On the fancy, new, 245-passenger
American Countess riverboat, passengers sip complimentary mint juleps on a top deck, masks wrapped around their wrists like bulging bracelets, while the ship’s big, red paddlewheel churns through the Mississippi. It’s a post-pandemic sight to behold even if these are not quite post-pandemic times. Still, its mere occurrence puts John Waggoner, founder and chief executive officer of the four-ship American Queen Steamboat Co., in the catbird seat as far as the cruise industry is concerned.
On long, white-and-red-painted boats with open decks, decorated with fanciful Victorian-style gingerbread trim, Waggoner sells hardcore Americana that’s steeped in U.S. history. It’s a hot product under the current circumstances, he says.