American Queen Voyages to move HQ, bringing 100 jobs to Fort Lauderdale

American Queen Voyages, billed as the largest paddlewheel cruise company in the nation., is moving it headquarters to South Florida, the cruise hub of the U.S.

Cruise enthusiasts around Florida, however, won’t see any of the company’s four famous river vessels, which ply the Mississippi River and other major U.S. waterways including the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, as well as the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest.

Instead, an affiliated line called American Queen Voyages Lakes & Ocean soon will offer voyages along the eastern seaboard that will link the Bahamas with ports along the East Coast and Canada.

No vessels will call at Broward County’s Port Everglades or at PortMiami, a spokeswoman said in an email.

Eastern seaboard trips

But the Port of Palm Beach and Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville will play roles in three forthcoming East Coast voyages, which include:

■ Boston to Nassau, Bahamas, a two-week coastal excursion that will call on the Port of Palm Beach after a stop in Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville. The cruise, which will start Oct. 27, will also stop in other eastern seaboard cities such as Baltimore and Charleston. Fares start at $5,559, according to the company website.

■ Roundtrip from Fernandina Beach: The 12-day voyage will sail north to ports including Savannah and Charleston, then back south to Freeport, the Bahamas, before returning to Fernandina Beach. The trip will run from Feb. 10 through Feb. 21.

■ Fernandina Beach to Halifax, Canada: The 13-day trip will stop at Wilmington, Norfolk, and Newport.

Passengers will sail aboard the 202-passenger vessel Ocean Voyager, which has a sister ship of the same size called Ocean Navigator.

Move South

American Queen made its relocation announcement earlier this week at the SeaTrade conference in Miami Beach. It said it will move its headquarters from Indiana and employ more than 100 people to steer its marketing and vessel operations from offices in Fort Lauderdale. Management also bid adieu to its old name, the American Queen Steamboat Company.

“South Florida is the heart of the cruise industry, and Fort Lauderdale is undeniably the epicenter of that region,” Shawn Bierdz, the company president, said in a statement, “Having a presence in Fort Lauderdale allows us to tap into a talented workforce across the tri-county area, as well as offer an attractive home base for those looking to relocate here.”

The company is leasing a major portion of the top floor of the Coastal Tower at East Commercial Boulevard and U.S. 1, a location that is several miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale. More than three dozen people in sales and marketing have been working remotely in Florida since the spring, a company spokesman said.

Both the city and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the economic development arm of Broward County, aided the company’s search for a new base. Broward County Mayor Steve Geller and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis credited the area’s pro-business climate and availability of talent as playing a role in the relocation decision.

The company is leaving behind higher tax rates in Indiana, which charges a flat rate on personal incomes of 3.23%, with each county adding its own rate on top of the state figure, according to the Tax Foundation.

Florida does not assess a personal income tax. At the corporate level, Indiana was charging businesses 4.9% as of July 1 against Florida’s 4.458%. But the Florida rate is scheduled to rise to 5.5% on Jan. 1, 2022, according to

AMERICAN QUEEN VOYAGES | COURTESY American Queen Voyages, known for paddlewheel-style boats and river, lake and ocean cruises, is moving its headquarters to Fort Lauderdale from Indiana. The South Florida hub will serve as a center for sales, marketing and vessel operations, employing more than 100 people. Pictured is the American Queen river steamboat.