Is American Cruise Lines worth it for a river cruise?
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 10 November 2026
No verdict of ours: the facts American Cruise Lines publishes on its own website, read 10 November 2026, topic by topic, each with a link to the page it came from.
Is American Cruise Lines worth it for a river cruise?
It depends on what you want included. American Cruise Lines sells US river cruises on ships of 90 to 180 guests; its fares include all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and at least one Featured shore excursion in each port.
What is American Cruise Lines?
American Cruise Lines is an all-American family company that sells US river cruises; it says it operates the only 100% U.S. flagged fleet of riverboats and small ships in the world, built and flagged in the USA and crewed by Americans; it traces its roots to 1972, when Charles A. Robertson started it with his wife, Carol. Source
Which ships does American Cruise Lines sail?
American Cruise Lines runs a fleet of riverboats and small ships that it puts at over 25, all operating solely in the U.S., including four classic paddlewheelers fully renovated in 2022; its affiliate Chesapeake Shipbuilding designs and builds the ships in its fleet. It gives no separate count of its river ships. Source
How many guests are on board?
American Cruise Lines says its ships carry between 90 and 180 guests and that it is committed to keeping all ships under 200 passengers. Source
Which rivers does American Cruise Lines sail?
American Cruise Lines sells US river cruises, among them the Lower Mississippi River Cruise; it says it offers more U.S. river cruises than any other line and calls the Mississippi the first river most people think of for cruising in the United States. Source
What does the fare include?
American Cruise Lines' fares include all meals and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from soft drinks and water to coffee and tea, complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner and at least one complimentary Featured shore excursion in each port; Premium excursions cost extra, typically $10 to $99 per person. Source
Are shore excursions included?
American Cruise Lines offers at least one complimentary Featured shore excursion in each port on all its itineraries, from over 600 excursions with typically two to four options per port; Premium excursions typically cost $10 to $99 per person and Signature excursions are for very small groups. Source
What do solo travellers pay?
American Cruise Lines has a select number of single occupancy staterooms on its ships; one person in a double stateroom pays 150% of the double occupancy rate, depending on the stateroom type. Source
What if your mobility is limited?
American Cruise Lines says most ships have an elevator between passenger decks; American Independence, American Star and American Spirit have limited elevator access and it asks guests to call for details. Source
When is American Cruise Lines not the fit?
The limit below is published by American Cruise Lines on its own website.
- American Cruise Lines: not the fit if you want to sail outside the US: it says its over 25 ships operate solely in the U.S. Source
American Cruise Lines at a glance
Its card, as on every Uncompromised Travel river cruise page: what it sells, why to choose it, what to ask for and the limits it publishes.
American Cruise Lines
- Best for
- All-inclusive US river cruises with excursions
- What it sells
- Sells cruises only in the US on over 25 small ships and riverboats, on rivers including the Mississippi, Ohio, Columbia, Snake, Hudson, Arkansas and Potomac.
- Why choose them
- Founded in 1972 by shipbuilder Charles A. Robertson with his wife Carol.
- Ask for
- Ask for the hotel night and transfer to the ship included on new bookings, plus the Featured shore excursion included in each port.
- Not the fit if
- you need a lift on every ship, as American Independence, American Star and American Spirit have limited lift access.
Is American Cruise Lines worth it for a river cruise?: the questions people ask
How many guests are on board with American Cruise Lines?
American Cruise Lines says its ships carry between 90 and 180 guests and that it is committed to keeping all ships under 200 passengers.
What does the fare include with American Cruise Lines?
American Cruise Lines' fares include all meals and snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks from soft drinks and water to coffee and tea, complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner and at least one complimentary Featured shore excursion in each port; Premium excursions cost extra, typically $10 to $99 per person.
Are excursions included with American Cruise Lines?
American Cruise Lines offers at least one complimentary Featured shore excursion in each port on all its itineraries, from over 600 excursions with typically two to four options per port; Premium excursions typically cost $10 to $99 per person and Signature excursions are for very small groups.
Is there a single supplement with American Cruise Lines?
American Cruise Lines has a select number of single occupancy staterooms on its ships; one person in a double stateroom pays 150% of the double occupancy rate, depending on the stateroom type.
How do I compare prices like for like?
Ask for a written quote for the same dates, the same river and the same cabin type, with every inclusion listed: excursions, drinks, gratuities, wifi, flights, transfers and hotel nights. The price lines above give what each line publishes and on what basis.
Can I book directly?
Yes. Each card links the line's own website; ask for a written quote that lists what the fare includes.
Where can I check these facts myself?
Every line on this page links the page of the line's own website it was read from, read 10 November 2026.
Is any company on this page paying to be here?
No. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel; none paid to be on it.
Read next
Built to answer the question in the main heading. What is shown: what the line published on its own website, read on 10 November 2026, with links to the pages read. Google and Trustpilot figures are shown where the listing carries the line's own name, from the Uncompromised Travel river cruise lines table. No score and no verdict. No company on this page is a partner of Uncompromised Travel. How this site earns · How we work.