American Cruise Lines, COASTAL SHIP, completed in 2000 at the owner's Chesapeake Shipyard in Maryland, takes just 49 passengers on close-to-shore itineraries in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Intracoastal Waterway.
A training program has greatly improved service from the all-American crew. The fares are as high as they get in the coastal industry, but ACL does not lack for passengers willing to pay for the comfortable accommodations and easy life aboard.
The company had its first start in the 1970s; then the owners sold the business and in a few years it folded. Revived with the American Eagle in 2000, the company now operates four small coastal ships, and a subsidiary brand, Pearl Seas, is to begin in 2009 with the first of two ocean-going ships. ACL owns a shipyard near Salisbury, Maryland that builds for its own fleet as well as dinner-type boats for other operators.
Older North Americans who enjoy seeing their own country without having to drive, except maybe to the ship, flock to the line. They come from all over the U.S. and Canada and relish in the convivial social atmosphere. Name tags with hometowns provide icebreakers. Suggested tipping levels are high and guidelines are offered at the end of the cruise.
The American Eagle makes Intracoastal Waterway trips between Charleston, South Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland and Chesapeake Bay cruises based in Baltimore. These latter cruises cover the Eastern and Western Shore. Most cruises last 7 days and normally the vessel is tied up by dinner for a quiet night at a town dock, allowing passengers to drift ashore for a stroll.
Shore excursions (walking tours from the landing or by bus to historic sites and stately houses) are very casual and fairly priced. Local historians come aboard to give after-dinner talks, usually in addition to a general enrichment lecturer who lives aboard.
Four decks may not sound like much, but public space is among the roomiest on any coastal ship. The forward-facing Nantucket Lounge seats everyone living-room-style in a variety of very comfortable groupings, and midship, the shipwide foyer offers additional seating for a quiet read on a rainy day. The library, which fills a cabin-sized space, has a TV and VCR in addition to books.
The three-sided, glass-enclosed dining room provides open seating at large, round tables and single passengers will find it easy to join in. The ship doesn't have a liquor license, so complimentary drinks are served at the very popular cocktail hour, and decent red and white wines are served at dinner and are available for the asking at lunch. Tasty hors d'oeuvres might include shrimp, beef satay with peanut sauce or melted brie on French bread. Chefs come with good culinary credentials, and their expertise shows in the delicious and often creative meals.
Set dinner menus with a choice of two main courses might include grilled artichoke hearts, hearts of palm in balsamic vinegar, sliced duck breast, lobster or grilled catfish, and desserts such as chocolate mousse in a pastry shell. Luncheon offerings are lighter, such as crab cakes, chicken Caesar salad or make-your-own sandwich. The top deck is open to the sky with enough deck chairs for everyone. Additional covered deck space faces aft, and the open deck forward of the lounge is open for viewing when the deck hands are not handling the lines.
The five cabin categories are all outsides. Cane-style settees are comfortable for an afternoon read, and windows slide open to admit breezes. AA cabins at 192 sq ft compare very favorably with 123 sq ft offered aboard the former Nantucket Clipper (now Spirit of Glacier Bay) and the 140 sq ft on the Spirit of Yorktown. AAV cabins spread out to 249 sq ft, including narrow verandas, which are unique to this fleet. Six cabins are dedicated singles priced at about 150 percent of the AA fare. Amenities are TVs, sitting areas and decent hanging and drawer space.
This is coastal ship cruising plain and simple, with no casino, spa, shops or celebratory dining extravaganzas. The American Eagle makes for a most pleasant vacation away from milling throngs, offering itineraries that celebrate Americana, often with a lecturer aboard and/or visiting local historians in selected ports.
The only East Coast small ship competition is now American Canadian Caribbean Line, and this fleet offers more basic accommodations and a much lower price. Similar coastal itineraries and small ships operate from Mexico's Sea of Cortes and the Pacific Northwest to the Inside Passage to Alaska.
