American Queen Voyages, an operator of U.S. river cruises, ceased operations on Feb. 20, according to a statement the company sent to employees and a voice message when calling the company's phone number.
The voice message says, "American Queen Voyages has made the difficult decision to shut down and all future cruises have been canceled. Guests and customers should expect to be fully refunded for canceled cruises."
Employees received an email from the company saying that their positions would be terminated at 5 p.m. local time on Feb. 20 at all locations, including Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans and Vancouver. The action is expected to be permanent, the letter stated.
"The timing of this notice is necessitated by both the unforeseen business circumstances and an inability to obtain sufficient capital at a commercially reasonable rate to continue operations," the letter says.
The news comes weeks after Travel Weekly reported that several major trade organizations and companies, including Signature Travel Network, Pleasant Holidays, AAA Travel and Virtuoso, had all suspended sales of American Queen Voyages over service issues, among which included late commission payments.
The line also had canceled sailings this month due to what it said were layup schedule delays.