It’s kickoff season for the biggest year yet for American Cruise Lines, with more ships in more states than ever before. American Serenade, the line’s sixth riverboat, and the first two Coastal Catamarans will join the fleet. On the West Coast, American Jazz will be the first riverboat in 80 years to sail San Francisco Bay and into California Wine Country; on the East Coast, American Star will sail an eight-day Great Rivers of Florida itinerary roundtrip from Jacksonville.
Indeed, with double the number of ships, it’s no surprise that American is having “a really strong wave season,” president and CEO Charles B. Robertson told TRO. “And we very much appreciate the support of our travel advisor networks.”
Moving American Jazz from the Mississippi River to California took a lot of preparation; “it’s been a few years in the making, but it’s coming together really well,” Robertson says. “It’s the first time since World War II, when the Interstate highway system was built and put steamboats out of business, that any overnight ships have gone up into that delta. It feels like we are carrying a legacy.”
American has been selling a slate of San Francisco Bay trips since the fall, and their popularity led to the company adding more dates in November and December. “We expected them to be strong, and they are, and I think interest will continue to build once we have a track record in the area and guest testimonials.”
Napa in particular has been a draw, he noted, attracting returning guests who have sailed the East Coast cruises as well as those looking for light adventure on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. “It’s a nice complimentary product to the portfolio we already offer.”
Indeed, he noted, the major issue on the West Coast is a good one to have. “Our problem is that we first announced the California sailings to our loyalty members and their travel advisors, and they booked them up so quickly that we didn’t have a lot of room to do fam trips or bring in new travel agents and new customers.”
How was 2022 at American Cruise Lines?
2022 was a really good year for us. I think people better understand the benefits of small-ship cruising, river cruising, and traveling domestically than ever, so there was a lot of new demand coming to fruition. And we had a new ship on the Mississippi. So, it was a very strong year all around.
I know water levels were an issue in 2022. How is the river looking now?
Water levels are no longer low, so that’s good. Everyone on the river is an amateur meteorologist but we really don’t expect to have the same low water levels because of the snowfalls that have occurred in the Rocky Mountains. Water levels in the Mississippi basin are up about 30 feet now. But even when we had historic lows, we were still able to operate; we didn’t have to cancel any trips. One of the only adjustments we had to make was in Vicksburg, where we normally dock downtown. There was too little water, so we docked four miles away. It was a slight adjustment, but people were still delighted to be underway.
Are you finding that California is different from your other markets?
There are a few different factors in California. It’s a major state for residence of our guests, a very easy drive-to market. Because no one else has offered genuine river cruising on the California Delta in decades, it has this pent-up demand and intrigue factor. We’ve heard requests for this cruise from our California guests for years—that’s where a lot of our ideas come from—and we heard the demand. California is at the forefront of environmental regulation and controls, and a lot of ships have a difficult time operating within those requirements. But since our ships are so new and environmentally friendly, it’s not an issue. And of course, the wine lovers are excited that we can go from San Francisco to Sacramento, Stockton, Vallejo, Napa; our new itinerary includes days of vineyard tours in Napa and the San Joaquin Valley, which actually produces more wine than Napa. So it’s been very popular with those who really know their wine—but also with those who love Gold Rush history, or are interested in seeing bee farming or an olive oil ranch. It’s not just about wine.
What are you working on for 2024?
For 2023 and 2024 we have all these new destinations—and we are very excited about our land packages in the national parks. They offer a fantastic extension to our Columbia and Snake River cruises. Next year will be more about refining those new options, adding ports and experiences as well as totally new cruises.
Our two newest Coastal Catamarans, American Eagle and American Glory, begin sailing this year. They will enable us to add itineraries and expand in areas where we already cruise, like Penobscot Bay and Southern Maine. So even though some areas are not entirely new for us, the new ships and their unique access will open up new possibilities for exploration.
Next year, we also will have new cruises that stop in Connecticut, which we don’t currently visit even though our headquarters are here. We plan to operate new Yankee Seaports cruises on one of the Coastal Cats, with a new itinerary that starts in New York, comes around the Battery and the Statue of Liberty, cruises up the East River and then the length of Long Island Sound, stopping in Sag Harbor, Mystic, New London, and up into Newport, Martha’s Vineyard, and Boston.
We’ve been hearing that there’s a trend toward longer itineraries. Are you seeing that as well?
Yes, we find that often, once people get onboard with us, they want to stay. We have one 22-day itinerary, the entire length of the Mississippi from New Orleans to Minneapolis. This year we’re adding another 22-day that begins in Washington DC, sails down the Intercoastal to the tip of Florida. Both of those are selling strong. The Southeast trip has not even been formally announced yet, but there’s a lot of demand from our Eagle Society members.
Next year we’ll also introduce back-to-back cruises, so with one 60-day itinerary you can start on the West Coast and sail down the Mississippi, then up the East Coast, all linked together in one seamless package. Those new itineraries will be formally announced and available for sale soon.
Do you personally plan to sail your ships in 2023?
I spend a lot of time onboard our ships, and I always go onboard for part of our longest cruises. The navigation element is personally gratifying for me. I try to exercise my Captain’s license a little bit throughout the year but, when I go on board, I don’t go on as the captain, I go on as a mate or a licensed individual in the company. But I like to show up, meet our customers and spend some time with both the guests and crew. This year especially, with so many new ships and itineraries, our whole company is filled with tremendous excitement and optimism; we have a strong 50-year track record behind us. It just feels like a really great year to be cruising again across the USA.
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.