Cruise line biz ready to launch

The number of boats calling on Clarkston and the number being used by American Cruise Lines was incorrect in the original version of this story because of a Tribune error. Those mistakes have been corrected.

A vessel called American Jazz is one of nine watercraft for overnight passengers that will be calling on Clarkston as the cruise boat season gets under way in the region this spring.

American Jazz will be in Clarkston for the first time at the end of the month and is a continuation of American Cruise Lines’ “modern riverboat series,” according to the company’s website.

“Featured is a gorgeous, five-story glass atrium, private balconies in all of its spacious (cabins), and spectacular views from everywhere on the ship,” according to the website.

The cabins with “full-size bathrooms” and “plush seating” range from 250 to 650 square feet and are “the ideal place to unwind after an enriching day of discovery,” according to the website.

Fares for a seven-night journey between Clarkston and Astoria, Ore., on American Jazz begin at more than $5,000 with eight ports of call along the Columbia and Snake rivers, according to the website.

American Cruise Lines has five boats on the route, more than any other company this season, said Chris Rasmussen, executive director of the Port of Clarkston in an email.

The vessels of American Cruise Lines are joined by the American Empress from American Queen Voyages and the Sea Lion, Sea Bird and Quest from Linblad Expeditions, which is also known as National Geographic.

This year 24,000 travelers are expected to visit the area on cruise boats, up from 16,000 last year, Rasmussen said.

The travelers help strengthen the area’s economy in the season that runs from late March through mid-November, said Michelle Peters, president and CEO of Visit Lewis Clark Valley.

In 2019, 19,000 cruise boat tourists generated $4 million in revenue for north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.

While they are here, they generally take a jet boat tour of Hells Canyon or visit Lewiston’s downtown by bus, Peters said.

American Cruise Lines anticipates this year 7,500 to 8,000 of its passengers will fly in or out of the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport, a preferred airport of the company, said Bret Bullock, director of guest experience for American Cruise Lines in an email.

The airport, the ports of Clarkston and Lewiston and Peters’ organization are among those working to provide amenities for the visitors.

A former travel agency office at the airport has been converted into a lounge that is reserved for cruise boat passengers during the season and available to all travelers in the off-season, said Airport Director Michael Isaacs in an email.

“There’s nice furniture, a coffee station and TV,” Isaacs said.

The long-term goal is to convert the room to a frequent-flier club room for passengers of Delta and United, the two airlines serving Lewiston, he said.

Over the winter, crews removed 10,500 cubic yards of sediment from the area around the Port of Clarkston’s cruise boat dock near the Holiday Inn at the same time the shipping channel serving the area was dredged. That upgrade is anticipated to make it easier for boat captains to navigate.

The Port of Clarkston is working with American Cruise Lines to share the expense of improving the cruise boat dock, Rasmussen said.

The port will send out a request for qualifications for engineering in June for design and begin discussions in July or August about the project, he said.

“If through our discussions, we find that it is better for long-term sustainability to relocate this facility to the west and reduce the need to dredge, then we would revisit that option,” he said.

The Port of Clarkston previously sought a grant to design a new cruise boat dock near Red Wolf Bridge, but wasn’t successful in securing the money, Rasmussen said.

American Cruise Lines is also working with the Port of Lewiston on a project to construct a new dock on the Clearwater River with space for one cruise boat just downstream from the railroad bridge in Lewiston on the north side of the river.

The company has promised to pay for the dock and the port would cover about $5 million in infrastructure for the dock such as roads, utilities and a parking lot.

The port will submit a grant to the U.S. Economic Development Administration in the next few months that would cover half of the port’s share, said Scott Corbitt, general manager of the Port of Lewiston in an email.

Peters sees other ways to help the largely older clientele of the cruise boats.

Many stay at the Holiday Inn before they board and walk to places such as Roosters, Basalt Cellars, Walmart, Albertsons, Costco, Tomato Brothers and Riverport Brewing Company, she said.

Crew members will venture farther to destinations like downtown Clarkston, but Peters would like to see even more businesses benefit.

“If there was reliable, professional, private transportation for the cruise boat passengers, there would be more commerce in downtown Lewiston and Clarkston,” she said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.