DETROIT – The Detroit Princess Riverboat announced Thursday that it will not operate during the 2020 season due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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Officials said that they could not profitably operate this year as social distancing restrictions have led to fewer customers.
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Posted by Detroit Princess Riverboat on Thursday, June 18, 2020
“It is important to us as a company, that we provide our guests with a high quality experience that puts a smile on their faces, an experience that we as employees are proud of, and to do that at an affordable price,” officials said in a Facebook post Thursday. “With the current social distancing requirements, capacity restrictions, and a severely shortened season, providing that high level experience and being able to do it profitably isn’t possible.”
The company says group events comprise nearly 65 percent of their business, and a large amount of customers have already rescheduled their group events to next year due to the pandemic.
The Detroit Princess intends to resume operations in 2021 and is accepting bookings for next summer. In the meantime officials say the boat will continue its presence on the Detroit River and continue updating and maintaining the vessel.