History-rich ports abound on American Cruise Lines’Cape Codder itinerary. Sailing from Boston, the ship hops around New England, visiting Gloucester, nearly 400 years old and the setting for “The Perfect Storm”; Plymouth, site of a 17th-century village, not to mention Plymouth Rock; Martha’s Vineyard, home to blossom-bedecked cottages and galleries galore; Newport, famed for its fabled Gilded Age mansions; New Bedford, whose storied cobblestone streets and waterfront inspired Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”; and Provincetown, where the Mayflower Trolley delivers visitors to summer-bustling shops and sweeping dunes. Together they tell a tale of an America that reaches from the earliest times in a Massachusetts colony to the era of whaling capitals, as well as to the days of the 19th-century Rhode Island superrich.
For cruisers, it’s an opportunity to learn about the country’s seafaring legacy in museums such as those of Gloucester and New Bedford, to marvel at the opulent interior of Newport’s The Breakers, and to soak up vistas of the sleek craft and seabirds of Cape Cod Bay from the vantage of a ship sundeck or private balcony. Whale-watching, anyone?
This stunning round-up of New England ports is served up by the Cape Codder itinerary (sailing May, June, July and August in 2023), a scenic coastal cruise on board American Cruise Lines’ (ACL) 175-passenger American Constitution, launched in 2018 and designed to navigate the waterways of the East Coast. The Cape Codder—the line’s newest New England offering—is an 8-day itinerary, roundtrip from Boston, that takes in seven ports of call with guided excursion options at each, most of them included in the fare.
As for the onboard experience, you can tell clients that the ship is its own island of serenity, an easygoing escape from a clamorous world.
Dining room seating is open and the pace is leisurely. Passengers opt for a casual dress code. No crowds, no lines, including during the seamless boarding process and when setting out on shore tours. Tell clients they will likely be happily surprised by the size of staterooms. The popular Veranda Suite, for instance, serves up 450 sq. ft. of space, with a furnished balcony. I loved having a well-stocked Keurig at hand, not to mention a safe, a large-screen TV and ample drawer space.
Culinary offerings are themed to the region’s specialties, which means clients can count on a lobster feast—from one evening’s shrimp-and-crab-stuffed lobster tail to a traditional lobster bake staged at Newport’s Fort Adams. Boston cream pie? Of course. Hamburgers, hot dogs and other faves are found outside at the Back Porch Cafe on deck 4. Alongside the deck, the airy Sky Lounge awaits with breakfast plus an endless supply of snacks and freshly baked cookies. Surprise! For lovers of vacay breakfast in bed, room service breakfast is also on the menu. Service throughout is professional, and the crew is cheery and eager to please.
Delicious dining and snacking aside, one of the most popular daily events is the cocktail hour, when complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres are on tap in the Chesapeake Lounge on deck 3. Complimentary beer and wine are also served with lunch and dinner. The spacious Chesapeake Lounge, setting for the pre-dinner cocktail gathering, is similarly action central for enrichment programs and evening entertainment (broadcast live on stateroom TVs).
Be sure to advise clients to sign up for a pre-cruise hotel overnight. They’ll be housed at the five-star Four Seasons Boston, alongside the Victorian brownstones of the city’s upscale Back Bay neighborhood. It’s a pleasure in itself, and ideally situated for exploring the countless historic attractions of the city. The hotel is right across the street from the Public Garden, the country’s oldest, and the circa-1634 Boston Common. Steps away, visitors can set out on the 2.5-mile, red-brick-marked Freedom Trail, endlessly rewarding with its vivid chapters of the American story. Via museums and meeting houses, churches and cemeteries, the landmarks tell the tale of the American Revolution and beyond.
Next morning, breakfast is included, followed by a city tour. The bags are picked up at the guests’ rooms, only to reappear in staterooms following a smooth boarding experience thanks to many helpful hands.
With ACL, the stylish options keep coming. Says Susan Shultz-Gelino, ACL’s v.p. of trade relations, “Our line has specialized in all-domestic cruises for 30 years, and the increasing popularity of domestic cruising in the U.S. is largely due to what ACL has done in just the past five years, introducing so many new world-class small ships and riverboats to the market.
“Our fleet has more than doubled, and this has expanded the itinerary options across the entire country. No other cruise line has a one hundred percent U.S.-flagged fleet for both rivers and coasts, nor so many itinerary offerings along safe, protected waters.”
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Beyond the Cape
While the irresistible Cape Codder adventure would be hard to upstage, travel advisors should not overlook the headliners of 2023.
Coming up: The Coastal Cat, a new category with a cool moniker that joins other ACL stalwarts the likes of Modern Riverboats, Classic Paddlewheelers and Coastal Cruise Ships. Christened after their unique catamaran design, Coastal Cats will make up a 12-ship fleet titled Project Blue. Notes Shultz-Gelino, “The first two of the 12, American Eagle and American Glory, will debut in 2023. Welcoming 109 passengers, they are capable of sailing anywhere in protected shallow waters and are able to explore new and exciting places that are inaccessible even to many existing small cruise ships. The state-of-the-art vessels will showcase gorgeous interior design, offer spacious private balcony accommodations and show off new amenities, including a swim platform and a tender that holds about 50 guests for touring.”
Coastal Cats are 241 ft. long and 56 ft. wide, with 56 luxury staterooms—made-to-order not only for coastal routes but shallow water services on rivers, bays and lakes. Never out of the U.S., they’re also never out of sight of land.
Spreading its waterwings nonstop, ACL now sports three of its Modern Riverboats on the Columbia and Snake rivers, plus three more on the Mississippi, including 2022’s new American Symphony. Sister ship American Serenade is slated to debut on the Mississippi in early 2023. Not to mention a pair of new itineraries: An 8-day roundtrip San Francisco Bay cruise that spotlights wine country, and a 15-day National Parks & Legendary Rivers journey that encompasses eight days on the Columbia and Snake rivers plus seven days of personalized explorations in Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
“Our guests are absolutely loving our newest ships and riverboats,” says Shultz-Gelino, pointing out the fresh interior design across the fleet. “Even all our classic paddlewheelers were completely redecorated for 2022, so our small ship fleet is looking ship-shape.” Among the ship-shape attributes: comfortable lounges, inviting sundecks, handy elevators and notably spacious staterooms.