By
Alex Smith |
River cruise operator American Cruise Lines is to debut two new modern riverboats, three new itineraries and over 50 new shore excursions in 2021, along with a range of pre- and post-cruise packages across the US.
American Melody, the cruise line’s fourth modern riverboat, will join the fleet in summer 2021, sailing cruises along the Mississippi River. She will join her sister ship American Jazz, which recently completed sea trials in August.
“The US river cruise outlook for 2021 is tremendous, with strong demand for small ship cruises close to home,” said Charles B Robertson, president and CEO of American Cruise Lines. “American Jazz and the modern riverboats we have under construction demonstrate our commitment to leading the domestic market. We are proud to build the ships we operate at our affiliated shipyard in Salisbury, Maryland, and in adding new small ships and exciting new US itineraries each year.”
American will introduce a new eight-day ‘Cape Codder’ roundtrip from Boston which will visit small ports in the New England region and feature an exclusive partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The cruise line will also debut an eight-day ‘Music Cities’ cruise from Nashville, US, to Memphis, US, and an 11-day ‘Alaskan Explorers’ itinerary departing from Juneau, US, which will include two days in Glacier Bay.
The new itineraries will be accompanied by the introduction of over 50 new shore excursions, which will include activities such as kayaking, hiking and wildlife watching. New American Cruise coaches will now follow the cruise line’s upper and lower Mississippi river cruises from St. Paul to New Orleans providing transport to onshore activities and airport transfers upon arrival and departure.
American Cruise Lines will also add new complimentary pre-cruise hotel and transportation packages to passengers’ bookings. All of the 2021 Mississippi and ‘Columbia & Snake River’ itineraries will offer a one-night hotel package, which will also be available on select coastal cruises. The cruise line will also offer longer premium packages, including a ‘Graceland’ package in Memphis which features private tours of Elvis Presley’s former home.
The river cruise line has also launched a new website that features new 360-degree virtual tours of its newest riverboats and coastal ships, along with details of scheduled cruises up to 2023.