American Cruise Lines
reviews and complaints

What an amazing experience we had on the all-inclusive riverboat cruise with American Cruise Lines! The best part is that there was nothing else to pay for while on board, which really made the trip stress-free. We had a blast from checking in the night before leaving the dock to everyday fun-filled excursions.

Our journey from Portland, OR up the Columbia River to Snake River was simply breathtaking. The beautiful scenery and the geography and history of the area were incredibly interesting and satisfying to learn about.

The meals were delicious and prepared with great attention to detail by the Restaurant Manager, who really went above and beyond to make sure every plate was like a work of art. There were so many choices on the menu, and we couldn't believe we were on a boat!

We were also impressed with how well American Cruise Lines took care of their passengers. From daily room cleaning to attentive mixologists at happy hour, everything was top-notch. The captain of the ship was also extremely attentive and made sure we had everything we needed.

If you're looking for a stress-free vacation, with delicious food and amazing scenery, American Cruise Lines is the way to go. We highly recommend it and can't wait to sail with them again!

I gotta say, American Cruise Lines is pretty darn great. What really stood out to us was how many folks our age were on board - it's nice to be kickin' it with the golden oldies, y'know? We ain't needin' no fancy schmancy buffets or slides or what have you - we just wanna listen to some learnin', take our time on them guided tours, and munch on some cookies in the mornin' and afternoon. And let me tell ya, this all-inclusive deal they got goin' on is pretty sweet - drinks, Wi-Fi, a whole mess of tours, and some top-notch eatin' every night. We feel like kings and queens on those classy ships with only 90-130 folks around, y'know what I mean? No long walks or crowds or nothin'. It's a cruise that's actually worth the money we paid, and dang if it ain't the most chillaxin' time ever.

for anyone who loves beautiful scenery, American history, and great food. The ship itself was cozy and comfortable, with spacious rooms and an attentive crew who made us feel right at home. We loved seeing the wildlife along the riverbanks - from bald eagles to river otters, there was always something to see. And the shore excursions were a great way to stretch our legs and explore the local towns and attractions.

One thing we really appreciated about this cruise was the focus on learning and history. As mentioned, the Lewis & Clark theme was woven throughout the entire trip, with talks and presentations by knowledgeable experts. We also had the chance to visit several museums and historical sites, including the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Fort Clatsop National Memorial. It was fascinating to learn about the brave explorers who ventured west so many years ago, and to see the landscapes they encountered along the way.

Of course, no review of our American Cruise Lines experience would be complete without mentioning the food. We were blown away by the quality and variety of the meals on board. Everything was fresh, local, and delicious. We especially enjoyed trying the regional specialties, like salmon and huckleberry jam. And the snacks and beverages were a nice touch - we never went hungry or thirsty!

Overall, we had a fantastic time cruising with American Cruise Lines on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. It was a wonderful way to see some of America's most beautiful and historic regions, and we highly recommend it. Whether you're a seasoned cruiser or a first-timer, this trip is sure to impress.

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When we arrived on board, we were greeted by the friendly staff who welcomed us with open arms. The ship itself was beautiful and immaculately clean, with spacious, comfortable cabins that had everything we needed. The food served on board was excellent, with a wide variety of delicious dishes to choose from.

One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, where we were treated to a feast for the senses with thousands of colorful tulips in full bloom. The tour was expertly guided and we learned so much about the history and significance of these amazing flowers. It was truly a magical experience that we will never forget.

Overall, we had an amazing time and highly recommend American Cruise Lines to anyone looking for a wonderful, memorable vacation. The staff, amenities, and activities offered were all top-notch and we would definitely book with them again in the future. Thank you for an unforgettable trip!

We hopped on board with American Cruise Lines to experience the San Juan Islands Tulip Festavil Cruise and boy, did it not disappoint. We got to visit Skagit Valley for the annual tulip festival held every April, which was the perfect spot for those of us who can't make it all the way to Holland. We spent time in Tulip Towne and were given a private escorted tour of the farm operations. Honestly, it was one of the most informative and educational tours we have ever taken. Even those of us with a passing interest in gardening were completely smitten.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The cruise also spent a day in Victoria BC with an opportunity to visit the world famous Butchart Gardens, which has six separate gardens including Japenese, Italian, Rose, and the famous sunken garden. People travel here from all over the world and it truly is a spectacular place.

The cruise also includes traveling the San Juan Islands and stopping in numerous scenic ports like Friday Harbor, Port Angeles, and Fort Townsend. And get this, folks - there are numerous day trips to choose from in each port so there is always something for everyone. This meant that even us lazy bones could have fun without feeling too guilty about it.

Now, onto the important stuff - the food. The food was exceptional on this boat – I'm talking top notch, grade-A stuff here. With a smaller ship, the service is personal and first class, making us feel like the VIPs that we most definitely were not. This is one experience that we would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing and educational vacation that's not too far away from home - no passport required.

So, I took this cruise line for a spin and let me tell you, it was a major let down. I've been cruising for over 15 years now and this one was by far the worst. I decided to give them a chance to prove themselves, especially after paying three times the amount I would have spent on a cheaper cruise line. But let me just say, it was not worth it.

Let's start with the decor. It was so dull and plain, I couldn't believe it. I went to my room and was already disappointed with the lack of amenities. No fridge, no makeup mirror, and no information on where to find the ice machine. Not only that, but the coffee maker and safe weren't working. And to make matters worse, we didn't even have a cabin steward to help us out.

The food. Oh boy, the food. I cannot stress enough how terrible it was. There were only two entrees to choose from and some of them were inedible. And don't even get me started on the snacks and drinks. They had a pitiful selection of canned soft drinks and bottled juice, and the snacks were just sad. Small bags of pretzels, granola bars, and two kinds of chips. And the cookies? They only put out a dozen for almost 200 people! And forget about cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, they were all gone within 15 minutes and never refilled.

Lastly, the staff. Most of them were new and inexperienced, which was evident in their service. I expected better from a luxury cruise line.

Overall, I would not recommend American Cruise Lines. It was a waste of money and I'm not the only one who felt that way. Stay away and choose a better cruise line.

We went on a cruise on the American Star through New England in August 2022. It was quite an experience, but unfortunately, not in a good way. I must say it was the worst cruise I have ever been on. The vessel definitely needs some maintenance, as it looked quite old. We experienced a lot of trouble with our shower, as sewage was backed up in it three times. Moreover, we embarked from a different port from the one mentioned in the advertisement. If it were not for the pre-cruise excursion we had, we would have missed the ship altogether, as we were never informed of the change. Instead of embarking in Providence, Rhode Island, we embarked in New Bedford.

To add to our dismay, we missed three of the seven ports advertised in the itinerary - Providence, Nantucket, and Block Island. Martha's Vineyard was also cut short, as we couldn't dock and had to ferry over from New Bedford. What is even more inexplicable is that the captain decided to keep us in New Bedford for three nights, stating that the wind gusts were too high and the anchor wouldn't hold. It is worth mentioning that we were supposed to dock and not anchor. Other boats and ferries were sailing, but we were stuck in New Bedford. To make things worse, the excursions mostly consisted of trolley rides around the town. Not to mention the fact that the ship had only one elliptical and one stationary bike, both of which were quite weathered, on the outside deck for fitness purposes.

While the staff on board was friendly, they were quite unorganized, understaffed, and untrained. To add to our frustration, some staff members walked off in the middle of the cruise, and new ones took their place. When I contacted customer service to express my dissatisfaction with the cruise, I was told to email them. I emailed both customer service and the president of the company, requesting a statement regarding the ship's inability to sail, so I could file a claim with my travel insurance. However, I had to ask for the statement five times altogether, twice while on the ship and three times via email after the cruise. It has been a month, and I still have not received the statement. To top it off, I also asked for a partial refund, but instead, I received a letter from the president offering me a 25% discount on another cruise in an attempt to restore my confidence. It is crucial to mention that they had already offered a 20% discount to everyone who booked on the cruise. Their customer service does not exist.

To sum it up, I will never consider sailing with American Cruise Lines again, nor do I recommend their cruises to anyone. It was a disorganized and disappointing experience, to say the least.

Me and my partner got sick with Covid-19 on this cruise and we have no clue how many other people got it too. I'm writing this review now because 6 other people also got Covid-19. The “happy hour” is crammed with people and not much social distancing, with no masks and very little food to go around. Most guests then go to dinner disregarding wearing a mask.

Me and my partner have been on many river and ocean cruises across the globe, from Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia to name a few. We wanted to explore Washington and Oregon and we thought America Cruise Lines would be the perfect fit for our travels.

We were disappointed to say that we had a hard time getting our queries answered prior to our trip. If they have been following Maritime rules for months, we assumed the answers would be simple. General information was in our original paperwork in May. It was only when we called the office that we found out about Covid-19 vaccination requirements. We found it difficult to get a straight answer regarding PCR testing upon arrival. We eventually discovered that getting tested when we arrived in Seattle was the recommended protocol but, we were given varying advice on acceptable dates for tests. Additionally, we were inquiring if the whole crew was vaccinated or if all the passengers were. Most of the crew were vaccinated but our inquiries regarding the vaccination status of the passengers were somewhat vague.

The hotel where we checked in with the cruise line representatives before our departure was a beautiful place. Some people had issues with their PCR tests or had the wrong dates, thus delaying the whole group's departure from the hotel. It was unfortunate that they were not screened the night before.

We enjoyed the educational presentations about Lewis and Clark during this cruise. They were informative and well-executed.

As for the tours, some were satisfactory, and others were not. Our wine tour, for instance, did not enter the winery, and another tour was reversed because another ACL ship had been there before us. While there were some issues, we did have a knowledgeable guide on the bus for the fort and Cape tours.

The dining experience was also quite average. Our waiter didn't understand what draught beers were when we inquired. The managers had training and experience from larger cruise lines, but many of the staff on board were new and inexperienced. We were disappointed with the limited wine selection and found the service slow. Despite this, the staff was very helpful and kind.

Overall, the lack of training was a major issue in terms of staff performance. Most staff members were wearing multiple hats, doing their best, and some had no previous experience in the restaurant industry.

My wife and I have been on a lot of cruises, but we never ventured to the United States until we took a chance with American Cruise Lines. We decided to book the Grand New England cruise and embarked on a journey that lasted 11 days and 10 nights. It was an experience that was supposed to be fun and memorable, but unfortunately, we encountered some issues that needed to be addressed.

The first problem we encountered was when we checked-in at cabin number 415. The carpet was soaking wet, and the bathroom floor had a layer of liquid on it. We initially thought it was just leftover water from cleaning, but after two days, the carpet became spongy, and the wetness started to smell like sewage. We had to call the Hotel Manager to look into the situation, and they finally sorted it out by transferring us to cabin 220.

On the dining front, we were disappointed that there were shortages of food. There were nights where we couldn't order our preferred Chardonnay wine, and the adult cereal was out of stock during breakfast. To make matters worse, some meals felt like a downgrade compared to the European cruises we've previously been on. The portions for the dessert pies were also shrinking, and we only got one slice of toast per serving during breakfast.

Aside from these issues, we also encountered other problems on the ship. The staff was underhanded, and the Hotel Manager wasn't even present when the voyage began. The Wi-Fi only worked intermittently, and the telephone service was down for two whole days. We also needed a refrigerator for our medical supplies, but the small one they found didn't work.

However, we did meet two exceptional staff members who went beyond their call of duty. The Hotel Manager did his best to find us a better cabin after the sewage incident, and the cabin attendant named Brandy was diligent in making up our cabin, even if it wasn't her responsibility.

Overall, we were disappointed with our American Cruise Lines experience. The problems we encountered are unacceptable, and we believe the company owes us a refund of $2,000 plus an additional $500 for the inconvenience we went through. We want to put this negative experience behind us and hope that American Cruise Lines will take our feedback seriously to improve their services in the future.

Been on many cruises in our time, but let me tell you, this was not your average one. We decided to book a trip on American Cruise Lines' Grand Puget Sound route, and boy were we in for a surprise. The disorganization was off the charts, it was almost impressive. The food was hit or miss, with some dishes being passable while others were downright inedible. And don't even get me started on the cooking, it was all over the place. One day your meal was undercooked, the next it was completely overdone. And who knew making Eggs Benedict was so difficult? They were runny every time we ordered them.

The advertised daily menus were rarely ever accurate, with many items being unavailable. We'd list our preferences for the entire day at breakfast and still find out later that they didn't have what we wanted. On top of that, our in-room telephone never worked despite two maintenance visits. The TV went out on the third day of our 11-day trip, and the onboard entertainment channel was a complete bust with no sound and black and white visuals.

When it came to the drinks, it was obvious that the crew members assigned to bar duty knew nothing about drink preparation. I had to give them instructions on how to make basic cocktails, which they appreciated. And during cocktail hour, the hor'douvres ran out in 15 minutes, leaving us with only stale peanuts and cheese or salami bits. The guest lecturer wasn't any better, they didn't even know what "Puget Sound" was on our supposed "Puget Sound" trip.

The staff tried their best, but they were clearly not well-trained. The wait staff was young and often clueless about the menu items that weren't standard. One waitress even took pictures of the food so she could show them to me and help me choose. They would run out of the advertised menu items every night, so we started ordering desserts with our main course just to make sure we got what we wanted. And don't even get me started on the ice cream, they only had Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry left after just a few days.

But it wasn't just the food and drinks that were a disaster. The excursions director didn't know anything about certain cities, and the Cruise Director was way in over her head. Her replacement in the ship's office was someone who had never worked in that position before. And don't think you can just contact the ship's office whenever you want, it's only open for four hours out of the entire day.

The internet connection was a joke, making it almost useless. We had to rely on our phones and roaming to stay connected. To sum it up, it seemed like every day we were just waiting to see what American Cruise Lines would mess up next. But if you don't mind subpar service, then go ahead and book with them. Our trip was from September 15-25 on the Grand Puget Sound route, and if you have any doubts about the validity of our review, just check our booking number which is ***.

Ya know what? I've had it up to here with American Cruise Lines. I tried to cancel my trip during the whole covid mess and nope, they wouldn't let me. Absolute robbery. These guys are total crooks. They should be locked up for what they're doing to folks like me.

Honestly, folks, don't even bother with this outfit. There are so many better options out there. You don't wanna mess with these bozos and their redneck ways. Stay far far away.

i think that american cruise lines could do better. it was my first time on a cruise and i had higher hopes. the staff didn't seem too happy either. but i must say, it wasn't the worst experience i've ever had. i just wish they tried a little harder to make it special. maybe more activities or entertainment. and the food was just okay. not great but not bad either. overall, i think they have some room for improvement.

We pay 1,000 bucks to go on this boat trip, but then the whole thing was canceled because of COVID-19, you know that stinking virus. So, naturally, we expected to get our whole deposit back, but nope! These guys, American Cruise Lines, only gave us half our money back! Can you believe it? We're already on a fixed income, and we're 79 years old, so it's not like we can just go blow this money on something else.

And here's the worst part, the boat never even left the dock! They literally just took our money without doing anything for us. Now I'm not going for that kind of tomfoolery. I wouldn't tell anyone to deal with these guys, they don't care about old folks like us. And on top of all that, their customer service was super rude to us. It was like they didn't even care, you know? They gave us a hard time for wanting our own money back!

So, my advice? Don't waste your time with American Cruise Lines. They won't take care of you, and they'll just pocket your hard-earned cash. Stick to someone who actually cares about their customers.

The peeps on board were so dang nice, it was like being on a party boat with all your best buds. The rooms were hella cozy and the common areas were lit. Imma be real, I'm not usually one for planned activities but the stuff they had going on was actually pretty dope. And when we hit up the different stops along the way, the tours and whatnot were legit fascinating. But let's talk about the grub. Bruh, I'm not even playin', the food was straight up bougie. Like, Michelin-star level type stuff. And the service was on point, too. They treat you like royalty. Would I go back on an American Cruise Lines cruise? Hell yeah, snuggie. I don't think there's a better way to travel, honestly.

Let me tell you something about this American Cruise Lines. Frankly, I wasn't much pleased with what I got. It was like a mystery tour, cuz no one knew where we were headed, not even the crew. I had sailed with these guys before and had a pretty impressive experience, but this time it was a complete 180 degree from what I expected. The San Francisco Bay cruise was nothing like my previous ACL cruise. Their service sucked big time and I could tell the customer service people had no clue what was going on. Running a business like this is no way to treat customers.

I recently hopped on aboard a 7-day cruise with American Cruise Lines (americancruiselines.com). This time, I took a sternwheeler trip on the majestic Colombia and Snake river. I must admit that my overall experience was delightful! The crew was fabulous - they made sure that every passenger felt at home on the boat. Not to mention, the food served was pretty decent too.

However, I do not recommend a sternwheeler trip if you're someone who likes to enjoy quiet moments on your balcony. The noise of the boat and generator running on shore can be a bit too much to handle, which can make your experience less enjoyable. I also noticed that the cabins can be quite noisy too.

One thing that did come as a surprise was finding out about the $120 charge for the bus trip to the Spokane Airport at the end of my cruise. To be honest, I wasn't aware of this fee until I started the trip, and I think this could be highlighted a bit better in their communication.

All in all, my experience with American Cruise Lines was acceptable. If you're looking to explore the Colombia and Snake river and don't mind a bit of noise, then it's a great choice for your next adventure!

Me and my partner, we left a deposit of one thousand dollars for a cruise with American Cruise Lines for Late July/Early August of next year (2022). We were super pumped about it, it's gonna be our first vacation in years and we decided to go all out. Unfortunately, I had to cancel because I suddenly got scheduled for surgery on a Tuesday, and with expected recovery time and all that, we're not gonna be able to make it.
So we cancelled within their guidelines and expected a full refund. But guess what? The refund was denied with only $500 offered in cash or in credit for another cruise. This is crazy. And it doesn't end there. We actually purchased a Deluxe Protection Plan for almost one thousand dollars. One would think that's enough to cover any issue. However, the representatives and the paperwork are so misleading. We feel deceived.
So yeah, I'm not recommending American Cruise Lines, not now, not ever. To my fellow sailors out there, be careful and take note.

We was super excited 'bout taking a 1 week cruise on the Mississippi River with American Cruise Lines. Sadly, der ship weren't up to snuff and things went downhill from there. Der generator broke down and we lost an entire day gettin' it fixed. Dat meant we missed out on a port o' call and all the fun excursions we done paid for was cancelled. Not too happy 'bout that.
We was promised reimbursement and waited 'til we got home for someone to contact us. But nothin'. No apology, no reimbursement, no nothin'. We guess American Cruise Lines don't care 'bout keepin' their promises. What a letdown.
We don't recommend y'all book with these guys. Choose a different cruise line instead.