New American Countess Cruise Line Review

New American Countess: John Roberts Samples the Inaugural Voyage

By John Roberts.

The inaugural voyage of American Queen Steamboat Company’s (AQSC) new American Countess riverboat had the palpable feel of something different.

For me, this cruise marked the return of the world as it should be — or at least an important first step toward that ultimate destination. I was cruising again, actually really traveling for the first time in more than a year, and my first Mississippi River cruise meant a lot more to me than I could have ever guessed.

It also seemed that a large number of my 95 fellow cruisers on American Countess were feeling the same way. Travel and cruising are activities to savor and never to be taken for granted again in a post-pandemic world.

I joined American Countess in New Orleans, a day before the christening ceremony for the riverboat. The vessel was formerly known as Kanesville Queen, a casino boat that AQSC bought in 2016 with the grand plan to create a “brand-new” ship.

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John Roberts at the bow of the new 245-passenger American Countess just before boarding. * Photo: Colleen McDaniel

American Queen Steamboat Co gave the vessel a new life with a new name and a full restoration that expanded the passenger capacity and essentially created a brand-new riverboat.

To get to sail on American Countess’ first journey up the river to Memphis, though, passengers would have to test negative for COVID. American Queen Steamboat Co’s SafeCruise health and safety protocols are in effect during the coronavirus pandemic and require passengers to arrive at a pre-cruise hotel a day ahead of embarkation. Then, a test is administered at the hotel and results are given to passengers the next morning, informing them whether they will be allowed to sail.

As of July 1, 2021, all AQSC passengers and crew will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

My wife Colleen and I tested negative, as expected, and we were thrilled to clear the last hurdle on our way to getting back on a cruise.

author John Roberts on new American Countess

John & Colleen on board. * Photo: John Roberts

Excitement was in the air as we reached the pier at Mardi Gras World, where we gathered for a christening ceremony to welcome American Countess as the fourth vessel in the American Queen Steamboat Company fleet.

Shortly after Godmother Angie Hack, daughter of AQSC founder and CEO John Waggoner, smashed a bottle of bourbon on the boat to cap the ceremony, the nearly 100 passengers filed aboard and set off from New Orleans.

It truly felt like a new beginning, and our fellow guests — a mix of friends and family of Waggoner and other AQSC employees, media members and mayors from towns along the Mississippi River — shared their excitement over cocktails in the boat’s Grand Lobby lounge and bar space.

The environment remained festive during the days and nights that followed while on our six-night voyage. Colleen and I reacquainted ourselves with river cruising in the U.S., reunited with colleagues and friends and made new friends during our trip.

A Look at the American Countess

The fourth riverboat in the AQSC fleet joins sisters American Queen, American Duchess and American Empress. The launch of American Countess was delayed by a year during the pandemic.

Like the other steamships in the fleet, this exterior of this paddlewheeler evokes a bygone era of 19th-century river travel. Its exterior holds true to that classic steamship you envision in your romantic notions of Mississippi River cruising. The large red paddlewheel, churning a wake to help propel it in the waterway, strongly shoulders into the aft of the boat, and the bright white decks of the ship are stacked as if a four-layer cake trimmed with sugary lace.

The big red wheel. * Photo: John Roberts

While the sister AQSC riverboats offer the period-specific Victorian interior designs associated with classic American river cruising, American Countess stands apart with more modern furnishings and décor throughout, from staterooms to public areas.

The riverboat is four decks high, with a length of 318 feet and width of 79 feet.

American Countess carries up to 245 passengers and 110 crew — but pandemic-era cruising sees passenger capacity cut to 166.

Not surprisingly, the ship felt incredibly spacious during our voyage.

Not hard to socially distance on the promenade. * Photo: John Roberts

Public Areas

American Countess features the large Grand Lobby as the main gathering space. We enjoyed bourbon tastings at the bar, pre-dinner cocktail hours and post-dinner tipples, along with after-show conversations accompanied by the American Countess Show Band (a piano, drums, bass and woodwind quartet).

Bourbon tasting hosted by Kirby Coleman. * Photo: John Roberts

The adjacent theater is home to the main show every night, with the American Countess Ensemble performing song and dance productions or guest entertainers bringing to life special acts. We saw superb shows, including an awesome ragtime piano set by veteran Mississippi steamboat performer Steve Spracklen.

Steve playing Ragtime piano on American Countess

Steve Spracklen performing a ragtime piano set. * Photo: John Roberts

Additionally, movies, games, “riverlorian” enrichment talks and cooking demonstrations are scheduled in the theater during the mornings and afternoons.

A cooking demo held in the theater (with no masks on the menu, it seems). * Photo: John Roberts

Mississippi River cruisers might be familiar with design touches onboard that include Tiffany glass, wood paneling, curving grand staircases and shiny chandeliers.

But American Countess does it a little differently when it comes to décor. Blending comfort and style, this is a riverboat for modern times, with walnut wood accents, Italian fabrics, stylish wallpaper and attractive carpeting.

American Countess has several quiet places to retreat, including the Library at the front of the ship boasting great views. It’s stocked with all kinds of books and other reading materials.

American Countess’ library. * Photo: John Roberts

The Card Room is filled with an inventory of board games and there are chess and checkers tables too. The Chart Room allows maritime buffs to follow the river’s twists and turns as American Countess makes the journey.

American Countess also has a small fitness center with a recumbent bike, upright stationary bike, elliptical machine and treadmill.

The small gym (with a view!). * Photo: John Roberts

Heading Outside

We loved relaxing in the white rocking chairs outdoors on Decks 2 and 3. These are indeed the best seats in the house. If you can snag one of these at sunset as American Countess churns along the river, you’ll have the breeze in your face and a delightful sense of escape from your daily worries.

The white rockers. * Photo: John Roberts

The top sun deck is a wide-open space giving unfettered 360-degree views and an area to enjoy the fresh air, though it’s sparse and a bit soul-less. Small couches and chairs form seating areas underneath canopies, where you can hang out with fellow cruisers over drinks or wile away an afternoon immersed in a good book.

The expansive though sparse top deck. * Photo: John Roberts

If You’re Hungry

There are two dining spots: The Grand Dining Room and The River Grill.

The main dining room is a formal large restaurant with open seating and full service. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an a la carte buffet available for breakfast and lunch (servers will bring you your choices).

John in the Grand Dining Room. * Photo: John Roberts

The Grand Dining Room. * Photo: John Roberts

It’s got floor-to-ceiling windows both port and starboard, which provide delightful views of the water and riverside scenes as you sail.

The River Grill is a more casual eatery located at the aft of the ship, with chairs and tables offering a café-style feel. You can also pick a table outside on the promenade with the paddlewheel turning nearby. (Note: this is a noisy and often wet area when the wheel is really cranking.) River Grill is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Perks is a nondescript coffee shop offering coffees, teas, fresh-baked cookies, a soft-serve ice cream machine and a popcorn machine. We snagged a bag of popcorn and a cookie almost daily.

The culinary offerings are certainly among the highlights of a voyage on American Countess. Chefs craft a spectacular menu, giving a real flavor of the regions where you cruise.

During our sailing, we were overwhelmed with tough choices, especially for lunches and dinners. I had to pass on the daily burger offering a couple times, turning down a mushroom steak burger and a prime rib burger to opt for the pulled pork barbecue sandwiches and gooey grilled cheese and tomato soup.

I eventually caved on Day 3 and had a double-decker smash cheeseburger that was too good to miss.

Dinners went all in with Southern favorites like craft beer fried chicken, crispy Delta-style catfish, Natchez trout amandine and pan-seared beef tips.

Can’t go wrong with steak and fries. * Photo: John Roberts

The menus also featured goodies like bronzed salmon filet and chicken parmesan meatballs. Specialty vegetarian options are available, as well.

Dessert! * Photo: John Roberts

I typically like to keep breakfast healthy and simple, but I had to break from my daily omelet and berry bowl when I saw the Totally Bananas French Toast (bananas foster, banana nut bread and rum-flavored whipped cream) on the menu.

Spacious Quarters

Our balcony cabin, number 222, on American Countess was one of the largest cabins (226 square feet) we have had on any river cruise. We were located on the port side midship on Deck 2 for our smooth ride.

John’s balcony cabin. * Photo: John Roberts

The boat also offers smaller balcony cabins on Deck 3 (192 square feet) that have a little balcony porch that opens to the promenade that encircles the deck and is open to the public.

Here’s a video tour of our balcony cabin, #222, aboard the new American Countess.

The standard inside cabins are 150 square feet or so, and here’s a quick video look:

A set of aft cabins on Deck 3 have balcony porches that walk out the promenade and overlook the paddlewheel. The ship also has six accessible cabins, ranging from 220 square feet to 325 square feet.

Our accommodations offered a comfortable bed with a firm mattress, but anyone taller than 6 feet (I’m 6-4) might have their feet hang off the end of the bed a bit.

A large seating area with a couch faces the desk, mirror and a unit with shelving that is a good place to store and organize items that get used regularly during your trip. A mini fridge is tucked under the desk.

American Queen Steamboat Co provides souvenir stainless-steel water bottles for passengers to fill at the water stations located throughout the boat.

Nightstands feature an abundance of charging options, with three plugs and two USB outlets. Each side of the queen bed (which can be separated into a pair of twins) also has a sconce with an attached reading light (one of those bendy kinds that you can adjust).

The bathroom is massive, as well, with a nice walk-in shower and a sink with shelving and storage space underneath. The one drawback I find with all this space allotted to the bedroom/living room and bathroom, is that there is a surprising shortage of closet space.

You can easily store your luggage under the bed as a space saver, but we quickly ran out of hangers in the closet, which also offers no spots for shoes. The two-drawer dresser and safe occupy most of the space below the hanging rod.

An Array of Inclusions

Cruise fares for American Countess include the pre-cruise hotel stay and testing, onboard meals, entertainment, drinks and shore excursions (premium shore excursions available at extra cost).

Drinks are included in the fares. * Photo: John Roberts

Journeys on the Lower Mississippi

American Countess launched its inaugural season with a schedule of weeklong cruises from New Orleans to Memphis (and reverse).

The riverboat is also scheduled to sail on the Upper Mississippi, as well as offer voyages on the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.

With our sailing being the inaugural voyage for American Countess, we bypassed a couple port stops that you can expect to enjoy.

Our itinerary started in New Orleans, with stops at White Castle, Louisiana, for Nottoway Mansion and Resort, and then Natchez, Mississippi, before two days of steamboating until we reached Memphis.

The standard itinerary between the festive cities of New Orleans and Memphis is as follows (if embarking in New Orleans):

Day 1: New Orleans for a night at the hotel and COVID testing;
Day 2: Get on ship and sail away from New Orleans;
Day 3: Nottoway Mansion and Resort in Louisiana;
Day 4: St. Francisville, Louisiana;
Day 5: Natchez, Mississippi;
Day 6: Vicksburg, Mississippi;
Day 7: Port of the Mississippi Delta;
Day 8: Day of riverboat cruising (sea day);
Day 9: Arrive in Memphis (post-cruise city stay packages are available).

After we sailed off into the sunset from New Orleans, we quickly found our way around the new ship, settled into our rooms and were ready to reunite with the river cruise experience.

Sunset along the way. * Photo: John Roberts

It had been well over a year since our last sailing, and this was more exciting than we could have imagined. It was especially comforting to be around other people, engage in fresh conversations and reunite with a few friends who had joined us onboard.

White Castle (no not the burger)

We had two stops on our trip and took advantage of the time ashore in White Castle to go for a morning run along the levee that separates the farmland that surrounds the town of about 1,800 people and the Mississippi River. Our only company for our sunrise run was the singing birds in the trees and a small herd of cattle that took a break from getting their fill at a watering hole to stare quizzically at us as we ran past.

The AQSC excursion for the day was a self-guided tour to the former Nottoway Plantation, which specialized in sugar production. The property, which features the largest existing antebellum mansion in the South, has refashioned itself as a resort.

The historic Nottoway plantation house. * Photo: John Roberts

Passengers hopped into buses to visit Nottoway, but Colleen and I took the opportunity to check out a couple bikes from the American Countess fleet and, instead, ride the six miles roundtrip to take a quick look around the property.

Bikes can be borrowed free of charge. * Photo: John Roberts

John riding to the Nottoway Plantation. * Photo: John Roberts

Natchez

The spring weather in Louisiana offered ideal conditions to explore in an active way, and our morning spent running and pedaling gave us a great excuse for refueling at the bars and restaurants for the rest of the day on American Countess as we sailed toward Natchez.

We arrived to a little bit of fanfare as members of the community received the new riverboat at the port area below the city’s bluffs in the Under-the-Hill Historic District.

Tied up in Natchez. * Photo: John Roberts

Arriving at Natchez. * Photo: John Roberts

Busses used for excursions had some seats off limits to encourage social distancing. * Photo: John Roberts

Colleen and I joined a small group of friends who masked up and headed into town for a dinner at The Little Easy, a gem of a bistro that serves up boozy brunch and comfort food all day. The creative creations offer a blend of Southern classic with a Caribbean flair. Think jerk chicken and waffles, Greek salad, smoked brisket hash and eggs, and herbed pork and eggs.

Jerk chicken and waffles is a thing! * Photo: John Roberts

The cocktail menu is also a tippler’s dream.

While our dining mates polished off another drink or a coffee, Colleen and I dashed across the street to Natchez Brewing Co. to grab a variety of craft beers to go.

Regional beer at Natchez Brewing Co. * Photo: John Roberts

We selected four crowlers, with one each of the red ale, stout, IPA and sour, to share as after-dinner drinks with our fellow beer lovers onboard American Countess.

The sun setting over Natchez. * Photo: John Roberts

As we sailed toward Memphis over the course of the next two days, we all had good reason to raise a glass and toast the return of American river cruising.

RELATED: Here’s a video recap of our trip, including an American Countess full-ship tour: