American Cruise Lines News

American Cruise Lines is set to take delivery of two more new small ships in 2025.The 125-passenger sister ships, American Patriot and American Pioneer, represent the fifth and sixth ships in the company’s Project Blue series of 12 new small ships for the U.S. market. The ships will be built at the company’s affiliated shipyard, Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland.American Patriot will begin sailing in June 2025, and American Pioneer in November 2025 and both new ships will operate a host of American’s U.S.

American Glory, the second Coastal Cat in American Cruise Lines’ new series of 100-passenger ships, was christened in Key West, Fla. on Sunday. The ceremony took place at Mallory Square where the ship docks when visiting Key West along the company’s newest U.S. itinerary—Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises, operating roundtrip from St. Petersburg.Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines, gave remarks and introduced American Glory’s Godmother, the Honorable Teri Johnston, Mayor of Key West.

American Cruise Lines’ newest Coastal Cat, American Glory, completed sea trials and has been delivered from Chesapeake Shipbuilding on-time as scheduled.The the 100-passenger small ship is the newest ship in American’s ongoing series of 12 new Coastal Cats for exploring U.S. waterways. Additional ships in the series are already under construction, with the next two scheduled for delivery in 2024. American Glory will sail its inaugural cruise on November 28 from Maryland to Florida…

American Cruise Lines on Wednesday announced Susan Shultz-Gelino, Vice President of Trade Relations, has retired after several decades with the company, and that Melissa Young has joined the company as Director of Business DevelopmentShultz-Gelino began her career in travel with American Cruise Lines in the 1980s. Among her many achievements, she established and led American’s sales department to record numbers through the company’s early years. Shultz-Gelino developed strong trade partnerships industry-wide and also established a growing team of Business Development Managers.

American Cruise Lines introduced its first new Coastal Cat, American Eagle, during a christening ceremony in at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy campus on Buzzards Bay last week.Carol Robertson, wife of American Cruise Lines’ founder the late Charles A. Robertson, served as godmother for the ship and christened the 100-passenger American Eagle with one of her handmade, ribbon-wrapped champagne bottles. The American Eagle is named after the first American Cruise Lines’ ship, which the couple launched in the 1970s.The ceremony began with remarks from Robertson…

In a canyon at the Idaho border and alongside a bayou in Louisiana, two nearly identical cruise ships were just christened. American Cruise Lines announced the christening of sister ships American Jazz and American Serenade, two of the lines’ six new riverboats.“The two christenings, one in a desert canyon and one on the bayou, show the incredible breadth of river cruise options in the USA,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO, American Cruise Lines. “They also show the growth of American Cruise Lines and the range of places that we explore.

The newest riverboat for the Mississippi River passed sea trials this week and is on its way to New Orleans for its inaugural season on the mighty river.American Cruise Lines announced today, that it has accepted delivery of the American Serenade from Chesapeake Shipbuilding as scheduled.American Serenade is the sixth riverboat in the line’s new series, and the 18th small ship built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding for the U.S. based small-ship cruise line.The 180-passenger boat will…

American Cruise Lines on Monday announced construction has begun on American Legend, the fourth new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series.Described by American Cruise Lines as a "nimble go-anywhere ship", the 100-guest American Legend is being built for coastal operation and features a new hull design that is a hallmark of the series. All American’s new Coastal Cats are being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md.The first three ships in the series—American Eagle…

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

American Cruise Lines announced on Wednesday that it has added Starlink satellite internet to its 2023 fleet of riverboats and small cruise ships. The new high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi will be complimentary on all 2023 cruises, ensuring seamless connectivity and faster upload speeds nearly everywhere the company’s small ships are cruising throughout the country—from Glacier Bay Alaska to the sunny Florida Keys; from the Napa Valley wine country to the historic Hudson River; and from…

American Cruise Lines announced on Monday that Salisbury, Md. shipbuilder Chesapeake Shipbuilding has began building American Liberty, the third new Coastal Cat in the company’s Project Blue series. The newbuild is scheduled to enter service in May 2024.First announced in January 2022, the Project Blue series is a set of 12 small ships designed to cover almost any domestic U.S. cruise itinerary. The first two ships in the series, American Eagle and American Glory are scheduled…

The newest riverboat for the Mississippi River passed sea trials late last week and is on its way to New Orleans for an on-time start to its inaugural season on the Mighty Mississippi. American Cruise Lines said it has accepted delivery of the American Symphony from Chesapeake Shipbuilding as scheduled. American Symphony is the fifth riverboat in the Line’s series and the 15th small ship built by Chesapeake for American. The 175-passenger new boat will immediately join the company’s expanding Mississippi River fleet.

American Cruise Lines announced it will begin offering California cruises starting in 2023.The U.S. river and small ship coastal cruise line will offer a new eight-day round tris from San Francisco exploring the San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, the Napa River and the San Joaquin River, with stops in San Francisco, Napa, Vallejo, Stockton and Sacramento.“American continues to expand the possibilities for exceptional domestic small ship cruises across the country. Exploring this…

American Cruise Lines announced its new river cruise ship American Symphony was launched last week at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md. The new riverboat was positioned in Chesapeake’s East Outfitting Basin where it will receive its upper decks and outfitting.The fifth ship in the new riverboat class American first introduced in 2018, American Symphony will begin cruising the Mississippi River in August 2022.A sister ship American Melody commissioned in 2021, American Symphony will accommodate 175-passengers…

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

The year just ended, 2021, might be described as being about “trying to get back to normal”, across the entire transportation spectrum, two years into the pandemic. During this time, the decarbonization and electrification waves have swept across maritime passenger transport. The passenger side of the business is dependent on multiple funding sources; increasingly, this money will be driven by environmental and social considerations.The long-awaited funding of “infrastructure”-related projects…

U.S. river and coastal cruise shipping company American Cruise Lines announced plans for 12 new identical sister ships that will more than double the nation’s current capacity for domestic coastal cruises.The new U.S.-built fleet, announced as part of ACL's newly revealed Project Blue expansion plan, will operate exclusively in the United States, with a focus on small towns and close-to-home adventures, the company said, adding that the hybrid catamarans have been designed to offer improved near-shore operating versatility.Charles B.

American Cruise Lines' new river cruise ship American Melody is ready to kick off its inaugural season on Friday along the line’s longest Mississippi River cruise.The 22-day complete Mississippi River cruise had originally been scheduled to operate from New Orleans, La., to St. Paul, Minn., but due to Hurricane Ida, guests will embark in Natchez, Miss.Through the end of December 2021, American Melody will also operate eight-day Upper Mississippi River cruises between St. Louis, Mo., and St.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded Thursday to the aground cruise vessel American Jazz near Canton, Kentucky."American Jazz is aground near mile marker 62 on the Cumberland River outside the ship channel and is carrying 120 passengers and 54 crew members," the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley watchstanders received a call Thursday morning from American Cruise Lines stating their vessel American Jazz ran aground. A Coast Guard Station Paducah 29-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew along with a Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Paducah marine investigator were launched to the scene."No damage, pollution, or injuries were reported. The Coast Guard is coordinating with American Cruise Lines to establish a salvage plan to dislodge the cruise vessel.

U.S.-based river and coastal cruise operator American Cruise Lines announced on Tuesday that it has signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding of Salisbury, Md., to build two more modern riverboats in 2022. The newbuilds will be the fifth and sixth in American Cruise Lines revolutionary modern series, first introduced in 2018. Both vessels are yet to be named and will follow the 2021 debuts of American Jazz and American Melody on the Mississippi River. American Cruise Lines has more than doubled in size since 2017.

American Cruise Lines Accepts Delivery of American Melody and Announces the Names of the 5th & 6th Modern RiverboatsAmerican Cruise Lines announced it has taken delivery of its newest riverboat, American Melody, from Chesapeake Shipbuilding. The vessel was handed over on time despite various challenges as the Maryland shipyard continued building through the pandemic.Immediately following last week’s successful Sea Trials, the brand new American Melody headed to New Orleans to ready for its inaugural cruise along the Mississippi River, an eight-day New Orleans-New Orleans itinerary.

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

The American Jazz riverboat, which ran aground near Canton, Kentucky on July 8 with 120 passengers and six crewmembers aboard, has finally been set free.The Lake Barkley Grounding Unified Command freed the riverboat, American Jazz, Friday from Lake Barkley in Cadiz, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.At 3:22 p.m., salvage crews and the riverboat crew were able to free the riverboat from being ground by using a combination of a tug and barge setup along with the ship’s propulsion."Thanks to the amazing support of American Cruise Lines…