The American Queen Steamboat Company's second vessel, the 223-guest American Empress, which will make Vancouver, Wash., her home port. The largest riverboat west of the Mississippi, she will officially join the fleet’s Memphis-based American Queen on April 5, 2014. In addition, the company is pleased to announce that its Pacific Northwest office will also be based in the southwest Washington city of Vancouver U.S.A., just across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore.
The American Queen Steamboat Company entered into a purchase agreement of the 223-guest riverboat with the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) in May 2013 and has had a team onboard preparing for her April 2014 launch on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Formerly the Empress of the North, the American Empress will serve as the largest overnight riverboat west of the Mississippi River. She is currently undergoing final preparations for her inaugural season and sea trials with the U.S. Coast Guard are scheduled for later this month.
Her maiden voyage will be a nine-day journey along the Columbia and Snake Rivers, departing from Vancouver U.S.A. Featured stops include some of the region’s most celebrated ports including Astoria, Ore.; Stevenson, Wash.; The Dalles, Ore.; Sacajawea State Park, Wash. and finally Clarkston, Wash. Complimentary shore excursions will be available in every port and include the cultural and historical landmarks that signify the living legacy of the region’s first settlers.
The American Empress was built in 2003 and operated by Majestic America Line from 2003 to 2008, sailing Alaska’s Inside Passage and the Pacific Northwest.
For more information, visit www.AQSC.com.