The American Queen steamboat had a successful cruise last night on the Mississippi River as it ran through its first set of builder’s trials. For the first time in almost five years, the paddle wheel achieved 17 revolutions per minute with plenty of steam in reserve.

“The new propulsion and control system operated perfectly during last night’s trial,” according to the Great American Steamboat Company’s EVP of Vessel Operations Greg Brown. “There was a significant reduction in vibration and noise thanks to the newly added technology.”

The American Queen cruised the Mississippi River along the French Quarter for three hours before conducting berthing trials in front of the famed Café Du Monde on the Riverwalk.