We had never been to this area and this seemed like a great way to experience it...historically and culturally. This was our first cruise on American Cruise Lines. While the ship is not new, it was very clean and comfortable, and decently decorated. Our stateroom was AAC on the third floor and it was as large as advertised as was the bathroom. The bedding was very nice and the king bed quite comfortable. The outside balcony would have been used more if the weather had been warmer. We sailed in early November and it was often quite cool and we had some rainy days. For us the trip was almost flawless and we had a wonderful time. Attire is casual but folks dressed neatly and tastefully. We were fortunate to find many congenial groups, couples, and singles to enjoy the cruise with. No young children or teenagers. The group ranged in ages 50 - 80's and was a fairly active group. The food was quite good. I am Vegan and the cruise chef was able to plan and prepare very good meals for me. My spouse enjoyed the regular cuisine. Although some crew members were quite new, the hotel (cruise) manager did a great job making sure all the parts worked really well together. She was very organized and the materials the company provides its passengers were very clear and complete. The itinery director was also organized, quite pleasant, and competent communicator. There was an onboard naturalist who gave several lectures and he was knowledgable and an entertaining presenter. The off ship excursions were enjoyable with several locals guiding us in their respective home towns. We did book another cruise while on this one as we so enjoyed it. No complaints. The crew and staff did a great job. Read Less

Friends had recommended this cruise line. AmericaCruise could not be blamed for the weather which was unsaleable. However, as we were could not go to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, we were 2 days in New Bedfore and 2 days in NewPort. The brochure stated most excursions were complimentary, but this is UNTRUE. The only complimentary excursion were walking tours. They ranged from $25 per person to $50 per person on NewPort to the Breakers. It was unexplainable why our name was not listed on any pay tour for 4 days although we had turned in the paperwork timely and correctly. When there was an opening for the $50 per person to the Breakers, the bus. My husband at that time, had had enough and complained why the crew did not schedule enough transportation for all the cruisers, not just 50. We debarked then, never to sail again on Americruse. Read Less

A great cruise on a small boat - about 100 people. Smaller makes for more friendly. The chef told us at the beginning we would be eating lobster daily and that we did, at nearly every of the 3 meals a day. The lobster omelet was especially tasty. The on land trips were informative and we were allowed time to go out on our own as well. The cruise director Chelsea was just full of enthusiasm and made the week go by too fast. My wife and I really enjoyed getting close enough to 19 lighthouses to take identifiable photos of them. Even got to walk up to 3 of them.The entertainment during the evenings was enjoyable, especially the group of 10 college youth signing oldies and goodies.Watching the boat dock and depart the dock was also a first event for myself. You should go; you will enjoy it for sure. Read Less

We chose this cruise for our second one with ACL for two reasons: we are very impressed with the service and atmosphere of this cruise line and it was a lobster cruise. Yes, this ship was an older one, but that did not interfere with its charm - of course we prefer the personal service the smaller ships provide rather than the glitz and glam of the huge hotels on water. You will get to know most of your fellow passengers if you like. There is no assigned seating at meals, and we chose to move around to many tables. The staff will do their best to accomodate your hunger. If there is nothing on the menu that suits you, they will cook a hamburger or sandwich. There is no huge theater, so entertainment on board is in a casual lounge setting with personal interaction. On this particular cruise the entertainment was a bit slim, but the location stops made up for it. And lobster! I never thought I would tire of eating lobster, but it actually happened. It was available almost every day in different forms from boiled, in soup, pasta, and the favorite - a lobster bake on shore. You should try the lobster grilled cheese - amazing! For those of you who enjoy cocktail hour - all alcohol is included lunch, cocktail hour, and dinner. The cabin was nothing fancy, but clean and larger than some huge ships. The balcony was smaller than some, but adequate. We did not go on premium excursions, but walked more and enjoyed each town's atmosphere. Everyone who went seemed to love the shore activities. Read Less

Three friends and I chose this cruise for the easy access to embarkation port, Seattle, and the itinerary of daily visits to small ports in the WA area. This experience was devastating from the initial step aboard. Had it been half the price, we would have had the attitude, "You get what you pay for." However, one can book Oceania, Crystal, Celebrity or any high end cruise for the same amount and receive what is expected. According the the ACL, this ship was commissioned in 2005. That may be the case, but the Star's interior must have been originally furnished from recycled interiors of motels, hotels, or nursing homes which were being refurbished. The furniture and lighting fixtures were from the early 80s and not available in 2005. This ship needs to be dry docked and redone from stem to stern. It is depressingly dated and in some cases unsafe - balcony doors that cannot be properly locked and an erratic elevator with a gate! 2005? I don't think so. The "gourmet cuisine" was a 3-5 on a 1-10 scale. All seemed to be previously frozen and microwaved before serving. My traveling companion has a photo of dirt in the salad greens. We have all read about extreme health effects of dirty lettuce! The staff was ready, willing yet unable to provide basic services. Sweet kids who were untrained. Same with the housekeeping staff; dirty towels left on the bed and no fresh ones replaced, duvet dumped in a chair, etc. It goes on and on and cannot be exaggerated. The "entertainment" was so bad, mostly volunteers from local groups who were probably paid a stipend, one which American Cruise Lines could deduct as a donation. Unfortunately, there is no regulatory agency controlling cruise ships. The passenger must take the risk. American Cruise Lines' advertising is actually fraudulant. PLEASE think twice before booking on this line. It is sad to think a cruise line named American could be so disrespectful and deceiving to it's passengers. Read Less

About two years ago we did the Lobster Cruise out of Portland, Maine. That was so good we booked this one out of Providence, RI. We were not disappointed. I like the American Cruise Line because of its informality. You do not need dress up clothes like you do on the big ships. You may want to take a few extra tops to wear in the evening to gussy up a bit but just a little bit. It is very informal. The Happy Hour is unbelievable. The have all the liquors and will make any drink for you that you want. The food is upscale. The serve things like bacon wrapped scallops, cooked brea cheese, dips with crackers and veggies, and many other tidbits. They are all wonderful. Meals are served in the dining room with open seating. People sit with different people at these meals. By the end a lot of friendships have been formed and you will see the same people sitting together meal after meal. Dinner consists of an appetizer, a main dish, and dessert. If you do not like any of the offerings just ask for something else and they will do their best to please you. The best thing is the "half serving." You can pick a smaller portion of the food that is offered. This was my fifth cruise and I have another one booked for next year. I plan on using American Cruise LIne many more times. It is a super experience. Read Less

This experience was a rip off! The cruise cost over $10,000 for 7 days. The ship should be mothballed and the food was terrible. The food was obviously frozen and reheated in the microwave. American Cruise Lines advertised this cruise as serving gourmet food. The cocktail hour consisted of frozen food and the wine was solely from California. The retail cost of the wine was $4.99. When I requested another brand of wine I was told that I had to pay $30.00 for a bottle. Again this cruise was advertised as serving premium wines!!! When we contacted customer service, they will not speak to you. The noise in the room at night was unbearable. The engine and the thrusters were so loud at night that we could not get any sleep. The air conditioner shut itself off at night. The engineer tried to fix it may times. I will never use this cruse line again. Read Less

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For an entire day about half the passengers were expected to sit on the boat in the middle of the inner waterway outside of Fernandina Beach, FL. We were told that we will not be taken ashore due to the outboard motor on the launch boat being unreliable to keep running. Half the passengers were taken ashore earlier today so they could go on their shore excursion tour. After they were delivered ashore, we were told the launches were cancelled for the day - - however they were running them to bring the shore excursion passengers back to the boat at the end of their tour. An entire day of our six day cruise was lost and wasted because the Captain and crew did not aggressively pursued resolving the problem. Anyone with simple problem solving skills and a little motivation would know that the problem of an unreliable outboard motor can be overcome with other solutions. Instead we are expected to just sit on the boat all day and believe that because it's a Sunday NOTHING can be done. We had no other option but to remain sitting on the boat. I discussed my dissatisfaction and voiced many suggested solutions numerous times today with the Captain, Tour Director, and several other staff. All fell on deaf ears and I was told to voice my concerns with the main office of the cruise company. I called the 800 number, spoken to customer service and was then told to voice my issue in an email, send it to customer service, and it will be taken from there. After three weeks of my continuing to follow up on my complaints, ACL has now told me that if I take another cruise with them they will give me a 20% discount. Why would I choose to waste my time and money on another cruise with this company? This was an expensive cruise, the last thing I expected was for a situation such as this to have arisen and to be dealt with in such a unsatisfactory manner. In further notes, the ship is old, worn and terribly in need of updating and refurbishing. The so-called "management" on the boat are immature, very poorly trained and not at all suited for their jobs. Messages left for "management" on the boat were never answered. The Captain and "management" chose to make any announcements during the cruise at the nightly Happy Hour. I guess they assumed that everyone on board would be their drinking and would hear their announcements. Either that or they didn't care whether the announcements were heard by all the passengers or not. At the time of booking this cruise I specifically asked about signing up for shore excursions prior to the cruise. I was told that all signing up for shore excursions are handled on the boat during the cruise. Much to our surprise, when we started the cruise we learned that this was not the case and there were indeed shore excursions that had to be signed up ahead of time online. Those excursions were all filled by those passengers that happened to be lucky enough to get the correct information. I've cruised many times before with other cruise lines and have never had problems such as I have had with American Cruise Lines. Save your money, time and frustration - - book a cruise with another company! Read Less

We chose this cruise , because we have been on American Cruise Lines before and enjoy the quiet , laid back atmosphere. We also enjoy seeing beautiful, scenic areas of our own country, without the hassle of international travel . The food was excellent on this particular cruise. With American Cruise Lines you have complimentary cocktail hour at 5:30 each day followed by dinner at 6:30. Breakfast & lunches are also very good, with several options available. The American Star only has 100 passengers at full capacity , so it is a very nice small size group and you actually get the chance to know the other passengers. The on-board historian is another plus. We also like the fact that the passengers are mostly seniors and there are not small children running around, as is often the case, on the very large cruise ships that have thousands of passengers. The nightly entertainment is usually an area musical act. All in all it was another satisfying cruise. Read Less