American Queen Voyages, which docked in Memphis, shuts down

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — American Queen Voyages, which operated Mississippi River cruises from the Memphis riverfront, has announced the company is shutting down.

According to their website, American Queen Voyages was unable to rebound from the pandemic, and was the victim of changes in travel preferences that left the company financially unstable.

All future cruises have been canceled. Travelers can apply for refunds on the website.

American Queen ships docked at Beale Street Landing in Tom Lee Park. Two other cruise lines will continue to dock in Memphis.

“American Queen Voyages is one of three companies that offer Mississippi River cruises from Memphis,” said George Abbott with Memphis River Parks Partnership, which operated the Beale Street Landing dock.

“American Cruise Line and Viking continue to serve passengers and dock here in Memphis. We remain committed to supporting and facilitating river cruises and look forward to welcoming their passengers to Memphis,” he said.

WREG has reached out to the company for comment.

American Queen’s maiden voyage in Memphis was in 2012, and the company was briefly headquartered in the city until moving to Indiana in 2018, according to past reporting.

In 2022, the city of Memphis rolled out a plan to expand the Beale Street Landing dock and add a second dock on Mud Island to accommodate increased cruise ship landings at a cost of more than $30 million.

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