American Jazz

The 2020-built/2021-inaugurated MS American Jazz cruise ship is the third newbuild in the American Cruise Lines fleet from the company's "Modern Riverboat" series. From this class/with the same design are the sisterships American Song (2018), American Harmony (2019), American Melody (2021), American Symphony (2022), American Serenade (2022).

History - construction and ownership

The shipowner American Cruise Lines (ACL) is the USA's largest river cruise company (headquarters in Guilford Connecticut) operational since 1991. The company specializes in cruise shipping on the USA's largest navigable inland waterways (rivers and lakes) as well as in cruises along the US East Coast, US West Coast and Florida. All ACL vessels feature some of the industry's largest passenger cabins with private balconies, spacious lounges and outdoor deck spaces, gourmet cuisine, top-quality enrichment program with many complimentary land tours and excursions, highly-personalized service by all-American staff and crew.

All ACL cruise ships are US-flagged (Jazz has MMSI number 368135920) and built by the company-owned Chesapeake Shipbuilding Yard in Salisbury (Maryland USA).

Unlike anything seen before along American waterways, the innovative vessel brings a new dimension to river cruising in the USA. American Jazz integrates contemporary design with no sacrificing the comfort that American Cruise Lines is popular for. Quieter, wider, and faster than any other river ship, it is the most environmentally friendly in the industry.

Traditionally for large-sized US riverboats, American Jazz has a fore-located boarding ramp (bow-location on Deck 1) that allows passengers to go ashore at any place along the ship's cruise itinerary route. The ramp has an innovative design being constructed as a retractable gangway (passenger bridge). The technology is often implemented on some of the largest ferries and features 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 of the newbuilds features most innovative design, spacious indoor and outdoor areas. Each vessel is a traditional US built (at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury Maryland), as well as American-flagged and crewed.

Decks and Cabins

ACCL's American Jazz ship has 6 passenger decks (accessible via two elevators) and a total of 99 staterooms. The number of cabin categories is 8. All accommodations are Balcony cabins, with floor-ceiling sliding doors opening onto a private step-out veranda. The boat has no connecting rooms.

Smallest staterooms (including the single-occupancy studio cabins) as sizes start at 250 ft2 (23 m2). Other staterooms are sized between 305-330 ft2 (28-31 m2). Veranda Suites are 405 ft2 (38 m2), Owners Suites are 445 ft2 (41 m2). Riverboat's largest staterooms are two Grand Suites with aft location on Deck 3. Each Suite is sized 900 ft2 (84 m2) and features 2 walls of floor-ceiling windows, a wrap-around balcony (accessed via sliding doors), separate bedroom/seating areas, marble bathroom (with double-sink vanity).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

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

Two Sun Decks (Lower on Deck 5-aft, and Upper on Deck 6) are fitted with sunbathing and shaded seating areas, putting green, deck-game area (shuffleboard). The ship has 5 lounges (2 with large outdoor terraces), Grand Dining Room (complimentary, glass-enclosed restaurant), Chart Room (Library Lounge), fore-located Main Lounge (deck 4), aft-located Sky Lounge (deck 4), indoor Gym/Exercise Room. The Upper Sun Deck (top-deck) is furnished with comfortable deckchairs and has 3 shaded seating areas plus one SkyLight (glass-roof cover).

The aft-located (on Deck 4) Sky Lounge features premium furniture, floor-ceiling windows, glass-roof cover (SkyLight), direct access to an open-air Terrace (for relaxation and alfresco dining/Back Porch Cafe). Throughout the day, there are served beverages, snacks, freshly-baked cookies, and pastries. Sky Lounge's glass doors open to the Back Porch Cafe (alfresco dining venue) - a spacious Terrace furnished with wicker furniture (armchairs and 4-seat tables). The lounge bar serves water, soda, and light snacks throughout the day. A Complimentary Afternoon Tea service is offered between 3:30-4:30 pm. In the evening, there is a complimentary cocktail hour.

The fore-located (on Deck 4) Magnolia Lounge (aka River Lounge) is the boat's main lounge with floor-ceiling windows and glass-roof cover. It also serves as the ship's show lounge with a central stage, grand piano and ample comfortable seating area full of comfy armchairs and plush sofas. Here are served warm cookies 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 passed around during the evening show. The evening entertainment includes one show (beginning at 8:15 pm) lasting about 1 hour. The show program could be a live concert, solo performances, music tribute, themed music, movie trivia. The large space for the evening shows is in the room's center. Furniture is daily rearranged (sometimes 2 or 3 times a day) to suit the themed entertainment. This is also the place for the American Cruise Lines' enrichment program, consisting of differently-themed lectures (history, food and wine, literature, etc). Also hosted here are media presentations and the current ACL cruise itinerary and tours-related multimedia presentations and port talks.

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

• (Deck 1) Boarding Ramp/bow, Vestibule/lobby level, Ship's Office, Powder Room, Dining Room Restaurant, Galley/Kitchen & Storage Rooms, Staff & Crew cabins/forward
• (Deck 2) Bow Terrace/observation area with seating, Laundry Room, Lounge/midship-starboard, wellness facilities/aft (Yoga Studio, Fitness Room/indoor Gym)
• (Deck 3) Pilothouse/Wheelhouse, Chart Room Lounge/midship-starboard
• (Deck 4) Magnolia Lounge/forward, with a wraparound terrace, Library Lounge/midship-starboard, Sky Lounge (indoor, aft), Back Porch Cafe (aft, outdoor terrace serving as an alfresco dining venue)
• (Deck 5) Lounge/midship-starboard, Lower Sun Deck/aft
• (Deck 6) Sun Deck with outdoor seating (premium patio furniture) and Mini-Golf Putting Green

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

Itineraries

American Jazz itinerary program (what is known so far) will be similar to that of the sistership American Harmony. The Mississippi River cruise itineraries leave roundtrip and one-way from homeports New Orleans Louisiana and Memphis Tennessee.

• 7-day "Lower Mississippi River" (Memphis to New Orleans) itinerary's call ports are Memphis (day 1 / embarkation), river cruising (day 2), Vicksburg MS (day 3), Natchez MS (day 4), St Francisville LA (day 5), Baton Rouge LA (day 6), Oak Alley Plantation LA (day 7), New Orleans LA (day 8, disembarkation).
• 7-day "Mississippi River" (roundtrip New Orleans) itinerary's ports are New Orleans LA (day 1 / embarkation), Oak Alley Plantation LA (day 2), Natchez MS (day 3), Vicksburg MS (day 4), St Francisville LA (day 5), Baton Rouge LA (day 6), Houmas House Plantation LA (day 7), New Orleans LA (day 8, disembarkation).

The Jazz ship could be seasonally deployed on the US West Coast to operate Snake and Columbia river cruises.

American Jazz ship's 2023 schedule (February-March and November-December) included ACL's first-ever California voyage (departure February 24th). The 7-night/8-day "San Francisco Bay Cruise" itinerary (roundtrip from San Francisco) visits four other Californian ports (Stockton, Sacramento, Napa, Vallejo) and ends with an overnight in San Francisco. A pre-cruise hotel package (inclusive of San Francisco Four Season Hotel overnight stay) is optional. The itinerary features scenic cruising in San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay (an evening stop in Vallejo), as well as cruising on the Napa River and San Joaquin River.

ACL cruise deals are inclusive of 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, Wi-Fi (shipwide coverage).

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

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

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

On October 11, 2018, vessel's lower bow (hull section) was moved out of drydock (wheeled out from Fabrication Building No 4) to shipyard's Assembly Launchways. The ship was launched (floated out from drydock) on October 13, 2019 (5 weeks ahead of schedule). After the float-out, the boat was berthed in shipyard’s East Outfitting Basin to receive its upper deck blocks and final outfitting.

Sea trials were successfully completed and on September 1, 2020, the ship was officially delivered to ACL-American Cruise Lines from Chesapeake Shipbuilding. The delivery ceremony was attended by Charles B. Robertson (ACL's CEO and President).