American Empress Review

4.5 / 5.0
98 reviews

Bumpy start, but the staff onboard and the scenery along the rivers made the cruise special.

Review for the USA Cruise on American Empress
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Julie04005
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jun 2021

This was was my first river cruise, but I traveled with three others who had traveled with AQSC before and love river cruising, especially the HO-HO opportunities offered by AQSC. They agreed, this cruise was a letdown.

We sailed from Clarkston to Portland and I’d recommend that sailing, especially if you are a Lewis & Clark fan. You get to experience the changing scenery and follow their story westward to the Pacific. If you are traveling with a history buff, be sure to attend the riverlorian presentations.

The precruise hotel in Spokane is gorgeous and the hotel staff were wonderful. Currently the dining options are difficult as they did not sync with the AQSC schedule and dining room staffing levels were not fully up to what I suspect they were precovid. Advice: make reservations for dinner and lunch at the hotel in advance if you want to eat in their excellent main dining room. We ate a lunch at 24taps burgers & brews and at incrediburger&eggs. Both restaurants are close by the hotel and have good lunch selections and friendly staff.

Response from BriannaH, Guest Relations @American Queen Voyages

Hi Julie04005, This is incredible feedback. You painted a picture that allowed us to really see and understand your experience. Your insights are tremendously helpful to us. While we missed...

Cabin Review

Our cabin was switched on us without notifying us until we boarded. We requested twin beds and our selected room could not be configured with twins. We had selected a room at the front of the ship near friends, but were moved to a room on a different deck and next to the paddlewheel. It was very loud when underway (usually at night) and often smelled of diesel. We found the hum of the motor drowned out noises from neighboring cabins. We were disappointed in the location and lack of communication about the room layout, but the room was spacious and clean- and we grew to like the hum of the engine. But if you don’t like the roar of a motor, select a room up front. The beds were comfortable, if a little high! The chairs are not comfortable. I suggest the paddlewheel lounge or couches in the forward show lounge if you want to read and relax. We had ample storage space, luggage went under the bed. Two closets, one with a built in three drawer unit contained the safe. Not a lot of hangers for two women to share, but we made do. It was nice to unpack after three days traveling in different hotels. We flew into Seattle early to sightsee before flying to Spokane.our room had a desk and armless chair, a small night table with a drawer, two chairs with arms, a small table, and two chairs and a table on the deck. The vanity and shower products were very nice.

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