According to a message heard on the company’s voicemail, “American Queen Voyages has made the difficult decision to shut down and all future cruises have been canceled. Guests and customers should expect to be fully refunded for canceled cruises.”
A report by the website Travel Weekly said that employees of American Queen received an email from the company stating that their positions would be terminated on Feb. 20 at all locations, including Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Vancouver. The action is expected to be permanent.
“The timing of this notice is necessitated by both the unforeseen business circumstances and an inability to obtain sufficient capital at a commercially reasonable rate to continue operations,” according to the letter.
The line canceled sailings earlier this month due to what it said were layup schedule delays.
Travel Weekly also reported that several travel companies had all suspended sales of American Queen Voyages over service issues, including late commission payments.
Previous American Queen trips included several stops each year in Paducah and Cape Girardeau.
Meanwhile, another company, American Cruise Lines, will continue to offer a Mississippi River cruise and an Ohio River trip that both include stops in Paducah.
On the Net:
Travel Weekly article
