SEATTLE -- American West Steamboat Co. introduced its second ship,
the sternwheeler Empress of the North, in Alaska Aug. 10.
The 235-passenger Empress kicked off with an 11-day Inside
Passage cruise from Seattle to Juneau, marking not only American
West's first Alaska cruise, but also the first overnight
sternwheeler cruise in Alaska in more than a century.
The ship will sail a series of one-way cruises between Juneau
and Seattle before joining sister ship the Queen of the West on the
Columbia, Willamette, and Snake rivers.
The Empress returns to Alaska next year with a series of
roundtrip cruises from Sitka.
To contact reporter Rebecca Tobin, send e-mail to [email protected].