Fabulous River Cruise
American Harmony Cruise Review to River Cruises - United States
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 22
7 Night Columbia & Snake Rivers (Clarkston To Portland)
Sail date: July 07, 2021
Ship: American Harmony
Cabin number: 240
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
We visited/toured many interesting cities along the rivers showcasing wineries, museums and many locks and hydroelectric plants/dams. Some of the tours we visited are shown below: Richland, WA – We toured the REACH Museum. This museum discusses the Manhattan Project and the Hanford Research Facility. It also covers the local geographical features and history. A very interesting museum. We also toured the Sacajawea State Park on the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. This location also includes a little museum. A good place to learn about Sacajawea and her involvement in the Lewis and Clark “Corps of Discovery” in 1803 – 1806. The Dalles, OR – In The Dalles, we walked into town and toured the National Neon Sign Museum. Later in the day, we took The Dalles Loop, a bus ride around the town provided by the cruise line. Stevenson, WA – We took the Multnomah Falls trip in the morning and the Bonneville Dam Tour in the afternoon. The water falls are very impressive; great place to take photos. I went all the way to the top of the falls and the view was amazing!!! The Dam is a very significant hydroelectric plant along the Columbia River. It's a very interesting tour. It also included a trip to a fish hatchery showcasing some of the largest sturgeon around. Kalama, WA – In Kalama, we took the bus trip to Mount St. Helens. It's a 4 to 5 hour round trip and it was a phenomenal stop! Astoria, OR – The dock is next to a interesting museum and a Coast Guard Station. We took the trip to Cape Disappointment in the morning. This is the end of the road (river). The drive is fantastic and the visitor center very well done. It's larger than you think so plan on at least an hour in the area. In the afternoon, we toured Fort Clatsop, the last winter stopping place for Lewis and Clark. The fort is a full sized replica and the museum is very nice. American Cruise Lines provided bus tours to get to the excursions and always had water on board for everyone~ The fees for the museums and bus trips, in most cases, were included in the cruise cost. On board staff tips were also included In the cost of the cruise. Overall, we learned a lot about the Lewis and Clark expedition from the historian on board, the museums and local guides. You will learn about the extensive history and geography of Washington and Oregon states on this trip. The Harmony staff were wonderful … always ready to help. The cruise was great. You will see many beautiful areas, museums, churches and houses along the rivers and you will meet super nice people on the ship, both staff and cruisers. The other cruise guests were professionals so I found them to be very interesting! You will also walk a good amount! Bring good walking shoes. American really took good care of us; they were always there to make sure everything was taken care of during the trip and on the excursions. They really took the time and effort to show how much they cared. A great trip and the first of we hope, many, aboard American Cruise Lines!Embarkation
Loved the embarkation experience because it was very efficient and quick. There was no long wait lines and the entire crew was cheerful, helpful and cordial!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We had never been on a river cruise before so there was only one main dining room. We had an outdoor cookout area on the upper deck for the afternoon and we had a snack area on a lower deck. The ship's food was just fabulous! I enjoyed everything and the desserts were exceptional. In addition, when we were in a port with a specific fruit or vegetable they always had something on the menu from that area! Another interesting aspect about American cruise line was the drinks. You could have a coke, a rum and coke, a vodka tonic, beer or wine or just about anything and there was no extra charge. I love having a glass of wine at dinner and they had their own exquisite ones for your pleasure! It was certainly a nice touch that I enjoyed! They also provided room service, too!
Onboard Activities
Fitness center was great to have onboard, but just walking on the decks was terrific exercise! Since we were traveling the Lewis and Clarke expedition route, we had many interesting lectures on the pioneers, the area we traversed, the animals, the building techniques used and most importantly, the indigenous Indian peoples of the area. We also had an awesome artist aboard who taught watercolor and everyone's art really came out phenomenally....
Entertainment
We had fantastic pianists and singers every night; sometimes a duet. They had a different era of music each night, too! In addition, we had expert lecturers from the area come onboard and the pinnacle of the lecturers were native Americans who came to educate the guests on their culture, their history and their dance. They performed dances and drummed for us! It was very informative! Another awesome item was that almost all the excursions were complimentary and at every port there were usually 2 or more complimentary excursions. There were also excursions that cost a fee but all of the excursions were so worth while. We went on a high speed river boat ride down to Hell's Canyon and it was a small fee that was very worthwhile.
Children's Programs
The river cruise didn't really have too many young children aboard.
Service and Staff
From the Captain, who greeted you back onto the ship every day after the excursion, to the steward they all deserve five stars! I cannot emphasize this enough! Even our waitress had a suggestion a day for whatever excursions we were going on. One suggestion was a fabulous jewelry store in town with handmade jewelry made by local native Americans!
Ship Quality
This is my favorite question because the ship's design is GENIUS! We could literally dock alongside the embankment because the entire forward portion of the ship would open up on hydraulic lifts, like a can opener and we could disembark in minutes onto a portable dock and then on to a grassy knoll. Nothing could stop us from going almost anywhere along the river! AND CLEAN as a whistle was this ship! Everything was well maintained, inviting and exceptionally sanitary! BUT the DESIGN was just fantastic!
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin had a balcony which was really great. Watching the goats along the mountainside which flanked both sides of our river was unusual to say the least! The size was by far the LARGEST we have every enjoyed! It had a full size bathroom and closet too! So very comfortable and clean and beautiful!
Ship tip
TRY a river cruise!!!!! We had never been on a river cruise, before, but this is the BEST way to travel because it had all the amenities that larger ships might have but the ambiance was really special. Due to its small nature, we were really able to get to know other guests aboard the ship. We met doctors, scientists, business owners and just very interesting people. Each person had their own unique story and we really got to know them and enjoy their company!
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Mount St. Helens was magnificent. It was so interesting to discover the effects of the volcano on this area. We could still see the trees that were felled on that momentous occasion.
Portland, Oregon
Disembarkation
Again it was an excellent disembarkation from the ship. The staff was very supportive of all the guests and each person's individual needs!