AQSC-American Queen Steamboat Company announced that its American Empress ship, sailing the Columbia and Snake rivers, would restart operations on June 14, 2021.
AQSC’s first 2021 Pacific Northwest cruise will feature the Pacific Northwest Splendor itinerary from Spokane WA (Clarkston WA) to Portland OR (Vancouver WA) and operate with enhanced SafeCruise health & safety protocols.
Additionally, AQSC is reporting the 2021 cruise season is almost sold out including the new American Countess and boutique American Duchess, which both started operating at reduced capacity in March.
Following Washington State's guidelines, all sailings aboard American Empress require 100% passenger and crew COVID-19 vaccinations to start sailing on June 14, ahead of the July 1 AQSC fleetwide vaccine mandate. The vaccination requirement for American Empress voyages expands upon the SafeCruise health & safety protocols already in place, which include (not limited to) pre-cruise COVID testing of all passengers and crew members and a mask mandate in public areas where social distancing is not possible.
To meet the growing demand, AQSC released its 2023 cruise season in February, marking the furthest out a season has been offered to passengers and travel agent partners. Customers are encouraged to book soon to sail on Pacific Northwest 2022 itineraries onboard American Empress.
American Empress is the 3rd AQSC boat to begin operating in 2021.
In March, American Duchess was the first to resume operations on Mississippi River, followed by the newly christened American Countess which also celebrated her inaugural season with a private ceremony.