American Constellation Cruise Reviews

We recently returned from a lovely Fall sailing on the ACL Constellation through the San Juan Islands and along the Puget Sound, near Seattle. Embarkation was simple and quick, and soon we were seated for our first lunch, served with a nice selection of wines and always, a tempting choice of desserts and homemade ice creams! The ACL staterooms are much larger than those on most of the cruise lines, and we found more than enough drawers to easily stow all our belongings. After an entertaining introduction to the crew and dozens of excursions to consider, we had time to relax before each night’s reception/‘cocktail hour’ in the third floor lounge. We particularly enjoy the smaller round dining room tables, which make it easy to meet and chat with other fellow cruisers and keen travellers at each meal. The cocktail hour, with a well-stocked bar and friendly crew/bar tenders, is also a great time to relax and share stories with others. Though barely necessary, there are always warm appetizers available at this time - our favourites being the ones with salmon, scallops and other delicious shellfish. We noticed several new dishes on the menu, no doubt due to the charming Chef Nelson, from New Orleans. She has an infectious personality and we loved the cooking demonstrations she did once or twice, in the lounge at cocktail hour. We were disappointed when she left to join another ship, but it will be a treat for other ACL cruisers to discover her talents! We spent the next 10 days exploring cute little towns on the San Juan Islands (Port Townsend and Friday Harbour), as well as Puget Sound towns like Bremerton and Tacoma with great museums and huge harbours, all with a rich history of shipping, fishing, logging and naval exploration. In addition to local walking tours or hikes, and bus trips to go further afield, there were excursions on the water, affording an opportunity to view the coastline, and scan the shores and open waters for eagles, herons, sea lions, seals and even whales! We had a great time on a Jet Boat tour that sped beneath Deception Pass with a huge bridge connecting 2 islands. There was a day-long excursion that gave us the opportunity to sail from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C., Canada. We needed our passports, but the U.S./Can. Customs clearing was quite quick, and soon we were off to the incredible Butchart Gardens, just outside the city. We saw sites along the way and were entertained by the jovial knowledgeable driver. The bright sunshine made a gorgeous backdrop as we sailed home out of the Victoria Harbour, and back to our ship. All of the above trips and choices were well-organized and explained in detail each night before the evening entertainment. Throughout the cruise we heard good comments about ‘Kody’, our excellent Cruise Director. He is one of the best we’ve ever had on our many cruises: he was unfailingly warm, attentive, organized and so engaging and funny! Both he and our amazing Guest Speaker/Naturalist Katie, were a true highlight of our time onboard. Katie was also easy and fun to chat with and she had a depth of knowledge regarding local history, wildlife, exploration and geography that never failed to amaze, and yet she was able to make her talks sound ‘conversational’, instead of a series of facts. There was also a talented musician, Marc, who either played during cocktail hour or provided the evening entertainment with his themed music presentations, accompanied by his saxophone, harmonica, and flute! There were also onboard artists, during the week we sailed, and we appreciated being able to join in for lessons or making really nice take-home projects, even for those with little confidence in their art skills. This being the Northwest, there were some days with rain, but also much sunshine to view the trees just beginning to change color! It was never cold and even in the rain, this is a beautiful and welcoming part of the country. The Constellation is just the right size to get to know friendly people and, unlike the larger ships, we were able to explore this rich coastline in a warm and comfortable setting.

We had never cruised along the entire Inside Passage and have been wanting to do so forever. I'm so happy we did! The weather was stupendous (even the misty days which have their own style of beauty), the scenery incomparable and as ever, the service impeccable. We were sailing under the trusty and affable Captain Bryan, who makes every voyage a pleasure. Sailing down the Wrangell Narrows was exciting and we saw sea life and whales! Food was delicious and presented beautifully. We looked forward to every meal with pleasure. All in all, it was a marvelous experience. All staff was ready to fulfill our every need and each encounter was met with a smile and friendly greeting. We felt very welcome. I would have been happy to live on the American Constellation forever! The ship was “ship-shape” everywhere and staff were visible each day cleaning, polishing and making us comfortable.

ACL is the only line we will cruise with! " Small ship cruising, done perfectly" is their motto and it's absolutely accurate. A marvelous experience was had by my husband and me on the recent Whale Watching cruise in the San Juan Islands, on the American Constellation. Many whales were seen by all, and we were alerted without fail to any action in the water. This was our first experience cruising the San Juans and it was amazing! Such excellent service and accommodations are not to be found on any other cruise line. We were always greeted by friendly smiles and sincere desire to accommodate our every wish. The food - how delicious! Again, the staff in the dining room were swift and accurate, and on such a small cruise they got to know our names and our preferences. Lecturers and music were excellent, as was the art class held each day. We knew Captain Bryan from an earlier cruise and he was welcoming and friendly once again.We highly recommend American Cruise Line!