My husband and I have taken quite a few cruises on mid to larger ships. We were tired of the big cruise ship/company experience, as every ship seemed to offer the same food/activities, etc, and decided to take a river cruise in the USA.
After doing quite a bit of research and chatting with folks on Cruise Critic we opted to take the American Queen's Lewis and Clark Expedition river cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. We loved it!
First, the American Empress is a wonderful, small ship. There were about 120 passengers and a crew of 90 aboard. The ship was refurbished about three years ago and they did a fine job in recreating the steamboat experience.
See above for my cabin review. To reiterate - our cabin was small, beautifully furnished, all amenities provided including slippers and robes. Lots and lots of storage and hanging space. Wonderful semi-private patio.
I'd ask for this room again.