River cruising returns in the U.S.: An interview onboard the American Countess

Big-ship cruising is still grounded in the U.S., but the travel industry took a big step forward this month with the restart of river cruising for the first time since the pandemic began. American Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat Company both launched ships on the Mississippi with – hopefully – more to come. The big news last week was the launch of American Queen’s paddlewheeler, the American Countess, a debut that was nearly 12 months overdue. But even the ship’s christening in New Orleans wasn’t without a hitch: The CDC nearly forced the line to call off the launch over a dispute over the ship’s operating certificate (even though American Queen had committed to reduced capacity, the ship can technically carry more people than the maximum currently required by the CDC to sail). In this episode, senior editor Jeri Clausing and American Queen CEO John Waggoner dialed in from the new American Countess, which operated its inaugural cruise from New Orleans to Memphis last week. Waggoner spoke with Clausing and Folo host Rebecca Tobin about the new ship; how safety protocols for guests work onboard and on land; controversy around vaccine requirements for river cruise guests; and the excitement of getting back on the waters again. Related reading: Dispatch, American Countess: Taking protocols in stride https://www.travelweekly.com/Blogs/Dispatch/A-cruise-ship-naming-in-2021-with-masks-and-distancing American Countess’ debut cruise is back on after CDC dispute is resolved https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/American-Countess-sailing-is-back-on-after-CDC-dispute-is-resolved Domestic river cruise lines get rolling again today https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Domestic-river-cruise-lines-get-rolling-again-today American Queen and Victory cruise lines will require vaccinations https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/American-Queen-Victory-require-vaccinations American Queen Steamboat Company https://www.americanqueensteamboatcompany.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.