American Cruise Lines to base new boat in N.O.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — American Cruise Lines later this month plans to introduce its second riverboat to be home-ported in New Orleans.
Construction of the 150-passenger American Eagle was recently finished at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland. American Eagle, like the company’s Queen of the Mississippi, will offer various eight-day itineraries on the Lower Mississippi River between New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee. It will have 84 staterooms and offer the “elegance of classic late 1800s riverboats.”
The company also has announced a number of other journeys, including a 22-day complete Mississippi River cruise.
Timothy Beebe, the company’s vice president, said Thursday the new boat will help meet the growth in demand for river cruises.
The vessel is now repositioning to New Orleans and is scheduled to arrive at the end of February.