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With the rollout last week of Covid-19 vaccinations in the U.S. and ongoing advancements in testing, domestic river and small-ship operators are increasingly optimistic about the year ahead. River cruise editor Jeri Clausing spoke with American Queen Steamboat Co. CEO John Waggoner about his company's newest timeline as well as the expansion plans of its parent company, the Hornblower Group.
John Waggoner
Q: 2020 was a chaotic year for domestic travel companies, with a lot of almost-restarts. How are things looking for a return to sailing in 2021?
A: We were going to operate in November and we had to cancel that. And then we were shooting for Jan. 18. Now we've moved everything to March. We are planning a March 15 start for the American Duchess. Shortly after that we'll have the March 21 christening for the American Countess. And April 5 is the American Empress. We're still looking at the American Queen. But because she carries 420 passengers, we've got to follow the CDC guidelines. So I still don't have a clear idea of when that date is. For Victory 1 and Victory 2 [on the Great Lakes] we're still waiting on Canada, but we hope May 5 for the Victory 2 and shortly thereafter for Victory 1. And we hope to launch the Ocean Victory in [Alaska] May 22.