American Empress Review

Trailing Lewis and Clark

Review for the USA Cruise on American Empress
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bob brown
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Jul 2021

(First, actual embarkation was in Clarkston, WA, but that port wasn't listed)

I wanted to take my first 'post-pandemic' cruise close to home, and always wanted to try a riverboat cruise. My wife had already been on most of their other itineraries, and always wanted a Snake/Columbia River cruise. She had 'Ruby' status on AQSC, so we chose this one, and in our preferred westbound, downriver direction.

Spending a night in the Historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, was a nice way to start. We actually arrived just after midnight the night before, and spent that night at the Wyndham Ramada Airport hotel, before transferring downtown at around noon. We then went thru the various check in procedures at the AQSC desks including our Covid test. After that, we went about exploring Spokane's Riverfront Park, and had dinner at a local restaurant. Breakfast the next morning was offered in the hotel ballroom compliments of AQSC.

Response from BriannaH, Guest Relations @American Queen Voyages

Dear Bob Brown, We’re thrilled you chose us to take your, “first 'post-pandemic' cruise close to home” aboard one of our authentic paddlewheelers! We love that you noticed we say “boat” and...

Cabin Review

Cabin located on Deck Four, forward, portside. Only one cabin away from the Captains. I found the cabin a bit small, but offered all the amenities I could wish for, and was laid out pretty well. The bed was approximately queen size, and was comfortable, and there was adequate storage. There were two chairs and a desk in the room. I liked the hangars which were the normal home type. There was a small combination lock safe. The tv worked on all channels but ABC for some reason, Our balcony had two chairs and a table, and a low railing to separate it from the outside 'promenade' that circled the deck. We also had a door to the inside central passageway. The bathroom had a shower, but it was a bit on the small side. We had a Keurig coffeemaker, and were issued a couple of logo aluminum water bottles, which could be refilled at a centrally located purified water dispenser on each deck. There was also a pair of West Marine binoculars for our use. The digital thermostat was effective in controlling our climate.

One negative was inadequate sound insulation between cabins, as well as the passageways. You could hear every word being said in an adjacent cabin, even at normal conversation levels...With the ship being so small, cabin location was just minutes away from anywhere on the ship.

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