Big news for the domestic cruise industry: Small U.S.-flagged cruise ships are once again returning to East Coast waters, as well as the Mississippi River.
U.S. Coastal Restart
American Cruise Lines' (ACL) Independence sailed with guests onboard from Amelia Island, FL, on Saturday. That small ship is operating the line's "Historic South & Golden Isles" itinerary.
While the ship normally accommodates 100 passengers, for this restart of service, ACL is operating that voyage at 75 percent capacity. New health and safety protocols are in place onboard, and given the ship's high space ratio per guest, passengers are able to spread out.
“American Cruise Lines resumed domestic cruise operations on March 13th," said Alexa Paolella, the line's public relations manager. "With our new protocols in place, we remain dedicated to the safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit. We look forward to exploring this beautiful country again aboard our small 100- to 190-passenger modern riverboats and small coastal ships.”
On Monday morning, Paolella told Travel Agent that everything is going well and the ship will arrive at Savannah as scheduled this evening. The voyage will then continue along the southern U.S. East Coast and conclude in Charleston this coming weekend.
Mississippi River
In addition, one of American Cruise Line's modern riverboats, the 190-passenger American Jazz, will set sail March 21 for a "Lower Mississippi River" voyage from New Orleans to Memphis.
ACL's small ships aren't subject to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) "Framework for Conditional Sail Order." In addition, because ACL operates U.S. flagged vessels, those ships are able to sail between U.S. ports without any foreign port call.
AQSC Sails Later Today
Another small ship line, American Queen Steamboat Company, also U.S.-flagged for American river cruising, will set sail later today on the Mississippi River. AQSC's American Duchess will depart New Orleans for a cruise to Memphis.
Travel Agent spoke to Michael Hicks, AQSC's director of marketing communications, on Monday morning. He reported that "John Waggoner, the line's founder and CEO, had a test dinner on American Duchess last night and a charter group is boarding today as scheduled for a late afternoon departure."
"The itinerary, as with all American Queen Steamboat Company itineraries, includes a pre-cruise hotel night, following 'SafeCruise' protocols, including PCR COVID-19 testing performed by our medical partner Vikand," said Hicks.
Note: Starting July 1, 2021, AQSC will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all guests and crew members. American Duchess will sail with a reduced capacity of 125 guests."
Separately, Travel Agent will be in New Orleans this coming weekend for the christening and inaugural sailing of the American Countess. Stay tuned for our report back from that voyage to Memphis. American Countess will sail with a reduced capacity of 166 guests
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