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Despite American Queen's shutdown, U.S. river cruising keeps rolling
13.03.2024 - 06:49 / travelweekly.com
Demand for river cruising in the U.S. is rising and not expected to soften despite the sudden shutdown of American Queen Voyages, travel advisors say.
And while there is now one fewer option to sail domestically in what was already a limited pool, advisors say there is still plenty of variety and room for growth on U.S. waterways.
Ted BlankTed Blank, owner of Ted Blank Luxury Travel & Adventure in Hudson, Wis., said American Queen Voyages' exit isn't likely to have much of an impact on demand for domestic cruising, especially since the market is growing.
Industry leader American Cruise Lines (ACL) continues to rapidly expand with new ships and itineraries, while newcomer Viking Mississippi adds fresh options to the market with its 386-passenger vessel, the largest on the Mississippi.
"I hope that American Queen's exit sparks some innovation and we see something unique and different in this market to attract a broader demographic," Blank said, adding that "there are a lot of things that make a U.S. river cruise a very attractive vacation, from great scenery to interesting historic sights," such as national parks and Civil War battlefields.
Margo McDonough of Blue Skies Travel in Newark, Del., specializes in escorted group travel for ages 50-plus, and said that in the past six months she's had many inquiries about domestic river cruises. She's currently organizing an ACL cruise on the Mississippi in October for her neighbors. "Nineteen people signed up within a week of the trip launch, and I expect at least a half-dozen more before we close out the group," she said.
Erin RichardsSpecialty cruises keep demand stable and draw domestic river cruise clients for Erin Richards, an advisor with Huckleberry Travel in Riverside, Calif. She said interest is strong for sailings built around the Kentucky Derby, the Bourbon Trail, Civil War battlefields and Christmas market itineraries, even when pitted against European river cruises.
"While [domestic cruising] is definitely still behind European river cruising as a 'first thought,' more and more clients are wise to the fact that there is a market for cruising in the U.S.," Richards said. "I often use a U.S. river cruise to pivot a client put off by air travel to Europe or whose first choice European cruise was sold out."
For most of her domestic cruise demographic, Richards said, "It's more about the 'convenient luxury' of a river cruise than it is about the destination."
Major hurdle: The cost of a U.S. river cruise
Advisors say the main challenge facing U.S. river cruising today is price.
Dawn Finnegan, an advisor with Classic Travel Connection in Trussville, Ala., said she recently booked a couple on their first domestic river cruise, a 10-day ACL
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