American Empress stops by and says hello

The American Empress riverboat, set to launch its first full Columbia River cruise on Sunday, docked briefly today in Vancouver in advance of its formal christening Saturday on the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

The sternwheeler, which can accommodate 223 overnight passengers, arrived just before noon at the dock adjacent to the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay. The boat was winding up a five-day shakedown westbound journey on the Columbia River that was open to officials and family members of its corporate owner, the American Queen Steamboat Co. of Memphis, Tenn., as well as national travel journalists and other invited guests.

Some of the journalists disembarked for walking tours of downtown Vancouver, catching a brief spot of sunshine that perhaps will earn a mention in their reports. Many guests remained on board for a final lunch before departing by tour bus for Portland, the last stop on their journey, while local journalists took tours and interviewed company officials.

Saturday’s christening ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. near Portland’s Morrison Bridge. The boat then returns to Vancouver to launch the first of a summer-long series of nine-day tours that stretch from the Columbia’s vast mouth, an area of lush forested landscape anchored by Astoria, Ore., to the desert landscapes around Lewiston, Idaho, on the Snake River. The American Empress will make several stops along the way, allowing passengers time to take in some of the small towns along its route or take premium-priced tours to more distant locales including Mount St. Helens and the Walla Walla wine country.

The boat operated on the Columbia and in Alaska as the Empress of the North from 2003 until 2008 when its owner, Majestic America Line, went bankrupt. The American Queen Steamboat Company, which also operates a riverboat on the Mississippi River, said it spent $5 million on renovations before relaunching the boat as the American Empress.

Ted Sykes, president and chief operations officer for the ownership company, said Columbia River boat tours typically draw passengers from six western states — Oregon, Washington, Nevada, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. He hopes the company’s national reach will help it to broaden its appeal to a broader base of affluent Americans. Standard fares range from $3,795 to $6,595 per passenger.

Sykes pitched his company’s emphasis on connections with Northwest wineries and other regional vendors as a boost to the local economy. The American Empress will be based in Vancouver. Its guests will spend one night at Portland’s Hilton Hotel and staff members will he housed at the Red Lion in Vancouver, the company said.