American Queen Voyages™ Announces New, Exclusive Port in Escanaba, MI on Select Great Lakes Voyages

[American Queen Voyages]

American Queen Voyages™ Announces New, Exclusive Port in Escanaba, MI on Select Great Lakes Voyages 

Steps away from the sound of the gentle waves of Lake Michigan, Escanaba offers the best of art and culture with live music, historic neighborhoods, wineries, breweries, art galleries and more.  

Download images of American Queen Voyages here 

 

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Feb. 13, 2023 – American Queen Voyages™, part of the Hornblower® Group, celebrates another company milestone announcing a new port of call in Escanaba, MI, marking the first time a Lakes & Oceans vessel has visited the quaint Midwestern port.   

 

Beginning in May, American Queen Voyages will be the only cruise line to stop at the unique port. The cruise lines Lakes and Oceans vessels, Ocean Navigator™ and Ocean Voyager™, will visit this port on a selection of voyages around the Great Lakes.  

 

“As we celebrate the addition of Escanaba to our ever-growing list of destinations and welcome new partnerships with local community members, we simultaneously push forward our company's mission to help our guests explore lesser discovered America,” said Cindy D’Aoust, President of American Queen Voyages. “We look forward to an exciting season with new stops showcasing the many treasures across the Great Lakes.” 

 

Located in the year-round playground of Delta County, with more freshwater coastline than any other county in the nation and occupying 200 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, this new port of call not only features world class fishing that directly translates into one-of-a-kind, fresh catch dining experiences, but is littered with historic parks, lighthouses, art galleries, water sporting activities and more. Full of natural beauty, Delta County’s deep forests and trails offer the cruise line’s guests challenging hikes and exciting bike adventures, while its bordering shores invite river kayak rides towards the Bays de Noc. From personal connection in nature to unique small town artistry, guests visiting the new port can expect both solitude and excitement in any level of adventure they desire. 

 

American Queen Voyages has partnered with the community's members to offer unique and encompassing shore excursions including a hop-on hop-off tour with visits into the town's shopping district to visit locally famed Sayklly's Confectionery & Gifts, as well William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, U.P. Veterans Museum and Webster Marble “Inventing the Outdoors” museum. This stop will also feature educational cultural sessions on Native American stories and values with Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company.  

                  

“We're thrilled to partner with American Queen Voyages to bring the first cruise ship to our shores.” said Vickie Micheau, Executive Director of Delta County Chamber of Commerce “Escanaba is such a unique touchpoint of the region, and our rich history and proximity to nature caters to the endless travel experiences American Queen Voyages’ seek during their journey.”     

 

For more information on American Queen Voyages’ and to book a reservation or order a brochure, contact your travel professional, call 833-598-0119 or visit www.AQVoyages.com.  

 

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[uktog]

Are you emailing the guests whose itineraries are impacted or their travel agents?

[3rdGenCunarder]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

Are you emailing the guests whose itineraries are impacted or their travel agents?

 

That's a good question! The press release date is Feb 13. Passengers and agents should have been told before then, or at least, on that same date.

[Host Jazzbeau]

So far, @American Queen Voyages has used their account to post press releases, not to respond to customers' questions.  Maybe they should rethink how social media works:  it's not just another venue for press releases; it's supposed to be a two-way conversation.  Hello?  Hello?

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So far, @American Queen Voyages has used their account to post press releases, not to respond to customers' questions.  Maybe they should rethink how social media works:  it's not just another venue for press releases; it's supposed to be a two-way conversation.  Hello?  Hello?

 

If they're coming here to post press releases, I'm hoping that they at least glance at the comments. Too optimistic?

 

I just wish they were better at communicating with booked passengers. They have made a change in the itinerary. Tours for were different from what was shown on the booking page AND some of those tours have changed again. Not everyone checks the website or Cruise Critic to keep up on what's happening. A lot of people book and assume that they will get exactly what they booked. I know cruise lines can make changes. It happens. But they need to keep passengers informed.

 

It isn't just AQV. HAL just cancelled a cruise. Some of the people on my roll call were notified on Tuesday. It's Friday and neither I nor my TA has received word of this from HAL. The only reason I know is from the roll call.

 

Thank goodness for Cruise Critic and posters who share info about their cruises.

[uktog]

@American Queen Voyages when are you confirming to those guests who have reservations showing they disembark in Chicago that in fact are disembarking in Milwaukee if that this is what is happening for them .
You might not be aware but that’s likely to be judged a significant deviation under UK/EU travel legislation and guests who booked in these countries could even cancel their whole cruises for no penalty.
It’s no problem under the law if you are transferring them to a point In Chicago at no charge but is an issue if you charge them as seems to be the case. 

[American Queen Voyages]

On 3/9/2023 at 2:00 PM, uktog said:

Are you emailing the guests whose itineraries are impacted or their travel agents?

Yes! Guests will be alerted.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, American Queen Voyages said:

Yes! Guests will be alerted.

 

Thank you for responding to this thread. When AQV updated the itinerary on the website, the map was changed. Now I see Muskegon on the map. Is that an error or another itinerary change?

[American Queen Voyages]

23 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Thank you for responding to this thread. When AQV updated the itinerary on the website, the map was changed. Now I see Muskegon on the map. Is that an error or another itinerary change?

There is no additional itinerary change. Thanks for flagging! Our team is going to fix the maps. We apologize for the confusion!

Edited March 14, 2023 by American Queen Voyages

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 3/14/2023 at 9:39 AM, American Queen Voyages said:

There is no additional itinerary change. Thanks for flagging! Our team is going to fix the maps. We apologize for the confusion!

 

Well, the map is fixed--sort of. The new version shows a dotted line between Milwaukee and Chicago. Looking at the website, it isn't clear which cruises are embarking/disembarking in Chicago and which are using Milwaukee instead. I hate to be pedantic, but this new map, if read by someone who takes maps seriously, implies that the pre-cruise hotel is in Milwaukee and we go to Chicago from there to start the cruise. The itinerary for my Chicago to Toronto cruise says day 1 is Chicago/Milwaukee, and day 2 (embarkation) is Chicago. This matches the map, but I don't think it's what you mean. 

 

AQV needs to figure out what's going on with these itineraries and clean up the website. 

 

 

[uktog]

On 3/13/2023 at 1:00 PM, American Queen Voyages said:

Yes! Guests will be alerted.

Do we have a time line for this, the change in disembarkation point has a significant impact for guests who have other plans made based on the original itinerary

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Do we have a time line for this, the change in disembarkation point has a significant impact for guests who have other plans made based on the original itinerary

 

I tried looking at port info for Chicago and Milwaukee. It's easy to do this research for ocean cruises (whatsinport, cruisemapper, etc), not so easy for rivers and lakes.

 

I found a "contact us" for Milwaukee and asked about AQV calls there. At this point, Milwaukee has only three AQV calls. Navigator 6/17 and 7/1, Voyager 7/2. All the rest are supposed to be Chicago. The July dates make sense, as Independence Day weekend will be busy with lots of activities in the Navy Pier area. So that should give us hope that our cruises will dock in Chicago. But I would like to hear that from AQV.

[uktog]

34 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I tried looking at port info for Chicago and Milwaukee. It's easy to do this research for ocean cruises (whatsinport, cruisemapper, etc), not so easy for rivers and lakes.

 

I found a "contact us" for Milwaukee and asked about AQV calls there. At this point, Milwaukee has only three AQV calls. Navigator 6/17 and 7/1, Voyager 7/2. All the rest are supposed to be Chicago. The July dates make sense, as Independence Day weekend will be busy with lots of activities in the Navy Pier area. So that should give us hope that our cruises will dock in Chicago. But I would like to hear that from AQV.

What confuses me is the shore excursions for our particular voyage which ends on May 27th includes end of cruise activities (at a cost) including transfers from Milwaukee to Chicago.  I really need to hear from AQV as there are timing issues I need to factor in being an international traveller

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 minutes ago, uktog said:

What confuses me is the shore excursions for our particular voyage which ends on May 27th includes end of cruise activities (at a cost) including transfers from Milwaukee to Chicago.  I really need to hear from AQV as there are timing issues I need to factor in being an international traveller

 

Your cruise is only 2 months away. They should have this nailed down by now!!!!

 

Have you tried chat on the page that lists excursions? At least someone will try to respond. I've found phone to be no help. 

[uktog]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Your cruise is only 2 months away. They should have this nailed down by now!!!!

 

Have you tried chat on the page that lists excursions? At least someone will try to respond. I've found phone to be no help. 

Excellent suggestion - very unsatisfactory outcome.  

They claim the following for May 27th which does not tie up with what you were told "As of this time, this is the location where they are expected to dock  (Pier Wisconsin Cruise Dock,500 N Harbor Dr, Milwaukee, 53202, United States)"

They also point out they are offering "paid for" transfers to the airport or could arrange transportation to Chicago but when I asked would that be charged for given we had booked to disembark in Chicago I was given a number to call in the USA which being overseas based I will not do.  I will be discussing with my agent in due course but not a happy bunny 

[3rdGenCunarder]

What a mess!!!!