Cruise Specialists Blog

Luxury Cruise News & Reviews

Blog Home / Cruise Lines / American Cruise Line Reviews

First New Riverboat for America’s Rivers

Justin Gibson

American Cruise Lines has announced details for the first of a new class of five riverboats destined for America’s rivers.

The first in the series is scheduled to begin in 2018 and will carry 200 guests. The new riverboat will feature large staterooms, private balconies, and hotel-size bathrooms.

“For over a decade, we have led the way with ship innovation in the United States and we continue to raise the bar with this new class of modern riverboats,” says Timothy Beebe, Vice President of American Cruise Lines.

“American Cruise Lines has consistently pursued its new build program, as it considers refurbished boats unable to meet the modern expectations of today’s river cruise passengers.”

Construction has already begun on the new modern riverboat at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD. In addition to the new class of modern riverboats, American is building two additional cruise ships at Chesapeake Shipbuilding.

American Constellation, has a capacity of 170 passengers and is scheduled to begin cruising in May of 2017 and its sister ship will begin cruising in 2018.

 

Current Ships

American Cruise Lines has four paddlewheel ships out of its total fleet of eight vessels that ply the inland and coastal waterways of North America.

Of these, the venerable Queen of the West is the oldest, having been constructed in 1995 for the now-defunct American West Steamboat Company. As built, she carried nearly 200 guests, but American Cruise Lines ratcheted that down to just 120 guests. She entered service for American Cruise Lines back in 2011 and has been extensively refurbished in the intervening years.

After nearly two decades in service, Queen of the West was finally joined by two fleetmates. American Cruise Lines introduced American Pride back in 2012, which carries 150 guests and was originally named Queen of the Mississippi from 2012 until 2015.

Her direct sister, Queen of the Mississippi, entered service in 2015 under the name American Eagle. It’s not just you: the naming convention is very confusing. American Pride and Queen of the West sail the Columbia and Snake Rivers; the Queen of the Mississippi plies the waters of her namesake river.

The final ship in American Cruise Line’s paddlewheel fleet is America. Representing the latest in cruise ship design, she carries 185 guests on voyages along the historic Mississippi River.

American Cruise Lines is currently building a fifth riverboat, to enter service on the Mississippi River sometime in 2017. When it was announced, the line stated it intended to name this vessel Queen of the Mississippi. Since there is already one of those in the fleet (and since the Great Name Swap of 2015 still causes endless confusion), we’d like to hope that ACL will name her something – anything – else.

Still, with a fleet of four paddlewheel-driven riverboats and another one on the way, nostalgia has never looked more modern than with American Cruise Lines.

Staterooms

Compared to other river cruise ships in the United States and globally, American Cruise Lines has some of the largest staterooms in the industry. Staterooms range in size from 135 to 240 square feet for single cabins and from 175 to 600 square feet for double cabins. The average size measures from 220 to 300 square feet.

All ships have single cabins and most have suites available.

Enjoy exploring the rivers close to home.

See all featured American Cruise Line sailings >>

 

More from my site

  • Paddlewheel River Cruise RoundupPaddlewheel River Cruise Roundup
  • River Cruising with Cruise Specialists: A Step AboveRiver Cruising with Cruise Specialists: A Step Above
  • 10 Ways River Cruising May Surprise and Delight You10 Ways River Cruising May Surprise and Delight You
  • River Cruise Basics: Affordable River CruisingRiver Cruise Basics: Affordable River Cruising

American Cruise Line Reviews

SEARCH ARTICLES

Article Categories

  • Cruise Destinations
    • Africa Cruise Reviews
    • Alaska Cruise Reviews
    • Amazon Cruise Reviews
    • Antarctica Cruise Reviews
    • Arctic Cruise Reviews
    • Asia Cruise Reviews
    • Australia/New Zealand
    • Baltic Cruise Reviews
    • Canada/New England Cruise Reviews
    • Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Cuba Cruise Reviews
    • Europe Cruise Reviews
    • Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Grand Voyages
    • Hawaii Cruise Reviews
    • Iceland/Greenland
    • Mediterranean Cruise Reviews
    • Mexico Cruise Reviews
    • Panama Canal Cruise Reviews
    • Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Reviews
    • South America Cruise Reviews
    • South Pacific Cruise Reviews
    • Transatlantic Cruise Reviews
    • World Cruise Reviews
  • Cruise FAQs
  • Cruise Lines
    • Abercrombie & Kent Reviews
    • AmaWaterways Cruise Reviews
    • American Cruise Line Reviews
    • American Queen Voyages Reviews
    • Aqua Expeditions Reviews
    • Atlas Ocean Voyages Reviews
    • Avalon Cruise Reviews
    • Azamara Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard World Cruise Reviews
    • Disney Cruise Reviews
    • Explora Journeys Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America Line Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America World Cruise Reviews
    • Hurtigruten Reviews
    • Lindblad/National Geographic Reviews
    • Norwegian Cruise Line Reviews
    • Oceania Cruise Reviews
    • Oceania World Cruise Reviews
    • Paul Gauguin Cruise Reviews
    • Ponant Cruise Reviews
    • Princess Cruise Reviews
    • Quark Expeditions Reviews
    • Regent Cruise Reviews
    • Regent Seven Seas Cruise
    • Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
    • Royal Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Scenic Eclipse Discovery Yacht Reviews
    • Scenic River Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea World Cruise Reviews
    • Star Clippers Cruise Reviews
    • Tauck Cruise and Tauck Land Tour Reviews
    • UnCruise Adventures Reviews
    • Uniworld River Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews
    • Virgin Voyages
    • Windstar Cruise Reviews
    • Zegrahm Expeditions
  • Cruise News
  • Cruise Ports
  • Cruise Specialists Benefits
  • Expedition Cruises
  • Hosted Cruises
  • Ralph Grizzle
  • River Cruises
  • Ship Reviews
  • Solo Cruising
  • Tom Mullen
  • Tours, Trains & Resorts
    • Palace Resorts Reviews
    • Safari Reviews
    • Shore Excursions
    • Trains

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Maggie Blehert

Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile.
View My Blog Posts

Steve and Wendy Bodenheimer
Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts reporting on their round the world journeys.
View My Blog Posts

Ralph Grizzle

The Avid Cruiser. Well-traveled and insightful. Helping you make informed cruise decisions.
View My Blog Posts

FOLLOW US ON

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter