American Cruise Lines (ACL), Guilford, Conn., has announced it has accepted delivery of the 328'x60'4" American Melody from Chesapeake Shipbuilding on time. Despite various challenges, the Maryland shipyard continued building through the pandemic and delivered American Melody, as promised and on schedule. In addition, American Cruise Lines also announced the names of the fifth and sixth modern riverboats — American Symphony and American Serenade. The two riverboats are slated for delivery next year.
American first introduced the series in 2018, with the American Song, the first modern riverboat in the U.S., according to ACL. Since then, the company has rapidly expanded the popular series, introducing six of these new ships in just four years. American Cruise Lines is the only cruise line to offer these modern riverboats for cruises along both the Mississippi River and the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
Immediately following last week’s successful sea trials, American Melody headed to New Orleans to get ready for its inaugural cruise along the Mississippi River, an 8-Day New Orleans-New Orleans itinerary. The sold-out cruise departs from Port of New Orleans on Aug. 27 and then American Melody will continue to operate a selection of American’s most popular Mississippi River cruise itineraries through December, including a 22-Day Complete Mississippi River Cruise between New Orleans, and St. Paul, Minn.
American Melody and 2022 sisterships American Symphony and American Serenade will each accommodate 175-passengers and will be the most sophisticated and elegant riverboats available on U.S. waters, according to ACL officials. Showcasing gorgeous sky-lit atriums, multiple indoor and outdoor lounges, fitness centers, grand dining rooms, casual outdoor cafés, and dramatic open-air Skywalks, American’s three newest ships will also feature 100% private-balcony staterooms and suites, a hallmark of the brand.
American Melody, American Symphony, and American Serenade bring ACL’s overall domestic U.S. fleet to 15 small ships: 10 riverboats and five cruise ships. Despite the rapid growth in fleet size, ACL has also maintained a strong commitment to keeping the size of each individual ship small — every one of the 15 ships in their fleet accommodates fewer than 200 passengers. ACL is dedicated to delivering a highly personalized guest experience along all its domestic River and Coastal cruises which visit and explore in over 30 U.S. states.
American Symphony and American Serenade are under construction at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., where all of the company’s modern riverboats and small cruise ships are built.
