly onboard vibe, this also makes for a very personal service where you are made to feel extra special. AQV's boats offer modern hotel amenities, such as Wi-Fi in all public spaces, gourmet cuisine, ticket price-inclusive land tours/shore excursions. Still, they aim to evoke the "old timer's" memories of the 19th-century paddlewheel steamships.
Information About American Queen Voyages
The cruise line first adopted the name American Queen Voyages in 2021 after changing it from the American Queen Steamboat Company. Under the new name, the company sailed river cruises, lake, and ocean cruises, along with expedition voyages to destinations like Alaska. In fact, the company was known for having some of the best river cruises in the United States, journeying along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland rivers on board classic paddle wheelers. Discover the heritage and culture of America with a cruise onboard the elegant American Queen, an authentic paddlewheel steamboat.
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The small size of the ships enables stops at less-trodden towns and ports with locally-inspired, immersive onshore excursions. Themed cruises designed around cultural events, historical sites, and culinary fare take place throughout the year. AQV-American Queen Voyages (aqvoyages.com) fka AQSC-American Queen Steamboat Company (americanqueensteamboatcompany.com) is a 2011-founded USA passenger shipping company and cruise travel brand headquartered in New Albany (Indiana USA). In 2018, the company's headquarters were moved to New Albany IN from Memphis Tennessee. AQSC/AQV and Victory Cruise Lines are owned by Hornblower Group Inc (1980-founded by Terry MacRae/current CEO) via its subsidiary Hornblower Cruises and Events (1974-founded, San Francisco-headquartered). The shipowner is part of HMS Global Maritime (1994-founded as Hornblower Marine Services).
Back onboard, all meals, snacks and drinks -- including an unlimited open bar and freshly prepared lobster and USDA Prime beef on the always available menu every night -- are included. Also in the fare is a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay, ground transfers from the hotel to the ship, Wi-Fi and one complimentary bag of laundry per cabin. Despite great efforts by our team, crew and partners, American Queen Voyages (AQV) unfortunately has been unable to rebound from the effects of the pandemic. The overnight cruise industry was especially affected by changes in travel preferences and, as a result, AQV has become financially unsustainable. The buses mimic each cruise itinerary via highway routes, and they meet at the dock each morning to whisk passengers from the boat to a daily round of complimentary hop on-hop off destinations.
American Queen is a beautiful boat that allows modern-day travelers to experience some of what life on the rivers might have been like 200 years ago. It's an impressive ode to history, complete with comfortable and richly furnished accommodations, great service, delicious food and visits to some of America's small towns. Although American Queen Voyages, like the rest of the domestic travel market, is still struggling with staffing issues, the experience was superior overall. As a riverboat, this ship will sail on American Queen Mississippi River cruises. With four guest decks and a capacity for 166 guests, the American Duchess features a boutique experience while still offering the amenities you’d expect from a cruise ship.
This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free. In mid-December 2021 were announced details on AQV's 2024 program, marking it the company's ever furthest (3 years in advance) season open for booking. American Queen (on Lower Mississippi) has scheduled for 2023 a total of 28 departures on itineraries between Memphis and New Orleans.
The steam engine drives a stern paddlewheel to propel the large vessel through water. River cruisers will note that prices for this boat are higher than they are for mainstream ocean cruises. Keep in mind that rates on American Queen include a pre-cruise hotel stay; transfer to the boat; soft drinks, coffee and tea all day; beer and wine with dinner; a complimentary set of shore excursions; and use of bicycles during port calls. The line also pays American wages and offers benefits such as health insurance and 401K participation to its crew.
Whether you get on in Chicago or Toronto, a pre-cruise overnight stay is included in your fare so you’re not killing time. On one such cruise, we were surrounded by a raft of more than 100 otters, including mothers with pups. On other expedition days, we navigated through icebergs to spot seals lounging on icy perches and took a ship-wide a polar plunge.
During the day, passengers wear comfortable and casual clothing, including jeans, shorts, T-shirts, and sundresses. In the evening, men wear polo shirts, slacks, and the occasional jacket, as they are optional and not required. Ladies will be dressed in sweaters, nice pants, or a skirt paired with a blouse or sweater, and dresses. Shorts, T-shirts, hats, and flip-flops are not appropriate for dinner in the dining room.
Ocean Victory's Alaska 2023 program (between Vancouver BC and Sitka AK) also offers seasonal relocation cruises between Puntarenas and San Diego. AQSC/AQV owns and operates four (for now) paddle-wheeler riverboats sailing on some of the biggest rivers in the USA. For season 2019 (May through October) were scheduled 10-day Great Lakes voyages operated with all-inclusive deals. Victory 1 was homeported in Montreal and Detroit MI, with route ports Quebec City, Kingston, Toronto (with crossing Welland Canal between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie), Port Colborne (gateway to Niagara Falls) and Cleveland. Victory 2 was homeported in Toronto and Chicago, with route ports Port Colborne, Cleveland, Detroit, Lake Huron (scenic cruising), Little Current (Manitoulin Island), Soo Locks (connecting Lake Superior with Great Lakes). The itinerary program offers several overnight port stays and shorter roundtrips from homeports Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Nashville, New Orleans and (for the first time) from Chicago (Ottawa, Illinois).
"We sincerely regret any inconvenience this decision causes. Our goal is to ensure a smooth process for all AQV stakeholders." All major cruise lines around the world paused sailings for many months at the start of the pandemic and only slowly returned to normal operations. This resulted in enormous quarterly losses that only recently have begun to moderate. The brands that have stayed in business have been forced to take on massive amounts of debt to survive. All sailings on the three riverboats that the company had scheduled to operate this year — American Queen, American Countess and American Duchess — have been canceled.
American Duchess (on Ohio River) has scheduled for 2023 a total of 6 itineraries between Louisville KY and Pittsburgh PA. To the AQSC fleet were also added Ocean Victory (2021) and Ocean Discoverer (2023). Both are Sunstone-owned newbuilds (operated under charter) and deployed seasonally in Alaska. We are therefore shutting down the business, and all future AQV cruises have been cancelled.
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