Supplement to Travel Trade
November 2003

Empress of the North:

The Best of Both Worlds

Moreover, it has the distinction of that huge red paddlewheel at the back, making it the first sternwheeler in Alaska in some 100 years.

As a small ship — the line uses “boat” and “ship” interchangeably — the Empress can navigate small channels where the big guys can’t go, such as the twisting Peril Strait out to Sitka or Wrangell Narrows between Petersburg and Wrangell. Those are areas where one hopes to see wildlife, such as soaring bald eagles. But, with or without the birds, the scenery visible from anywhere on the ship is the reason why people visit Alaska.

The Empress is one of those ships on which everybody seems to eventually know everybody else, an atmosphere enhanced by having a single, open seating for meals where people can sit down with new acquaintances or go looking for more.

Despite its size, Empress of the North presents several dining choices. Besides the Romanov dining room on the lowest deck, there is the Calliope Bar and Grill on the fourth (top) deck, where an informal breakfast is available 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. The Calliope’s casual lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, hot chicken sandwiches, salads, soup, chili and great cookies is a mid-day alternative. The Calliope also has a coffee machine, a latte/cappuccino/hot chocolate machine and a frozen yogurt machine available 24 hours a day.

You won’t find splashy Broadway reviews on the Empress, but enjoyable entertainment is available in two spots. The Golden Nugget Showroom, on the first deck, is home to a small combo playing before and after-dinner music for listening or dancing. At the same time, a lively husband/wife, keyboard/vocal duo holds forth in the Paddlewheel Lounge aft on deck two. Hot hors d’oeuvres are served in both spots during the cocktail hour.

In addition, the Golden Nugget has a featured entertainer or two every evening. One night it was two men singing the country music of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Another night it was a light-hearted magician. On one occasion the line brought aboard a stylish singer of the blues. When the ship was not between ports, where somebody could come aboard for a sector, the cruise staff filled in with an evening of song.

For additional entertainment, movies are shown regularly via the cabin TV sets. The ship also has a huge collection of movies on DVD for loan. A CD player is at bedside.

From the exterior, with the bright red paddlewheel at the stern and a gangway tilted up from the bow, the gleaming white Empress of the North looks like a showboat. Several factors add to the look. Red, white and blue buntings flap from all decks at the front of the ship. A row of large white rocking chairs graces each deck. The stairway up front has cast-iron Victorian-era inserts.

Most cabins on decks two, three and four have verandas. In addition, deck four has a ship-encircling walkway and open space at the stern.

The broad corridors down the center of each deck — all cabins are outside — are lined with art and artifacts As indicated by the names Romanov and Golden Nugget, the interior design draws heavily from the history and culture of Alaska, including its Russian heritage and the 1898 Gold Rush.

Homage is paid as well to the histories of the Wild West and Native Americans of the Columbia River gorge, where the Empress will sail part of the year. There are drawings, serigraphs, lithographs and artifacts.

Among the latter are some Fabergé eggs that belonged to the late Robert Giersdorf, the line’s founder. One corridor is lined with large scenes surrounding the coronation of Russia’s last three czars, from books Giersdorf had acquired in Russia. The plan was to install original pages, but when the appraisal got into the millions, the line settled for reproductions.

The main design elements of the Golden Nugget are the bright red velvet curtains outlining the bandstand and the beaded crystal chandeliers.

The Paddlewheel Lounge, aft on deck one, is dominated by the huge wheel churning just outside the windows. It has a clubby atmosphere with its comfortable chairs, board games and small library.

The bright Romanov Dining Room stops just short of being gaudy. The ceiling was raised to 12 feet to accommodate rows of dangling crystal chandeliers. The front and rear walls are red, with a small imprinted pattern of a Russian double eagle in gold. The chairs also are red, with a large double eagle on the back of each.

The extensive use of red in the decor, the captain assured me, is both Russian and Victorian.

Booths for six line both sides. The rest of the room is filled with tables for six and eight. When the ship is full, those tables will accommodate more, but space is tight.

The menus present plenty of choices. They always list two appetizers, two soups, two salads, four main courses (meat, fish, chicken, vegetarian) and two desserts.

Cabins on the ship are roomy and comfortable. Seventy-six of them on decks two and three in category CC are identical except that some have a queen bed and others have twin beds.

All cabins measure 180 square feet (10 feet by 18 feet), including the bathroom and closets. In addition, each has a 10’ x 4’ veranda. Besides the bed, there is space for nightstands, a desk and chair, two additional chairs, a cabinet for the TV and minibar and some small incidental shelves.

Minibar prices, like those in the Golden Nugget and Paddlewheel, are very reasonable. Soft drinks cost $1, most spirits are $3.50, beer ranges from $2.25 to $3.25.

Like the rest of the ship, the cabins are colorful. A typical scheme includes a soft green wall behind the bed with an ochre velveteen headboard. The opposite wall is rose, the carpet is a soft green. The thick quilted bedspread has a floral pattern on a light background. An alternate combination includes a lavender wall and purple headboard.

The small but adequate bathroom is well-lighted and has some counter space with an additional storage shelf beneath. A hair dryer is supplied. The shower has European hardware so that it can be adjusted for type of spray, height, or hand-held. Electric power is standard U.S. 110 volts.

Throughout the ship there are period touches. Among them are the moldings on the dark mahogany-look furniture in the cabins, the style of the chairs, the swag-style valences in the cabins and public rooms, the molded tin ceilings in many rooms and corridors and heavily embossed wall coverings on the lower portion of the hall walls.

For its truncated first season, Empress of the North drew 50% of its passengers from past passengers on its other boat, Queen of the West. Most of the other passengers had sailed at least once previously, mostly on premium lines or another paddlewheeler. Geographically they came heavily from California and from any place there is a high concentration of seniors, including Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Catering as it does to a very mature clientele, the Empress of the North crew is very mindful of its passengers’ disabilities of all degrees. Some brought aboard walkers, some their own or rented wheelchairs, and at least two passengers brought their battery-powered carts. Two cabins have been specifically configured for wheelchairs. The ship has two elevators, midship.

Because of the big Alaska tides, gangways are sometimes very steep. The combination of always-at-hand crew and very determined passengers meant that everybody got on and off wherever they pleased.

The 2003 season in Alaska consisted of leisurely 11-day, one-way voyages between Seattle and Juneau, via Victoria, Vancouver, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay and Skagway. In 2004, there will also be 8-day roundtrips from Sitka.

A shore excursion is included at every stop, and there are some optional trips for repeat passengers. Until American West Steamboat gets its own permits to enter Glacier Bay, it puts passengers aboard a day-boat for that experience. It lacks the comfort and convenience of the Empress, but is able to get close to the bay’s scenic beauty and wildlife.

Among the included excursions at other ports are a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, the White Pass & Yukon Railroad from Skagway and the highlights of Sitka, including a performance by its troupe of Russian dancers.

Wholesome and energetic kids came aboard in costume at Petersburg to perform Norwegian folk dances. At Wrangell we checked out petroglyphs on rocks at a beach and toured a replica of an old clan house. The famed Buchart Gardens are visited from the stop at Victoria, British Columbia Sightseeing is the order of the day in Ketchikan and Vancouver. At Seattle, the ship detours into Lake Washington.