American Symphony

The 2022-built MS American Symphony cruise ship is the fifth 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 Melody (2021) and American Serenade (2023).

Similarly are designed the sisterships American Song (2018), American Harmony (2019), American Jazz (2020).

In mid-June 2021, ACL signed with Chesapeake Shipbuilding the contract for constructing two more units (5th and 6th) of the "Modern Riverboat" series. Both ships (Symphony and Serenade) were slated for inauguration in 2022, growing the company's fleet to 15 vessels (5x small, 4x paddle-wheelers, 6x modern riverboats). ACL also announced plans to continue building small ships (100-190-passenger) designed for USA coastal itineraries.

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 USA-flagged 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 United States. American Symphony integrates contemporary design without 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 USA riverboats, American Symphony has a fore-located boarding ramp (bow-location on Deck 1) that allows passengers to go ashore at any place along the ACL's cruisetour itinerary. 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 the most innovative design, spacious indoor and outdoor areas. Each vessel is a traditional USA-built (at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury Maryland), as well as American-flagged and crewed.

Decks and Cabins

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

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

The boat has 5 passenger-accessible decks, of which 4 are with cabins.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

MS American Symphony 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-deck Vestibule has floor-ceiling windows (portside and starboard) and a SkyLight (transparent glass-roof cover) that allows natural light into the ship's interior.

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

The Sun Deck (top-deck) is furnished with plenty of outdoor furniture - padded sun loungers, padded wicker sofas and deckchairs, 2-seat and 4-seat tables, live plants. The Sundeck has all 3x large-sized shaded seating areas (covered by retractable canopies) and 2x SkyLights (glass roof covers) over the Sky Lounge (aft) and the Atrium/Vestibule (midship-portside).

The list of the American Symphony 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-ceiling windows and glass-roof cover. It also serves as the boat's show lounge with a central stage, grand piano, ample comfortable seating (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.

Deck 4's aft-located Sky Lounge is an indoor venue with premium furniture, floor-ceiling and wall-to-wall windows (allowing 270-degree views), glass-roof cover (SkyLight) and direct access to an open-air Terrace (Ellipse Cafe). Throughout the day, there are served beverages, snacks, freshly-baked cookies, pastries, beverages. 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, 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's staff serve the entire Sun Deck (relaxation and sunbathing top-deck area) with drinks and snacks.

Itineraries

ACL American Symphony itinerary program started on August 27, 2022 (Maiden Voyage) and is based on the following themed voyages.

• 8-day/7-night "Lower Mississippi Cruise" (between homeports New Orleans LA and Memphis TN)
• 8-day/7-night "Upper Mississippi Cruise" (between St Louis MO and Minneapolis-St Paul MN)
• 22-day/21-night "Complete Mississippi Cruise" (from New Orleans and St Paul)
• 15-day/14-night "Grand Heartland Cruise" (from  St Paul to New Orleans)

The ship also operates roundtrips from Port NOLA/New Orleans, with lengths 5-day/4-night, and 8-day/7-night.

American Symphony's itineraries visit ports in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

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 of the Modern Riverboat series 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 boat 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.

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

The vessel was launched/floated out from drydock on March 10, 2022, and is currently planned for inauguration in August 2022. The name (American Symphony) was officially announced by ACL during the American Melody's delivery on August 3, 2021.

American Symphony's first Master was Gregg Scheiferstein (Captain since 1988, with ACL since 2010).

American Symphony left Salisbury on August 5, 2022, and successfully completed the sea trials on Aug 6-7 while en route to Port NOLA (arriving on Aug 11th). The christening ceremony was held on August 30th (in Natchez MS) during the Maiden Voyage out of New Orleans/Port NOLA (departure on Aug 27th).

The Inaugural Cruise (Aug 27, 2022) left Port NOLA with a small-scale dockside ceremony attended by Brandy DeVelbiss Christian (Port NOLA's President and CEO) and Charles B. Robertson (ACL's President and CEO, who succeeded ACL's founder Charles A. Robertson /1948-2020).

The official naming ceremony (Aug 30th) in Natchez was led by Godmother Asya Danielle Branch (1998-born beauty pageant titleholder/Miss Mississippi 2018, Miss USA 2020). The special event was attended by Jonathon Tate Reeves (Republican, Mississippi's 65th Governor), Delbert Hosemann (Mississippi's 33rd Lieutenant Governor), Buz Craft (Vidalia's Mayor), Dan Gibson (Natchez's Mayor), Charles B. Robertson, and other ACL officials and VIP guests.

During the boat's naming, Asya Branch was joined by Cynthia and Denise Patterson as honored guests. Both sisters, together with their late mother had traveled 28 times/voyages with ACL.