Review: American Queen Voyages

Here is our review sailing with Amerian Queen Voyages.

Carol and I sailed with American Queen Voyages in early November 2021 on the American Empress sailing the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

This was our second journey with American Queen Voyages.  Please read the review of our first sailing with them on the Mississippi River at THIS LINK.

When COVID-19 hit our shores nearly two years ago, interest in U.S.-based river cruises shot through the roof.

Before COVID-19, we saw increased interest in U.S. river cruises which prompted Carol and me to sail with American Queen Voyages back in December of 2019.

Okay, let’s get into the review, and don’t forget to click all photos for larger views.

Our Ship: The American Empress

DECK PLAN. CLICK FOR A LARGE VIEW.

Here are a few fun facts about the Amerian Empress:

• As you can see, she is a paddle wheeler with a “gold rush” feel on the interior.
• All Riverview Staterooms
• 112 Staterooms with a maximum of 221 guests.
• On the top deck, we enjoyed a Suite with Veranda (A), suite #405.

And when we weren’t enjoying our comfortable suite, we could be found enjoying the rocking chairs at the very front of the ship.  It was a fabulous way to take in all of the scenery.

Views of our Suite With Veranda (A)

We found our suite to be comfortable, and with 332 sq. ft to roam around in, we didn’t ever find ourselves crawling over one another. Although, as you can see in the third photograph, the bathroom is on the small side.

In the fourth slide, you can see that the fourth deck offers semi-private verandas.  However, we spent no time on our veranda as rocking chairs called to us from the front of the ship, steps away from our suite.  If you prefer, decks two and three offer private verandas in the smaller veranda staterooms (200 sq. ft.).

Dining Aboard the American Empress

We were on one of American Queen Voyages’ Wine Cruises.  Therefore, besides a wide variety of cuisine available each night, we also enjoyed two wine-pairing dinners as well as a few wine tastings in the show lounge.

When I am on a cruise, I gravitate to menu options that are local.  So, as you might imagine, I enjoyed a lot of Pacific Northwest salmon and halibut.  However, if you prefer a steak, prime rib, or lobster, those options are readily available.

While formal attire is not required, the Astoria Dining Room (pictured below) is a more elegant setting, where the River Grill is a far more casual atmosphere.  Further, alcoholic drinks are always complimentary on an America Queen Voyages cruise.

We often enjoyed a piping hot mug of coffee and Bailey’s while sailing and rocking in our rocking chairs.

Shore Excursions

Unique to American Queen Voyages, we had four of these coaches following along on our journey to offer complimentary hop-on-hop-off shore excursions.

After breakfast each day, the four coaches were lined up and ready to take us on a circular tour of our destination where you could hop on or hop off at your pleasure.  And if you prefer, you could simply stay on the coach and listen as a local tour guide shared information about the destination.  We found this to be a delightful way to explore a destination.  If we desired to spend more time at one of the sights, there was always another bus coming around the loop in roughly 30 minutes.

In addition, there are also optional tours that were more far-reaching to explore other not-to-be-missed sights.  Here is a photograph I shot on the optional tour through the Columbia River Gorge.

And here is a shot of the renowned Multnomah Falls that I captured on the same optional tour.

I could go on and on, but alas, this article is getting a bit long.  We LOVED this journey and highly recommend you enjoy a river cruise on the Columbia & Snake Rivers from our friends at American Queen Voyages.

Oh, and for our next American Queen Voyages journey, I’ve got my eye on one of their new ships coming to Alaska. I will let you know more about that in another article.

If you have questions about this journey, please ask them in the comments section below.  I’m more than happy to answer your questions.

How to Book American Queen and Get Our Exclusive Perks

The American Queen Steamboat Company is a part of our Virtuoso Voyages program.  This means that when you book an American Queen sailing through Roaming Boomers Travel Services, you will receive exclusive complimentary amenities that you wouldn’t get by booking directly with the company.

Additionally, you will also enjoy our expert hands-on service and care for your booking.  And, the price is exactly the same booking with us or booking with the company.

For more information or to book an American Queen Steamboat Company river cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.

Additional Links:

• American Queen Steamboat Company
• Best Way to Book an Ocean or River Cruise
• Seven Reasons Why You Should Consider a Cruise on the Columbia & Snake Rivers

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About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, with more than 20,000 advisors. We partner with over 1,800 of the world’s best companies such as hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and more. Our advisors use their personal connections and firsthand expertise to craft bespoke trips for clients, including unique experiences, special values, complimentary perks, VIP treatment, and rare access.