American Cruise Lines

The American Eagle cruise ship is beautiful. The crew was very helpful and friendly. We took the cruise from Charleston to Jacksonville in early December. The weather at that time of the year limited some of our shore excursions, Hilton Head Island was bypassed due to high winds. Also the weather prevented our boat trip around Amelia Island. The food was great and our fellow travelers very friendly and sociable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ship itself at any time of day or night. Visiting with the staff was also quite fun. I am a people person and enjoying the chance to interact with the staff. ALL staff interacted. Jennifer was our housekeeper, friendly, smiling and so concerned about when she was in our room without being an interruption. Crystal was always wiping down surfaces with a smile. Mason was amazing at taking care of our mother when she injured her leg getting into a golf cart. Always quietly in charge. Chris and Gray covered every need. Gray was seen pushing a wheelchair of an individual cruiser who had no one else. Beautiful picture of going above duty. It did not matter what capacity of a crew's position all were great. Kaneish, Raven, William, 3rd Navigator Mark Several other deckhands were instrumental in assisting mom on and off the boat. SO nice and genuine! Housekeeping-Taylor (gave our mother his coat when she hurt her leg), Faith, Ciani, Ad, Anthony (not sure if he was housekeeping, but so nice to visit with in the 3rd lounge) And then you talk about the dining room, Jerome stepped up to every emergency :o) set before him by his staff. His staff - how fun were they to get to know. We did not make it to all sections, but they all demonstrated care for their guests. Errol was the favorite. Chris, Kiki, Simon - Paul we wished we would have made it to his section. Captains were approachable, friendly and informative! Smooth cruising all the way. The other outstanding individual who helped us enjoy this trip was Thomas the Bus Driver. He took such care of us (that would be 4 sisters) with our mom and her wheelchair, we could not thank him enough. Bob was really informative and knowledgeable. Jeff was just fun on his nights performing. If I have forgotten to thank anyone for a memorable trip for us gaggle of girls, thank them for us. As I finish this, tears well up as I am so appreciative of a lifetime experience which we spent together. Thank you, ALL. God bless you and your continued business cruising America's rivers.

The crew and service staff were energetic and eager to be helpful with any questions we had. The boat itself was clean, quiet, and very comfortable. Sun deck generators were somewhat noisy, but not terribly intrusive. The cuisine was excellent. Half portion option was a good idea. The menu offered gave us plenty of possible choices and I'm sure limited the amount of waste that a buffet style service mandates. This was the Historic SE cruise versus the New England cruise that was mentioned. One item needs mentioning concerning the shore excursions. While they were good, it might have been made better to have more of a continuous "hop on, hop off" type excursions. The historic tours were great, but we traveled thru or near two of the eastern seaboard ports without mention. Along those same lines, the entertainment was interesting. The talent was very good, but with their backs to the room entrance and the "in the round" layout it caused us to not concentrate on the entertainment. With a draft of 6.5' and all that modern equipment, it would be nice to see cruises on rivers such as the Missouri from KC to STL etc. I have some info from previous attempts, if you would like to see it. In short, great cruise made more so by our personnel.

This was our first time with American Cuise Lines for a river cruise. We have done several ocean and similar cruises but never a river cruise. Here are some specific comments about our trip. 1. Staff This was an awesome leadership team. Rick as the GM did a fantastic job. He interacted with us on several events. He came around to our food table to check on any issues. His team was also just as good as he was. Aaron was also especially very helpful for our questions. He would make sure our questions were answered. Tyson, Skyler, Julia, Tim, Brandon, and others all provided great service in their respective areas. This was a great team overall. 2. Housekeeping We have been on past cruises where the housekeeping was not the best. Not on this trip. Our room was always put into great shape for the next day's events. Great job by all. 3. Food All cruises are known for the food they serve. In this case, the food was very good. I personally gained 6 pound on the trip. The food was very tasty. But on the first couple days, some of it was only lukewarm and not hot. I mentioned it to Rick and he took corrective actions with the kitchen staff. But then at the end of the week, it started getting lukewarm again and not hot. So, there are some improvement opportunities in the kitchen area. But the food was very tasty. One other comment on the food. We had Rebeca as a server for most of our meals. She was outstanding and always very pleasant. She made the meals very enjoyable. She is definitely a keeper and needs to be recognized for her outstanding service. 4. Excursions This was the highlight of the trip. There was a wide variety of excursions offered. I am disabled and walk with 2 canes. So, I was limited on what I could do. But the trip information provided allowed my wife and I to pick excursions that worked very well for me. Thank you very much. 5. On Ship Entertainment There were some very good presentations. Steve did an awesome job on his various Mississippi history stories. All of the music singers did a very good job especially the last one in New Orleans with the husband, wife, and 14 year old son who played the piano. They were very good. The only issue we had was Judy D and her comedy routine. Some of her comedy routines were funny. But most of her skits were disgusting and insulting and racist. Most of the people on board were in their 70's, 80's and 90's. Talking with the other guests, we all felt the same way. Her comments were way out of place. You would be much better off finding another person for that routine. When she implied that we the customers were disrespectful of the staff, who have done an outstanding job, she went over the line. That was just downright insulting and disgusting. We went around to our staff members that serviced us the next day and asked if we disrespected them in any way. They all said no. Please get rid of her so you do not lose future customers. I and many other customers felt the same way about her. But the others may not be as outspoken as I am. I am a firm believer that management cannot fix a problem if they do not know it is broken. I mentioned this to Julia and she seemed to defend her. So, clearly, I am not the first one to raise some concerns about her. The fact that Julia defended Judy was a major concern to me. I know Judy has been there for a long time. It is time for a change. 6. Improvement Opportunities I recognize this is a brand-new ship. Overall, it is wonderful. But we noticed a couple of improvement opportunities. I had a discussion with Rick on these items. He said to mention them in this critique form so top management can think about how to solve them. Improvement 1: Add a PA speaker inside the elevator. We were getting on the elevator as Julia was making announcements about times for the land excursions. But as the doors closed, we could not hear her anymore. This should not be an expensive repair. Improvement 2: There are no public bathrooms on the third floor where a lot of activity is scheduled. This one may be a little expensive. But for future ships, please try to have public bathrooms on that floor. Since I am disable and cannot climb the steps, I must use the elevator to change floors. This makes it a little inconvenient. Improvement 3: In the rooms, put some operating instructions on how to use the TV remote and operate the HVAC controls. We both had some difficulties with those pieces of equipment. Several others we talked with also had issues with those items. You have to remember that we are old people and do not understand all of this new technology. LOL. Final Comments Thank you for a wonderful vacation. We really enjoyed travelling with your team. While we were there, we signed up for the Columbia and Snake River tour for the week with June 27 to July 5 to celebrate my 75th birthday on July 4. This year we celebrated our 53rd anniversary on November 21. Thank you again for the wonderful gifts. Joe and Chery R Room 216

This was my wife's and my first cruise. We had a very enjoyable time. My only complaint is that we were not given early information on changes in the cruise due to low water levels on the Mississippi. These changes involved bus rides to events and length of the bus ride. We may have elected to not participate in if we knew the length of the bus ride. My only other complaint is that the cabin we were in had a problem with the shower. I thought it was me originally, I flooded the bathroom numerous times requiring using all our towels to clean up. I discovered there was a 1/2 inch gap under the shower door. After discovering this towards the end of the cruise, I notified the staff and their response was that it was a known problem. So why was I put into that cabin. This was a bit disturbing.

Love the two very well-equipped fitness rooms on the Symphony. Cuisines, cocktails, entertainment were premium. I love the flexibility of dining time. Complimentary excursions were almost comparable to the paid ones. Best of all, customer service! From deck hands, security, housekeepers, servers to the directors, everyone was so nice, helpful and wanted nothing more than to please us, even after the cruise ended. We disputed one of the paid excursions on our invoice, and ACL didn't think twice about making things right. I will surely cruise with ACL again.

I liked everything about this cruise of the lower Mississippi. The staff were always friendly, courteous and helpful. The onboard activities and entertainment were great, the food and meal choices were top notch. I have only a couple of suggestions: 1. Don’t visit Vicksburg on a Sunday as everything is closed. 2. Update the daily port activities or things to see. We wanted to go the Hard Rock in Memphis and after some effort to get there, it had went out of business.

We enjoyed everything on the cruise. Just a suggestion. If it is possible to have no carpet in the traffic areas of the ship. Many seniors have issues with tripping and/or falling due to carpet and rubber sole shoes getting stuck on the carpet. Plus, those who use a cane, walker or motorized cart when necessary can get around easier without the carpet. As far as the entertainment that performs. It would be nice if there is a designated dance area for those who want to dance. Right now, the dance area is taken up by the performers which makes it hard to dance on the flooring that is left which is carpet.

The friendliness and helpfulness of the crew made the cruise enjoyable. We particularly liked the food service arrangement in the dining room. Every meal had a good selection, was deliciously prepared and promptly served. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable and lent itself to meeting and socializing with fellow travelers. Tours, informative lectures and entertainment were excellent.

It all started with my mother telling my brother, "I'd love to take a cruise but I want to see the shore to my left and right." Well, we all giggled with that and certainly understood what she meant, as several of us have been on the big ships. After researching, my brother decided our family would try the American Cruise Lines. Not a moment of our entire cruise was disappointing. Our family truly loved everything; to the staff, the food, the excursions, the American Cruise Line buses that follow the path to help transport us to all the excursions, the beauty of the ship, the rooms were comfortable. Well, everything was simply lovely. It was so unforgettable that our family put together a keepsake book of our cruise through the Tennessee River. Thank you to all that made our trip one we shall talk about forever!

This was our first cruise and we enjoyed it very much. We felt pampered and special with the attention of the staff. Everyone was kind and caring and took very good care of us. Special thanks to Kaila and Andre in the dining room, Timothy over housekeeping who was always fun to talk to and made sure everything was as it should be or better, and Frances, the young man who took care of our room and always made it spotless. The tender operator, Henry, was always looking out for us getting us from the ship to our excursions (and did his best to keep us dry even when the water was choppy). And Jamila (not sure I'm spelling her name correctly) who helped us out of the boat and always had a smile and a kind word. Those are just a few I got their names, but they were the ones who really caught our attention. Awesome crew!! Our room was comfortable, the ship beautiful and the entertainment was fun.

This was our first river boat cruise with American Cruise Lines; we took the Portland, Maine coastal harbors cruise from Portland to Bangor, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Boothbay, and Bath city harbor 7 day cruise. We wanted to make this trip special since it was our 50th wedding anniversary celebration trip. We could not have been more pleased with the ACL staff, management, operations and service; not to mention excellent weather for 5 of the days. All the staff on the boat were very pleasant and helpful. We also enjoyed the daily presentations by Mark on the history of each port. The dining room staff were especially pleasant. Service was superb; on one occasion I saw a ship worker polishing the inside of the cups on the 4th level putting green!! We could not have been more pleased; even delivered a bottle of champagne to our room on the 5th night.

What a great experience! Service, food, excursions - all top notch. I highly recommend American Cruise Lines.

Have been on 3 cruises - #4 upcoming. Staff and food great and friendly. Ships are clean and rooms spacious. Great mix of passengers ages from 50 to 89. Love the excursions, history of the area and onboard programs and entertainment.

Customer service during the reservation process was excellent. The food, accommodations and service were outstanding!! The excursions left a little to be desired. Too much drive time for too little time spent at sites. Could not get in one because the key would not fit. We like to visit a place and spend time there, so perhaps this is not our kind of vacation.

Our experience was amazing! The crew, from the officers, to the wait staff, to housekeeping did everything they could to make sure we had the best possible experience. We enjoyed the smaller number of people; it seemed more friendly than on the larger boats. Have already booked our next cruise with them.

Wonderful cruise. The staff were all exceptional. The entertainment was amazing and the excursions were very informative and interesting. Food was great and no buffets which I enjoyed. The most relaxing trip I have ever taken. I would highly recommend it.

Amercian Cruise Lines has become our yearly cruising adventure. This year's trip abord the Amercian Serenade was amazing. We boarded in Chattanoga and ended in Nashville. As always, the crew and staff always at your service. We have never had a bad experience. also, the Dailey activity was professional and well planned. We have our next year's adventure already planned with ACL.

Eagle’s staff was exceptionally courteous and helpful. Meals were wonderfully prepared, selection options were very good and staff were most professional. The head of hotel management and the social director were energetic, diligent and accommodating. Some of the excursions were limited by time but well organized with transportation. The on shore excursion contributors were well chosen. The lobster bake was most enjoyable and well run. On board activities were somewhat limited and the entertainment was enjoyable but not heavily attended. All of the hired entertainers were talented, and professional (except the comedian who was complaining and not funny). Major highlights were the spacious cabins, accommodations and cleanliness of this new vessel.

I just returned from my second cruise with American Cruise Lines. This is an excellent cruise line who get it right. As a solo traveler , I feel very safe and comfortable to travel with them. I love that they have spacious rooms for the solo travelers. This is a major plus. While expensive on the front end, the cost covers everything. You don’t have to pay for “ extras” like Wi-Fi , excursions, alcohol, etc as on other cruise lines. With a smaller number of guests, you get to meet most of the other guests. The excursions are great. I also enjoy the music and lectures. The rooms are clean and food is excellent. I never have been pampered so much in my life. I already booked three more cruises with them and look forward to cruising more with them.

Cruising done "perfectly". This was my first cruise and I could not be more pleased. What a staff, GREAT excursions and on board activities, delicious food and good entertainmemt.

Top notch ship from top to bottom. Food, drinks, amenities, rooms, employees, entertainment and ports of interest. We learned so much about the Civil War, the mighty Mississippi and life around that period. Thank you.

This was a new ship, and we viewed it as a new house with a punch list. Food was marvelous; crew went out of their way to provide everything that anyone asked for, including non-alcoholic beverages. Did a good job keeping us out of the hurricane and keeping us entertained while constrained to the ship.

We just finished our 13th cruise with ACL and have booked our 14th for the end of May. Obviously, we are satisfied with ACL overall. They strive to attain their motto of "Small ship cruising done perfectly". That is a very high standard and they have been closer to it more often than not. The ships are usually clean and well kept and are rotated to dry dock on a regular basis for refurbishment and cleaning. The absence of children is not necessarily a negative and should not be counted as a negative. Parents with children should do their cruises on the larger ships. Depending on the specific cruise, excursions ashore can be interesting or not but you can pick and choose which ones you want to take. Personally, my favorite part is just cruising during the day and watching the scenery going by. It is a big plus for me that most of the cruises are in American rivers with very little open ocean cruising. I do not handle open ocean cruising well at all so I avoid any cruises that might involve open ocean travel. The food on board is generally good with several choices. The portions are generous but you can request a half portion if it gets to be too much. If the entrees don't appeal, there are other options available including a back deck cafe on the larger ships. Plus, there are always munchies available 24/7. If you can't find something to eat on a cruise, then you have serious dietary restrictions. ACL is constantly looking for more opportunities to expand their cruises. We just completed the new San Francisco Bay cruise. Since we have already taken so many of their established cruises, we are looking forward to new cruise opportunities. We are only 7 cruises away from our next free cruise.

I thoroughly enjoyed my recent cruise, Exploring Chesapeake Bay, with American Cruise Lines aboard the American Independence. This is a small ship that accommodates hundreds rather than thousands of visitors. I liked this size because I could get to know other passengers on board. At meal times there was no assigned seating and I liked conversing with many different people on board. The food was excellent! Each day we were given a menu with at least three choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was told that if none of the three appealed, I could ask for something else. But this was never necessary. I ate up all the wonderful seafood we were offered and was never disappointed. In fact, my favorite was walnut-encrusted halibut which was white, firm, and delicious. For entertainment, we heard from a historian who told us all about what had taken place in Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, Cambridge, St.Michaels, and Annapolis. These talks were not only entertaining, they helped me appreciate each of our daily excursions even more. Tipping is not encouraged, pushed, or even mentioned at American Cruise Lines. I did choose to tip three of the many outstanding employees because they were so attentive, friendly, helpful, and fun. . Alcohol flowed freely aboard ship. Passengers could ask for it at lunch and dinner, enjoy it at "happy Hour" and again at the evening entertainment. There was mo extra charge for the drinks.We had different musical entertainment each night for an hour or so. I especially liked listening to Robert Yonksie as he sang so many tunes long enjoyed by people my age. One night we got to hear Nathan Richardson as "Frederick Douglass." You would have thought this famous historical figure was standing right in the room, that's how authentic his performance. was. I am an active person so I signed up for excursions every day and I was not disappointed by any of them. Most of these cost extra but I did not think the prices were exorbitant. They included transportation to the venue, guides while there, and time to explore on our own in most cases. One of my favorites was a boat trip to Tangier Island which was included in the cruise. This tiny island is losing acreage every year due to weathering and erosion so I wanted to see it before it disappears. I enjoyed an excellent crab cake dinner while there. In summary, I had lots of fun and would go again tomorrow on another American Cruise Lines trip.

Our First Cruise Ever! We were highly impressed with our luxurious trip aboard the American Melody! From the “Grand Welcome Aboard Champagne Toast” to the exceptional daily services from the entire Crew and Shore Support Staff, it was nothing less than First Class! We will always treasure our first Cruise (10/14 -10/21/22) exploring the Upper Mississippi River in the Heartland of America. We also enjoyed taking videos and photos of the beautiful Fall Foliage from our Private Balcony. We loved every moment of our Cruise. We are looking forward to our second Cruise in May of 2023 aboard the American Jazz as we journey through Columbia & Snake Rivers. Olga & Rich L., San Antonio, Texas

The food was incredible. I mean every meal was incredible. Only one issue of the shower dripping was problematic. They could not fix it. The river cruise was a definite 10 out of 10. We loved each day.

There was a pig roast at a place called the Oyster Bar. While the food was good, the venue was not. Too many people for the restaurant. Inadequate toilet facilities. We got wet where we were seated. The swamp tour was very disappointing. The animals we saw were trained to come out when the boat arrived, because they were fed.

Staff was very congenial and helpful. Leigh Ann our steward was exceptional . Ken our our housekeeper took care of all our needs and Ian one of the deck hands was helpful in assisting me on & off the ship.

We took the Lower Mississippi River Cruise: New Orleans to Vicksburg and back. What a wonderful adventure! We had never been on a river boat before. The crew was so helpful and congenial, the food was excellent, and the excursions were informative and entertaining. We have already booked another cruise and are so looking forward to it. Amazing!!

Wonderful trip! The crew, Julia, Bill, Johnathan, Brea, Aryana, Aly, Timothy, the chef at the Sky Lounge, Brian, and any number of other crew members deserve compliments on their service. A few things to think about: a microwave oven in the Sky Lounge, repair of the coffee machine in the Sky Lounge, food representing the local culture served in the dinning room.