We have visited Seattle and Vancouver, and have been told that the San Juan Islands are perfection in green and blue, plus we have cruised with American Cruise Lines (ACL) before and wanted to do so again. So we did, and were delighted with the Cruise! This is a case where the Cruise Line, the ship, and the ports are perfectly marched. The ship held 90 compatible passengers, most ports were small towns with a long tradition of catering to tourists, and ACL offered 2 or more shore excursions of 4 hours or less in each port. So, we were never crowded, we never overwhelmed the ports (as often happens with behemoth cruise ships), and the shore excursions were generally limited to 20 people or less. The guides were locals, well versed in the history of the region and their city in particular, and comfortable with us. This arrangement left a lot of time to explore the towns, their libraries, and the local museums, which were excellent.

ACL’s crews are young, enthusiastic, and focus on the guests. If our server was busy, a server from an adjoining table would be ready to step in. Our room was large, comfortable and well equipped. We didn’t have a balcony, but it was one floor up to the top deck and a 360 degree panorama of Puget Sound. There was 1 elevator on board, but it was never overwhelmed.

The food was great, always fresh, and well presented. Individual requests for special items were nearly always met. Each day’s schedule was varied to fit travel and shore excursions, so the on-board lectures by an expert-in-all-things Puget Sound were timely and instructive. The Cruise Director gave frequent briefings, keeping everyone informed about upcoming events, tweaks in the day’s activities, and our options. She also supervised afternoon and evening games. Read more