Priscilla Presley Named the Godmother of the Great American Steamboat Company's American Queen

The Great American Steamboat Company named Priscilla Presley as the godmother of the steamboat American Queen. Presley will name her in a christening ceremony at the revitalized Beale Street Landing on April 27. Highlights of the festivities will include performances by local musicians, a bottle of champagne crashing against the stern and the sounds of the American Queen Calliope as she steams off up the Mississippi River. 

The Great American Steamboat Company also entered into an exclusive partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises to present the first Elvis Cruise on the American Queen from Memphis to New Orleans this December, as well as signature Graceland experiences for guests.

A daughter of an Air Force officer, Priscilla Presley attended high school in Germany, where she met her future husband, Elvis Presley. In 1979 she became co-executor of the Presley Estate growing it into an organization consisting of the Graceland Mansion.

Presley is also an ambassador of the Dream Foundation, helping to fulfill the dreams of adults battling terminal illnesses. The organization is the only one of its kind working with adults as well as helping to create lasting memories for their family and friends. Priscilla has also joined Hollywood celebrities in the fight against the overmedication of children. She is an advocate for Citizen’s Commission on Human Rights and a percentage of all purchases on PriscillaPresley.com are donated to support these two worthy charities.

Earlier this month the Great American Steamboat Company hosted a job fair at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, hiring over 300 new employees to work onboard the American Queen or at its downtown headquarters. An annual economic impact of $89 million for the region is expected with the largest and most opulent steamboat ever built returning to the heartland’s iconic rivers.

After a sunset christening, the American Queen will depart for her inaugural voyage up the Mississippi River to the Ohio River with stops in Henderson, Ky., Louisville, Ky., and Madison, Ind., before arriving in her disembarkation city of Cincinnati. In Louisville she will take part in the tradition of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Great Steamboat Race with the Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati.

A variety of voyage lengths, ranging from three nights to ten nights, and fares beginning at $995 per guest are available. Pre- or post-cruise luxury hotel stay, all bottled water and soft drinks, wine and beer at diner and complimentary shore adventures are included in each port of call.

Visit www.GreatAmericanSteamboatCompany.com