Modern Mississippi riverboat to be named American Song

The first of American Cruise Lines' modern riverboats will be named American Song.

The vessel will launch on the Mississippi River in fall 2018 and will head to the Pacific Northwest's Columbia and Snake rivers for 2019.

The American Song will be wider, faster, and quieter than any of ACL's other river cruise ships. Like ACL's other vessels, the American Song is being built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., and thus will be U.S. flagged and crewed.

The vessel will have a four-story glass atrium and large lounge areas. It is being designed to have sweeping views throughout the ship. The staterooms will be the largest in the industry, according to ACL, and will have private balconies and large bathrooms.

With the launch of American Song next year, ACL will operate a fleet of 10 vessels, including coastal cruisers and paddlewheelers.

The company sails along the coasts and inland waterways of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Mississippi River region, the Southeast and New England.

American Eagle paddlewheeler launches on Mississippi

Photo Credit: Peter Knego

NEW ORLEANS — In a ceremony held on the bow of American Cruise Linesʼ new American Eagle, Cheryl Landrieu, wife of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, smashed a bottle of champagne against the shipʼs rail, formally christening the lineʼs second Mississippi riverboat.

As guests watched from the forward decks of the ship, there were speeches from Mitch Landrieu and American Cruise Line CEO Charles Robertson as well as a patriotic a cappella concert by a local trio called the Victory Belles.

Shortly thereafter, as a downpour drenched the Big Easy, the vessel sailed off on its maiden cruise, a-seven night roundtrip Lower Mississippi voyage calling at Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi; and  St. Francisville, Baton Rouge and Vacherie, Louisiana.

Boasting the largest staterooms of any Mississippi riverboat, the American Eagle and its 2012-built sister ship, the Queen Of The Mississippi, have accommodations that range from 200-square-foot cabins with picture windows to 600-square-foot owners’ suites with large private balconies. Of the 84 all-outside staterooms, 78 have balconies that are accessed via sliding glass doors.

The American Eagle's Sky Lounge. Photo Credit: Peter Knego

The two 150-capacity vessels are the first new paddlewheelers to join Mississippi cruise service since the 436-guest American Queen, now operated by rival American Queen Steamboat Co., was launched in 1995. A third, as yet unnamed vessel with a capacity for 185 guests is expected to join American Cruise Lineʼs Mississippi fleet next year, Robertson revealed.

The American Eagle has five passenger decks and a wide range of facilities, including a showroom; two large, aft-situated lounges; the intimate library, card room and chart room; a putting course; an open-air terrace with exercise machines; open and shaded deck space; a complimentary self-service launderette; three computer terminals; and free WiFi access throughout the ship.

American Cruise Lines confident demand will support slate of new builds

By Michelle Baran

Starting in 2015, American Cruise Lines will introduce four U.S. newbuilds over a period of less than four years, signaling that the company is confident the domestic small-ship cruising market is going to continue to grow for some time to come.

“I think there’s a greater awareness of it, and the market is growing,” said American Cruise Lines President Charles Robertson. “We have more demand than capacity.”

In order to meet that demand, American Cruise Lines plans on introducing a second paddlewheeler in early 2015. (Although the company hasn’t officially announced where the vessel will sail, Robertson said the Mississippi “would be a good guess.”)

The vessel, which will be a slightly larger sister ship to the 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi the company launched last year, will accommodate about 154 passengers and will have certain distinctive features, such as higher ceilings than the Queen of the Mississippi. Like the Queen of the Mississippi, it is being built at the Chesapeake Shipbuilding yard in Salisbury, Md.

When the Queen of the Mississippi set sail in August 2012, it was the first paddlewheeler built in the U.S. since the American Queen (the 436-passenger paddlewheeler now owned by the company’s competitor American Queen Steamboat Co.) launched in 1995. But clearly, the steamboat style of cruise vessel is not an outdated mode for cruising.

Neither is cruising in the U.S. in general. According to Robertson, following the launch of the still-unnamed second paddlewheeler, the company will build three additional vessels that will be delivered about once every 11 months starting at the end of 2015. One will sail somewhere on the West Coast, one on the East Coast, and the location of the third is still undecided. Robertson said the new vessels will sail both coastal and inland waterways.

The Guilford, Conn.-based American Cruise Lines has experienced 25% passenger growth each year for the past three years, according to the company. It attributes that growth to strong consumer demand for the river cruising experience, its hundreds of travel agent partners, and the fact that the company is achieving some of its highest repeat booking rates in its history.

“The demand for riverboat vacations is higher than it has ever been,” Robertson stated in a release about the company’s planned growth.

American Cruise Lines operates more than 35 itineraries on rivers and waterways in 28 states.

Flights disrupted by Chicago snowstorm

Dec 21, 2012 

A severe snowstorm in the US Midwest forced more than 90 flights to be cancelled at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said that flights into Chicago were being delayed at their place of departure. Some flights were being delayed by more than two hours.

Blizzard conditions and as much as 1ft of snow are expected from Kansas to Wisconsin, with the Rocky Mountains already affected.

At least four people are reported to have died in the storm which could see temperatures plunge below -17C.

The severe weather could disrupt pre-Christmas travel, officials warned.

Two people died in a car crash in Wisconsin, one was killed in a 25-vehicle crash in Iowa, and a woman died in Utah after becoming stuck in snow. Rescuers in Utah found a woman dead after she tried to walk to find help after her car became stuck in snow.

High winds are reported to have damaged homes and downed trees in Arkansas and Alabama while tornado warnings were in place yesterday for parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.