{"id":25800,"date":"2016-11-24T18:21:31","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T01:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=25800"},"modified":"2022-05-21T16:39:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T20:39:03","slug":"five-things-love-american-empress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2016\/11\/five-things-love-american-empress\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Things To Love About The American Empress"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rain is streaming down the windows, and I\u2019m staring out at the massive red paddlewheel aboard American Queen Steamboat Company<\/strong>\u2019s American Empress<\/strong><\/a> as it churns up the dark-grey waters of the Columbia River<\/strong>. We\u2019re bound for Astoria, Oregon<\/strong> on this Thanksgiving afternoon; just one of four ports of call we\u2019ll visit this week.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The 223-guest American Empress docked in The Dalles, Oregon, earlier this week. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

I hopped aboard the replica paddlewheeler\u2019s last trip of the year this past Sunday in Vancouver, Washington<\/strong> for a weeklong wine-themed river cruise through the Pacific Northwest. Sailing roundtrip, mine is one of the few itineraries offered this year that focuses exclusively on wine. To that end, we\u2019ve had special tastings onboard nearly every day in the Show Lounge, highlighting some of the superb wines to come out of this region.<\/p>\n

Craft beer mavens aren\u2019t left out, either. I\u2019ve just finished a spectacular local craft brew tasting in the cozy Paddlewheel Lounge, and tomorrow, a complimentary Astoria Ale Trail<\/em> tour is on offer: a sort of pub crawl through some of Astoria\u2019s best and brightest craft breweries.<\/p>\n

The sailing distance on this roundtrip voyage isn\u2019t as extensive as the line\u2019s one-way journeys between Portland (Vancouver, WA) and Clarkston, Washington<\/strong>. Nonetheless, it has been a very special journey, with overnight stays in The Dalles, Oregon; Stevenson, Washington; <\/strong>and Astoria, Oregon<\/strong>. An extended port call is offered in Portland before the ship arrives at her berth in Vancouver, WA for one last time this year.<\/p>\n

While I still have three days left on my voyage, I\u2019ve found a lot to like about the American Empress herself, and the American Steamboat Company. You might know the latter best for the river cruise trips the line operates on the Mississippi River <\/strong>aboard the venerable American Queen<\/strong><\/a>. What you might not know is that for the past two years between March and November, the line has also offered some pretty spectacular voyages along the Columbia and Snake Rivers that run between Oregon <\/strong>and Washington State<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Five things that I truly love about this ship and the trip:<\/p>\n

The American Empress Herself<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"There's<\/a>

There’s nothing quite like the Paddlewheel Lounge aboard the American Empress. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Let\u2019s not mince words: this is one beautiful ship, particularly so since AQSC took her over back in 2013 and put her through an extensive refit program. Built in 2003 for the now-defunct Majestic America Line, this 223-guest ship exudes warmth and class at every turn, recreating the grandeur of the golden age of steamships in the Pacific Northwest without skimping on modern amenities.<\/p>\n

Inclusive Hop-On-Hop-Off Tours<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Don't<\/a>

Don’t want to take part in all-day tours, or pay extra money? No problem – American Queen Steamboat Company offers some really fabulous Hop-on-Hop-Off tours on its voyages. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

While AQSC offers additional-cost touring options, I\u2019m particularly taken with the line\u2019s comprehensive (and complimentary) Hop-on-Hop-off (HoHo) tours. Offered in practically every port of call, these tours are operated aboard the line\u2019s luxury, American Empress-branded motorcoaches and include between three and seven stops on a continuous loop that runs throughout the morning, afternoon, or entire day. Detailed location maps are provided, and admission to select museums, attractions and venues is also included for all American Empress guests \u2013 even if you elect to visit them without taking the HoHo.<\/p>\n

Bikes and Hikes<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Walking<\/a>

Walking and hiking through Stevenson, Washington yesterday provided me with this great vista. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Had the weather been better, I would have taken one of the ship\u2019s onboard fleet of bicycles for a fling through the Columbia River Valley. But, despite the rain, I did participate in some of the included hiking tours that have been offered each morning in port. These are fairly gentle hikes lasting only a few miles, but they are accessible to a wide variety of fitness and activity levels and give guests a wonderful overview of the port, led by a member of the ship\u2019s staff. Yesterday, for example, I hiked up to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center<\/strong> in the afternoon, and had a marvelous time.<\/p>\n

A Focus On Everything Local<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Local<\/a>

Local wines are served complimentary with dinners onboard, and AQSC’s special wine-themed voyages like this include complimentary tasting events. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

AQSC serves Pacific Northwest-inspired food onboard, along with regional wines and local craft beers, both of which are complimentary during dinner hours and reasonably-priced outside of them.<\/p>\n

The line also encourages guests to \u2018shop local\u2019, providing lists of noteworthy restaurants, bars, brewpubs, wineries, and stores in the area. This is markedly different from the cringeworthy \u201capproved shopping\u201d maps that big-ship lines like to give out, and it is a refreshing change. AQSC knows that these ports of call are small and may lack the \u2018amenities\u2019 that big-city travellers have come to love, and the line takes great strides to encourage guests to branch out and leave any preconceived notions at home.<\/p>\n

AQSC may have gotten its start on the Mississippi, but the company is a great steward of the culture and history of the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

Cruise-like Ambiance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"From<\/a>

From cocktails with live music to trivia and nightly production shows, there’s always something interesting happening around the American Empress. Photo \u00a9 2016 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me here aboard the American Empress is just how much the cruising experience mirrors that of a big ship. On most river cruises, I\u2019m accustomed to evening entertainment consisting of one guy playing the same old tunes on an electric piano in the lounge; here aboard American Empress, we\u2019ve got rollicking piano music and off-the-cuff humour in the Paddlewheel Lounge, accompanied by full-scale production shows and a four-member showband in the main Show Lounge.<\/p>\n

Afternoons, even in port, hold plenty of fun diversions, from trivia to movies and craft corners to lectures from American Empress\u2019s onboard \u201cRiverlorian\u201d, who imparts the rich history of the Pacific Northwest on guests in a fun and entertaining way. From the Lewis and Clark Expedition<\/strong> to the history of the Nez Perce <\/strong>natives, the Oregon Trail<\/strong>, and John Jacob Astor<\/strong>\u2019s quest to found the city of Astoria<\/strong>, there\u2019s a lot to love about the rich and young history of this beautiful but unforgiving region of the United States.<\/p>\n

Next year, American Empress returns to the Columbia River between March and November. While she\u2019ll operate a full season of voyages, I\u2019d heartily recommend the four wine-themed river cruises<\/strong> that are scheduled for next year, departing roundtrip Portland (Vancouver, WA) on March 5, March 12, <\/strong>and November 12 and November 19, 2017<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the rain keep you away; these shoulder-season cruises are jam-packed with fun, not to mention value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rain is streaming down the windows, and I\u2019m staring out at the massive red paddlewheel aboard American Queen Steamboat Company\u2019s American Empress as it churns up the dark-grey waters of the Columbia River. We\u2019re bound for Astoria, Oregon on this Thanksgiving afternoon; just one of four ports of call we\u2019ll visit this week. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"full-width-content","footnotes":""},"categories":[465],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25800"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}