Company Overview:
Tracing its root to 1890, Delta Queen Steamboat Co. is America's oldest U.S. flag cruise line still in operation, and if there is just one thing you can say about it, the company is a survivor. In just the last 10 years the flagship river boat, the namesake Delta Queen, has sailed under the direction four different companies, starting with the original Delta Queen Company, which was acquired by American Classic Voyages which folded just after 9/11, to the Delaware North Company which held tight until the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and is now under the aegis of Ambassadors, International, Inc. as of April 2006.
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The three riverboats of Delta Queen Co.; the Delta Queen, the American Queen and the Mississippi Queen, ply the scenic inland rivers of the United States during three- to eight-night cruises through America's heartland. Built in 1927, the legendary Delta Queen became National Historic Landmark in 1989 and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an American treasure. The larger Mississippi Queen was built in 1976. The largest steam-driven riverboat every built, the American Queen, debuted in 1995.
The new owners, Ambassador International, resumed service for the two smaller vessels, Delta Queen and American Queen, in April of 2006. The Delta Queen is doing 7-day journeys between Baton Rouge and Memphis. The American Queen is sailing roundtrip out of Memphis. Beginning in August of 2007, all three boats will return to New Orleans for their home base.
