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Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital, has something to satisfy every interest, from Cajun cuisine to tours of the restored World War II-era USS Kidd. She met retired 5th grade teacher, Laurel Hansen (this time, on her 19th American Cruise Line cruise), retired teacher/librarian Sherry Johnson, and Sally Cobb – all solo at the time. Though marketed to retired professionals “age 62 and up,” American Cruise Line passengers skew older with a spattering of younger whippersnappers. Interestingly, a good number on the Chesapeake Bay cruise were retired teachers. Overall, food onboard was very good, bordering on excellent in some cases, and missing the mark in others, but surpassing the “Big Ship” cuisine in quality and freshness. Waiters and waitresses are young, but diligent and pleasant.
Lindblad Expeditions' 7-night Columbia & Snake Rivers: Food, Wine and History Cruise
A convivial, “if we don’t have it, we’ll fetch it for you” way of thinking. Perhaps you’d like, say, sugar-free chocolate ice cream and the kitchen has only sugar-free vanilla. During the evening’s entertainment or lecture, the crew passes around baskets of popcorn, ice-cream sundaes, and root beer floats.
American Glory Is Part of The Line's Plans to Double Capacity for U.S. Coastal Cruises
We had a wonderful time and everyone was excellent in serving us and helping us throughout the week. Walks ashore led by the ship’s naturalist offer a more rigorous workout. There is no spa or salon, but the reception desk may be able to recommend possibilities to you in ports.
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Our guests are encouraged to share their personal story and write a review after their cruise. Sailings are available from late September to early November 2024, 2025 and 2026. Not only is the autumnal landscape in New York's Hudson Valley visually captivating, but the small cities and towns that line the river's shores are filled with fascinating early American history dating back more than 400 years. Sure, some of it was corny, but as Weeks channeled Peter Bird, passengers became engrossed in his passionate, detailed accounts. We soon learned that Bird was Doug’s Great-Great Grandfather, and all these stories had been passed down through generations of his family. Storyteller/historian, Doug Weeks, stayed on board to entertain us with his various alter egos.
The Trustpilot Experience
To dine, passengers wore everything from Harley-Davidson sweatshirts to blazers and silk scarves. Each day we docked or anchored offshore at a charming Maine stop, enjoying excursions highlighting the state’s vital role in the shipbuilding, lumber, and fur industries of the 19th century. In addition to the marquee voyages above, the line navigates the rivers of Florida, plies the Chesapeake Bay all the way up the Potomac to Washington, D.C., and does coastal New England with sailings focused on Maine. Low passenger load; questions were handled quickly and resolved. All personnel were polite and responsive to issues/questions. Room temperature of the meeting room required coat for comfort.
Since our interest in and knowledge of the Civil War is pretty intense, we would have liked more directly civil war battle talks and excursions, or better information on how to build our own excursions on the fly. The guides at the two Civil War battlefields we visited were beyond excellent. The room was great, quiet, private, with our own lttle balcony. You only pack or unpack at the very beginning of the week or at the very end. Staff on our floor were very accommodating, as was pretty much all crew, guides and bus drivers.Food was prepared well, portions reasonable and options for a half-order or changes to the menu on the fly.
As this was our first experience we were so, so impressed we signed up for the Hudson River trip this Oct. Did not know there would be entertainment or games (brought home a visor from Bingo and robe from guess that tune). Further impressed with staff and Mark Wisner port talks and history. The only disappointment for me was Savannah Trolly, the audio was terrible - couldn't understand the British driver.
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Other amenities include a small gym, a café serving breakfast and lunch on deck, and a large sun deck. Overall, crew members were agreeable and mostly efficient, though service could be slow and sometimes dismissive, especially at dinner. Having a server in charge of handling only the water and wine might be a good idea. The next day, we took a city tour aboard one of the two ACL excursion buses that would follow us the entire week. They were helpful, available, and most important kind to everyone.
Caitlin and Caleb with a great crew
American Spirit Cruise: Expert Review (2023) - Cruise Critic
American Spirit Cruise: Expert Review ( .
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:57:05 GMT [source]
And for those of you who might have dietary restrictions, on the first day of sailing, the cruise line offered a meeting with the chef to discuss your individual needs. Each morning, at breakfast, we were given the day’s menu for lunch and dinner. We then made our selections and turned in the cards so that the kitchen would know how many of each item to have on hand.
The line said it reinforces the growing interest in small ship experiences. In Tennessee's two famous music cities, you'll have a chance to visit Elvis Presley's Graceland, stroll blues club-lined Beale Street and check out the Grand Ole Opry. You'll also visit Paducah, Kentucky, and Dover and Clarksville in Tennessee, where experiences include whiskey and bourbon tasting, tours of landmark art murals and, of course, Civil War history.
American Cruise Lines has a rating of 4.3 stars from 51 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. The itinerary in Bar Harbor began with a stroll through the lovely La Rochelle mansion, a 120-year-old seaside “cottage” built by the wealthy Bowdoin family (of Bowdoin College) as a summer residence. In the afternoon, we joined the Acadia National Park bus tour up to Cadillac Mountain (pictured at the top of this page) for some hiking and scenic views of the jagged coastline. In Bangor, our cheeky guide was dressed in period garb and led the tour in character as Fanny Jones, keeper of a long-running brothel in the days when Bangor was the lumber capital of the world. Heidi Sarna is the cofounder of QuirkyCruise.com, a guide to small-ship cruising. Tips are entirely at your personal discretion and generally average about $125 per person on a seven-night cruise.
Although a river sailing on American Cruise Lines costs as much as a luxury line at sea, you won't see the same designer duds onboard. We saw very few brand names on our cruise, and little bling. Daytime wear is comfortable for tours, with collared shirts and shorts for men, and capris and T-shirts for women. Nighttime is equally casual, with most women wearing a nice blouse and slacks or a dress, and men wearing collared shirts and slacks.
Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. On the Pacific end of your voyage, you'll visit Astoria, Oregon — the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. This coastal city at the mouth of the Columbia River is known for its Victorian homes, wineries, brew pubs, and Lewis and Clark heritage. Next, from Kalama, Washington, you can join an excursion to visit the remnants of the area around Mount St. Helens, which suffered a devastating eruption in 1980. If your vacation preferences favor mountain landscapes, wine tasting and pioneer lore, consider American Cruise Lines' eight-night Columbia & Snake River Cruise. You'll explore the Pacific Northwest from Portland, Oregon, to Clarkstown, Washington (or vice versa).
American Cruise Lines has over 50 years of experience cruising the U.S. and specializes in authentic American experiences, personalized service, and well-curated destination-focused cruises. This distinction enables the company to offer all-domestic cruises that visit only U.S. ports of call along both U.S. rivers and coasts. The Line offers over 50 itineraries, which range from 6 to 60 Days in length, and explore in 35 U.S. states. The company offers a new fleet of 19 riverboats and small cruise ships, each accommodating just 90 to 180 guests.
The 11th ship in the American Cruise Line fleet, American Harmony blends big-ship amenities with a modern river cruise boat to create something that is unique on the Mississippi. The Columbia and Snake river cruise was like taking a week long history class. We followed the Lewis & Clark rout via river and were treated very well by the friendly crew. The meals were scrumptious and even offered half portions when less hungry. With no more than 100 passengers on board, the small ship allows passengers to experience each port of call up close and personal. Itineraries are designed to explore some of Alaska’s most popular ports as well as remote wilderness areas.
From Memphis blues and Elvis Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes" to Kentucky bluegrass and New Orleans jazz, American Cruise Lines' eight-night Music Cities Cruise sails you through a chronology of the U.S. music scene. You'll traverse three rivers (the Mississippi, Ohio and Cumberland) en route from Memphis to Nashville, or vice versa. We make no guarantees of any price listed on our site. We’re not responsible for content on external websites linked to ours, including linked resources, an external blog post, any partner site, hotel property sites, or affiliate sites. We only write about places we have vetted, but can’t guarantee that your experience will be exactly the same.
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