American Queen Voyages Ceases All Operations

American Queen Voyages, formerly American Queen Steamboat Company, has ceased all operations as of Feb. 20, 2024 and all future voyages have been canceled. This follows on the heels of several large travel agency organizations suspending all sales of the company’s cruises after repeated problems with commission payments and customer service issues.

Travel Market Report first heard reports of the closure on Facebook and confirmed it by calling the main reservations number. When calling the main number, a message says: “American Queen Voyages has made the difficult decision to shut down and all future cruises have been cancelled. Guests and customers should expect to be fully refunded for cancelled cruises.”

American Queen Voyages, which is owned by the Hornblower Group, underwent an extreme realignment in October, when the cruise line’s president Cindy D’Aoust – a former president and CEO of CLIA was let go. Soon after Pleasant Holidays stopped sales of the line, followed by Signature, Virtuoso, and TRAVELSAVERS in the ensuing months.

Earlier this month AQV canceled several sailings onboard its flagship American Queen, as well as the American Countess, claiming it needed layup time to ensure the ships were ready to deliver the best possible experience.

According to an email that went out to employees today, “American Queen Steamboat Operating Company, LLC will cease all business operations effective February 20, 2024… This action is expected to be permanent…”

Employees at various addresses in New Orleans, Clarkston (Washington), Vancouver (Washington), and Ft. Lauderdale are affected, according to the email.

“The timing of this notice is necessitated by both unforeseen business circumstances and an inability to obtain sufficient capital at a commercially reasonable rate to continue operations,” the email says.

Travel Market Report has reached out to the Hornblower Group for more information.

According to the recorded phone message, affected guests can begin the claims process at www.aqvrefunds.com, but the url leads to an access denied message.