Spread the love
Post Views: 9

Demand for long haul travel, particularly for 2023 and beyond, has returned, according to Australian small ship cruising specialist and the Australian representative for American Queen Voyages, Cruise Traveller.
Announcing earlybird savings of US$2000 per couple for a 2023 riverboat adventure on the iconic Mississippi River with American Queen Voyages, Cruise Traveller said that after two very challenging years, 2022 had begun promisingly for the business, with strong demand for overseas cruise product.
“It’s wonderful to see the demand for long haul travel returning, particularly for 2023 departures,” said Cruise Traveller Managing Director, Craig Bowen.
“We took quite a number of bookings for American Queen Voyages in 2021, based on a zero-deposit promotion and it’s very reassuring to have over 90 per cent of these bookings confirm their intention to deposit by the due date at the end of January, 2022,” Mr Bowen said, adding, “With ships successfully operating in many parts of the world and hopefully in Australia in coming months, the market is certainly telling us that it is ready to sail again.”
He added that earlybird savings of US$2000 per couple are available for Australians who book an autumn 2023 riverboat adventure on the iconic Mississippi River with American Queen Voyages before February 15, 2022.
American Queen Voyages’ majestic and authentic paddlewheeler, American Countess, will ply the lower Mississippi River between the music capitals of Memphis and New Orleans 17 times in 2023, with special savings released on an eight-night cruise and stay package beginning November 13, 2023.
The 245-guest American Countess is a sleek and contemporary river ship boasting a grand dining room, elegant lounges, library, theatre, gym, sun deck and modern staterooms with plush bedding and flat screen TVs. Two thirds of staterooms offer an open or private veranda from which to take in the spectacle of river scenery and culture made famous by author, Mark Twain.
The eight-night adventure begins with one night’s accommodation in the Elvis city of Memphis – home of the blues and the birthplace of rock’n’roll. Next day, guests board American Countess and begin their seven-night journey down the Mississippi River amid the anticipated colourful hues of autumn.
Guests will journey through living history and take in the majesty of the mighty Mississippi – one of the world’s great rivers – as well as grand Victorian mansions, historic cotton plantations, centuries-old oak trees, charming river towns, American bald eagles, Civil War battlefields and recording studios where musical greats like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison stamped their place on history.
Included in the fare are guided, hop-on-hop-off shore excursions in every port including the historic towns of Natchez and Baton Rouge, the charming plantation homes of St Francisville and a destination exclusive to American Queen Voyages – the grand sugarcane estate of Nottoway – home to the largest antebellum mansion in the South with its striking 22 white columns, 64 bedrooms, expansive ballroom and sprawling gardens.
The cruise ends in New Orleans where guests can explore everything the city has to offer including the famous French Quarter with its jazz bars, Cajun eateries and toe-tapping buskers.
Including guided, hop-on-hop-off shore excursions in every port, unlimited onboard beverages, onboard gratuities and unlimited Wi-Fi, fares for the eight-night package starting November 13, 2023, start at just US$1435 per person, twin share, for an interior stateroom – a saving of US$1000 per person.  A Riverview stateroom with open verandah is priced from US$3035 per person, twin share – also a saving of US$1000 per person. Flights to the US are additional.
The savings are valid for bookings made by February 15, 2022.

Edited by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor