Delta Queen Calls Off American Queen Fall, Winter Seasons

Delta Queen Steamboat Co. canceled cruises on its American Queen vessel between Sept. 16 and March 6. The ship was scheduled to operate three- and four-day cruises from New Orleans coupled with overnight stays in the city. The line said that due to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina, it will be “impossible” to operate the American Queen in the area.

Refunds will be automatically generated within the next 60 days and will go through the line´s agent partners, it said. Delta Queen said it is working with various government authorities to make the American Queen available in the overall relief efforts for the Gulf Coast region.

The cancellation will not affect Delta Queen´s two other vessels, the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen, at least not right away. The two ships currently are sailing the upper Mississippi and the Ohio rivers and are not scheduled to return to the New Orleans area until November.