In 2006 a maritime firm, Ambassadors International, based in San Diego, began putting together a cruise line formed by the American West Steamboat Company, based in Seattle and the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, based in New Orleans.
Fleet & Itineraries
The combined companies operate a fleet of five stern wheelsteamboats, although the American West pair operates with diesel driven paddlewheels. The Delta Queen operation traces its origins back to 1890 and has morerecently been under several successive owners, one of whom, American ClassicVoyages, went bankrupt in 2001. DQ is still in the process of recovering and in2007 operated only two if its three ships, the Delta Queen and American Queenand laid up the Mississippi Queen. American West started in 1995 with the Queenof the West and it took nine years to add the second the Queen of the North,both of which have had operational teething problems. The company has sinceadded the Columbia Queen, a mock steamboat with most attractive interiors forthe Columbia-Snake rivers and the Contessa, a small 49-passenger catamaran thatformerly operated as the Executive Explorer in Alaska. Then in spring 2007, AmbassadorsInternational bought Windstar Cruises from Holland America Line and CarnivalCorporation. At the time of purchase, the trio of sail-assisted motorships, theWind Spirit, Wind Star and Wind Surf had been undergoing major refits. Whilethey have operated pretty much worldwide at one time or another, the shipsconcentrate their itineraries in the Caribbean, Costa Rica’s Pacific Ocean sideand in the Mediterranean with transatlantic positioning voyages betweenseasons. Majestic America Line has taken on a major expansion plan in a veryshort time with both US- and foreign-flag ships.
Dining and Decor
Within, all five steamboats and the Columbia Queen celebrate Americana in décor, food, entertainment, enrichment programs and of courseitineraries, from the vast Mississippi River system to the Columbia-Snake inthe Pacific Northwest and the Inside Passage. The DQ trio and the ColumbiaQueen have fixed sittings while the Queen of the West, Empress of the North andContessa operate with one open sitting. The food is good regional fare, Pacific Northwest, Middle American, Southern and Cajun.
Programs
Aboard the Delta Queen steamboats, a riverlorian gives talkson history, navigation and lore while an historian takes much the same approachin the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Onboard Experience
Passengers on all vessels are generally older Americans whocome to see America close up, be entertained by it and by each other. Lifeaboard is calm, slow and sedentary for the most part.
Competitors
Apart from the Contessa, MAL ships are more of a cruiseexperience with light enrichment but with more comfortable accommodations thanCruise West or Lindblad. The passengers’ average age will be higher.
