American Queen Voyages, a popular river cruise line based in the US, has announced that it is suspending all operations immediately and has ceased trading.
The company, renowned for operating a fleet of traditional paddlewheel steamboats on rivers such as the Mississippi, made the announcement to staff in an internal memo on 20th February.
Previously, a number of sailings had been cancelled already for the remainder of February, but the company had at the time denied it was closing and that cruises later in the year would still take place.
Now, though, it’s confirmed that all cruises are cancelled, and the business is closing down for good.
American Queen Voyages has made the difficult decision to shut down.
Despite great efforts by our team, crew and partners, American Queen Voyages (AQV) unfortunately has been unable to rebound from the effects of the pandemic.
The overnight cruise industry was especially affected by changes in travel preferences and, as a result, AQV has become financially unsustainable. We are therefore shutting down the business, and all future AQV cruises have been cancelled.
A statement by the cruise line
While it is always sad news when a cruise line closes down, the good news is that all customers who had a booking have been told to anticipate a full refund.
Anyone who has booked a cruise with the cruise line via a travel agent should expect to hear from the agent regarding their cancellation. Otherwise, guests can visit aqvinfo.com or aqvrefunds.com to learn more.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
Terribly sad. I sailed down the big muddy years ago on a steam ship and I will never be able to enjoy that again as only one steam ship currently operates on any water. That brings to mind just how sad we can no longer cruise on the paddle wheeled (actually engine driven) appearing vessels.
It is like a form of extinction that most will not miss, b/c they do not know the joy of cruising on any vessel. The worst day at sea trumps the best day on land.
Marne, The Cruisin’ Fool
That is a real shame, both from the selfish point-of-view (it was one we were thinking about next year. Paddle-steamer, Mississippi, southern cooking – what’s not to like?) and from the p.o.v. of the poor sods who’ve lost their livelihoods 🙁