American Cruise Lines

American Cruise Lines, Inc. is a small-ship cruise line with its headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut, United States.[1][2] The line operates twelve small cruise ships along the Eastern Seaboard and Western Seaboard (including Alaska[3]) as well as the Mississippi-Ohio and Columbia-Snake river systems of the United States.

American Cruise Lines
TypePrivate
IndustryTravel & Hospitality
Founded1991
HeadquartersGuilford, Connecticut
Area served
United States
ProductsCruises
WebsiteAmericanCruiseLines.com

History

American Cruise Lines was incorporated in 1991.[4] The 49-passenger American Eagle launched in 2000 and was followed in 2002 by the same-sized American Glory. The American Spirit was launched in 2005 and held twice as many passengers. A fourth ship, American Star, was launched in 2007. In 2010 the 104 passenger Independence, built with a wider beam and active wing stabilizers, was launched. The wider beam allows for larger staterooms, public spaces and e balconies. In , American Cruise Lines acquired an authentic paddlewheel cruise ship, Queen of the West, renovating it by decreasing the capacity to 120, making for a larger more comfortable dining room, lounges and decks. The company has also launched two 150-passenger Mississippi River paddlewheelers Queen of the Mississippi in 2012 and a new American Eagle in 2015. On 14 July 2015, ACL announced a third Mississippi River Paddlewheeler named America will enter service in 2016.[5] On 4 August 2015, the company announced that Queen of the Mississippi would be renamed American Pride and repositioned to the Columbia River in early 2016 being replaced by the new America..[6] On October 23rd, 2015, ACL announced a new, coastal cruise ship.[7] At 170 passengers, this vessel is significantly larger than its previous 100 Passenger and 104 Passenger yacht style coastal ships. This ship was named American Constellation and entered service in May 2017.[8] Its sister vessel slated for 2018 will be named American Constitution.[9]

Modern Riverboats

On March 1, 2017, American Cruise Lines announced a new class of five new river vessels. Unlike ACL's current riverboats, the new vessels will be of the more modern variety commonly found on European rivers rather than the Victorian-era-style paddlewheelers currently deployed. The new vessels will be four decks high, 345 feet (105 m) long, and carry 200 passengers. The styling is design is similar to the upcoming coastal cruise ships American Constellation and American Constitution. The vessels will feature state-of-the-art amenities like private balconies, enlarged cabins, and bathroom facilities more in line with those in hotel rooms.

In late February 2018, the company announced the beginning of the second ship's construction. She's expected to enter service in 2019, while the first ship of the new class, American Song, made her inaugural cruise in October 2018.[10]

Fleet

An American Cruise Lines ship docked in Jacksonville, Florida

Coastal cruise ships

  • American Spirit (2005)
  • American Star (2007)
  • Independence (2010)
  • American Constellation (2017)
  • American Constitution (2018)

Columbia Riverboats

Mississippi Riverboats

Modern Riverboats

  • American Song (2018)
  • American Harmony (2019)
  • American Jazz (2020)
  • American Melody (2021)
  • Unnamed Riverboat #5 (2021)

Retired

  • American Eagle (2000) - permanently moored at Chesapeake Shipbuilding as housing for contractors.
  • American Glory (2002) - scuttled off coast of Delaware on November 4, 2019 for artificial reef[11]

References

  1. "General Information Archived 2012-01-21 at the Wayback Machine." American Cruise Lines. Retrieved on January 15, 2012. "American Cruise Lines, Inc. operates from headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut[...]"
  2. "Cruise News." (Archive) American Cruise Lines. Retrieved on January 15, 2012. "741 Boston Post Road ٠ Suite 200 ٠ Guilford, Connecticut"
  3. http://www.americancruiselines.com/admin/includes/uploadpdf/Alaska_Shore_Excursions_FINAL_2_2_12.pdf%5B%5D
  4. "American Cruise Lines". Altius Directory. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-07-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "New paddle wheeler to debut on Columbia and Snake rivers". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  7. "American Cruise Lines Announces Construction of a New Coastal Cruise Ship". PR Web. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  8. "American Constellation Cruise Ship". Ship Technology (London, UK). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  9. Gray Faust, Chris. "American Cruise Lines Announces Name for 2018 Coastal Cruise Ship". Cruise Critic.
  10. Staff, CIN (2018-02-27). "American Cruise Lines Starts Construction on Another Riverboat". Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  11. "Video: Small Cruise Ship Sunk as Artificial Reef Off Delaware". The Maritime Executive.
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