AQSC buys third riverboat

[HostDave]

Currently turning away customers due to lack of capacity, American Queen Steamboat Co. has purchased a former casino riverboat that it will rebuild and upgrade into a boutique vessel for Mississippi operations, starting in June.

American Duchess will carry 166 passengers in all-suite accommodations with single, open-seating dining. Standard outside rooms will measure 240 square feet with suites a roomy 550 square feet.

'We will finish this year with 95% load factors. We're sold out on both vessels [American Queen and American Empress] and sales for next year are just running away,' AQSC's Ted Sykes, president and chief operating officer, told Seatrade Cruise News.

Sales for American Duchess will open in a few weeks with the first revenue cruise from New Orleans set for June 4.

With the new boat, AQSC will add shorter trips focused on the lower Mississippi, including New Orleans round-trips and Nashville round-trips. The latter will feature Nashville overnights and the Grand Ole Opry. The boat also will be able to sail up the Illinois River and turn around in Chicago (Ottawa), and St. Louis-Chicago cruises are planned.

'We're very excited,' Sykes said, citing the large suites and the single, open-seating dining. In addition to a main dining room that can accommodate all passengers at once, the vessel will have a River Grill that can seat half the passengers.

AQSC chairman and ceo John Waggoner and his team at HMS Global Maritime had 'scoured the country' searching for American-made hulls and engines to grow the company, which operates American Queen in the Heartland and American Empress in the Pacific Northwest. HMS has operated gaming vessels and Waggoner is 'intimately familiar with all of them,' according to Sykes.

They acquired a former gaming vessel for an undisclosed price that had operated from Bettendorf, Iowa. It has 'big Caterpillar engines, plenty of power,' and bow thrusters. A paddlewheel will be installed. It won't be just cosmetic; it will provide some propulsion.

The shipyard and outfitter are to be announced. David Kelly, newbuild project manager, is handling the overall design and will oversee the subcontractors.

The three-deck vessel has a main deck with high ceilings: 19.5 feet, that will enable American Duchess to have loft suites on the second deck and a mezzanine level for the Mark Twain Gallery.

The accommodations will be built out from scratch. There will be three owner's suites of 550 square feet and four loft suites, also 550 square feet. The loft suites will have 300 square feet of space on the main level and 250 square feet on the mezzanine, which will house the sleeping area, and very large windows. Inside suites will measure 180 square feet.

The vessel was built in 1995. According to Sykes, the hull is in good shape, and the plumbing is new. No columns obstruct the decks, making for a big open platform AQSC can build out from the steel.

The boat is about 300 feet long, or 100 feet shorter than American Queen. This allows it to go into smaller rivers, like the Illinois. The width and height are about equal to American Queen.

The exterior of American Duchess will look very much like that larger vessel, with wedding cake filigree, fold-down stacks and the paddlewheel. The interiors will be more contemporary, with walnut finishes and 'ultra-premium fit and finish.'

In addition to the main dining room, the alternative River Grill, located aft, will provide buffet breakfast and lunch with a la carte dinner.

The vessel will provide all the AQSC trademarks, including wine and beer with lunch and dinner, an excursion at every port, premium entertainment and a pre-cruise hotel night (an exception: Nashville, where the vessel will stay overnight). With its larger accommodations, the new boat will command a premium.

AQSC is eager to get American Duchess into service.

'We are more than double sold at this point from last year,' Sykes said. Customers, to his frustration, are being turned away.

Geopolitical issues have contributed to more Americans wanting to vacation closer to home, boosting demand for US river and coastal cruising. But Sykes said a greater factor is that AQSC has come into its own and is performing well.

'We've now got awareness and very high quality scores so we have a large base of very satisfied past customers,' he said, crediting the 'established quality of the product and the US crew.' This year, 80% of AQSC's crew will return, a very high percentage for a seasonal operation.

'The ratings are off the charts. We've got fabulous crew now,' Sykes said.

AQSC employs 735 US seafarers and will add 90 to 125 more with American Duchess.