American Cruise Lines Launches Civil War Theme Cruises

Jul 20, 2011

American Cruise Lines, which offers more than 20 itineraries along the inland waterways and rivers of the Pacific Northwest, the Mississippi River system and East Coast of the U.S. from New England to Florida, has announced Civil War theme cruises in 2012 aboard its new sternwheeler, Queen of the Mississippi, currently under construction in Salisbury, Md., for its debut next summer.

Passengers will be invited to retrace the steps of the Civil War, exploring famous museums such as Vicksburg’s National Military Park and New Orleans’ Civil War Museum, the oldest museum in Louisiana; memorial monuments such as the 60-foot-tall statue of Robert E. Lee, also in New Orleans; and famous historic battlefields, including those of Vicksburg and Nashville. Onboard, guests will enjoy Civil War era-inspired cuisine, music and entertainment, while sharing theories along the way with onboard Civil War historians and lecturers. Each theme cruise will feature elements specific to the itinerary.

“This reinforces our efforts to provide enriching cruises for our passengers — offering an elegant peek into American history through its waterways,” said vice president Timothy Beebe. “Cruising onboard Queen of the Mississippi is a historic experience on its own — only to be heightened by our Civil War theme cruises. Passengers are in for quite a treat.”

The first new overnight sternwheeler built for the Mississippi in nearly 20 years, Queen of the Mississippi, will have oversize staterooms, larger than those of former Mississippi riverboats, private balconies and the amenities that today’s travelers expect. American Cruise Lines will operate the sternwheeler over the entire Mississippi River system, with the option of cruising at significantly higher speeds in the new ship making more itineraries possible, with longer visits to the river towns, especially those that played significant roles in the outcome of the Civil War.