American Cruise Lines 2026 Great Lakes Cruises & More
By Anne Kalosh
With its fast-growing fleet of small U.S.-flag ships, American Cruise Lines is breaking out new Great Lakes and Mississippi River river routes.
In 2026, the company will feature three all-American U.S. Great Lakes itineraries that begin, end and remain in the United States, making a passport and international flight unnecessary for U.S. travelers.
Also new are three Mississippi River and tributary itineraries, including the first Arkansas River cruise, a Great Smoky Mountains river cruise, and a novel Gulf Coast cruise program.
New U.S. Great Lakes Cruises in 2026
On the Great Lakes, non-U.S. flag cruise ships call at ports facilitating international entry, while American's can dock in the heart of small towns, at city parks and private marinas for an experience not available with any other line.
New offerings include:
- 7-night Thousand Islands and Niagara Falls cruise
- 7-night Lake Michigan, Green Bay Inlet and Michigan's Upper Peninsula cruise
- The signature 12-night “American Great Lakes” cruise travels 800 miles through three of the five lakes: Erie, Huron and Michigan.
Fares include a pre-cruise hotel stay and domestic airfare.
The cruises will sail May through August 2026 on the 130-passenger American Patriot, which just entered service this year (photo above).
Great Lakes, Thousand Islands & Niagara Falls Cruises
These 7-night Great Lakes cruises sail between Syracuse, New York and Cleveland Ohio, through Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Highlights include:
- Boldt Castle on a sailing exploration of the Thousand Islands on the Lawrence River
- A glass-bottom boat ride over a Great Lakes shipwreck
- The Rock Island Lighthouse
- A tasting at Coyote Moon Winery
- Visits to the Susan B. Anthony House & Museum
- Niagara Falls
Amish country features, too, including a visit to an Amish-run cheese co-op and a special luncheon. In Cleveland, a tour includes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Art Museum, both wonderful.
Sailings depart May 22, May 29, June 5 and Aug. 27, 2026, with more dates in 2027.
Lake Michigan & Upper Peninsula Cruise
These cruises, also seven nights, sail roundtrip from Milwaukee, Wisconsin with extra time to explore the city during the included pre-cruise hotel stay.
Highlights include:
- Docent-led tour of the Harley-Davidson Museum
- Tour a 19th-century Company Town at the Fayette Historic Townsite and discover Escanaba’s history, museums and local flavors, including Swedish pastries.
- National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, which is packed with more than 70 historic locomotives and interactive exhibit
- Trolley ride through Muskegon, stops along Lake Michigan’s beach, and visits historic lighthouses and the USS Silverside Submarine Museum
Cruises are offered June 24, July 1, Aug. 1 and Aug. 8, with 2027 dates available.
Extended American Great Lakes
The extended 12-night Great Lakes itinerary (plus a pre-cruise hotel stay) sails between Cleveland and Milwaukee, along Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Highlights include:
- Detroit’s Henry Ford Museum, Motown Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts with its monumental Diego Rivera murals
- Alpena shipwrecks
- St. Mary’s River including a ride through the Soo Locks
- Horse-drawn carriage rides on Mackinac Island and the historic Grand Hotel
- Silver Lake Sand Dunes
- Michigan winery tour
- Paddle boarding and kayaking on Lake Michigan
- Meijer Botanical Gardens, Holland with its working Dutch windmill, and lunch at Bowerman’s Blueberry Farm
- Harley-Davidson Museum, Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a day in Amish country
Departures are June 12, July 8, July 20 and Aug. 15, with additional 2027 dates.
American Patriot
American Patriot offers all private balcony staterooms and suites, solo-occupancy rooms with no single supplement, lounges including a top-deck lounge and walking track, and a restaurant with views from every seat.
Other amenities include a casual café, chart room, fitness center, laundry room and elevators to all decks.
New Mississippi Routes
Along side the new Great Lakes cruises, American Cruise Lines' three new Mississippi River itineraries all include sections of the mighty river and its tributaries:
- 11-night Great Smoky Mountains river cruise and land combo, between Knoxville and Huntsville, Tennessee (7-night cruise plus 4 hotel nights)
- 7-night Arkansas River cruise between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Memphis, Tennessee
- 7-night Gulf Coast cruise between Pensacola, Florida and New Orleans.
As with all of American Cruise Lines' sailings, a pre-cruise hotel night is included in the fare.
Gulf Coast Cruise
Sailing between Pensacola and New Orleans, the 7-night Gulf Coast itinerary visits Mobile, Alabama and Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Gulfport/Ship Island, Mississippi.
Highlights include:
- Pensacola’s beaches and seafood
- Mobile, Alabama's Gator Ranch
- A genuine Biloxi shrimp boat adventure
- Ocean Springs by e-bike or drop a line on a Gulfport fishing expedition
- Visit the world’s largest model train museum
- Discover Civil War-era Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island
- New Orleans' French Quarter is fabulous and fun
- National World War II Museum is New Orleans
Cruises are offered in March and December 2026 and 2027. They will sail on the 180-passenger modern-style riverboat American Symphony.
Arkansas River Cruise
American Cruise Lines' first-ever Arkansas River cruise spends seven nights sailing between Memphis and Tulsa, visiting Catoosa and Muskogee, Oklahoma and Fort Smith/Van Buren, Russellville, Little Rock and Pendleton, Arkansas.
Highlights include:
- Tulsa’s art deco architecture and music scenes at the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center
- Muskogee’s Native American history
- American musical heritage at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
- Fort Smith's military history, dating back to 1817
- Arkansas & Missouri Railroad ride in a vintage-style passenger car through the Ozark Mountains
- Little Rock's riverbank sights
- Delta wetlands in Pendleton
- Memphis icons, including Graceland
Cruises are offered in November 2026 aboard the 180-passenger modern-style riverboat American Serenade.
Smoky Mountains Cruise
This 11-night cruise and land combo includes a weeklong cruise between Knoxville, TN and Huntsville, AL, plus a four-night land/hotel. Visit Pigeon Forge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Fort Southwest Point and Chattanooga in Tennessee, and Decatur, Alabama. Passengers will traverse the Tennessee River, sailing along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Highlights include:
- Imbibing Knoxville’s Southern charm and vibrant arts scene
- Two days exploring sites throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park including Gatlinburg
- Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge and Fort Southwest Point
- Step inside the top-secret world of the Manhattan Project at the K-25 History Center in Oak Ridge
- A culinary experience in Chattanooga
- Decatur’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center, with one of the world's largest collections of rockets and space artifacts
Cruises will sail in 2027 in July, August September and October, on the 150-passenger classic paddlewheeler American Heritage.
Interested In This Cruise?
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