American Queen Steamboat Co. seeks to fill hundreds of US jobs

All teammates must be eligible for employment in the US and have received an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine by their vessels' restart dates.

Available jobs are listed here.

Two boats sailing, two to come

The US-flag cruise line is relaunching American Empress in the Pacific Northwest on June 14 for a nearly sold-out season, and American Queen is expected to return to service on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers later this summer, pending Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval. Those vessels will join American Duchess and brand-new American Countess, which have sailed in the US heartland since March.

'As we resume operations across our entire fleet, we are seeking dedicated and hardworking shipboard team members with a love for exploration to support our phased restart and continue to establish American Queen Steamboat Company as an industry leader and ally to the communities we visit,' AQSC Chairman John Waggoner said.

Positions and pay

A wide range of on-board hotel positions are available. Back of house roles start at $125 per day and include galley and housekeeping cleaners and other entry-level positions. Other hotel roles such as front desk, F&B servers, waiters, bar staff, pastry, sous chef and executive chef level including hotel management roles, range from $180 to $450 per day. AQSC said career progression is encouraged, adding that many of the existing senior team emerged from within the hotel ranks.

Licensed marine roles

Licensed marine roles including mates, engineering positions, pilot and watchmen can receive $250 to $800 per day. All positions include room and board, healthcare and travel to and from the boat within the continental US.

AQSC became the first US-based cruise line to mandate passenger and crew COVID-19 vaccination. The requirement takes effect for the American Empress’ June 14 restart, as well as fleetwide sailings beginning July 1.

Besides vaccination, AQSC's SafeCruise protocols include mandatory pre-embarkation COVID-19 testing, mask-wearing, distancing, heightened sanitation and more.