ACL American Serenade

The 2023-built MS American Serenade cruise ship is the sixth newbuild in American Cruise Lines' "Modern Riverboat" fleet.

From this class, the sisterships include Song (2018), Harmony (2019), Jazz (2020), Melody (2021), Symphony (2022), Encore (2026), Anthem (2027), Grace (2028), Beauty (2028), and Rhapsody (2028).

American Serenade is identified by an IMO number 9980289 and is USA-flagged (MMSI 368297540).

In mid-June 2021, ACL signed a contract with Chesapeake Shipbuilding to construct two more units (5th and 6th) of the "Modern Riverboat" series. Inaugurated in 2022 (Symphony) and 2023 (Serenade), these new vessels grew ACL's fleet to 15 ships (5x small, 4x paddle-wheelers, and 6x modern riverboats). ACL also announced plans to continue building small ships (100-190 passengers) for USA coastal itineraries.

History - Construction and Ownership

The shipowner, American Cruise Lines (ACL), is the USA's largest river cruise company (headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut) and has been operational since 1991. The company specializes in river cruising on the USA's largest navigable inland waterways (rivers and lakes), as well as voyages along the East Coast USA/New England, West Coast USA, and Florida.

All ACL vessels feature some of the industry's largest passenger cabins with private balconies, spacious lounges, and outdoor deck spaces. Passengers enjoy gourmet cuisine, a top-quality enrichment program with many complimentary land tours and excursions, and highly personalized service from an all-American staff and crew.

All ACL ships are USA-flagged and built by the company-owned Chesapeake Shipbuilding Yard in Salisbury, Maryland.

Unlike anything seen before along American waterways, the innovative vessel introduces a new dimension to river cruising in the United States. American Serenade blends contemporary design with the comfort that American Cruise Lines is known for. Quieter, wider, and faster than any other river ship, it is the most environmentally friendly in the industry.

As is traditional for large-sized USA riverboats, American Serenade features a bow-located boarding ramp (at the bow on Deck 1) that allows passengers to disembark at any location along ACL's cruise tour itinerary. The ramp has an innovative retractable gangway (passenger bridge) design, a technology often used on some of the largest ferries, with an opening bow door.

While other small cruise lines repurpose old casino ships, American Cruise Lines decided to build brand new boats to maintain the company's reputation for premium quality and services. Each newbuild features an innovative design, spacious indoor and outdoor areas. Each vessel is traditionally US-built (at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland), as well as American-flagged and crewed.

Decks and Cabins

American Serenade staterooms (91 total) are all outside, some of the industry's largest, all with full-size bathrooms, private step-out balconies, and modern hotel amenities.

All staterooms feature step-out balconies. The smallest are the Studios (single-occupancy cabins for solo travelers), sized at 250 ft² (23 m²). Cabin sizes range between 275-315-350-370 ft² (26-29-33-34 m²), including the balcony. Veranda Suites are 405 ft² (38 m²). The largest accommodations are the Grand Suites (650 ft² / 60 m²), which are located forward on Deck 4. These feature a separate bedroom/living room, a spacious terrace with an alfresco dining area.

The ship has 5 passenger-accessible decks, of which 4 have cabins.

Shipboard Facilities and Amenities

MS American Serenade features innovative interior design concepts, from the 4-story glass-walled Vestibule (Atrium) to spacious indoor and outdoor lounges, large open-deck spaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the vessel. The 4-deck Vestibule has floor-to-ceiling windows (portside and starboard) and a SkyLight (transparent glass-roof cover) that allows natural light into the ship's interior.

The two Sun Decks are fitted with sunbathing and shaded seating areas, but unlike the larger sisterships, they lack a deck-games area (with a Putting Green and Shuffleboard). The ship has 6 lounges (3 with outdoor terraces), a Grand Dining Room (complimentary, glass-enclosed restaurant), a Chart Room & Library, a fore-located Main Lounge (with a central stage for live shows and musical productions and a glass-roof cover), an aft-located Sky Lounge (with a glass-roof cover and access to an alfresco dining terrace/Ellipse Cafe), a Fitness Room (indoor gym), and a Yoga Studio (for group classes and private lessons).

The Sun Deck (top deck) is furnished with plenty of outdoor furniture, including padded sun loungers, padded wicker sofas, deckchairs, 2-seat and 4-seat tables, and live plants. The Sun Deck also features three large shaded seating areas (covered by retractable canopies) and two SkyLights (glass roof covers) over the Sky Lounge (aft) and the Atrium/Vestibule (midship-portside).

The list of the American Serenade ship's main public venues includes:

• (Deck 1) Boarding Ramp/bow, Vestibule/lobby level, Ship's Office, Dining Room Restaurant, Galley/Kitchen & Storage Rooms, Staff & Crew cabins/forward
• (Deck 2) Bow Terrace/observation area with seating, Lyric Lounge/midship-starboard, wellness facilities/aft (Yoga Studio, Fitness Room/indoor Gym)
• (Deck 3) River Lounge/forward, with a wraparound terrace, The Study & Library/midship-starboard
• (Deck 4) Pilothouse/Wheelhouse, High Note Lounge/midship-starboard, Sky Lounge (indoor, aft), Ellipse Cafe (aft, outdoor terrace serving as an alfresco dining venue)
• (Deck 5) Sun Deck with plenty of outdoor seating (premium patio furniture)

Two Lifts (passenger elevators in the Atrium) connect all decks.

Deck 4's fore-located River Lounge is the main lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass-roof cover. It also serves as the boat's show lounge with a central stage, a grand piano, and ample comfortable seating (comfy armchairs and plush sofas). Warm cookies are served starting at 10 am. The complimentary Afternoon Tea service (with fresh pastries) is at 3:30 pm. The free-drinks cocktail hour is at 5:30 pm. Root beer and ice cream are served during the evening show. The evening entertainment includes one show (beginning at 8:15 pm) lasting about 1 hour. The show program could include a live concert, solo performances, music tributes, themed music, or movie trivia. The large space for the evening shows is in the room's center. The furniture is daily rearranged (sometimes 2 or 3 times a day) to suit the themed entertainment. This space also hosts the American Cruise Lines' enrichment program, which includes themed lectures (history, food and wine, literature, etc.), media presentations, and multimedia presentations related to the current ACL cruise itinerary and tours.

Deck 4's aft-located Sky Lounge is an indoor venue with premium furniture, floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows (allowing 270-degree views), a glass-roof cover (SkyLight), and direct access to an open-air Terrace (Ellipse Cafe). Throughout the day, beverages, snacks, freshly-baked cookies, and pastries are served. Sky Lounge's opening glass doors allow it to expand by including the furnished Terrace/Ellipse Cafe. Throughout the day, the Cafe's Bar serves complimentary water, soda, and light snacks. Complimentary Afternoon Tea service is available between 3:30-4:30 pm. In the evening, there is a cocktail hour with free drinks.

Sky Lounge's Ellipse Cafe staff serve the entire Sun Deck (relaxation and sunbathing top-deck area) with drinks and snacks.

Itineraries

The American Serenade itinerary program began with the Maiden Voyage departing from Port NOLA/New Orleans on April 20, 2023. Early booking prices ranged between USD 5115-9805 per stateroom. The Inaugural Cruise (7-night/8-day roundtrip from NOLA) visits Oak Alley, Houmas House Plantation, Baton Rouge, St. Francisville, Natchez, and Vicksburg, before returning all the way to NOLA.

Like the sisterships, ACL's Serenade is homeported in New Orleans for Mississippi River voyages, visiting ports in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, all the way to Saint Paul.

ACL cruise deals include a pre-cruise hotel package, all shore excursions (organized daily), cocktail hour (each evening), cruise accommodation, gourmet meals, Afternoon Tea service, room service (Breakfast only), onboard enrichment and entertainment programs, and Wi-Fi (shipwide coverage).

The improved ship design of the Modern Riverboat series allows for "bow landings" via a retractable and rotating gangway (passenger bridge) that extends from the Main Deck (Deck 1) to the dock or directly onto the riverbank. This feature, available on all traditional-design US paddlewheel riverboats, provides expanded options for river cruise itineraries, unmatched by most newbuild river cruise ships.

The ship features a modern propulsion system with 2x azimuth thrusters ("Z-drives") manufactured by Veth (Holland). These 360-degree rotating propellers (1x forward, 1x aft) provide the vessel with greater maneuverability and berthing flexibility.

The ship is powered by 2x Caterpillar marine engines running on low-sulfur diesel. These modern engines consume less fuel and produce fewer emissions (COx, NOx, SOx) and soot particles compared to other boats in the US river cruising market.

American Cruise Line's "Modern Riverboats" are all constructed at Chesapeake Shipbuilding (shipyard in Salisbury, MA). During the launch ceremonies, the vessel's hull (yard number 144) is floated out from drydock into the Wicomico River, then positioned in the shipyard's East Outfitting Basin to receive the superstructure (upper decks) and final outfitting.

The ship's name, American Serenade, was officially announced by ACL during American Melody's delivery on August 3, 2021.

American Serenade's christening ceremony was scheduled for April 23, 2023, and held in Vidalia (Louisiana's Concordia Parish) during the Maiden Voyage (departing April 20th from New Orleans). On May 3rd, ACL officially announced the dual naming of the ships American Serenade (on the Mississippi River) and American Jazz (on the Snake River). American Serenade's godmother was Julia Letlow (Representative for Louisiana State’s 5th Congressional District) in Vidalia, LA, while the 2020-built American Jazz was named by Stacia L. Morfin (Nez Perce Tourism's CEO) in Clarkston, Washington. Both events were attended by passengers, crew, ACL executives, and VIP guests (state and local officials).