American Cruise Lines announced yesterday that its brand new authentic paddlewheeler, Queen of the Mississippi, has received its Coast Guard certificates and at six weeks ahead of schedule has left Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland and is en route to New Orleans, from where her first cruises beginning in early August will depart.
“ We are pleased with the completion of the Queen of the Mississippi, ” said Charles A. Robertson, President of American Cruise Lines. “ This is the most spectacular riverboat ever built and we are delighted to report that all performance, comfort and environmental parameters have exceeded the design expectations. ”
The Queen of the Mississippi carries 150 guests in spacious staterooms, many of which are twice the size of those on other Mississippi riverboats. Almost all of the staterooms feature large private balconies with sliding glass doors and all of the amenities today’s travelers expect, while maintaining the elegance and Victorian style of classic late 1800s Mississippi riverboats.
American Cruise Lines will operate the new authentic paddlewheeler over the entire Mississippi River System, including the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. The Queen of the Mississippi will also be able to travel at higher speeds than all other Mississippi riverboats, minimizing night travel and making more itineraries possible with longer visits to the river towns. A number of unique riverboat journeys are planned that take guests as far north as St. Paul, MN on the Mississippi River and as far east as Pittsburgh, PA on the Ohio River.
With over thirty years of direct industry experience, Chesapeake Shipbuilding has become a leading designer and builder of a notable array of commercial ships up to 300 feet in length.
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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, June 7, 2012; Image: americancruiselines