American Cruise Lines, Inc. is a small-ship cruise line with its headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut, United States. The line operates thirteen small U.S. flagged cruise ships along the Eastern Seaboard and Western Seaboard (including Alaska) as well as the Mississippi-Ohio and Columbia-Snake river systems of the United States.
American Cruise Lines was incorporated in 1991. 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 American Independence, built with a wider beam and active wing stabilizers, was launched.
The wider beam allows for larger staterooms, public spaces, and balconies. 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.
American Cruise Lines was the first to introduce the option of traveling on modern riverboats, with novel front-opening bows for easy embarkation. Find options for more than 35 river and coastal cruises traversing through 30 states with American Cruise Lines. And, while the choice of itineraries is huge, ships are small and intimate, carrying a maximum of 190 passengers. The most popular is the Mississippi, but you can also pick Oregon’s lesser-known Columbia and Snake rivers that follow the pioneering routes of 19th-century explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
According to thetimes.co.uk; en.wikipedia.org. Source of photos: internet
