We had always wanted to do the Lewis & Clark Columbia River Trip. American Cruise Line's American Pride river boat provided such an opportunity. Although the ship is dated and shows some wear and tear, we rate the trip as EXCELLENT!!! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The food was super and the shore trips fantastic.. This trip is a bit expensive but it is "all inclusive". It which includes all alcohol (beer, wine & cocktails), tips and most shore excursions. The buses were comfortable and drivers informative and fun. In fact, many times they showed videos of the attraction or area we were about to see. The on-board programs were top notch. Their Lewis & Clark program is outstanding. We really enjoyed seeing this part of our great country and learning about an important period of our history. Five stars for this one. What more can I say? Read Less

Wanted to do a river cruise, but didn't want to fly to Europe. Shopped for itineraries, and decided on the Mississippi. Shopped Cruise lines and decided on American Cruise Line. It was a really good package, including a pre-cruise hotel in St. Louis, all-inclusive cocktails and wine, highly rated cuisine, relatively new river boat, and an itinerary that sounded interesting. All-in-all, it matched our desire for a pleasant, relaxing vacation. Came home rested....not exhausted. It was an "age appropriate" experience for us They fed us well, kept us entertained with river talks, wildlife talks, evening entertainment by two very enjoyable entertainers, plus guest entertainers. It was all quite low key, with no high energy razzle dazzle to wear us out. The excursions were all nice, considering that the destinations weren't very exotic. Interesting, but no Taj Mahal.....or Eiffel Tower. We met many very nice folks along the way, and everyone on board seemed to be in the same mellow place as us. Loved it. Would highly recommend it for any active seniors. Read Less

Recently returned from a Mark Twain theme cruise from Minneapolis/St. Paul to St. Louis. Cruise line great for seniors as excursions are low key requiring very little effort. Food and menu choices are very good. Service by an all American crew is excellent; and tips are included in the cruise cost. Entertainment was marginal at best except for the Mark Twain portion. This is our second ACL cruise and we will be taking more in the future. Overall experiences: Embarkation and disembarkation very smooth; stay at Hotel for one night prior to sailing included and St. Paul Hotel is 1st Class. Cabin size adequate for two very well laid out with plenty of room for your "stuff". Dinning times flexible with good food and great service although sometimes slow. Excursions okay, suitable for most any senior but not very exciting unless one likes looking at buildings in mid-western towns. John Deere Pavilion and St.Louis Arch were highlights of this trip for us. Overall service from our all American crew was excellent. The entire staff did not know how to say no! TV reception and internet access/speed not good and needs improvement. Port stops were rushed so that no or little time was available to explore port cities on foot after shore excursions were completed. Read Less

We, with two other couples who also were celebrating 55 years of marriage, were looking for a domestic, low key, intimate cruise. This well fit the bill although it was quite expensive relative to other luxury options......but we understood a small vessel simply had to be more expensive. The cruise met or exceeded many expectations, friendliness of staff, cleanliness and size of state rooms and other spaces, interesting ports, good shore excursions and generally good + food quality, variety and presentation. BUT, the food service was barely acceptable and the server we had would not last a day at a restaurant like Cracker Barrel. Aside from the captain, first mate, chef and hotel manager, the entire staff appeared inexperienced. While the staff were invariably polite, respectful and helpful, the lack of experience/training was obvious. I will not take another trip with them and certainly not recommend it to anyone....at half the price it would be decent. Read Less

Wanted to experience the Columbia River and snake River. The trip was a huge disappointment. The ship was basic. No riverboat atmosphere. Cabins sparse. Veranda furniture rusty. Windows dirty. Food only fair. Often not warm and had to be sent back to kitchen Service minimal. Many dining room staff were not trained sufficiently. Four of them said that they were new-started the day before noon Entertainment was quite good 3 nights out of 7. Staff did not exude friendliness. No security at all. No one checking passengers in or out. Extremely overpriced. Excoursions poorly run. This cruise was advertised as a luxury cruise. We expected a riverboat atmosphere but the public rooms felt like a retirement home coffee shop. To describe the food as gourmet is a huge stretch of the imagination. A tablemate described the food as hospital food. They did have lots of booze at the happy hour. Read Less

Having cruised on several "big box" ships, I much prefer the small ship experience and this was our second small ship cruise. Starting in Juneau AR, the Constellation made stops in ports that the larger ships skip. We got to experience several National Parks saw 3 of Alaska's better known glaciers and witnessed the 'calvings' of large portions of glaciers. We saw wildlife up close, bears with cubs, moose and deer and on the water, whales, sea lions, seals and water birds. We threaded our way through waters dotted with brilliant blue and white glaciers. In the ports we met lots of people who are year round residents who gave us an insiders perspective on what it is to work and live in Alaska. Our days were busy and we were usually tired when we returned to the ship where all the service was excellent and we would enjoy a great evening meal and relax. Traveling on the Constellation made this a really great and memorable vacation. Read Less

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Not since our first four-day cruise in 1985 on the Star Ship Royal in the wake of a hurricane have we been more disappointed. We have traveled all over the world on many different cruise lines but have never been more disappointed than in American Cruise Lines. The cruise experience with American did not have the value we expected for the price we paid. This was our first experience with American and for now we will return to our favorite cruise lines where service and value is foremost. We booked one of the Owner Suites because the American advertisement stated they were up to 450SF and had a “Full-Size Bathroom.” I should have been suspect when I could not find a single picture of their Full-Size Bathroom. Now I know why no pictures. It was literally three steps by five steps (size 11 shoe) and a shower at the end with a door that could not be closed for use unless you were in the shower! My picture is attached for future buyers. I hate to think what the size of the bathrooms were in all the room categories below the owner suite. We took the pre-hotel package at the Battery Warf hotel in Boston. It was adequate and located just outside the North End areas. The transfers to the ship the next morning where well organized and fortunately arrived at the pier after a thunderstorm. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for disembarkation. American docks on Pier 8 in Charlestown. There is no cover between the parking lot and the 100-yard walk along the pier to the ship. The morning of disembarkation we had torrential rain and got soaked making the walk to the parking lot where our luggage was under a kitchen fly tent getting wet with blowing rain. It took two days for some items to dry out! The dining experience was disappointing. The serving staff could not take and deliver an order without multiple errors. My wife has a food allergy and tried ordering meals not specified on the meal option card as available. She got totally frustrated with what was delivered for her meals. The food portions were small, and I didn’t think one could get prime rib ¼ of inch thick—but I was wrong. The way we got great meals was to eat lunch off the ship and select some of the best seafood restaurants in out port of calls. Thanks Miss Google! We never saw the captain introduced himself during any of the functions/meals. Did not see much of him about the ship (only 164 passengers on board) and after he blew the docking at Martha’s Vineyard and we had to go to an alternate port (New Bedford) we did not see him again. The day after New Bedford there was a different captain onboard the ship until we returned to Boston! The good part about the experience was the neat New England ports we visited along the way. The included shore excursions options were educational and the optional ones we bought were priced reasonably. A plus. Of the ten evenings, the entertainment was good for four or five nights. Local talent got on the ship, entertain and then departed. The other nights we departed the area after a few minutes. The resident local expert on board provided good insight into the region. There were basically no other activities. The workout area was a total loser. The low ceiling would not allow treadmills or elliptical devices. All that was there were variants of incumbent bikes. They did learn a lesson from earlier reviews and did not run out of food during the pre-diner “happy hour.” Some evenings they had nice choices. In summary, the cruise experience with American did not have the value we expected for the price we paid. This was our first experience with American and for now we will return to our favorite cruise lines where service and value is foremost. Read Less

We wanted to live like Mark Twain and watch the world go by while cruising the Mississippi. Our experience was exactly what we wanted! We spent most of our days out on our balcony, eating breakfast, reading and enjoying beautiful scenery. Being pampered by the staff was just a bonus. The food was delicious and the menus were very interesting. Vegan foodies will also enjoy the dining experience. There were a variety of activities aboard like daily river talks, warm cookies, bingo, family feud and happy hour. All of the various lounges were very comfortable with lots of seating and configurations for playing games or cards. The laundry facilities were first rate, and we were even provided the detergent and fabric sheets for free. The exercise room had many pieces of equipment, but most people got their exercise by walking up or down the stairs, which were not too steep and easy to use. We highly recommend this tour! Read Less

Wanted to see the northwest and brochures for American Cruise lines was inviting. The queen of the West American Cruise Line trip was very disappointing. The ship was old, food mediocre, overpriced, noisy going through the locks. The young staff, wait staff, while they try hard are only part timers. The stops were boring, except for the Snake River jet boat. , sad to pay so much and be let down. The entertainment was not good, except for Kevin Neil, who was great !!! They could have him every night. Not the fault of the line, but the smoke from the California and Canadian fires really obstructed our views. Even when you get to a excursion you like, there is not enough time to stay. Breakfast was the only meal that was ok ( as a cook myself, hard to mess up breakfast). Queen of the West was supposed to be refurbished. They put new carpeting on the top deck and new chairs. Save your money. Read Less