cruise america yulee

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Cruise America RV Rental in Yulee

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People rated this organization with 5 on average.

You can visit the organization at: United States, Yulee, FL 32097, 850700 US-17. To learn extra details try dialing them: (904) 849—1362. Cruise America RV Rental is open at: Mon-Fri: 8 — 8AM; Sat: 9 - 9AM. The official web page: www.cruiseamerica.com.

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Cruise America

based on 116 locations

About Cruise America

Cruise America has an average rating of 2.7 from 1509 reviews. The rating indicates that most customers are generally dissatisfied. The official website is cruiseamerica.com. Cruise America is popular for Hotels & Travel, RV Rental. Cruise America has 116 locations on Yelp across the US. Read below to see the top rated Cruise America businesses on Yelp and their customer service rating.

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Recent reviews of Cruise America

1,509 reviews based on 116 locations

human hair under the mattress. After correcting my contact information, Fairfield sent drop off info to the wrong number, final invoice to the wrong email, then got quite snippy because we did not follow the directions that we never received. When trying to resolve the issue, the Fairfield representative became frustrated, said she was hanging up, oddly had the correct phone to text me a message to contact her supervisor but refused to give me her superviser's number. If you choose Cruise America, pick up in a different city!!

we don't need to send you them and they will only do it if they feel like it? What kind of "company" talks like this to people? to CUSTOMERS? Very disrespectful and rude. They will try to scam you! Will never ever book with this entire company ever again and will never recommend anyone to get from them either and they just lost a very valuable customer.

3: Another flat tire (different tire) same valve stem issue. I called customer service for a repair and had to call back 90 minutes later because ....crickets. They then said there wasn't someone within 100 miles who could help. i was driving across the country with my family and didn't even know where exactly I was but Google helped me find someone within 10 minutes. I paid over $4,000 dollars for this nightmare of an experience so when I sent in my formal complaint, I also asked for half of my money back. They acknowledged it's was their fault, offered me $119.00 refund (a single day's rental) and a $75 gift card for my next rental.... i'm not sure which is more ridiculous... their incredibly insincere offer or the thought that I would ever rent from them again.

hours later we finally were able to load up. The noise level while driving was horrible, could not hold a conversation, the black water and gray water sensors were never reading correctly, never knew what level they were at, was told when I returned it "oh they never work correctly" I spent hours flushing both tanks. Besides the filth, noise and tanks, the steering was very loose spent 20 hours driving constantly correcting lane position. At our campsite we turned on the AC, it was so loud, shut it off to sleep, woke up an hour later sweating, turned on AC on, woke everyone up couldn't sleep while it was running, so loud. Cut vacation short couldn't stand it.

first day. I called time after time after time after time to customer service and they said it was my responsibility to take it to the shop. For a 10 day trip and the fact that I had to charge the trailer with my truck so my 8 month old baby can stay warm is despicable. Horrendous customer service and I won't be renting from them again. Not only that, after I submitted a complaint to get some help from them, the representative told me that stories like mine are perfect for their company to share within themselves so that hopefully they can become better. So let's rent someone something, knowing it's bad, and then let's learn from it. Above all else, where we camped, other campers had Cruise America RV's, and their doors weren't working, lights, batteries, windows, horrible. One of them had to climb out of the window in the snow because their door wouldn't work. Unreal. Stay away from them and pay $10-$20 more somewhere else for a better experience.

a room full of people who had been waiting 3 hours to pick up their truck. This is unacceptable, under any conditions. Their system was only down for about 1.5 hours but people still couldn't leave with their trucks because the trucks they had rented hadn't been turned in by the previous users...unacceptable. It's a reservation, both from a truck reserve standpoint and a appointment standpoint. The truck was fine but showing its age. Some panels were coming loose, an air vent handle broke off in my hands, the black water sensor is stuck at 2/3 full, the tire sensor alarms was going off any time we started up the truck, and the exterior had quite a bit of damage all over. We really had to take our time with the walk around. We were comped for the black water dump and any interior cleaning. We will not use Cruise America again. I know it's a bargain solution but it's unnecessary to go THIS bargain. When can you remember the last time a holiday went exactly as planned?

AS A CHOICE FOR RV TRAVEL.I am tired and sore and frustrated. This was not the vacation we envisioned.This truck needs new shocks at the very least. Notice I said TRUCK. IT DROVE LIKE A BATTERED UHAUL MOVING TRUCK.It is LOUD AND NOISY AND JUST AWFUL. Spend the extra dollars and get a REAL RV...I promise you will thank me for this sound advice. It had issues from day one. The fridge took 24 hours to get cold. Had to get a cooler in the interim. The generator is so loud you can't hear anything else. The bathroom smells. Only one burner worked on the stove. The microwave rattled and moved around. The drawers and bathroom door flew open with every turn! We spoke to other cruise and abuse RVers on the road and they agreed...NEVER AGAIN! ALL Cruise America RV Rentals are the same. Just HORRIBLE BOXES ON WHEELS. We did NOT rent from Carson location.

booked over the phone correctly the first time. Then reservations proceeded to tell me that because the rate changed I would halve to buy another day to get a free day at an INCREASED rate of $105 per night, tow, zero liability coverage & tax. I had to agree because of prior arrangements made with our trip. This was an inconvenience in itself and cost me more money at my expense. On the day of pick up we checked in and drove to a location to load everything including my trailer to tow. But Cruise America FORGOT to unlock the hitch pin which cause me to waste more time and miles to go back and forth again just to get the pin unlocked. We then drove about 250 miles to our location high in the mountains where we didn't have service. The next morning I ran the generator to heat the water heater. And used the AC. Totaling 1 hr of use. Later that afternoon on the 1st day I turned the generator on to run the AC, water pump and water heater but the cabin filled up with carbon monoxide tremendously. Our 3 children were sitting right in it at the table. We sat outside for a good 2 hours because of the thick exhaust. The alarm went off like crazy. We tried to call customer support at this time but we had no service and the nearest town was very far. Records of this log. The next day, Thursday, I noticed our food was not cool and the freezer was not cold at all. The "check" light on refrigerator was continually blinking. I tried to look into it in the book but nothing. I went outside and heard, click click click continually. This is when I realized that the pilot light for the refrigerator was out. The propane was on. It could not reignite the entire time we were there. I did bring a cooler but that is not what I paid for as far a luxury. Shower, heated water, electricity ect. The rental assistant upon check out went over the RV before departure and stated if we used the water pump without the generator that it will drain thr battery. So we had zero water because we would have no one to jump out battery if we used it! We returned to drop off on time, clean and paid. We did our part but Cruise America failed us tremendously. Upon drop off we were rudely greeted but what I believe her name was is "Mia". A shorter Hispanic lady on Sunday, Mesa location near 1pm. We were about 4 feet away from here and she wreaked of alcohol. Not on that but she was slurring sentences. Blood shot eyes and sweating like a pig. Saying that we were trying to tell her everything stated above but she didn't care. Every time we tried to speak about our situation she rudely interrupted and told us she can't do anything. Without her knowing even half these issues she called a mechanic named Tyler to go to the RV to check us of. What kind of customer service is this. I stated to him, "I smell alcohol on here and she is drunk". He stated she was drinking all night and doesn't even think she slept before work." She wanted nothing to do with us and I'm not sure why. We did our part, paid, cleaned ect. Today, Monday, we went back to rental in Mesa and talked with Jade. She is a manager but has done nothing. We have proof we have called from different phones to try to get someone to answer. No one answers and I'm left in the dark. It's now evening in Phoenix. With all this said I could have towed my nice truck, put a mattress in it and it would have been the exact experience except it would have not cost me $1,200. Maybe $200 in fuel. It seems like no one cares about this. If the luxury on the RV which I paid for was there, working, operating safely and correctly than I would rent again because I have plans in the near future to go back to my secret location for recreation purposes. Someone help.

mess to deal with. Without getting into details, they were understanding enough to do a partial refund that was fair. Other than that the RV was solid, drove well and had low mileage.

the Sun Valley location and everything always went smoothly. Our RV was delivered clean and everything worked well during our trip. It was not worn out in any way. Our RV had lots of storage space and towed our jet ski trailer with no problems. I had to get up in the middle of the night and put on a jacket because the air conditioner worked so well!

for a fee. Similarly, you can dump the RV greywater/waste yourself, clean the RV yourself, and a number of other services yourself -- or pay Cruise America to do them for you. What they DON'T tell you is who determines if you're going to pay for those things. You can do all those activities yourself: fill on gas, dump the RV, clean the RV -- and when you drop off the RV, you'll be told "Oh, looks good, we'll send you your bill via email". You'll walk away and drive home with a smile on your face because, seemingly, everything went very well and you had a positive experience. And then you'll get your bill hours later, long after you've driven home, and random fees will be tacked on. Oh, you chose not to dump the waste, okay that's worth the fee. Wait a minute, you DID clean the RV... why is there a charge for that? What's this other stuff? Long review summary: Don't trust this place to honor their pricing. Take photos of EVERYTHING before you return it. Get a written or printed receipt outlining all charges prior to leaving. If you know you're doing that prior to renting this RV... then you'll decide if it's worth fighting them when they upcharge you for random services. The RV experience is otherwise positive, but their pricing is dishonest.

likely LAST) time renting an RV. We got the zero dollar deductible insurance. at one point the microwave shifted and we could not get it back to its original position. This was no fault of our own and we reported it immediately. There was no charge for this. That made sense. As I said, we had never rented an RV before. We were excited to use the sink and shower because it wasn't something we normally did. To our disappointment, the water tasted like fuel. This, coupled with the fact that the back storage area reeked the fuel gave us newcomers the impression that that was just the way it was. It was unpleasant, but considering the Podunk lot, we got it from, we assumed that this was a drawback of cheap RV travel. We bought bottled water and showered at the campgrounds. There was no way we could have known. There was no way we could have caused this. But because we didn't report it during the trip (we didn't know we needed to) there is no record of it from our point of view. Now it is down to us to fit the bill. We could barely afford this trip and now we have to come up with $2500 in the middle of a move while selling a house in a lower market than the one in which we are buying. But I don't think we have a legal leg to stand on so it is up to 'corporate' to decide whether or not this is a valid charge. Oh, and the charge went to our back up bank with no forewarning, not an email, not a call, nothing. Cruise America has flippantly posted a charge to a Secondary bank account, BYPASSING THE FIRST ACCOUNT ON FILE, with no communication or ANY indication of an issue, fully one month after our business should have been concluded, for a very unlikely scenario of liability. Meanwhile, we have to scramble between accounts to cover a charge we didn't know we had, let alone needed to dispute, over a weekend at the beginning week of the month. I will keep posted if I can.

make Cruise America what it is today, and for decades past as well. Anyone living in the PHX area, especially the East Valley, must regard Cruise America as a tactical asset. Look over their website. Book online or call. Pick up your RV. It's that easy. I did want to also point out that reviews for this Corporate location May include reviews for other locations as well. I mention that because the PHX/Mesa location is an RV buyers/renters dream. You should see their Motorhomes for sale. They're unique in the market. And gorgeous in civilian trim. All Cruise America vehicles are built to their proprietary specifications. Just sayin'.

had no recourse for me whatsoever. It was awful since I heard it every night and could barely sleep listening to it above my head. Was unable to empty the gray water during the entire trip due to a tight cap even with others assistance to try and remove. Unable to shower rest of trip. Came back and sweat my butt off cleaning the entire vehicle. Purchased additional insurance to protect myself on any small issues I came across or items I broke on accident. They still charged me a cleaning fee for dirt under the RV in the storage compartment and the steps you walk into the RV. Omg. The property they are parked on is completely wet gravel. If I would have known how quickly they were to charge, I would have brought shoe protectors to fricken wear the entire time. I've had better landlords than them. And well of course, they will proceed to tell you they did ME a favor by not charging me tons of additional costs; Like a late fee for returning hours after closing bc I didn't want to sleep with a mouse any longer or stay unshowered. I guess I should have just accepted that and kept the RV the 2 extra days. It must be tough times for them if they have to play these kind of games. I should have walked away after the altercation they had with the customer that dropped off when I was picking up and all the crap they talked about other supposed "rude" customers to my face. Gotta live to learn. This is one business I will not recommend. Not to say all cruise americas are similar but this particular one is a no no.

operational. The paint was brand new, the roof didn't leak and all the appliances worked perfectly. It had a new battery, new tires, new belt and brakes and I had zero problems with it. That is a contrast to my experience with the unit I bought in Carrollton. After purchasing the motorhome, it became very apparent that this was far from refurbished rather it had a cursory glance and a cleaning. Here's just an example of the items that were not operational. 1) trailer hitch wiring wasn't even connected to the chassis 2) belt was cracked and squealing 3) front end was not aligned, and it pulled dangerously to one side 4) in the first rain the bathroom skylight leaked over a gallon of water in one rainstorm into a bucket. After having a RV repair company inspect the roof, they showed me that they had never resealed any of the skylights. There were holes as large as half an inch and diameter where there was no sealant whatsoever. 5) the hot water heater had a bad day. It wouldn't stay on for more than 15 minutes and never got hot enough for a shower. 6) the air conditioner, and the vents on one side were in operative 7) the battery was over four years old failed the load test and only was pushing out 9 V. 8) the exhaust fan in the bathroom didn't work had to have it replaced. Keep in mind I bought this from them in the winter and didn't discover any of these issues until it rained and I had to dry where I wasn't plugged in otherwise I would've dressed sooner. They did fix a few of the items that I discovered immediately after taking delivery, but the rest of them totaling over $1200 , they told me to pound sand. My main issue with them is them promoting these units as being refurbished when they clearly aren't going through a checklist and verifying the systems before they deliver the RV. I never would buy another unit from them after this horrible experience. Stay clear or take it for a pre-purchase inspection privately before you buy it.

salesperson ... love her !!!! Will refer family and friends to her !!!!

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Cruise America   Reviews

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Reviews 4.1.

7,319 total

Most recent

My Experience

Ms. Riley, was wonderful! She provided excellent explanations to our questions and took her time in providing us with an overview of our rental. She clearly presented herself as professional and just a “good “ person. Thanks, Jack and Dorothy

Date of experience : February 17, 2022

Reply from Cruise America

Thank you for posting what wonderful service that you received when making your rental reservation. Have an amazing trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Very helpful and friendly personnel…

Very helpful and friendly personnel making it easy & reasuring to book with Cruise America

We appreciate your review. Have a fantastic trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Chris was great

Chris was so great! He provided many simple explanations to many options, which was a great help to a newbie like me. He gave helpful recommendations based on his experience.

Chris is just one of our many incredible reservations agents waiting to take your call 24/7. Have a safe and happy trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Great experience

Date of experience : February 16, 2022

It was nice to read what a great experience your rental booking was. Have a memorable trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

sales reps were super helpful!

It was great to read how super helpful your booking agent was. Have a delightful trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Very helpful and informative

Very helpful and informative. Got everything set up in a timely and efficient way. Thanks

We appreciate you sharing how very helpful your booking agent was in assisting you with your rental. Have a wonderful trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Very professional service

We appreciate your post. Have a fun trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Fast and easy

We were happy to read how fast and easy your rental booking was. Have a terrific trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Great service!

Getting questions answered and finalizing our reservation couldn't have been easier. Even with several changes along the way everything went smoothly.

Date of experience : February 15, 2022

Great service is what our 24/7 reservations specialize in. Have a phenomenal trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Very helpful even after changing dates…

Very helpful even after changing dates twice.

Thank you for your review. Have a fantastic trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Great customer service and very helpful

We appreciate your post about the great customer service that you received during your rental booking. Have a great trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Dan B. was amazingly helpful

Dan B. was very friendly and extremely helpful in booking our one way RV in Canada. He was timely in his verifications and happy to complete the booking directly and ensure it would and is ok to book outside our travel agent since they had no access to RV for our family. Greatly appreciated and looking forward to travels.

Date of experience : February 14, 2022

We appreciate you and your review. Have a magnificent trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Rep was excellent

Date of experience : February 13, 2022

We were pleased to read about how excellent your rental agent was in assisting you in booking your rental. Have a magnificent trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

I absolutely love the customer service…

I absolutely love the customer service from this company! I called with my reservation information And the gentleman I spoke with happily walked me through setting up a quote and had it emailed to me in minutes. When I called back with questions and to confirm my reservation Christopher answered everything thoroughly explained my options and had my reservation done quickly. I’ll definitely be seeing more of this country from RV!

We take great pride in our customer service. We enjoy what we do. Have a wonderful trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

We appreciate your review. Have a phenomenal trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Good experience with phone reservations.

Thank you for posting that you had a good experience booking your rental. Have a great trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Great and fast reservation

Very helpful staff to make a one way reservation. Easy and clear.

Date of experience : February 12, 2022

We appreciate your feedback. Have a marvelous trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Great experience, Alexandria was very professional and courteous. I changed my dates 3 times in just a couple days and she was very accommodating.

Our reservations agents will do everything they can to accommodate your rental needs. Have an awesome trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Booking and scheduling was easy and the…

Booking and scheduling was easy and the assistance was great.

Date of experience : February 11, 2022

Thank you for your review. Have a fabulous trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

Needed more information

Everything went well, I just felt like she didn't really explain the process. I had to ask a lot of questions that I thought would have been answered up front. Also, we have never even been in an RV much less rented one - I told her that so I feel like she should have walked us through the process more thoroughly

Thank you for your feedback. Have an amazing trip! Customer Relations Cruise America

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Cruise America Review: What We Really Think

Cruise America, as a corporate rental company, strongly contrasts with popular peer-to-peer rental service providers like RVshare and Outdoorsy. And looking for the best RV rental service, you are likely wondering whether Cruise America is a good place to rent an RV from.

To figure out whether renting an RV from this company is worth it, we need to cover a lot of details, including rental options, fees, penalties, insurance, and whatnot. They are important for our points that we will present to you in the end, as well as for your understanding of what Cruise America is.

Let’s begin with the rental options offered by Cruise America.

Cruise America Review

The primary rental options offered by Cruise America is the traditional round-trip rental where you rent an RV, drive it to your destination, spend your vacation, drive back, and pay the fees. This rental has a minimum duration of 7 days.

Aside from this, however, Cruise America also offers one-way and long-term rentals. Let’s overview them a little more in-depth.

The other big player in the RV peer to peer rental space is RVShare and Outdoorsy you might want to check out our in-depth review of them here and here .

One-way rental

With one-way rental, you can pick up an RV at one Cruise America location and drop it off at another, without having to drive the RV back to the location where you took it from.

One-way rentals can be cheaper than round-trip rentals, with the rates sometimes being as low as $1/night. However, there is a drop fee associated with one-way rental – usually between $250-650 – as well as some other fees that we are going to talk about a bit later.

With peer-to-peer RV rental, people very rarely rent-out their RV for one-way trips. The vast majority of the rental offers are round-trip. Thus, the one-way rental option certainly is a plus for Cruise America.

On the other hand, Cruise has “more than 120 rental locations” in the United States and Canada, which is very little given that they are servicing almost the entire North America. So even though one-way rental has some nice benefits, you will be rather limited with drop-off locations.

It should be also kept in mind that Cruise America won’t always able to provide RVs for one-way rental due to certain RV number requirements at each location.

Long-term rental

Cruise America also offers long-term RV rental. In fact, they offer this type of rental for both temporary housing needs for individuals and for business uses. The pricing for these rental options is set on a case-by-case basis, so you’d need to contact Cruise America and provide them with all the details of your trip so that they could set a fee.

As a corporate rental company, Cruise America has its own RV fleet.

One very common complaint with Cruise America is their poor selection of RVs. And indeed, even though they do offer RVs of different sizes for rental, they only have a couple of Thor Majestic class C motorhomes, which are basically reinforced variants of Thor Four Winds RVs.

Cruise America has 4 RV rental options to offer – Large, Standard, Compact, and Truck Camper. These options differ by their amenities and comfort, and we think we should briefly overview them so that you know what you are dealing with.

Cruise America seeks to always maintain their RVs in good condition for rental, so you could be sure that you are getting a problem-free RV from them. Even if mechanical breakdowns do occur while on the road, Cruise America has an assistance and reimbursement program, which we will cover a bit later.

Before moving on to overviewing the RV offers, we’d like to note that Cruise America provides quite a lot of information on their RVs. Compared to offers available on peer-to-peer rental websites, it may be much easier to make an informed decision with Cruise America.

Cruise America doesn’t dive too deep into the specs of their RVs – which they maybe should – but they do provide you with some crucial information in regard to floorplans and key amenities.

Large RV Rental

The RV in this offer is a 30 feet class C motorhome, the Thor Majestic 28A. This motorhome offers up to 7 sleeping spots. Among the amenities provided with this RV are:

• Air conditioning.
• Shower & freshwater toilet.
• Gas cooktop.
• 4KW generator.

A thing that Cruise America also lists among the comfort features of this plan is pet friendliness. This actually is a feature of all the rental plans, and it is among the things that we like about Cruise America. With peer-to-peer rental, not everyone is going to allow you to bring along pets.

Cruise America also allows towing with their 30 feet class C motorhomes. However, there are certain limits to towing:

• Cruise America doesn’t provide hook-up services or towing equipment.
• The towing weight needs to be within 2,500 pounds of tow weight restrictions.
• A daily towing charge is imposed if you tow a vehicle to Cruise America’s RVs.

Keep in mind that before rental, Cruise America requires that you declare the intention to tow prior to departure from a rental center.

Cruise America also allows customers to attach a bike rack to the receiver hitch free of charge. The customer needs to again let the rental center know about the intention of mounting a bike rack so that the RV’s locking pin can be removed.

Standard RV rental

With Standard RV rental, you get a 25 feet Thor Majestic 23A class C motorhome.

The amenities are very similar between the Standard and Large RV rentals. One difference should be noted though – at the moment of the review’s writing, Cruise America provided customers with generators only in the US, so do keep that in mind if you want to rent an RV from them in Canada.

Aside from that, 25 feet RVs sleep up to 5 people.

Compact RV rental

With the Compact RV rental option, you are getting a 20 feet Thor Majestic 19G motorhome. The RVs in this plan offer up to 3 sleeping spots.

Like it was with the Standard RV rental plan, Cruise America only provides US customers with RV generators. And aside from some differences linked to the smaller size – like smaller water or fuel tank sizes – the Compact RV rental doesn’t differ from the previous two options.

Truck Camper RV rental

With the Truck Camper rental, Cruise America basically provides you with a Ford F-150 truck with a truck camper mounted on top. Aside from the much smaller size, one crucial difference in this option is that the RVs don’t include a generator, as well as can’t be used for towing.

On the other hand, the interior amenities in the Truck Campers are very nice, essentially corresponding to those of the previous rental options. And like the Standard and Compact RV rental options, you are getting 3 sleeping spots out of this thing.

RV rental rates

Compared to peer-to-peer renting, Cruise America certainly offers a couple of good things for the money. However, there are also some downsides that you should know about. Cruise America’s payment system is a bit convoluted compared to peer-to-peer renting, and there’s a lot to know about.

One thing that we and many other people dislike about Cruise America is the variety of fees they impose, as well as the variety of upsells they offer.

Aside from that, what we personally don’t like is that Cruise America has all the fee info scattered throughout their website instead of having it easily accessible in one place. Not only that, but we actually had to go to third-party websites to get some of the fee information.

Overall, here’s what you will have to pay for when renting from Cruise America:

• Reservation deposit.
• Nightly fee.
• Mileage fee.
• Environmental fee.

In addition, there are some charges that you may or may not need to pay:

• Generator fee if you use the RV generator.
• Early Bird Departure Special fee.
• Optional kit fees.
• De-winterization fee.
• Towing fees if you use the RV for towing.
• Certain penalties for failing to comply with the rental conditions.

As you can see, Cruise America has many service fees, and this is a big reason why people prefer to opt for peer-to-peer rental services. If you will indeed be renting an RV from Cruise America, we’d advise you to find out about all the possible fees directly from them since we may have missed something, and things may change over time.

Cruise America requires that all the payments be made with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. In the US, they also accept Discover Cards. The credit card needs to bear an imprint of your name that matches the driver’s license. The cardholder is required to be listed on the contract as the primary renter or an additional authorized driver.

Upon the return of the vehicle, Cruise America accepts stored value/prepaid/gift cards.

Now, let’s overview all the aforementioned charges one by one.

Mandatory fees

The very first thing you are going to pay for with Cruise America is deposits. Cruise America requires you to make two kinds of deposits – a $300 reservation down payment and a refundable $500 security deposit.

The reservation down payment will be applied toward the rental charges. As for the security deposit, it is used to cover any excess charges that occur during the trip. Upon return, extra charges are balanced against the security deposit.

If you didn’t use up the $500 security deposit, Cruise America will issue a credit to cover the refund. If you aren’t using a credit card, Cruise America will issue a check and send to your home address. Cruise America doesn’t do cash refunds.

Speaking of cash, the $500 security deposit needs to be paid with a credit card. If you are using any means other than a credit card, the security deposit charge will be $1,000. Keep this in mind in order to avoid quite expensive surprise costs.

A thing to note is that for certain rental applications like Bonnaroo or Burning Man, Cruise America may impose increased charges at their own discretion. In addition, they may require you to make a full prepayment in advance for rental events like auto race events, music festivals, or gatherings in remote areas.

Per-night fees

Cruise America imposes per-night fees which vary from season to season. On average, it seems that the nightly fee is around $90-100. It may be lower or higher depending on the season.

Given that Cruise America rents out RVs for at least 7 days, your fees per night will likely quite easily exceed the $300 down payment deposit.

Cruise America calls their daily rental rates Flex Rates since they vary over time, and sometimes quite significantly. If you book an RV early and there are plenty of them available, the daily rental rate will be lower for you.

If you need a change after booking and confirmation (aside from changing party size and adding pre-paid items), the rate will be recalculated using the most current Flex Rate. This Flex Rate will be compared to the Flex Rate that you’ve booked an RV with. The higher rate of the two will be selected as a new Flex Rate.

Mileage fees

Aside from a nightly fee, Cruise America applies estimated mileage charges to your rental in advance. Mileage charges are per night based on 100 miles for round-trip rentals and 250 miles for one-way rentals. In other words, you will be charged 100 miles per day with round-trip rental and 250 miles per day for one-way rental.

At the end of the rental, you will be refunded if you’ve driven fewer miles than you’ve paid for. Conversely, you will be charged $0.35 per mile if you have exceeded the estimated mileage.

Cruise America offers pre-paid mileage packs as well – the 100-Mile Package for $28, 500-Mile Package for $140, Unlimited Miles Package for $750, and Unlimited Miles Plus Package for $1000.

The Unlimited Miles Plus Package includes unlimited mileage, one personal kit for each passenger, one vehicle departure kit, and unlimited use of the RV generator for 21 days. Past 21 days, Cruise America will charge you with $29 per day. The same applies to the Unlimited Miles Package.

All the costs above are excluding taxes. Since these will likely depend on the area you will be renting the RV from, it is difficult to say how much tax you will have to pay.

Environmental fee

Cruise America imposes a $5 environmental fee per rental. As Cruise America writes, this fee’s purpose is to offset a “wide range of environmental expenses” associated with the proper disposal of shop waste, filters, tires, batteries, etc.

Optional fees

Generator fees.

Cruise America also imposes a generator fee of $3.50 per hour. This fee will be collected upon return based on the onboard running time meter. There is also an option of purchasing unlimited generator usage at an $8 daily rate.

Keep in mind that the generator is not required for normal RV operation, so you don’t have to operate it while traveling. A generator will be required only if you decide to run the RV electrical appliances while on the road. You can power all the appliances at campgrounds with electrical supply systems.

Early Bird Departure Special fee

Cruise America offers an optional Early Bird Departure Special for a $350 fee. The Early Bird Departure Special allows you to depart from a rental location as early as 9 AM instead of the regular 1 PM.

You will then need to return the vehicle at the specified date between 9 AM and 3 PM. Regular renters need to return the vehicle by 9 AM and in no case later than 11 AM.

The Early Bird Departure Special needs to be reserved at least 30 days in advance and prepaid. In addition, keep in mind that Sunday departures/returns aren’t allowed.

Optional kits

Cruise America also offers a couple of optional kits for borrowers. These kits are the Vehicle Provisioning Kit and the Personal Kit.

The Vehicle Provisioning Kit includes kitchen-related items like bows, forks, knives, plates, and many other things. The Personal Kit includes items like bath & dish towels, pillows with pillowcases, etc.

The Personal Kit costs $60 per person, while the Vehicle Provisioning Kit costs $110 per vehicle. All items must be returned clean to Cruise America.

De-winterization fee

In locations with colder winter weather, Cruise America winterizes their motorhomes from around mid-October to late March. When winterized, you cannot use the RV’s water and holding tanks. Due to this, if you chose to have the motorhome de-winterized, you will need to pay an up to $40 fee.

Towing charges

If you plan to tow a car or boat behind the motorhome, keep in mind that Cruise America imposes towing charges of $25 per night.

Aside from the charges we’ve described above, there are certain penalties that borrowers will need to pay should they fail to comply with the rental terms.

These penalties include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Housekeeping charges of up to $250 for returning an RV uncleaned.
• Reservation changes are charged at $50 per change from second and subsequent reservation changes. The first change is free of charge.
• Dump charges of up to $50 for not emptying the RV holding tank prior to returning the vehicle.
• The RV is overdue after 11 AM on the return date. If you fail to return the vehicle on time, you will be charged a fee of $25 per hour after 11 AM of the return date.
• You are responsible for any damage or equipment loss, except mechanical wear. The penalty for damage or equipment loss is limited to $1,500 per occurrence or incident.
• $200 – 46 days or more prior to departure.
• $600 – 16-45 days prior to departure.
• $850 – 8-15 days prior to departure.
• $1050 – 1-7 days prior to departure.
• Full rental charges – departure day and no-shows.

Cruise America rental deals

Cruise America from time to time offers rental deals and discounts. For example, for departures between September 4, 2019, and December 31, 2019, from any of Cruise America’s North American rental centers, a mileage rate reduction of 50% applies. Another deal is 300 free miles for departures by December 31, 2019, in the US.

Offers are typically not combinable with others, but they do offer some remarkable value. These were examples of deals available as of June 2019, but Cruise America will surely introduce others in the future as well.

How Cruise America handles RV maintenance & breakdowns

Overall, it seems that Cruise America keeps a good eye on their RVs. They appear to be quite strict when it comes to RV condition, so you could be sure that the RV you are renting from them is in a good state.

But for cases when the rented RV breaks down, Cruise America offers nice support to the clients.

Roadside assistance & repair reimbursement

In the event of mechanical breakdown on the road, Cruise America provides the around-the-clock Travelers Assistance Hotline. For authorized repairs, your expenses will be reimbursed by Cruise America. Alternatively, Cruise America may directly pay for the repairs.

According to the conditions of Cruise America, any vehicle service expense over $75 requires authorization from Travelers Assistance, where your problem will be documented in a customer service log.

For repairs costing under $75, you may have repairs done, but you will need to keep the receipt with you for reimbursement. Rental centers will reimburse receipts under $75 without a service log. If a repair service costing over $75 isn’t documented by Cruise America, you will not be provided with a reimbursement.

Aside from that, engine battery jump-starts require approval from Travelers Assistance, so keep that in mind.

Long service time reimbursements

If as a result of a breakdown the RV is in repair for 12 hours or less through no fault of yours, Cruise America may refund you a portion of the daily rental rate. If the repair requires more than 12 hours, certain living/transportation expenses may be reimbursed by Cruise America as well. However, you will need to immediately report the breakdown to Cruise America.

Cruise America provides up to $30 a day per party for transportation expenses and up to $30 a day per person for lodging. Total provisions are limited by Cruise America up to $3000 per tour. To receive reimbursement, you will need to provide all receipts for your expenses.

In certain cases, Cruise America does not reimburse for repairs, transportation, and lodging. Cruise America does not cover expenses associated with the breakdown of the RV generator, AC unit, refrigerator, microwave, appliances, and cruise control since these aren’t needed for the basic operation of the RV.

In addition, Cruise America doesn’t reimburse damage caused by collision or accident. Plus, failure to call Travelers Assistance immediately after a breakdown will make the reimbursement void.

There are certain travel restrictions as well. The areas that fall under Cruise America’s restrictions are:

• Death Valley and other desert areas.
• Alaska and Manhattan, New York City, in the US.
• Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland in Canada.

If issues occur in specified areas, Cruise America coverages will not apply. In fact, you may be held responsible for all vehicle damages associated with driving the RV in the restricted areas.

Aside from that, Cruise America prohibits entry of their RVs to Mexico, so be mindful of that.

How Cruise America handles tolls and traffic violations

Cruise America also has specific procedures with regard to tolls and parking/traffic violations.

Cruise America has a policy for All-Electronic Tolling. If you didn’t know, with All-Electronic Tolling, the picture of a vehicle’s license plate is taken and then used to determine who will be billed.

In some cases, a process called reassignment is utilized by Cruise America. The company basically transfers your information to the relevant tolling authority. Then, you will have to handle the fees yourself.

For other cases, Cruise America will pay the tolling authority directly. However, Cruise America will impose a $10 administrative fee on you and charge the credit card you used for rental. The administrative fee is per rental.

For other tolling services like EZ Pass lanes or Fastrack, it will be your responsibility to use a corresponding transponder in order to avoid any fees or penalties.

Parking/traffic violations

Cruise America handles parking and traffic violations in a similar manner to tolling. However, in cases where they pay the fines for you, you will be charged a $35 administrative fee per rental.

At rental return, you will be responsible for reporting and paying for any parking or traffic violations. If you fail to report a parking/traffic violation at return, Cruise America will charge an administrative fee of up to $250.

Cruise America rental coverage

A very nice thing about Cruise America is that they offer coverage options for their customers in case of accidents or mechanical breakdown. We’ve overviewed mechanical breakdown coverage above, but there’s more to the coverage provided by Cruise America.

All in all, Cruise America offers:

• Up to $1 million Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) against claims made by third parties for property damage or bodily/injury caused by the operation of the RV. There are certain exclusions to the SLI, a part of which is contained in the rental contract.
• Expense reimbursement of up to $3,000 in case of long service times, which we overviewed earlier.
• Responsibility of up to $1,500 for vehicle damage or loss per occurrence. If you do not abide by the terms of the rental contract and fail to promptly report any incident, you will be fully responsible for the damage or loss of the RV.

RV departure & return at Cruise America

The RV departure time at Cruise America begins at 1 PM. For Early Birders, as we mentioned above, the departure starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 PM.

A common point of complaint among users of Cruise America services is that it can take several hours before you actually leave the rental center. Early Birders may be able to avoid waiting for hours, but they aren’t insured from it as well.

As for RV return, regular renters are required to return the vehicle by 9 AM and no later than 11 AM. As we mentioned above, Cruise America imposes a $25 fee for each hour past 11 AM. At the same time, no refunds will be made if you return the vehicle early or if you pick it up late.

For Early Birders, which we again mentioned earlier in the material, the return time is between 9 AM and 3 PM. Failure to return the vehicle in this time frame will incur an hourly $25 penalty.

Keep in mind that departure and return times on Saturday may vary because some Cruise America locations close earlier.

Customer interaction

Customer interaction is another area where Cruise America is notorious. If you look around for user reviews, you will find that quite a considerable number of people have complained about the customer support of Cruise America in various areas, starting from the quickness of service and ending with the inability of the company to resolve issues.

A testimony to this may be Cruise America’s frankly quite low BBB rating , which indicates how the company is expected to interact with customers. There have been so many complaints about Cruise America that BBB has even put alerts on the company profile page, indicating noticeable issues with customer service.

What we really think of Cruise America

With everything above in mind, we’d like to present to you the advantages and disadvantages of RV rental with Cruise America, as well as what we really think of Cruise America.

So, the advantages are:

• A good amount of information provided on the RVs.
• Well-maintained RVs.
• One-way and long-term rentals available.
• Pet-friendliness.
• Reimbursements for mechanical breakdowns and long maintenance.
• Quite advantageous deals.

What we didn’t like about Cruise America.

• The plentitude of fees makes rental quite pricey.
• Poor selection of RVs.
• The customer interaction isn’t always spot-on.
• Quite uneasy to find fee information.
• The minimum rental period is 7 days.

As a corporate RV rental company, Cruise America isn’t going to provide you with much flexibility. They have a mechanism that works and doesn’t really take into account your specific needs, unlike peer-to-peer rental platforms.  You have limited options when it comes to fees and RV selection. Their customer service also isn’t spot-on.

On the other hand, they do have some benefits like one-way rental, a comprehensive reimbursement policy, and occasional deals. So we can’t say that Cruise America is a bad place to rent an RV from.

In the end, we’d say that those who want to quickly rent an RV may want to go for Cruise America since it has an established policy that is designed to ensure hassle-free rentals. But if you want flexibility and don’t mind spending a lot of time finding the right RV, you’d want to go for a peer-to-peer platform.

If you’d like to see how Cruise America is rated against other RV rental companies you might want to check out our review of the best RV rental companies .

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Acl american encore, acl american patriot, acl american pioneer, acl american liberty, acl american legend, acl american eagle, acl american glory, acl american harmony, acl american song, american independence, american star, american spirit, american empress, acl american serenade, acl american symphony, review of american cruise lines.

ACL-American Cruise Lines Inc (AmericanCruiseLines.com) is a USA-based travel company founded in 1991 and headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut. Currently ranked USA's largest river cruise company , ACL operates traditional stern-paddlewheel riverboats and also several small-sized oceangoing ships. ACL ships cruise mainly in the USA, including Alaska, West and East Coast, the USA's biggest rivers (Mississippi, Tennessee, Potomac, Columbia, Snake, Hudson), also in Florida (St George River).

The company's current President and CEO is Charles B. Robertson who succeeded ACL's founder Charles A. Robertson (1948-2020).

ACL's management team includes:

• Dawn Lancaster (Accounts Payable Lead/Groton CT)
• Kayleigh Yates (Pastry Chef/New Roads LA)
• Brad Csuka (VP of Marketing/Stratford CT)
• Susan Shultz (Director of Sales/Guilford CT)
• Shelly Hartfield (Director of Product Development/New Albany IN)
• Meghan Sturgeon (Creative Director/Guilford CT)
• John Foley (Director of Information & Technology/Bethel CT)
• Makena Hoyt (Travel Coordinator/Salt Lake City UT)
• Matthew Kelley (First Mate, from Kingston MA)
• Marcus Lemon (Line Cook/Orlando FL)

In August 2021, ACL announced a major refurbishment project for its entire paddlewheeler fleet. The redesigned boats were renamed "American Splendor" (fka America), "American Heritage" (fka Queen of the Mississippi) and "American West" (fka Queen of the West), and only American Pride retained its name. The refurb project was via partnership with Studio DADO (Miami-based interior design firm) which was commissioned for the American Melody's interior spaces. By this project (completed by March 2022), the ACL paddlewheelrs' staterooms, bars and lounges, dining rooms and public areas were completely redesigned, featuring new color schemes, artworks, furniture, carpets, textiles, accessories.

Since January 2022, all ACL deals with added domestic flights (between airports in the USA, which includes all the company's 19 ports in 16 US states) are with flat-rate priced airfares (fixed/not subject to future changes). ACL river voyages' prices are inclusive of a pre-cruise hotel overnight.

Since December 2022, all ACL deals are inclusive of port charges and fees (commissionable for travel agents).

ACL's main competitor is Viking Cruises USA .

One of the most prominent features of all ACL ships is that they are USA- flagged , which means that the company hires only American citizens as hotel staff and crews, and pays taxes in the USA (on all cruise deals).

ACL deals are not so cheap, and consist of:

• larger-than-average staterooms (with the first balcony cabins in the US coastal cruise shipping business)
• spacious public rooms (bars and lounges)
• gourmet cuisine, highly personalized service
• hassle-free experiences, complimentary drinks before dinner, intimate, relaxing and friendly atmosphere
• amazingly charming itineraries sailing the inland waterways and stopping at ports every day (these are smaller ports inaccessible to larger vessels)
• an evening enrichment program by professional onboard lecturers
• the cruise ship "Queen of the Mississippi" debuted in 2012 as the largest of all ACL ships. Her sister ship was recently launched (March 2015) under the name "American Eagle".

All ACL ships are USA-built/refurbished, by the shipbuilder Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corporation (Salisbury, Maryland).

Next infographic of the Queen of the Mississippi (now American Heritage) shows what is what and where on this unique riverboat.

In mid-February, 2020, ACL signed with Vicksburg MS a 20-year deal for preferential berthing rights and ACL investments for upgrading the riverfront docking facility. By the deal, ACL pays the city per-passenger fees and receives priority mooring along the waterfront. ACL also provides shuttle bus services for its customers for land transportation to nearby attractions and popular downtown businesses.

In January 2023 ACL announced the fleetwide introduction of high-speed (Starlink-provided) satellite internet and Wi-Fi services. Starlink's LEO satellites (positioned at low Earth orbit) provide stable and fast internet connections to moving marine vessels and ACL beta-tested the service in 2022. As a promo, in 2023, ACL offered the Starlink Wi-Fi and the shipboard Room Service complimentary.

ACL AQV assents acquisition (2024)

In a held in March 2024 auction in Texas, ACL became the highest bidder and purchased four riverboats plus other assets of AQV-American Queen Voyages/fka AQSC . These assets were auctioned following the bankruptcy of AQV's parent company Hornblower Holdings.

The acquired assets include four paddle wheelers - American Queen (US$2,15 million), American Empress and American Countess (each US$1,6M) and American Duchess (US$0,2M). In May, three boats (Countess, Duchess, Queen) were sold for scrapping .

In addition, for US$0,75M ACL purchased two trademarks ("American Queen Voyages", "AQV"), website domains, and business records.

According to documents filed with the Bankruptcy Court in Houston, ACL paid for AQV's assets a total of US$6,3 million in cash. A hearing to finalize the sale was scheduled for April 4th.

In late-October 2015, ACL announced the start of the construction of a new coastal cruiser (by Chesapeake Shipbuilding/Salisbury, Maryland USA), with scheduled delivery in 2017-Q1. The vessel ( American Constellation ) was followed by the sistership American Constitution (2018).

These boats have passenger capacity 170 and are sized slightly larger compared to ACL's old coastal cruisers. They are fully stabilized (active wing stabilizers by Rolls-Royce Marine) and have the USA river cruising industry's largest and most luxurious staterooms. All cabins are with marble-tiled bathrooms and floor-ceiling glass doors opening to step-out balconies.

Traditionally for large-sized US riverboats, American Song has a fore-located boarding ramp (bow-location on Deck 1) that allows passengers to go ashore at any place along the ship's cruise itinerary route. The ramp has an innovative design being constructed as a retractable gangway (passenger bridge). The technology is often implemented on some of the largest ferries and features an opening bow door.

In November 2016 ACL announced the start of the construction on a 3rd (larger / new-class "Modern Riverboat") vessel with capacity 195 passengers. In late-February 2017 were announced plans for a fleet of 5 newbuilds .

• The first vessel from the new "Modern Riverboat" series was launched in 2018 ( American Song ). Followed the sisterships American Harmony (2019), American Jazz (2020), American Melody (2021), American Symphony (2022), American Serenade (2023), American Encore (2026).
• In mid-June 2021 ACL signed with Chesapeake Shipbuilding the contract for constructing two more units (5th and 6th) of the "modern riverboat" series. Both vessels (yet to be named) are planned for inauguration in 2022 growing the company's fleet to 15 (5x small, 4x paddle-wheelers, 6x modern riverboats).

In January 2022 ACL announced a plan to grow its fleet to 25+ vessels by adding 12 units of a new class (Project Blue), each with max passenger capacity 109 (plus 50 crew), length 241 ft (74 m), beam/width 56 ft (17 m), 56 staterooms (~85% balconied).

ACL's Coastal Cats/catamarans are currently planned for launch/inauguration two units per year - in 2023 ( Eagle , Glory ), 2024 ( Liberty , Legend ), 2025 ( Patriot , Pioneer ), 2026, 2027, and 2028.

The next video reviews the best features of ACL's 2021-2022-built Modern Riverboats (Melody, Symphony, Serenade).

USA river cruise excursions for free

Any ACL guest booking river cruises on Mississippi or Columbia rivers gets absolutely free shore excursions. This is a year-round deal and the complimentary land tours are offered in each port of call.

The list of tours includes:

• "Battle of Vicksburg" (in Vicksburg, Mississippi)
• "Oak Valley Plantation" (in Oak Alley, Louisiana)
• "Mark Twain Boyhood Home-Museum" (in Hannibal, Missouri)
• "Mount St Helens" (in Rainier, Washington)
• "Winery" (in Richland, Washington).

The next YouTube video is the company's official release about the signature "Mississippi River Paddlewheeler" cruising experience.

IN January 2020, ACL signed a 5-year preferential berthing agreement with Port NOLA (New Orleans) for Thalia Street Wharf/riverboat dock. By this deal, ACL also received 2 (optional) 5-year renewals. Preferential homeporting is for at least 50 voyages (guaranteed departures) annually. For 2020, ACL scheduled 68 calls at Port NOLA.

In 2023 (March-December) ACL had its ever-biggest Mississippi program with five ships (Melody, Heritage, Serenade, Splendor, Symphony) and 12 itineraries running between homeports St Paul MN and New Orleans LA. The season featured a new boat (American Serenade) and the new 8-day itinerary "The Tennessee Rivers Cruise" between Chattanooga TN and Nashville TN. ACL's entire Mississippi 2023 program included voyages with a complimentary pre-voyage 1-night hotel.

(Coronavirus crisis) passenger shipping pause 2020-2021

Due to the COVID pandemic, ACL suspended its entire fleet's passenger shipping operations (all vessels) canceling all voyages with pre-scheduled departures in the period March 14, 2020, through May 2021.

Fleet operations resumed on the following dates (by ship) in 2021.

• American Independence (May 1 from Charleston SC)
• MS America (May 4 from New Orleans)
• Queen of the Mississippi (May 1 from Memphis TN)
• Queen of the West (May 15 from Clarkston WA)
• American Star (May 8 from Charleston SC)
• American Song (May 9 from Clarkston MI)
• American Pride (May 1 from Portland OR)
• American Constellation (May 7/Alaska from Seattle WA)
• American Constitution (May 10 from Boston)
• American Spirit (May 8/Alaska from Seattle WA)
• American Harmony (May 1 from New Orleans)
• American Jazz (May 2 from New Orleans)
• American Melody (Aug 27/ Maiden Voyage from New Orleans)

Note: Under CERTS (Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act), in August 2021 the company received USD 42,7 million (CAD 58,83M / AUD 58,3M / EUR 36,2M) grant from the USA's government. The CERTS provides grants to eligible (USA-based and all American-crewed) passenger transportation companies (motorcoach, school bus, shipping, pilotage) that have experienced 25% or more annual revenue losses due to the COVID crisis.

ACL boats initially operated with reduced (75% of the max) passenger capacity. All affected bookings were fully refunded (100% monetary refund). With rebooking was offered 125% FCC (Future Cruise Credit based on the fares paid for the canceled sailings) valid before December 31, 2021.

Itinerary of American Cruise Lines

ACL-American Cruise Lines itinerary program includes the USA's Eastern and Western coasts. ACL also offers Alaskan cruises during summer as well as the USA's river cruise regions Mississippi-Ohio (northbound and southbound itineraries) and Columbia-Snake (eastbound and westbound itineraries).

In 2022, ACL ships sailed 35+ USA-only itineraries visiting ports in 31 states.

New itineraries and cruisetours (2024)

ACL's schedule 2024 groups 50+ itineraries across 35 US states, 19 vessels (ships and riverboats) and a total of 125 ports in the USA. The program features two new ports - Sag Harbor (Long Island NYC) and Washington DC .

In 2024, the company also introduced "National Park Cruises", two of which are in Alaska.

• The 18-day "Grand Alaska National Parks" itinerary offers 11 days for cruising (Glacier Bay NP, Inside Passage, Frederick Sound) plus 7 days for guided tours in Denali NP and Kenai Fjords NP (from Fairbanks to Juneau).
• The 15-day "Alaska National Parks" itinerary offers 8 days of Glacier Bay cruising plus 7 days for Denali and Kenai Fjords tours (from Fairbanks to Juneau).

In 2024 ACL debuts two more NP cruisetours.

• The 11-day "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" itinerary is on two rivers (Tennessee and Cumberland) and offers 2 days for land tours (Great Smoky NP) between Knoxville TN and Nashville TN (both ways).
• The 15-day "National Parks and Legendary Rivers" itinerary offers 8 days for cruising (Columbia and Snake rivers) plus 7 days for guided touring (Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP) between Jackson WY and Portland OR (both ways).

Also new are the three 8-day itineraries "Downeast Maine" (roundtrip from Bangor ME ), "Yankee Seaports" (between Boston MA and NYC) and "Florida Gulf Coast and Keys" (roundtrip from St Petersburg FL, which includes tours in Dry Tortugas NP and Everglades NP).

In 2024 (spring and fall) ACL introduced voyages leaving roundtrip from Washington DC, with the ship ( American Constitution ) mooring/docking at The Wharf (along the city's southeastern waterfront).

Themed as "American Revolution Cruise", they traverse the Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and the York River, with Washington DC serving as homeport. These are also the only cruises on the Potomac River. The 10-night/11-day "American Revolution Cruise" itinerary visits Annapolis MD, St Michaels MD, Cambridge MD, Norfolk VA (overnight), Williamsburg/Yorktown VA, Mount Vernon VA, and ends with an overnight in Washington DC.

ACL ships and riverboats' deployment

Follows the list of all ACL ships and riverboats, in brackets (Year Built)

• American Heritage riverboat/fka Queen of the Mississippi (2015)
• American West riverboat/fka Queen of the West (1995)
• American Splendor riverboat/fka America (2016)
• American Constellation (2017) - the new ship offers 2 new Canada and USA itineraries - "Grand New England" and "Grand Historic South"
• American Constitution (2018) - the new ship offers 2 new Canada and USA itineraries - "Grand New England" and "Grand Historic South"
• American Pride riverboat (2015, fka "American Eagle") - 8-day Columbia and Snake Rivers cruises (one-way itineraries) leaving either from Portland Oregon or Clarkston Washington
• (Modern Riverboat class) - American Song (2018), American Harmony (2019), American Jazz (2020), American Melody (2021), American Symphony (2022), American Serenade (2023), American Encore (2026)
• American Spirit (2004) - 7- and 11-day Alaskan itineraries from Juneau AK and Seattle WA
• American Independence (2010)

ACL's Coastal Cats (Project Blue catamarans) are a separate fleet of 12x newbuilds scheduled for launches in 2023 ( American Eagle , American Glory ), 2024 ( American Liberty , American Legend ), 2025 ( Patriot , Pioneer ), 2026 (TBN), 2027 (TBN), 2028 (TBN).

In 2021, ACL introduced 3x new itineraries - "Cape Codder" (New England/ Cape Cod Canal ), "Music Cities" (American music-themed / 8-day between Nashville and Memphis) and "Alaskan Explorers" (11-day Glacier Bay cruise), also 50x new land tours and more pre-cruise hotel packages (Four Season Hotel deals in select USA river ports).

The classic 10-night "Grand Puget Sound Cruise" itinerary visits Washington's San Juan Archipelago .

In 2023, ACL introduced new for the brand ports - San Francisco and New York City (including Sag Harbor and Port Jefferson on Long Island NY ). ACL's catamaran cruises (2023-2024 schedule) added Florida's Key West , St Petersburg , Key Biscayne and Fort Myers Beach/Estero Island .

ACL itineraries scheduled for the Coastal Cats/catamarans

Next are listed all currently announced/operated itineraries (as themes, lengths, homeports and call ports) scheduled for ACL's Coastal Cats (Project Blue catamarans).

8-day/7-night " Chesapeake Bay Cruise " is a roundtrip from Baltimore MD . Call ports include Yorktown-Williamsburg VA, Crisfield MD (Tangier VA), Cambridge MD (Oxford MD), St Michaels MD, Annapolis MD.

8-day/7-night " Cape Codder Cruise " (visiting 8 ports and featuring navigation on the Cape Cod Canal ) is a roundtrip departing from Boston MA . Call ports include Gloucester MA, Plymouth MA, Martha's Vinyard Island MA, Falmouth MA, New Bedford MA, Provincetown MA.

8-day/7-night "Maine Coast and Harbors Cruise" (visiting 8 ports) is a roundtrip from Portland ME . Call ports include Bar Harbor ME, Belfast ME, Camden ME, Rockland ME, Boothbay Harbor ME, Bath ME.

8-day/7-night " New England Islands Cruise " (visiting 8 ports) is a roundtrip departing from Providence RI . Call ports include Baltimore MD, St Michaels MD, Norfolk VA, Kitty Hawk NC, Beaufort NC (Morehead City NC), Wilmington NC, Charleston SC, Beaufort SC, Hilton Head SC, Savannah GA, St Simons Island GA, Jekyll Island GA, Amelia Island FL (Fernandina Beach).

8-day/7-night " Hudson River Fall Foliage Cruise " (visiting 8 ports) is a roundtrip departing from NYC/New York City NY . All call ports are in the New York state and include Catskill, Albany, Kingston/Hyde Park, West Point, Sleepy Hollow, and NYC (overnight stay before debarkation).

8-day/7-night " Historic South and Golden Isles Cruise " (visiting 8 ports) is a one-way itinerary operated between homeports Charleston SC and Jacksonville FL ( Amelia Island ). Call ports include Charleston SC, Beaufort SC, Hilton Head Island SC, Savannah GA, Jekyll Island and St Simons Island (GA), Amelia Island FL (overnight).

8-day/7-night " Yankee Seaports Cruise " (visiting 8 ports) is a one-way itinerary operated between homeports NYC and Boston. Call ports include Long Island (Sag Harbor/day 2, Port Jefferson/day 3), New London Connecticut (Mystic Seaport/days 4-5 overnight), Newport Rhode Island (day 6), Plymouth Massachusetts (day 7).

15-day/14-night " East Coast Inland Passage Cruise " (visiting 15 ports) is a one-way itinerary operated between homeports Baltimore and Jacksonville FL/Amelia Island. Call ports include Baltimore MD, St Michaels MD, Norfolk VA, Kitty Hawk NC, Beaufort NC (Morehead City NC), Wilmington NC, Charleston SC, Beaufort SC, Hilton Head SC, Savannah GA, St Simons Island GA, Jekyll Island GA, Amelia Island FL (Fernandina Beach).

In 2024, ACL announced introduced the " Hudson River Summer Classic Cruise " itinerary. The 7-night/8-day roundtrip from New York City visits Catskill NY, Albany NY, Kingston NY/Hyde Park NY, West Point NY, and Sleepy Hollow NY, ending with an overnight stay in NYC.

In 2024 was introduced (with American Glory) the 14-night/15-day " Grand New England Cruise " itinerary (roundtrip from Boston) visits Portland ME (DAY2), Bath ME (DAY3), Boothbay Harbor ME (DAY4), Bar Harbor ME (DAY5), Bangor ME (DAY6), Rockland/Camden ME (DAY7), Portsmouth NH (DAY8), Gloucester MA (DAY9), Provincetown MA (DAY10), Newport RI (DAY11), Martha's Vineyard MA (DAY12), Nantucket Island/Martha's Vineyard MA (DAY13), Plymouth MA (DAY14) and ending in Boston MA (DAY15).

Florida Gulf Coast and Keys

In 2023, ACL introduced the 7-night/8-day "Florida Gulf Coast & Keys" itinerary.

The roundtrip from Tampa was specifically designed for ACL's catamarans/Coastal Cats and was introduced with the ship American Glory.

On this ACL ex-Florida voyage, on days 3 and 4 the ship stays in Key West overnight. This allows tourists to explore Key West City on Day 3 (with a complimentary guided tour to the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum) and the Dry Tortugas National Park on Day 4 (visiting Fort Jefferson/Civil War prison)

"The Civil War Battlefields Cruise" (2024)

In May 2023 ACL announced the introduction of the 34-night/35-day "Civil War Battlefields Cruise" visiting all major battlefields from the American Civil War (1861-65) in 13 states.

Starting on May 4, 2024, from New Orleans, the unique itinerary ends in Gettysburg (on June 6th). This is a B2B/back-to-back cruise involving 3x ships (American Melody, American Symphony, American Eagle), cruising on 3x rivers (Mississippi, Tennessee, Potomac), as well as coastal navigation (along ICW-Intracoastal Waterway/East Coast USA, and the Chesapeake Bay).

Prices started at US$24700 per person or US$726 per night. Fares were inclusive of a pre-cruise hotel stay in New Orleans, daily excursions, onboard entertainment/meals/beverages/WiFi/tips/gratuities, all land transportation and hotels between the segments, all port charges.

Next are listed the itinerary's call ports and ships.

American Melody (Days 1 to 8) "The Anaconda Plan and the Vicksburg Campaign" segment from New Orleans to Memphis.

American Symphony (Days 9 to 14) "Major Land Campaigns of the Civil War’s Western Theater" segment from Nashville to Chattanooga.

American Symphony (Days 15 to 17) "Scorched Earth"

American Eagle (Days 18 to 26) "The Union Advantage: a focus on naval power" segment from Jacksonville to Norfolk

American Eagle (Days 27 - 33) "Eastern Theater of the Civil War" segment from Norfolk to Washington (disembarkation) and bus travel from Baltimore to Sharpsburg MD (for Antietam).

(Days 34 to 35) "Battle of Gettysburg: The Turning Point for the North" segment is a Land Package to Gettysburg PA.

• DAYS 1-2 Pre-Cruise Hotel in New Orleans
• DAY 3 Houmas House, LA
• DAY 4 Baton Rouge, LA
• DAY 5 Siege of Port Hudson | St. Francisville, LA
• DAY 6 Battle of Port Gibson | Natchez, MS
• DAY 7 Siege of Vicksburg | Vicksburg, MS
• DAY 8 The Anaconda Plan | Day of River Cruising
• DAY 9 Memphis Naval Battle | Memphis, TN
• DAY 10 Battle of Stones River | Nashville, TN
• DAY 11 Battle of Fort Donelson | Clarksville, TN
• DAY 12 Paducah, KY
• DAY 13 Battle of Shiloh | Savannah, TN
• DAY 14 Florence, AL
• DAY 15 The Battles for Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN
• DAY 16 Battle of Chickamauga | Atlanta, GA
• DAY 17 Sherman's March to the Sea | Atlanta to Jacksonville
• DAY 18 Battle of Olustee | Jacksonville, FL
• DAY 19 Brunswick, GA
• DAY 20 Savannah, GA
• DAY 21 Hilton Head, SC
• DAY 22 Beaufort, SC
• DAY 23 Day of Cruising
• DAY 24 Fort Sumter | Charleston, SC
• DAY 25 Beaufort, NC
• DAY 26 Kitty Hawk, NC
• DAY 27 Battle of the "Monitor" and the "Merrimac" | Norfolk, VA
• DAY 28 The Peninsula Campaign | Yorktown, VA
• DAY 29 Battle of Fredericksburg | Washington, D.C.
• DAY 30 Alexandria, VA
• DAY 31 St. Michaels, MD
• DAY 32 First Blood of the Civil War | Baltimore, MD
• DAY 33 Antietam | Sharpsburg, MD
• DAY 34 Battle of Gettysburg | Gettysburg, PA
• DAY 35 Transfer to Airport from Gettysburg

"The Great United States Cruise" (2024)

In late March 2023, ACL announced the 60-day B2B/back-to-back "The Great United States Cruise". The unique itinerary combines 4 rivers and coast-to-coast travel on 3 ships, ranking it ACL's longest-ever domestic itinerary.

"The Great United States Cruise" departs from  Portland OR on August 14, 2024, and visits 20 American states and 4 time zones within the continental USA. It also includes a national parks package visiting Grand Teton NP, Glacier NP, and Yellowstone NP.

The first leg of the itinerary is from the Pacific Coast (Portland OR) for cruising on Columbia/Snake rivers (ship American Jazz ). The second leg is on the Mississippi River (ship American Symphony /from New Orleans to Saint Paul). The third leg is from Maine to New York/up the Hudson River (ship American Independence ).

The 60-day voyage ends in NYC/New York Harbour on October 14th (2024).

Flights from Jackson Wyoming to  New Orleans  and  Saint Paul  to  Portland ME  are included.

The price per person ranges between US$51060-77945. The pricing includes all flights, a pre-cruise hotel stay, hotels between the cruise segments, all meals and beverages, daily land tours, Internet, port charges, and gratuities.

San Francisco Bay Cruise itinerary (2023-introduced)

ACL's 2023 schedule (ship American Jazz) included the company's first-ever California voyage.

The 7-night/8-day "San Francisco Bay Cruise" itinerary (roundtrip from San Francisco ) visits four other Californian ports ( Stockton , Sacramento , Napa , Vallejo ) and ends with an overnight in San Francisco. Overnight port stays are offered in either Sacramento or Napa. A pre-cruise hotel package (inclusive of San Francisco Four Season Hotel overnight stay) is optional.

ACL's San Francisco Bay Cruise itinerary features scenic cruising in San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay (an evening stop in Vallejo), as well as cruising on the Napa River and San Joaquin River.

The voyage includes passing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Treasure Island. A guided San Francisco city tour visits Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf. The cruisetour's signature experiences also include NASCAR-style driving (at Stockton 99 Speedway) and visiting a Napa Valley Winery (wine-tasting excursion). A guided Old Sacramento tour visits the underground city, the port, and the California State Railroad Museum.

"Grand New England" itinerary

The new 10-night / 11-day cruise itinerary of the company (named "Grand New England") covers New England destinations, among which are charming islands and coastal towns located within the Northeast.

The itinerary visits the following ports of call:

• Day 1 (Boston MA)
• Day 2 (Provincetown MA)
• Day 3 (Newport RI)
• Day 4 (Martha's Vineyard MA)
• Day 5 (Kennebunkport ME)
• Day 6 (Camden ME)
• Day 7 (Bar Harbor ME)
• Day 8 (Rockland ME)
• Before the Rockland arrival, the cruise ship passes through the 10-km / 6-ml Merchants Row passage.
• The itinerary is operated by the new ACL ships American Constellation and American Constitution .

"Grand Historic South" itinerary

The 10-night / 11-day "Grand Historic South" itinerary is roundtrip from Charleston SC to destinations along southeast USA's Intracoastal Waterway.

The new itinerary visits the following ports of call:

• Day 1 (Charleston SC / South Carolina)
• Day 2 (Wilmington NC / North Carolina)
• Day 3 (Beaufort NC / North Carolina) - horse-drawn carriage ride tour
• Days 4 and 5 (Savannah GA / Georgia)
• Day 6 (Sapelo Island GA / Georgia) - Oyster Roast
• Day 7 (Jekyll Island GA / Georgia) - "Millionaires Village"
• Day 8 (Fernandina Beach FL / Florida) - Amelia Island
• Day 9 (cruising)
• Day 10 (Beaufort SC / South Carolina)
• Day 11 (Charleston SC / South Carolina)
• The itinerary is operated by American Constellation and American Constitution .

The itinerary route features architecturally significant traditional homes, grand plantations, wildlife, amazing coastal landscapes. Also included are locally inspired cuisine specialties prepared by the ship's master chef.

"American Revolution" itinerary

The 12-day "American Revolution Cruise" itinerary visits some of the most historically significant port cities along the Chesapeake Bay.

• The itinerary also includes new ports - Washington DC, Chestertown MD, Mount Vernon VA. In Washington DC, passengers can enjoy private tours of any of Smithsonian Museums or a guided tour of the National Mall. In Chestertown MD, they can visit Schooner Sultana (replica of Royal Navy Frigate Sultana / in the British Navy between 1768-1772). At Mount Vernon VA, the cruise company's expert guides offer an exclusive tour through George Washington's Estate.
• Passengers also travel to the last battlefield of the Revolutionary War in Yorktown and Jamestown's first English settlement.
• In addition to the ashore enrichment program, the shipboard expert is Dr. Harold Cones (biology professor, emeritus / retired from professional life at Christopher Newport University).
• The "American Revolution Cruise" itinerary is leaving roundtrip from Baltimore MD . Voyages started in spring 2018 on American Constitution . Departure dates in 2018 included Oct 29, and Nov 8.

American Cruise Lines ship tracker

Our American Cruise Lines ship tracker is a function integrated into all review pages. At page-bottom in each page, you'll find a map with the ship's current location (AIS position). All the real-time tracking data is provided by VesselFinder. It's all about convenience - you will find where is your riverboat (ship) cruising today and now along its current itinerary!

Note: You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All river passenger shipping line companies and their fleets are listed there.

American Cruise Lines related cruise news

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• Value for Money : Many cruise lines featured in the article, such as Costa Cruises and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, offer excellent value for the money, as highlighted by traveler and expert rankings.
• Tailored Experiences : Each cruise line, from Disney Cruise Line to Seabourn Cruise Line, caters to different demographics and preferences, offering specialized experiences for families, luxury seekers, and niche travelers.

Selecting a cruise line can be a challenge. There are at least a dozen major cruise ship companies to choose from. They vary greatly in ship size and amenities offered. Some have all-inclusive pricing, while others don’t. Some are all-suite ships ; some aren’t. And the ambiance onboard cruise ships varies greatly and is something guests should know before booking .

But a key factor for most vacationers is price. Many cruise lines listed here rank highest in value for the money by travelers and experts in a listing published by U.S. News and World Report. Affordability, amenities, and reputation were taken into account. Going on vacation doesn't mean someone needs to break the bank. Which cruise ship would be the best?

Every cruise line on this list has been carefully chosen based on a number of factors, including cost, amenities, and destinations. We sorted the top cruise lines according to ratings on cruisecritic.com, a TripAdvisor company, and took into account the U.S. News Cruise Lines Rankings. We have included a wide range of cruise lines, such as solo, adult-only, family, all-inclusive, affordable, luxury, and many more, with cruise line rankings to provide a cruise suitable for every type of traveler.

UPDATE: 2024/02/08 10:25 EST BY REENA JAIN

The best cruise lines in the United States take guests to some of the most beautiful vacation destinations while also allowing them to enjoy a broad range of amenities, activities, and experiences. Fortunately, there are many! We expanded this list of the best US cruise lines with two new entries that deserve to be there.

Related: This 33-Day Luxe Cruise Itinerary Calls At 28 Exotic Ports

20 Costa Cruises

Cruise critic rating: 3.0/5.

• This Italian-based cruise line is known for lower rates
• Europeans tend to book this cruise line for their vacations
• There is an all-inclusive rate option available for guests

Based in Italy, Costa has lower rates than competitors , the ranking found, especially for cruises in the Mediterranean. Its ships attract mostly Europeans, so American cruisers should be prepared for a more international atmosphere than the other ships on this ranking list.

Costa ships have amenities for families and adults traveling without children, such as theater shows and casinos. It also offers an all-inclusive rate option and is among the ten Best Cruise Lines for the Money . This may be an excellent option for longer cruises with extended days on the water.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 9
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, Mediterranean, South America, World Tour, Northern Europe, Transoceanic, Dubai
• Recommended Cruise: Costa Deliziosa's Cruise Around The World
• Duration: 32 Nights and 33 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 4,916 per person

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Cruising on Costa's ship "Deliziosa" may be the better premium choice for those wanting to make the most of their vacation. This ship has various routes, with one being its 70-night voyage across the world.

19 Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Cruise

Cruise critic rating: 3.3/5.

• The luxury yacht cruise line offers personalized services and exceptional amenities
• The all-inclusive price provides the ultimate cruise experience

Offering the sophistication and luxuries of an upscale hotel while floating over the wide ocean, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is a fascinating new cruise line in the US. Its all-inclusive fare , which covers meals, beverages (including alcoholic ones), and gratuities, makes it possible to have a hassle-free sea vacation without worrying about extra costs. The fleet is made up of luxurious yachts with staterooms and modern amenities, guaranteeing an unforgettable vacation. Personalized services, stunning destinations ranging from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, and exquisite dining all set it apart. Also, the Ritz Kids program provides activity sessions for kids ages 4 to 12, making it one of the best all-inclusive family cruises in the US.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 1 and 2 upcoming
• Popular Destinations: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern Europe, Baltic, Crossing Voyages
• Recommended Cruise: Ritz-Carlton Evrima's round-trip cruise from San Juan to San Juan
• Duration: 4 Nights, 5 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 5,800 per person

18 MSC Cruises

• MSC is an Italian cruise line brand
• There are limited ships from MSC coming to the United States
• Traveling on an MSC ship is typically lower than staying on land in Europe

The Italian line MSC Cruises has just a few ships sailing from U.S. ports and is mainly Europe-focused. But the ranking report found that, even with airfare to Europe, the cost of an MSC cruise will be more affordable than a typical land vacation on the continent. Some Mediterranean cruises start at $100 per person, and promotions often allow children to sail free. MSC Cruises was ranked #5 in Best Cruise Lines for Families by U.S. News for offering a range of modern amenities and exciting activities for travelers of all ages.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 23
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, Bahamas, Ocean Cay, MSC Marine Reserve, Europe, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Bermuda, Canada & New England
• Recommended Cruise: MSC Magnifica's Cruise to The Bahamas
• Duration: 4 Nights and 5 Days
• Price: From USD 169 per person

MSC cruises regularly run children's sail-free promotions for their Mediterranean voyages, which may be helpful for larger families. Rates are already low for this specific destination, which is something to remember.

Related: The Best River Cruises In The World

17 Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruise critic rating: 3.6/5.

• Norwegian Cruise Line has 20 ships currently sailing
• Many NCL ships can hold upwards of 4,000 guests
• Guests may need to buy all-inclusive packages to save money on food and drinks

Norwegian has 20 sailing ships, many quite large and accommodating more than 4,000 guests. Fares cover standard dining but not specialty venues; however, money-saving all-inclusive packages can be booked for dining and drinks. Ranked #4 in Best Cruise Lines for Families , it features colorful cruise ships, abundant onboard amenities, and children's clubs to make a family vacation fulfilling.

The cruise line’s Freestyle Dining policy has no fixed dining times or assigned seating. Like other big cruise lines, Norwegian ships offer complimentary activities and amenities, making it one of the best all-inclusive cruise lines in the U.S. Norwegian Cruise Line also partners with Caesars Entertainment, meaning guests can earn points between companies.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 20
• Popular Destinations: Australia, Alaska, Asia, New Zealand, Mediterranean, Europe, Caribbean, Southern America, Transatlantic, Hawaii, Africa
• Recommended Cruise: Norwegian Joy's Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean
• Duration: 11 Nights, 12 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 559 per person

16 Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Cruise critic rating: 3.7/5.

• All-inclusive packages include specialty dining, shore excursions, and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages
• Cruise costs include round-trip airfare and ground transfers

Regent Seven Seas Cruises was ranked #3 in the Best Luxury Cruise Lines as it received high ratings from experts and cruisers alike for its all-inclusive packages and luxury services. All six of Regent's ships have all-suite rooms, a personnel-to-passenger ratio of almost one to one, and personalized experiences. Its popular routes stop at more than 500 ports across the United States, Alaska, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and other regions. Each experience, from exploring amazing places, dining at specialty cruise restaurants, and taking in the evening's onboard entertainment to relaxing in a private haven at sea, is absolutely priceless.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 6
• Popular Destinations: Alaska, Arabia, Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South Pacific, South America, Transoceanic, World Tour
• Recommended Cruise: Regent Seven Seas Navigator's Cruise to the Mediterranean
• Duration: 10 Nights, 11 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 4,099 per person

15 Silversea Cruises

Cruise critic rating: 3.8/5.

• Smaller ships with all-suite accommodations travel to less-traveled locations
• Included in the cruise ticket is one complimentary shore excursion per port

Silversea Cruises is known for its ultra-luxurious all-inclusive cruises with unlimited drinks and gratuities. With excellent service and butlers for every guest, it's ranked #5 among the Best Luxury Cruise Lines . Its fleet of small cruise ships provides a wealth of chances for global exploration in over 900 intriguing locations throughout all seven continents. Travelers can pick any classic voyage, visiting well-known ports and emphasizing total destination immersion, or consider an expedition trip, which visits some of the most remote and breathtaking locations on Earth.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 12
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, Alaska, Africa, Antarctica, Arctic, Asia, Australia, Canada, French Polynesia & Pacific, Galápagos Islands, Kimberley, American West Coast, Northern Europe, Mediterranean, South America, Transoceanic
• Recommended Cruise: Silver Spirit's Cruise to the Caribbean
• Duration: 7 Nights, 8 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 3,450 per person

14 Cunard Line

• Cunard is a British ship and among the Best Cruise Lines for Couples
• These ships tend to be more classic-feeling
• Some of the Cunard Line's best voyages are through Europe

The Cunard cruise line is one of the smaller brands on the market. This cruise company was started in 1840, so Cunard has a rich history. Furthermore, Cunard offers one-way, round-trip, and transatlantic sailings to major US cities and extensive European trips.

Furthermore, Cunard sails to a variety of North American ports, including New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 4
• Popular Destinations: Australia, Alaska, Asia, New Zealand, Baltics, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Central America, Europe, South America, Transatlantic
• Recommended Cruise: Queen Mary 2's Cruise to Australia and New Zealand
• Duration : 10 Nights, 12 Days
• Price : Starting at USD 5,279 per person

13 Carnival Cruise Line

• Carnival Cruise Line is often called the "Fun Ships" line
• These cruises are budget and family-friendly
• Most dining is included in the original fare (minus specialty restaurants)

Carnival Cruise Line , aka the Fun Ships line, is considered budget-friendly because its base fares are typically low. The cruise line offers many short cruises of three or four days and longer itineraries. Traditional dining is covered in the fare, but specialty restaurants are not.

Guests can minimize costs by avoiding those venues. Also, drinks and dining packages are available, and the line frequently offers discount promotions. U.S. News named Carnival as the third-best cruise line for families .

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 27 and 1 upcoming
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, Bermuda, Alaska, Europe, Transatlantic, Australia, Panama Canal, Hawaii, Canada
• Recommended Cruise: Carnival Celebration's Cruise to the Caribbean
• Price: Starting at USD 589 per person

12 Princess Cruises

• Princess Cruises generally includes onboard events in the fare price
• This cruise line is more adult-friendly than family-oriented
• Guests must pay a fee to dine at specialty restaurants

Princess Cruises fares typically cover onboard events such as cooking classes and lectures and offer an atmosphere geared more toward adults than families with children. Main dining rooms are included in the cruise fare, and guests pay a fee to dine at specialty restaurants.

Packages are offered to cruisers who expect to dine frequently at a special venue, and there are also drinks packages. All in all, Princess Cruises stands out for its amenities and services and was ranked #3 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money by U.S. News.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 29 and 3 upcoming
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, Bermuda, Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, Cozumel and Cancun, Europe, Asia, North America, South Pacific, Transatlantic
• Recommended Cruise: Regal Princess' Cruise to the Southern Caribbean
• Duration: 12 Nights and 13 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 779 per person

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11 Oceania Cruises

• Oceania Cruises are on the more luxurious side of the market
• This cruise line is based in Miami, Florida
• Most Oceania voyages last between 10 and 14 days

Oceania Cruises , #4 in Best Luxury Cruise Lines , may be worth considering for those wanting more elegance and luxury on the open waters. This cruise company's stand-out feature is its longer-than-average trip schedules.

For example, most Oceania cruises are out at sea for between 10 and 14 days, with some cruises lasting 195 days. The boats are mid-size, often boasting lavish decor and beautiful rooms/suites.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 8
• Popular Destinations: Caribbean, South America, Panama Canal, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, Holy Lands, North America, Central America, South Pacific, Transatlantic, Asia, Around the World
• Recommended Cruise : Oceania Regatta Cruise to Around The World
• Duration : 41 Nights, 42 Days
• Price : Starting at USD 14,499 per person

10 Holland America Line

Cruise critic rating: 3.9/5.

• Holland America is a more exclusive luxury cruise ship option
• There are better deals for those headed to the Caribbean
• Each guest will receive attention on this line

Considered a premium cruise line, Holland America can be a good bargain, particularly for Caribbean cruises, which can cost under $300 per person for five days of sailing. The ranking shows that the line does not skimp on service but offers individualized attention to guests.

The line provides free room service and several all-inclusive pricing options that can be booked as packages before sailing, ranking it as #5 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money . The cruise line attracts mainly an adult and older adult crowd and offers many onboard programs such as lectures, cooking classes, and music performances.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 11
• Popular Destinations: North & South America, Europe, Asia, South Pacific, Transatlantic
• Recommended Cruise: Holland America Nieuw Statendam's Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean
• Duration: 7 Nights and 8 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 999 per person

Holland America is a fancier, more exclusive cruise line option. If someone prefers to live lavishly on the open seas, this company may be the best choice.

Related: Explore Far-Flung Ports With This All-Suite Cruise Line

9 Royal Caribbean International

• Royal Caribbean owns some of the largest cruise ships
• Rates for Royal Caribbean cruise ships tend to be affordable

Royal Caribbean has 29 ships in its fleet, including some of the largest sailing vessels . The ranking survey found that it can keep overall rates low because it accommodates many cruisers per ship. Some cruises can start at under $250 per person . The line offers itineraries across the globe and, like some other cruise lines, has its own private island in the Bahamas .

Overall, Royal Caribbean is #2 in Best Cruise Lines for Families and is also a great choice for those traveling solo, as there is always something to see, do, and experience.

• Recommended Cruise: Oasis of the Seas' Cruise to the Western Mediterranean
• Price: Starting at USD 1,028 per person

8 Windstar Cruises

Cruise critic rating: 4.1/5.

• Small cruise ships for an intimate and personalized experience
• The onboard dining is seasonal and sourced from a port along the journey

For those looking for an intimate experience packed with luxuries with fewer passengers around, Windstar Cruises serves all purposes. With a fleet of six yachts, each accommodating between 148 and 342 guests and providing intimacy, space, and freedom, it is one of the best small-ship cruise lines in the U.S. Also, it offers modern amenities and immersive entertainment to ensure a vacation full of priceless memories. It offers luxury trips to more than 50 countries and 150 ports worldwide, including Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, the US West Coast, and Central America.

• Popular Destinations: Canary Islands, Caribbean, South America, Panama Canal, Latin America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, U.S. Coastal, Tahiti
• Recommended Cruise: Windstar Star Legend's Cruise to Greece
• Duration: 8 Nights, 9 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 3,599 per person

7 Celebrity Cruises

• Celebrity Cruises are known to have excellent service and employees
• Rates are historically cheaper for those headed to the Bahamas and the Caribbean
• Room service is free on this ship, minus specialty drinks

Celebrity Cruises has a good reputation for service. Furthermore, some prices for the Bahamas and Caribbean cruises can be less than $250 per cruiser, ranking it as #2 in Best Cruise Lines for the Money . The survey points out that the line offers perks such as free room service and many complimentary amenities. Dining, drinks, spa, and Wi-Fi packages can be bought in advance , helping cut costs.

• Number of Ships in Fleet: 16 and 1 upcoming
• Popular Destinations: Alaska, Antarctica, Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Galápagos, Greek Island, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Mexico
• Recommended Cruise: Celebrity Silhouette's Cruise to the Bahamas
• Duration: 4 Nights 5 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 250 per person

Celebrity Cruises may be a good choice for travelers wanting to go to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. This cruise line offers various packages to help cut down on Wi-Fi, food, drink, and spa prices.

6 Hurtigruten Expeditions

• Hurtigruten Expedition provides fascinating global adventure cruises to several interesting locations
• Every ship in the fleet today has been thoughtfully designed to combine contemporary amenities with authentic charm

Originally well-known for its trips to the Arctic and Antarctic, Hurtigruten Expeditions (now HX) has expanded its offerings. At present, it operates expedition cruises to some of the most secluded and unspoiled locations in the world. Its fleet includes small boats built for difficult waters that make their way to places like the Galápagos Islands, Africa, Antarctica, and the Arctic. Every expedition ship provides visitors with the finest possible expedition experience and exploration while also taking advantage of the first-rate leisure and wellness facilities available.

• Popular Destinations: Alaska, Antarctica, British Isles, Caribbean, Europe, Galápagos Islands, Greenland, Iceland, North America, South America, Canada, Norway, Svalbard, Transoceanic, West Africa
• Recommended Cruise: Hurtigruten Roald Amundsen's Cruise to the USA
• Price: Starting at USD 3,202 per person

5 Seabourn Cruise Line

• Known for offering the crème de la crème cruise experiences
• It is an all-suite cruise, with each suite offering majestic ocean views

Sebourne is one of the cruise lines ranked as the #2 Best Luxury Cruise Lines , with an abundance of upscale amenities and trips to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Alaska, as well as exotic destinations in Asia, Australia, and even the Arctic. There is a wide range of dining choices, onboard entertainment options, and excursions on all cruises.

The cruise line's eight ships feature a fitness center, spa, salon, casinos, pools, nine-hole golf courses, and live music venues, among other features. All the ships have suites with ocean views as accommodations.

• Popular Destinations: Europe, South Pacific, Transatlantic, North & South America, Asia, Australia
• Recommended Cruise: Seabourn Ovation's Cruise to the Southern Caribbean
• Price: Starting at USD 3,799 per person

4 Virgin Voyages

• U.S. News named Virgin Voyages as the Best Cruise Line for the Money
• This cruise line is all-inclusive, meaning food/drink/Wi-Fi costs will not be added
• Virgin ships are adult-only, so those with children can not book a trip

Virgin Voyages ranked at the top of the list for value. The cruise line created by British mogul Richard Branson is mostly all-inclusive, meaning nearly everything is covered in the cruise fare. The exception is some high-end spirits at certain venues.

However, all restaurants and virtually all beverages are included, along with sports facilities and group fitness classes, including yoga. Even crew tips are covered . Virgin Voyages ships are among the industry’s best cruise lines for adults only , with a minimum guest age of 18.

• Popular Destinations: South Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Transatlantic, Australia, Mediterranean, Adriatic
• Recommended Cruise: Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady's Cruise to the Caribbean
• Price: Starting at USD 726 per person

Cruise Critic Rating: 4.2/5

• Comparatively, small ships offering an intimate atmosphere for couples
• Cruise cost includes gratuities and most nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages

Azamara , the fourth-best cruise line for couples , provides its passengers with a variety of exciting activities, delectable food, and luxurious cabins. Whether passengers choose a four-night cruise or a 26-night trip, each offers amenities such as onboard lounges, fitness centers, dance classes, wine tastings, and evening dance and music performances.

Along with onboard activities, passengers have the opportunity to learn about the culture, traditions, and history of the port cities, making this small-ship cruise line a favorite among frequent travelers.

• Popular Destinations: America, Caribbean, Transoceanic, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East
• Recommended Cruise: Azamara Quest's Cruise to South America
• Duration: 17 Nights, 18 Days
• Price: Starting at USD 2,380 per person

2 Disney Cruise Line

• Disney Cruise Line is the Best Cruise Line for Families
• This company offers the magic of its theme parks onboard each ship

Disney Cruise Line is one cruise ship company that continues to grow and improve. This company, which started in 1995, has become a premier option for travelers wanting a luxurious yet family-friendly option on the open waters.

It's also worth mentioning that Disney Cruise Lines allow visitors to experience character meet-and-greets, interactive experiences, and one-of-a-kind dining, shopping, and amenities. All in all, Disney Cruise Line is the best for families traveling with younger kids (particularly for children under 10 years).

• Popular Destinations: Bermuda, Caribbean, Jamaica, Mexico, Alaska, Bahamas, Cozumel and Cancun, Asia, North America, Europe, South Pacific, Transatlantic
• Recommended Cruise: Disney Dream's Cruise to the Bahamas
• Duration : 4 Nights, 5 Days
• Price : Starting at USD 1,114 per person

1 Viking Ocean Cruises

Cruise critic rating: 4.6/5.

• Viking Ocean Cruises are often smaller ships
• This company is based in Switzerland and specializes in European destinations

Wondering which cruise line has the highest rating? Well, Viking Cruises has the highest ranking on this list. This company is based in Basel, Switzerland, and its marketing headquarters are in Los Angeles, California. This company mainly focuses on river, ocean, and expedition cruises.

Viking ships tend to be on the smaller side, so this could be a great way to meet others on board and have a more intimate experience at sea. The smaller boat sizes also allow them to move effortlessly along less-traveled paths, which is neat. Ranked #1 in Best Cruise Lines for Couples by U.S. News , Viking Oceans is ideal for a romantic retreat at sea.

• Popular Destinations: America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Australia
• Recommended Cruise: Viking Venus' Cruise to the Baltic Sea
• Duration : 12 Nights, 13 Days
• Price : Starting at USD 10,999 per person
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