American Cruise Lines (ACL) is revealing few details on what it plans to do with the American Queen and American Empress after saying it scrapped the other two ships it acquired from American Queen Voyages’ (AQV) bankruptcy last month.
But ACL has been consulting with travel advisors on potential uses for the ships as it weighs the financial viability of putting them back into operation.
Cindy Anderson, owner of the USA River Cruises travel agency in Vancouver, Wash., said ACL has been in touch with her agency and others that “have done millions of dollars in sales with AQV” to discuss the condition of the Queen and the Empress and what their options are. “They’re doing a lot of research.”
Anderson said ACL had explained why the American Duchess and American Countess had been scrapped: The ships had severe plumbing issues. With the repair costs, putting them back in operation didn’t make financial sense.
As one of the few cruise companies that owns a shipyard and builds its own vessels, Anderson said ACL has the experience to know what these repairs would cost. And ACL’s analysis, she said, indicated that “by the time they put all that money into them, they can build another boat. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for them.”
Based on what ACL told her, Anderson said, the future remains up in the air for the Queen and the Empress, as those ships are also in need of repairs. The American Queen, for example, has a very high emissions footprint, which does not align with the sustainability standards ACL has implemented for its newer ships.
Anderson said ACL was concerned that even if it put the American Queen back in service, “they may have to pull her back out again in a few years or less because of the clean energy and environmental issues, and it’s just not cost-efficient.”
The Empress is in need of fewer repairs, Anderson said.
ACL declined to comment for this report.
The company said earlier this month that it was evaluating options for the Queen, “including the possibility of donation to a municipal or nonprofit entity.” But as of May 22, ACL confirmed that the ship was docked at a ship recycling facility in Houma, Louisiana. The American Empress is docked in Astoria, Oregon.
The American Empress, which had sailed Columbia and Snake river cruises, is currently docked in Oregon. Photo Credit: American Queen Voyages
Nostalgia meets financial reality
Anderson is among advisors who had hoped all the paddlewheelers could be saved and returned to service.
“We are a really big advocate for getting those boats back on the water because, to be honest, all of the boats on U.S. rivers right now are sold out,” she said.
Jack Richards, CEO of Pleasant Holidays, also hoped ACL would resume operations of the AQV ships for the sake of increased capacity on U.S. rivers, but he said he understands ACL’s decision to scrap the Duchess and the Countess and possibly more.
“ACL is focused on modern river cruise ships, so the capital investment required in the AQV ships may not provide a reasonable return on investment,” Richards said. “Since ACL owns a shipyard, the company can quickly determine the capital investment required to redeploy the ships into service. Assuming the cost was too high, there was no choice but to scrap the ships.”
Signature Travel Network CEO Alex Sharpe pointed to the high operational costs ACL has to consider as a U.S.-flagged river cruise company, while acknowledging the sadness many would feel to see them go.
“I get the nostalgia, and certainly AQV had a following, but at the end of the day, [ACL] needs to regulate capacity to match interest,” Sharpe said. “Remember, the operational costs in the U.S. for these ships is much higher than a traditional cruise ship.”
John Waggoner, founder and former chairman of American Queen Voyages, said it was “heartbreaking” to read reports of the scrapping of the Countess and Duchess.
“It would be tragic for the American Queen and American Empress to meet the same fate,” he added. “These paddlewheelers are a part of the fabric of the river and have created so many memories for communities, guests and crew who served aboard.”
Waggoner acquired the 1995-built American Queen in 2011 to start American Queen Steamboat Co., and then acquired the former Empress of the North in 2013, renaming the ship American Empress, which re-entered service a year later.
Waggoner oversaw the acquisition and renovation of the Duchess and the Countess, which were transformed from casino boats into river cruise ships, entering service in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
The company became American Queen Voyages in 2021 before ceasing operations earlier this year after AQV’s parent, Hornblower, declared bankruptcy.
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