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.
AQSC gutted a former gaming vessel and converted it into what the company describes as an all-suite riverboat. Photo Credit: Michelle Baran
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 American Duchess' main dining room. Photo Credit: Michelle Baran
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.