American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines Release 2023 Season
Season Features Debut of Ocean Discoverer
Expansion Continues with South Florida Satellite Office Opening 2022
In response to unprecedented demand for the 2022 season, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines, Hornblower® Family Companies, are releasing the 2023 season today. The announcement marks the furthest out a season has been offered to guests and travel partners signaling pent up demand to “Come Home to America.” Itineraries for the 2023 season feature the debut of Victory Cruise Lines second expedition vessel, Ocean Discoverer, and a comprehensive schedule of storied journeys. Rewarding longtime loyal guests and those looking to experience America’s rivers, Great Lakes, coastal waters and Alaska for the first time, the lines are offering savings up to $1200 per stateroom on 2023 itineraries when booked by April 30, 2021. In additional company news, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines will open a satellite office in a yet-to-be determined South Florida location in 2022, relocating the marketing, sales and operations team to the epicenter of the cruise industry. Executive, finance and all other functions remain in New Albany, IN headquarters.
“Cruisers yearn to travel again, as evidenced by 2021 and 2022 inquiries and our webinar popularity with guests and travel partners. Opening up 2023 to satisfy that wanderlust had to be done,” shares Kari Tarnowski, Senior Vice President of Marketing for American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines. “It is an exciting moment for our company and valued guests as we grow together with a mutual desire to discover new destinations and rediscover those places special to us once again.”
American Queen, the world’s largest steamboat, will sail the iconic Lower Mississippi route with 28 departures between Memphis and New Orleans. She will also sail a Thanksgiving from Memphis to New Orleans and three New Orleans roundtrips over the December holiday season. American Countess, the newest edition to the American Queen Steamboat Company fleet, sails a fall Mighty Mississippi voyage from St. Paul to New Orleans in Sept. and churns up and down the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers throughout the 2023 season. The boutique paddlewheeler American Duchess will showcase the Ohio River with six sailings between Louisville and the line’s eastern most point of Pittsburgh. In the Pacific Northwest, American Empress will begin her season March 23 and sail nine-day, one-way voyages between Portland (Vancouver, WA) and Spokane (Clarkston) through Nov. 26, 2023
Continuing its growth in small-ship expedition cruising, Victory Cruise Lines will debut the Ocean Discoverer with a repositioning voyage from Puerto Caldera to San Diego departing May 12, 2023 followed by a season of 11- and 12-day adventures between Sitka and Vancouver or Sitka and Seattle. Sailing her third season in the fleet, Ocean Victory will operate between Vancouver and Sitka throughout the summer with repositioning sailings to bookend the season between Puerto Caldera and San Diego.
Once again delivering immersive experiences traveling the coastal waters of the U.S., Canada and the Great Lakes, Victory I and Victory II chart a course with 11-16 day voyages embarking in iconic locales like Chicago’s Navy Pier, downtown Toronto, Detroit and Montreal; and discovering lakeside gems including Marquette, Mackinaw Island and Soo Locks/Sault Ste. Marie. The identical 202-guest vessels will also visit iconic Southern ports including Savannah, Charleston and Fernandina Beach and Victory II will trek as far south as Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for roundtrip sailings from Cozumel.
Commitment to providing unparalleled small-ship cruise experiences, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines have upgraded their onboard offerings and accommodations for the 2021 season. Guests can now enjoy complimentary beer, wine, spirits and specialty coffees from open bars and lounges throughout the ship, as well as a morning smoothie and juice bar. American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines also enhanced their culinary programs to feature USDA Prime Meats and fresh lobster. Guests will enjoy a host of new amenities such as handwarmers and cool cloths on the ship deck and signature culinary treats in guest cabins. The cruises include a one-night pre-voyage hotel stay and immersive, hop-on-hop-off excursions at top-rated ports, organized by Shore Excursions of America, which was recently acquired by Hornblower Group.
To view 2023 itineraries, sailing dates and to book a reservation contact your travel professional, call (833)-598-0119 or visit www.aqsc.com.
