The Empress of the North is a 360-foot (110 m) diesel-powered paddlewheeler that was formerly operated by Majestic America Line. She was built in 2002 at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard on Whidbey Island for $50 million and debuted as a cruise ship in 2003. She is listed as accommodating 223 guests and cruised Alaska's Inside Passage the Pacific Northwest and the Columbia River.