TWICE THE FUN AT HALF THE PRICE

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Sometimes, things were just meant to be. We’d like to think that on our upcoming 9-day Pacific Northwest cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers between Portland, Oregon and Clarkston, Washington, the stars are lining up perfectly. When our newest addition, the elegant American Empress, begins river cruising on April 5, 2014, a whole new world opens up for our guests. Even more exciting, a whole new world of savings opens up as well.

Often when a company offers something new, it can forget the importance of making certain that product is affordable and accessible. Often, they are priced far too high. At the American Queen Steamboat Company, we’ve always believed that special offers should continue to be special, but available to everyone. That’s one of the reason that we’re offering the opportunity to save 50% on June 2014 Pacific Northwest River Cruises* on the stunning 223-guest American Empress. The offer expires June 20, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only for cruises departing on June 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2014.

For our eastbound cruises that end in Clarkston, we’re also offering optional 3-day, 2-night extended stay packages in Spokane, Washington beginning at just $399 per guest in addition to our complimentary one-night pre-cruise hotel stay in Portland. There is plenty to see and do in Spokane, including riding on the Looff Carrousel.

The carrousel is a wonderful piece of history that has been in continuous operation for over a century and lovingly maintained. It has become a beloved Spokane icon ever since opening for business on July 18, 1909 in an amusement park called Natatorium Park along the Spokane River. The park closed in 1967, but the carousel kept spinning. All the carrousel’s figures are original and each has been cared for as if it were a piece of art which, in a very real sense, is what the carousel has become. A website about the carousel at SpokaneCarrousel.org notes that “many people throughout the years have loved and cared for this carrousel as if it were their own. And in many ways, it does belong to all of us. It's been part of our history, it has a special place in our memories and it's likely to hold the same place in the hearts of our children and grandchildren for generations to come.”

A carrousel ride never occurs in silence and the Looff Carrousel boasts an original Ruth & Sohn band organ. The organ arrived before the carrousel, coming from Germany around the turn of the 20th century. The actual mechanisms came from Europe but the fanciful façade was built specifically by Ruth to visually coincide with the style of the elaborate decorations on the rest of the carrousel. They did such a fantastic job that when riding the carousel, it can be hard to distinguish the exact location of the band organ. In fact, the entire upper section rotates right along with the rest of the carrousel and is adorned with lights and mirrors. If you look closely, you can see some of the instruments. The website points out that “a snare drum can be seen on the left side of the organ, while a bass drum and part of a cymbal are visible on the right.

During its first generation in service, music was recorded on folded cardboard sheets, which was referred to at the time as “book music.” By the dawn of World War II, the “modern” drums often found in player pianos were installed. The drums, called “play rolls,” are far more durable than the folded cardboard sheets they replaced, but after 70 years are very fragile. The entire organ was refreshed, refurbished and essentially rebuilt in 1998 but the actual organ is used quite sparingly. Most of the time, a recording of the band organ is played while the carrousel is in motion. But if you time it just right, you might get to hear the actual organ itself.

Why would we devote so much of a blog to describing a carrousel and band organ in Spokane? Because it is the hidden treasures like the Looff Carrousel that provide the punctuation marks on a great vacation. It is when we unexpectedly stumble across incredible beauty in a mountain range or an intriguing bit of history passionately preserved for generations that the region in which we are travelling truly comes alive. It is in the smaller stories and vignettes that we get a sense of place and, even though we are visitors, feel like we belong. We invite you to experience that feeling on one of our 9-day Pacific Northwest cruises on the wonderfully refurbished American Empress. Ride a carrousel and feel like a kid again.

* Offer expires June 20, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Space cannot be held - full payment is required at time of booking to redeem this offer. This offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Offer of 50% savings applies to regular cruise fare only, regardless of cabin category, and is only valid on these 2014 American Empress voyage dates: 6/07, 6/14, 6/21 and 6/28. Offer is not valid on Group bookings or existing reservations and cannot be combined with other offers, promotions or discounts. Cruise fare does not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details