American Duchess brings more upscale experience to Mississippi cruising

NEW ORLEANS — Five years after bringing the American Queen back to life on the Mississippi, the American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) on Monday christened the American Duchess, a much more modern paddlewheeler than the more traditional American Queen.

The crew was still putting finishing touches on the 166-passenger American Duchess as it prepared to welcome the first passengers aboard for an inaugural 23-day journey up the Mississippi River, which will depart New Orleans on Tuesday instead of Monday as originally planned due to delays in completing the vessel.

With its contemporary furnishings, decor and artwork, along with more spacious staterooms and public areas, the American Duchess is intended to court a higher-paying consumer than the 436-passenger American Queen, noted AQSC chairman and CEO John Waggoner.

The American Duchess has larger staterooms than her sister ships. Photo Credit: Michelle Baran

“People that go on the American Queen, those are the true steamboaters. But what we wanted here was something that is a little bit newer, a little bit more modern, [that] caters maybe to a little bit younger crowd,” Waggoner said on the Duchess on the eve of the christening. “What we’re trying to do is offer our guests a menu of products.”

The American Duchess’s décor is closer to the modern interiors found on many ocean cruise vessels and European river cruise ships than the classic Americana vibe of the American Queen and American Empress, a riverboat that sails in the Pacific Northwest.

AQSC purchased the former gaming vessel one year ago, after which it was gutted and converted into what the company describes as an all-suite riverboat. The interior hotel was completely rebuilt and transformed into 83 staterooms, ranging from 180-square-foot interior cabins to 550-square-foot owner’s suites and loft suites.

But the company didn’t completely abandon the steamboat style, having added a working paddlewheel to the American Duchess and having designed a main dining room that mimics the J.M. White Dining Room on the American Queen, complete with the Lincoln Library, a mezzanine sitting area that overlooks the restaurant.

As AQSC raced to complete the American Duchess in time for its christening on Monday, some areas of the vessel had not yet been completed, notably the alternative dining venue River Club & Terrace, which the company expects to finish by Friday. President and COO Ted Sykes said some construction workers would travel on the first cruise, working to complete the venue along with putting the final touches in other areas.

On christening day, there were numerous details that needed to be addressed, such as exposed wiring, drywall dust and paint drips.

The ship’s godmother, Marissa Applegate, daughter of company chairman John Waggoner, broke a bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon over the bow of the American Duchess, marking the official launch of the vessel.

The American Duchess is the third vessel to join the fleet, following the American Empress, which was christened by Waggoner’s wife, Claudette Waggoner, in Portland in 2014, and the American Queen, which re-entered service in 2012.

The company has purchased a fourth vessel, which will likely sail the Mississippi River.

The American Duchess will do overnight port stays in Nashville, a new offering for the company, and will sail shorter roundtrip itineraries between Nashville and New Orleans. There will also be departures from Ottawa, Ill., a two-hour drive from Chicago, another first for AQSC. American Duchess cruise prices begin at $2,999 per person, including a pre- or post-cruise luxury hotel stay.

Sоurсе: travelweekly.com