American Cruise Lines has opened its 2024 Mississippi River season, with the first guests arriving in New Orleans. Over the next few weeks, all five of the company’s Mississippi riverboats will begin cruising on the Lower Mississippi. This year will mark the company’s largest season ever across the country, especially on the Mississippi where the line has plans for continued expansion. This year, the company’s new riverboats will sail more than 16 itineraries throughout the region, also exploring Mississippi tributaries, the Tennessee, Ohio and Cumberland Rivers.
In the past five years, the line has nearly tripled its U.S. fleet while also introducing new riverboats on the Mississippi River every year since 2018. The company recently announced five more ships, including new riverboats, which are under construction at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD.
The line will deploy its full fleet of 19 other small ships and riverboats across the country, visiting over 140 U.S. ports this year. Additionally, the line has launched a new series of 12 small coastal cruise ships, dubbed “Project Blue,” which sail exclusive itineraries up and down the East Coast. More details on the company’s newest riverboats, and all ships under construction, will be forthcoming as the year progresses.
In May, the line will begin operating several new Mississippi River experiences, including the first “Great Smoky Mountains National Parks” cruises. A new itinerary will allow guests to explore in Great Smoky Mountains National Park along a 12-day itinerary from Knoxville to Nashville, cruising the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers. The company’s first new 35-day “Civil War Battlefields” cruise will also depart in May. This exploration cruises the Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, as well as large expanses of the East Coast and Chesapeake Bay, while visiting over 20 battlefields of the Civil War. In August, the line will sail a 61-day “Great United States” cruise—the longest river cruise in U.S. history—that explores the entire Mississippi River, 20 states, three national parks, four rivers, and also sails the East Coast and Hudson River. Ports of call include New York City, Boston and Bar Harbor.
For more information, visit www.americancruiselines.com.
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