American Cruise Lines’ Review of American Star.
REVIEWER
Beth Holley from the USA.
CRUISE LINE
SHIP
American Star.
DESTINATION
New England.
# OF NIGHTS,
7.
DEPARTURE PORT
New Bedford, Rhode Island.
DATE OF CRUISE
August, 2022.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE RATING
2 out of 5 stars (5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=poor, 1=terrible)
-Food Rating: 4
-Cabin Rating: 1
-Service/Crew Rating: 2
-Itinerary Rating: 1
REVIEW
We cruised New England in August 2022 on the American Star. It was awful. The worst cruise I have ever taken. The ship is old and in need of much maintenance. We had sewage back up in our shower 3 times.
We embarked the ship from a different port than advertised. Had we not been on the pre- cruise excursion we would have missed the ship, because we were never informed of the embarking port change. We were supposed to embark in Providence Rhode Island but it was New Bedford that we embarked.
The ship never made it to 3 of 7 ports advertised. We missed Providence, Nantucket and Block Island. Martha’s Vineyard was cut short because we couldn’t dock and had to ferry over from New Bedford. The captain kept us in New Bedford 3 nights, because he said the wind gust were too high and the anchor wouldn’t hold. However, we were suppose to dock not anchor. The ferries and other boats were sailing, but not the American Star.
The excursions mostly consisted of trolley rides around the town.
The ship had one weathered elliptical and one weathered stationary bike on the outside deck for its fitness program. The staff was friendly but they were understaffed, unorganized and untrained. Some staff walked off in the middle of the cruise and new ones came on. I called customer service. I was told to email. I emailed customer service and the president. I stated my dissatisfaction with the cruise. I asked for a statement of why the ship couldn’t sail so I could file a claim with my travel insurance. I have ask for a statement a total of 5 times. Two while on the ship 3 in emails after the cruise. A month later, I have not received a statement.
I also asked for a partial refund. The president sent a letter saying they advertise the American Star as their oldest ship. He was glad I had positive interaction with the staff. He said, he wanted to restore my confidence by offering me 25% discount on another cruise. They had already offered 20% off to everyone if they booked on the cruise. Their customer service is non- existent.
I will not sail with them ever again. I do not recommend their cruises.
NUMBER OF SMALL-SHIP CRUISES TAKEN UNDER 300 PAX
3
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HEIDI SARNA
Thank you for your candid review of the American Star during a New England cruise.
Two questions. You gave the cabin a rating of 1, and while you did mention the shower backups was there anything else about the cabin accommodations worth mentioning. Also, would you care to comment the food as you gave it a favorable rating of 4?
TWS