Empress of the North Expands 2004 Alaska Offerings

Empress of The North
Photo by Charles Pannell

American West Steamboat Company recently expanded the Alaska cruise offerings of their newest vessel, the Empress of the North. Launched in June 2003, the Empress of the North sailed 11-night Inside Passage cruises from Seattle and Juneau in her inaugural Alaska season. In 2004, 8-night Sitka round-trip cruises and 11-night Seattle to Sitka cruises will be added to her Alaska cruise calendar.

The Empress of the North will continue to offer the popular 11-night Inside Passage cruises in 2004, with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. Shore excursions are included in the cruise prices, on all itineraries.

The Empress of the North is an authentic paddlewheel driven cruise ship; a slightly larger version of her sister ship, the Queen of the West. She has 112 staterooms and can accommodate 235 passengers. She is also the only Alaska-bound small ship that offers any level of wheelchair access.

The accessible staterooms include one BB Superior (#346) and one CC First Class (#341). Both rooms have wide doorways, level thresholds and adequate pathway access. The bathrooms in both staterooms are identical and each has a roll-in shower with a hand-held shower head, a fold-down shower seat, grab bars in the shower and around the toilet and a full 5' turning radius.

Accessible transportation for the included shore excursions is available at all ports (with advance notice), and although all venues are not barrier-free, the majority have a high level of access.

For more information about the Empress of the North, call (800) 434-1232 or visit www.empressofthenorth.com. Check out the Winter 2004 issue of Emerging Horizons for more information about access aboard the new Empress of the North and for access details about the included Alaska shore excursions.