NATCHEZ &8212; Overnight steamboats will return to Natchez on Nov. 22, when the Mississippi Queen and Delta Queen make all-day stops, said Missy O&8217;Neill of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. &8220;They&8217;ll be there from 8 to 5,&8221; O&8217;Neill said.

In 2007, the schedule will gladden hearts of the city&8217;s tourism leaders, as the three queens will make more regular appearances at Natchez Under-the-Hill than in 2006.

Not back to the pre-Hurricane Katrina schedule, the boats nevertheless will make about 16 stops in Natchez between March and the end of May, according to the company Web site.

&8220;The American Queen is the first out in 2007. She&8217;ll be in Natchez March 9,&8221; said O&8217;Neill, manager of shore tours. &8220;We can&8217;t wait to get the boats back south. And Natchez is everyone&8217;s favorite stop.&8221;

The three boats have made only a scattering of stops since Hurricane Katrina forced the company to relocate the boats from New Orleans and evacuate the offices there.

Losing the steamboat business in the fall of 2005 and throughout most of 2006 has not been easy, said Dr. James Coy, manager of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours.

&8220;The way I look at it, any business, small or large, depends on a stable income from one source,&8221; Coy said.

&8220;Quite clearly, the queens&8217; coming on a regular basis and the series bus tours provided Natchez Pilgrimage Tours with a certain level of income.&8221;

Able to depend on that income, the tour organization was able to make plans and know how to budget.

Still, straining under the loss of group tours has had its upside, Coy said. &8220;I think when you go through a period of having normal operations disrupted, you learn to tighten your belt, look at your budget more closely.&8221;

With a positive attitude, &8220;you can come out with a better way of doing things,&8221; Coy said.

Spring Pilgrimage, March 10 to April 14, will be underway to host visitors from the steamboats. That is good news, Coy said.

Fall Pilgrimage opened Saturday and continues unitl Oct. 14, and Coy is encouraged by the first few days. He also is encouraged that some group tours are on the calendar.

&8220;Last year, all the groups canceled. This year, we have 20 group tours,&8221; he said. &8220;I think without question we&8217;ll have a better fall this year than last year.&8221;

Coy said he is proud of his organization for its reaction to hard times. &8220;We have tightened our belts, we have some new tours and have brought new houses on tour this fall. We&8217;re viable,&8221; he said.

The Delta Queen Steamboat Company, owned by Ambassadors International Inc., a cruise and travel company, will be combined with another arm of the Ambassadors, American West Steamboat Company.

The combined companies will become known as Majestic American Line later this year, according to a company press release.

&8220;By combining our terrific assets under one brand, we are creating the largest company in American river and coastal cruising and beginning our strategy of becoming a leader in the niche cruise category,&8221; Ambassadors President and CEO Joe Ueberroth said in the release.