American Cruise Lines Plans More Riverboats, European-Style

Great news for river cruisers. American Cruise Lines plans more riverboats, similar in design and concept to the riverboats in Europe.

In their plans are five, 200 passenger contemporary riverboats. The first of these new vessels is scheduled to enter service in 2018. A bit shorter than mosts of the nearly 450-ft long European riverships, these will be 345-ft long and a bit wider than their existing riverboats.

According to American Cruise Lines, these new riverboats will feature the largest staterooms in the United States, with private balconies, and hotel-size bathrooms. In addition to spacious, oversize staterooms, there will also be a handful of solo passenger accommodations.

What about their iconic paddlewheelers? They’re not going away. Instead, the new sleek riverboats (shall we call them riverships?) will join the company’s traditional wedding cake paddlewheelers  on the Mississippi and Columbia & Snake rivers.

READ MORE about my Mississippi River Cruise with American Cruise Lines.

In the meantime, the cruise line is currently building two more cruise ships at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Maryland. The first of the two, the 170-passenger American Constellation, is set to launch in May 2017. The yet-unnamed sister ship will enter service in 2018, along with the first of the new series of riverboats.