There's No Business Like Show Business

[HostDave]

A riverboat is a truly unique form of waterborne transportation. We find that while many of our guests have enjoyed ocean cruises in the past, they prefer the intimacy of a river journey. Instead of carrying over 4,000 passengers, the American Queen accommodates just 400 guests in grand style. Riverboats are always within sight of land so there’s always something to see out the stateroom window, from your balcony or out on deck. Traveling on a river gives a true sense of the country and the communities in which you’re spending your vacation.

But even if you’re familiar with traditional concepts of river cruising, you may not understand some of the differences with the American Queen Steamboat Company. One of the biggest distinctions, literally, is right in our name. We’ve named our company after our riverboat for a very simple reason – nothing else quite like her exists. When looking at trips on other rivers outside the United States, you might notice that those riverboats are thin, long and low to get under medieval bridges (for example). By nature of their design, they are smaller than the antebellum-inspired grandeur of the American Queen. The American Queen was built to maximize guest comfort but also to provide extraordinary entertainment. Other boats have a single lounge with a pianist and a singer. While we have multiple such lounges as well, the American Queen’s Grand Saloon is unique in American river cruising. It is a two-deck high showroom with a balcony, box seats and a broad stage beneath a proscenium arch. True to its name, it is indeed grand, modeled after the extravagant opera houses of river communities as well as historic Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC.

The Grand Saloon allows the American Queen Steamboat Company to offer big-name entertainment and full orchestras, an integral part of the travel experience that is much appreciated and praised by both our guests and critics alike. America’s best music takes the stage, ranging from big band to bluegrass, from Broadway to blues, and from Dixieland jazz to ragtime and rock and roll. Which are some of our guests’ favorites and when can you see them? Take a look below:

VEGAS RAT PACK SHOW
Close your eyes and you’ll swear it’s Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. Amazing performers evoke the sounds and memories of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, backed by our onboard orchestra. Enjoy hits that include Fly Me to the Moon, That’s Amore, Everybody Loves Somebody, New York, New York, When I Was Seventeen and others.
2013 Voyage Dates: September 6, September 20, September 27, December 13

NEW ORLEANS ALL-STARS
These maestros of the Big Easy’s jazz scene take the American Queen on a journey through the history of a purely American music genre.
2013 Voyage Dates: November 1, November 22, December 13, December 27

JUGGERNAUT JUG BAND
Delight in the authentic form of river music known as “jug music.” Rooted in the port towns of the Deep South, jug music includes styles of swing, jazz and bluegrass, performed by Juggernaut’s amazing artists.
2013 Voyage Dates: June 1, June 22, July 4, July 12, July 31, August 4, August 9, September 27, October 4, November 1

THE HARRY JAMES ORCHESTRA
Directed by Fred Radke, who played first trumpet for the master himself and is held in high esteem by jazz greats, this incredible orchestra stirs memories of the good old days with hits including All or Nothing at All, Ain’t She Sweet, Up a Lazy River and more.
2013 Voyage Dates: June 1, June 8, July 4, July 12, October 11

STOREFRONT CONGREGATION
Listen to their smooth blend of bluegrass, country and blues and you will know why the band is called “bluegrass’s newest sensation.”
2013 Voyage Dates: June 8, June 15, July 31, August 4, August 9

LEWIS HANKINS
Spend the evening with Mark Twain as this impersonator spins tales that will leave you convinced that you’ve had a one-on-one conversation with the famed author himself.
2013 Voyage Dates: June 15, June 22, July 4, September 27, October 4, October 11, October 18, November 1, November 22

BILL WEIMUTH
Gambling and riverboats went hand-in-hand in the 19th century and Bill’s riverboat gambler persona recreates a lost part of America’s culture with an added magical touch.
2013 Voyage Dates: June 1, June 8, June 22, August 9, September 20, December 20, December 27