River Cruises - United States Cruise Reviews

The cruise was very enjoyable. Unfortunately,when cruising you are dependent upon the moods and conditions of the river.

Great boat, crew, and itinerary. Food is just ok. The chef needs to get creative.

We had a very good cruise - especially after we were at 1st told we would not go to/through The Bonneville Locks nor to Astoria as the locks were not fully repaired. The night before our cruise to Stevenson where we were to spend 2 plus days we were given the good news that the locks had opened and our trip would be completed as planned. We were somewhat fortunate in that the premium tour to Multnomah Falls and the Vista house had been canceled initially, but once the locks reopened American Queen company decided to make the Falls an excursion at NO cost and credited us for our Premium tour monies. They could not do the Vista house however due to scheduling issues at that point. As to the ship itself - we liked the layout, the rooms were a bit small but very comfortable and the veranda had plenty of space. The public areas were clean and we were impressed with the ‘on your honor’ gift shop and availability of assistance at the Pursers Office. We dined every evening in the Astoria dining room except for Friday when we had made reservations at the River Grill. It was our lucky night as it was also lobster night in the grill. Meal variety in the Astoria dining room was very good and we were pleased with everything offered. We utilized the River Grill and Astoria dining room for both breakfast and lunch depending on our mood and time available. We were greeted everywhere on board by staff with a friendly face and pleasant attitude. Everyone seemed to ‘have’ a minute to answer a question or to say hi or to ask how we were doing. The entertainment was unbelievably good and while the Empress Quartet did a great job - we really liked Anna Carroll as well as Greg and Lindy who were our favorite singers. We went to the Paddlewheel lounge every evening to hear Frank Chase the piano player/comedian - and felt he was one of the best we had ever seen. As far as the Hop On Hop off buses - they did a great job, were on time and very accommodating, especially with those that required a little more time or assistance due to mobility issues. The itinerary at each port was very good and interesting Except the ‘shopping’ stops in all the ports except Astoria left a lot to be desired. For example in Richland, Wa. the shopping stop included 2 small restaurants (yes we ate at Porters BBQ (of Diners Drive In and Dives fame). There was a Small 2nd hand women’s clothes boutique, a bakery, a furniture store, a couple of insurance offices, a tattoo shop, and several empty or under construction buildings. The weather was perfect all along the way until the Stevenson area and remainder of the cruise. The weather turned very cool, a little rainy, and windy until we were on tour in Portland when it was milder. Overall we we truly were happy that we did this trip, and were impressed enough that we are now talking of doing the Memphis to New Orleans cruise on the American Queen - as also several staff said it was a bigger and very elegant vessel and great cruise.

Very glad we went - would use them again but would want to stay on the smaller ships.

Nice experience. I don't feel they adequately prepared for flooding on Mississippi and tthe likely need to divert to the Ohio river.

We took this cruise specifically for the Lewis and Clark expedition. It met that requirement. We were fortunate that we had great weather the entire time. I enjoyed river cruising, got a different perspective from that of driving or training. Glad we did the cruise, would not do another.

This was a great family cruise (not for young children, though). The boat was very interesting, especially the steam powered paddle wheels. The trip was quite relaxing. My son got to play the calliope.

Best I have ever been on. Want to go again as soon as possible. The boat, crew, staff and entertainers are all first class. The experience will not be forgotten!

Had a fun time with friends! Food was tasty & fresh, but slow and as time went on, dining ran smoother. Wait staff was attentive but short handed. Purser's desk was well staffed & knowledgeable. Entertainment was good. Ports of call were interesting for the most part. We liked the hop on hop off feature with narration from a guide.

I would not recommend this cruiseline. The staff for all intents and purposes are unprofessional and untrained. The ship is older and not well maintained. It is NOT worth the price they charge.

Excellent trip for older people. 98 percent of people on the trip were 60 or older. There were a few families and several teens with their grandparents. Food was good and the entertainment was excellent. It was easy to get around at the various stops. The boat has 3 buses that follows the route on land. They were present at each stop to transport us to town. They followed a route to each point of interest, so you could get on and off the bus depending on what you were interested in visiting. The weather was hot and humid at this time of the year. We enjoyed the post trip to the brewery in St. Louis. Graceland is highly commercialized. All in all a relaxing trip. 

This was our first-time ever on the Chesapeake Bay, and it won't be our last as there are just SO MANY excursions available...and not enough time. Unfortunately, a "once in a lifetime" winter storm hindered our willingness to venture out in the cold. It was safe, snug, and warm on board; and we spent a lot of time just enjoying the ship. Special kudos to Cruise Director Chris Roby for keeping us entertained throughout the days, and to Hotel General Manager Bill Cummings for always checking to be sure we were enjoying our voyage. All in all, a wonderful way to enjoy the Christmas/New Year's holidays.

The American Symphony was christened in 2022, it is a lovely ship with so many areas away from your staterooms which are larger than most and beautifully appointed, including a reading room, game room, and office with two computers, which came in handy when getting your boarding pass for your return home . A Christmas cruise promises to be lively. The ship was decked out for Christmas and the chef hosted classes on decorating gingerbread houses, and cookie decorating. We even had a gift exchange. From the minute we arrived at the ship the deck crew met and carried our luggage directly to our stateroom, no waiting. Unpacking when well with ample storage space and closet. Each stateroom comes with a balcony, two chairs and a table. Although the weather wasn't too conducive for sitting out in December, I did pop out to take several photos. The crew was amazing, from Mason the Hotel General Manager, to Colin the Cruise Director, Mikalla the excursions director, and the Housekeeping Manager Thania and her team which cleaned each room daily and dropped off the "ship to shore" daily calendar to the room each night while we were at dinner. Our executive chef and her crew of cooks and Alex our dining room manager and his waiters were simply wonderful, caring individuals who took the time to get to know the guests without being intrusive.

We didn't know Florida had rivers, a best kept secret. The rivers are relatively short thus there isn't a lot of time cruising, and a lot of time spent on excellent shore excursions. Do Not miss the Manatees!! The Entertainment Director Courtney, lecturer Mike, on-board artist Nancy, and great port tour guides all combined to give us a multi-dimensional perspective of the Great Rivers of Florida. Great memories.

This was a beautiful cruise and filled with lots of memories. The great staff and crew definitely enhanced every detail of our cruise. Our staterooms were comfortable and well appointed. Our meals were absolutely delicious. Each meal offered something for everyone. We got to visit and explore beautiful ports we had only heard of. Our excursions gave us many opportunities to explore and learn about the ports we visited and see this amazing river and some beautiful homes and structures. I think I could enjoy this cruise again many times over.

WOW! Where to begin. Great Staff and Crew definitely enhanced every detail of our cruise. Our staterooms were perfectly appointed and comfortable. Our meals were absolutely delicious. Each meal offered something for everyone. We got to visit and explore beautiful ports we had only ever heard of. Our excursions gave us many opportunities to explore the ports we visited.

Overall this cruise experience was fabulous. I had never traveled on an American small ship before. Comparing to the ocean vessels and the European river ships, this far exceeded my expectation. Thank you American Symphony

I am thrilled that we decided to take the American Revolution and Chesapeake Bay 10 day cruise! We boated privately on these waters for years but the experience is totally different ( and MUCH more relaxing) when you take an ACL cruise. We were able to pair our love for boating with our thirst for adventure and history. On top of that, we made wonderful new friends, couldn't resist the awesome and abundant food and were entertained nightly. I wish it could continue but I promise we will return - on this itinerary or on another exciting offering from ACL. Thank you for the memories!

The ports along the Hudson were very entertaining and educational, as is the rule on this cruise line. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we enjoyed mile after mile of fantastic fall foliage color. Although we live in the northeast, we have never seen such a display of nature’s splendor. All in all, I would take this cruise again, next year!

We are very experienced travelers and have been on over 30 ocean cruises including voyages on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Celebrity, Azamara, and others. We were very disappointed with our experience on American Cruise Lines. This was the most expensive cruise per day onboard that we have ever paid and it was the poorest ship experience. I would say that we paid a 5.5-star price and ACL provided a 2-star experience. The facility was in poor condition with stains on many rugs, many light bulbs burned out, unprofessional painting, empty Defibrillator station, etc. (see attached photos). Security on the boat was non-existent, with no reliable way to check who is leaving or entering the boat. There was no system in the dining room. Some of the waiters were terrible and others were fairly good, but not well trained. The kitchen was unreliable. Some days we waited 30 plus minutes for eggs in the morning and we got no fruit or anything while waiting. Some food came totally cold like waffles and French fries. Some meals had long delays such as 2 hour dinners. The trip was advertised to include stops at 12 cities/ towns along the river plus New Orleans when we paid more than $26,000 for the 2 of us. We only stopped in 7 of these 12 and 2 of the 7 stops were far outside of town. The trip, the management and the boat were a total disaster.