American Cruise Lines New England Cruise — Island Hopping Aboard the American Liberty, A Great Way to Travel

American Cruise Lines New England

By Cele and Lynn Seldon

As we’ve mentioned before in some of our other QuirkyCruise.com coverage, we often escape the heat and humidity of our South Carolina Lowcountry home in the summer and head to cooler temperatures. This year was no different, other than the itinerary.

Our Seldon Summer Skedaddle (as we like to call it), had us driving up to Quebec City for a big city fix, spending three weeks exploring three different provinces of Canada (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia) and then boarding the new 100-passenger Coastal Cat, American Liberty,  for a 7-night American Cruise Lines New England Islands cruise, sailing roundtrip from Providence, Rhode Island.

The American Liberty in Newport, RI, with one of the tour busses that ferries passengers to daily excursions. * Photo: Seldon Ink

American Cruise Lines Background

American Cruise Lines has become the major player in the U.S.-based cruise industry, due to Americans’ deep dive into the small ship realm, with 21 U.S.-built and -flagged riverboats, paddlewheelers and small coastal cruise ships — including the recent launch of four Coastal Cats. They are also affiliated with Pearl Sea Cruises, a line that operates the 210-passenger Pearl Mist.

Combine that with other calling cards like more than 50 U.S.-based itineraries (think the Mississippi, Columbia and Snake, Alaska, Southeast Intracoastal Waterway, Puget Sound, Maine and New England) that visit more than 35 states, ranging from 6 to 51 days. Further, American Cruise Lines’ repertoire comprises 100 percent U.S. itineraries all embarking and disembarking only in U.S. ports of call, and you have the ideal recipe to entice cruisers who have been wanting to try river cruising and veteran cruisers who prefer staying closer to home.

Many of the passengers that were sailing on our full cruise had sailed with American previously and were simply exploring a new itinerary. Others were seasoned cruisers, but it was their first experience with American, like us. In either case, the passengers we spoke with during our week-long cruise were very pleased with their experience. As were we.

“We were very impressed with the ship overall. We were exceptionally impressed with the staff. We thought the food was outstanding,” said Marlene Coleman from St. Louis, who was cruising with her husband and other close friends who travel together frequently.

American offers quite a few New England itineraries, varying from eight to 15 days and departing from either Boston, Providence, New York City, Portland, and Bangor.

We settled on a weeklong New England Islands itinerary because we had only been to one of the ports of call (Newport) and were excited about getting to places we had only heard about.

A map of the New England Islands cruise. * Image: ACL

Embarkation in Providence for Our American Cruise Lines New England Voyage

As mentioned, we meandered our way to Providence through Atlantic Canada. Which was a great way to get acclimated to the Northeast. We arrived in Providence the night before the ship sailed and took advantage of American’s (for-fee) pre-cruise hotel offering at the upscale Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel, part of the Marriott empire.

We were given our boarding information and name tag lanyards at check-in. We regrouped in our hotel room — switching out our cooler Canada duds for our warmer New England cruise attire — and then walked to dinner at casual Rogue Island Local Kitchen & Bar, which had come recommended by friends.

After we enjoyed an included breakfast buffet with many of our fellow passengers the next morning, we opted to drive to the port in Fall River, Massachusetts (a short 20-minute drive away), while the rest of the passengers boarded American Cruise Lines buses for a narrated tour of the city and short transfer.

Our decision was based on our being able to access our car after the cruise without needing to arrange our own transportation back to the hotel, and that we found a great (free!) parking lot a short five-minute walk from the port. However, we did let American do the heavy lifting by transferring our luggage for us.

We beat the buses to the ship, so boarding was a breeze, with a simple check in on the pier and a quick walk up one flight of stairs to our home-away-from-home in stateroom 228, where we found our luggage waiting for us.

The majority of the ship’s staterooms look like this and measure 310 square feet. * Photo: Seldon Ink

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Cool Coastal Cats

First introduced in 2023, American’s 100-passenger Coastal Cats have been designed with shallow draft allowing for comfortable inland exploration along the East Coast.

Our ship, American Liberty, took its inaugural sailing the week before our cruise (summer 2024), so between its fresh color palette of blues, taupe, and beige and its new furniture, carpeting and furnishings, we felt like we had just moved into a new house.

Deck 1 of American Liberty

We embarked on Deck 1, although, depending on the port, embarkation can either be on Deck 1 or 2 mid-ship. The airy entry featured the ship’s main stairwell and a double elevator shaft, along with a port information table that was supplied with the daily schedule, sometimes a local map and some info about each port each day and games, including crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

Forward on Deck 1 is the Chesapeake Lounge, an often-used multi-purpose space with the ship’s only full bar, comfortable love seats, sofas, chairs and coffee tables arranged in either conversation areas or auditorium-style seating for presentations and rotating digital artwork on the back wall that converts to audiovisual screens for presentations.

The room is used throughout the day for activities and lectures, complimentary evening happy hours and hors d’oeuvres, as well as nightly port and cruise previews for the next day, and varied evening entertainment, which included a nice variety of music, comedy, and even a little magic.

Note, the first two Coastal Cats (American Eagle and American Glory) have the main lounge on Deck 2, with cabins on Deck 1 (this proved problematic for those cabins during rough seas as it could be quite loud when the waves thumped against the space between the twin hulls at the bow). The Liberty and Legend’s layout is better is this regard.

The all-purpose Chesapeake Lounge on the American Liberty. * Photo: Seldon Ink

The bar was well-stocked with top-shelf spirits, wines and beer, as well as featuring popcorn and ice cream sundaes served during the evening entertainment.

The small vestibule between the stairwell and the Chesapeake Lounge housed a little shop featuring limited American Cruise Line logo items for purchase (this is a new edition to the four Coastal Cats, as American Eagle and Glory and don’t have any kind of shop), the Cruise Information desk where you could book future cruises, chat with the Cruise Director, or request housekeeping needs, and an adjacent self-serve complimentary laundry room.

Deck 1 aft is the ship’s u-shaped dining room, with plenty of windows on both sides providing lots of natural light. We tend to be loners when it comes to dining, and we never had a problem getting a two-top, although there are also plenty of popular tables for four, six, or eight.

The Restaurant on the American Liberty. * Photo Seldon Ink

Several of the two-tops are situated next to each other, so you could easily engage with the table next to you or have a romantic dinner for two. The dining room had a bit of a noisy din, especially if you were seated near any of the kitchen doors, which generally added to the conviviality.

Although most of the passengers were couples aged 75-85, there were a few larger mixed groups traveling together, several older mother-daughter couples and a few multi-generational groups. We never lacked conversation with other passengers, but still managed to have our own space when preferred.

A mother-daughter pair. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Deck 2 of American Liberty

Deck 2 featured mostly 310-square-foot AAM-category cabins — including ours at the end of the hall.

American Liberty also has two 280-square-foot single cabins on Deck 2, plus one on Deck 1 — single cabins are still somewhat of a rarity on river cruises.

You’ll also find a small fitness center with a treadmill, row machine, bike, recumbent bike, and a selection of weights that was surprisingly well used, an under-used room called The Study, with a few small tables, chess sets, and a computer and printer setup, and the forward Chart Room, complete with maps, binoculars and great views.

The fitness center on American Liberty. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Deck 3 of American Liberty

The pilothouse is all the way forward on Deck 3 (it was opened once for an interesting tour and a conversation with the captain), all of the 310-square-foot Vista cabins and one single cabin.

It’s also the deck where you’ll find the ample Sky Lounge aft with comfortable furniture, tables and chairs, and 24-hour snacks (think chips, nuts, fruit bars and cookies) and beverages (coffee, tea, water, iced tea, juices, and soft drinks), and the alfresco Lookout Café all the way aft, with outdoor tables and chairs and a nice alternative dining option for breakfast and lunch.

In addition to an ample early riser’s Continental breakfast, the Sky Lounge also offered complimentary beer and wine service starting around lunch time until the Chesapeake Room bar opened for cocktail hour starting at 5:30pm.

The Sky Lounge, a place to hang out and enjoy snacks and light fare. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Deck 4 of American Liberty

Mostly made up of an ample Sun Deck with covered and open-air chaise lounges, tables and chairs, a small walking track, and a life-sized chess set, Deck 4 also where you’ll find four 470-square-foot Sky Suites and two top-of-the-line 620-square-foot Grand Suites, complete with separate living room, bedroom, interior and exterior dining areas, and a luxe master bath.

The Sun Deck on American Liberty. * Photo: Seldon Ink

The underused Sun Deck became our oasis, providing 360-degree views of the scenery, a quiet place to read a book, and a perfect alfresco dining room when we ordered from the Lookout Café.

VIDEO: Cele shows us around the Sun Deck while dcoked in Martha’s Vineyard.

The Stateroom Scene on American Cruise Lines American Liberty

Stateroom 228 was the perfect home away from home for our seven nights aboard. More than ample with 310-square-feet (as more most cabins), the square-shaped cabin featured all new bamboo-designed beige and tan carpeting and light wood furnishings.

There was a full-sized dresser, matching nightstands, two contemporary white leather side chairs, plenty of lamps and overhead lighting, lots of wall plugs and USB outlets, a bedside alarm clock, and even a Keurig coffee maker, complete with daily-replenished K-cups.

The majority of cabins aboard American Liberty look just like this. * Photo: Seldon Ink

The large mirror at the vanity was welcome, but a full-length mirror was missed, as were any wall hooks.

The bathroom was more than adequate, with a single sink, plenty of marble-topped storage space, two drawers, a full-sized glass-enclosed shower with complimentary shower products, and two hooks on the back of the bathroom door.

Here, the bathroom in the Seldon’s Deck 2 cabin, which was representative of most cabin bathrooms. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Closet space was limited but more than enough with the full-sized dresser. An added amenity was an iron and ironing board, which was a nice touch. However, for a seven-night casual cruise, we would have preferred a mini refrigerator to the iron.

The cabin also had a nice large-screen television featuring a full complement of cable channels, an impressive selection of feature films, along with onboard activities, entertainment, and excursions.

The full-length sliding glass door is ideal, as the scenery of the New England islands was so lovely. However, the size of the balcony — while more than comfortable — was a bit narrow.

Access to the Lookout Café and Sun Deck were so close that we found ourselves spreading out at those venues as much as we used the balcony. However, the added square footage and privacy of the balcony is certainly a bonus.

VIDEO: Cele shows us around their cabin, #228.

Dining on Our American Cruise Lines New England Cruise

Dining on American Cruise Lines is open seating for all three meals, with rather generous seating times (typically 7:30-9am for breakfast, 12-1:30pm for lunch and 5:30-7:30pm for dinner).

There was never a wait for a table, and you could sit with whomever you liked or alone. We opted for a table for two most meals and enjoyed chatting with nearby tables when the mood struck, including a charming mother/daughter duo from California.

The American staff was quite young and relatively inexperienced but were always very accommodating.

The breakfast menu was generous, with a featured egg dish every morning, like poached eggs Oscar or surf and turf with beef tenderloin, lobster scampi and two eggs, along with the requisite eggs any style, omelets, rotating quiche, French toast, pancakes, and traditional sides of breakfast meats, potatoes, fruit and cereal.

Lighter breakfast could be found in the Sky Lounge starting at 6:30am, including a small but appealing buffet of varied smoked fish, bagels, fruit, yogurts, muffins, scones and cereal. For something hot, guests could order a made-to-order scrambled egg breakfast sandwiches with any traditional breakfast meats and cheeses.

During breakfast in the restaurant, you would select your preferred lunch entrée and dinner appetizer and entrée, knowing that you could change your mind.

Lunch in the restaurant was a standard affair, with the choice of three sandwiches or salads, many of which were regional in inspiration, like shrimp salad, lobster roll, turkey breast with a Maine blueberry salad and blue crab salad.

A lobster roll. * Photo: Seldon Ink

The line even offered an impressive traditional all-you-can-eat lobster and clam bake (with all the fixins!) for all passengers while docked in Newport.

The Seldons enjoying a traditional all-you-can-eat lobster and clam bake in Newport. * Photo: Seldon Ink

An alternate lunch option was served daily at the Lookout Café from 11am to 5pm. The lighter lunches included seasonal soup selections, tortilla chips with queso and salsa, fruit and vegetable salads, along with a limited selection of heartier fare like burgers, dogs, Caesar salad and a chicken salad wrap.

Dinner was leisurely, with a choice of two appetizers — typically one soup and one salad — and a choice of three entrees.

Again, the line did a great job in regional food, with lobster being on the menu several times, along with duck leg confit, Atlantic, cod and local seared sea scallops, along with traditional options of chicken breast, beef tenderloin, salmon, veal piccata and more.

Cod for dinner in the restaurant. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Scallops were an option at dinner one evening. * Photo: Seldon Ink

We also noted quite a few local farms listed on the menu, which is impressive for cruise lines. We were a bit surprised that there weren’t any “always available” options like chicken breast or a steak. But we’re betting they would have been happy to oblige had we asked. That said, we appreciated that the limited menu was creative, locally and seasonally based, and always served hot with a smile.

“We thought the food was outstanding,” said Karen Thakar, who was traveling with her grown daughter, Holly. “While the menu was a little more limited than the larger ships, it appeared healthier. Not a French fry on the menu, which I appreciated!”

Beer and wine were served with lunch and dinner, and desserts were always a splurge-worthy treat.

A delicious carrot cake. * Photo: Seldon Ink

New Bedford, MA

With many of the New England islands in close proximity, this itinerary does not feature a lot of time cruising. The ports of call were all very close together, so sailing was generally only a few hours a day from port to port. Plus we were docked at Martha’s Vineyard and Providence for nearly two days each.

Case in point — we departed Providence at 2pm and arrived at our first port of call at 8:30pm, where we docked for the night. Although you could feel the seas a bit during the afternoon sail, the fully stabilized Coastal Cats minimized the little chop (with the exception of the American Eagle, which was built without stabilizers).

After a morning stretch on the Sun Deck with our great cruise director, Wyatt, and a quick bite at the Early Risers breakfast, we set off on an interesting cruise excursion on a 14-passenger tour boat (it dost $35 per person, one of three tours we did that had an additional fee).

New Bedford harbor cruise. * Photo: Seldon Ink

The captain gave the dozen of us great insight and history into the local fishing and scalloping industry, along with a detailed view and explanation of the largest hurricane barrier on the East Coast.

Afterwards, we did our own walking tour of the waterfront and visited the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitors Center, the New Bedford Whaling Museum (the area was once the whaling capital of the world), the Museum of Glass, and the Fishing Heritage Museum.

All of these were also available on a complimentary New Bedford shuttle loop offered by American.

New Bedford Whaling Museum. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Martha’s Vineyard

With two full days and nights docked in Martha’s Vineyard, we had plenty of time to explore. Even more than we bargained for (more on that later).

We typically prefer to go at our own pace, so we opted for the complimentary Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority Day Pass, which is basically a city-run hop-on, hop-off bus.

We headed to Oak Bluffs, about six miles away from our ship in Vineyard Haven, and explored the waterfront, the classic New England architecture, and the charming Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association campground, originally founded in 1835 as the country’s first summer religious camp and, today, home to more than 300 charming “gingerbread” cottages.

Martha’s Vineyard architecture. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Once back to Vineyard Haven, we walked the residential neighborhood to West Chop Lighthouse, admiring the homes of the rich and famous, and ended up at the requisite Black Dog Tavern for a post-walk adult beverage (they also have a full-service restaurant, a bakery, a general store, a retail outlet, and multiple locations throughout Massachusetts).

The next day was supposed to be a full day in Nantucket, with ferry service from Martha’s Vineyard in the morning. However, enroute to the ferry dock, we learned that the ferry was broken and there would be no service to Nantucket.

As you can imagine, many passengers were disappointed with the news. However, an extra day in Martha’s Vineyard isn’t the worst sentence, and everyone made the best of exploring other enclaves on the island with another transit day pass, exploration on foot or simply relaxing onboard, watching the yachts and sailboats come and go.

The industrious staff at American even managed to coordinate a few additional tour options, which was very impressive and above and beyond. We opted to take advantage of one such tour, with a visit to the Island Alpaca Company.

Afterwards, we walked a couple of miles to Eastville Point Beach and got in a few hours on the rocky beach and in the cool, protected New England waters.

Martha’s Vineyard West Chop lighthouse. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Block Island, Rhode Island

The next morning was spent at sea — all smooth sailing — as we cruised from Martha’s Vineyard to Block Island giving us a chance to relax and enjoy the ship.

Once docked at the small marina, we headed to the nearby kayak outfitter and set off in single kayaks with a half-dozen other passengers to explore the shorelines and wetlands of the sheltered Great Salt Pond that bisects the 11-mile island. This tour was $55 per person.

Sadly, a passing storm cut our adventure short, but not before we saw some cormorants and several osprey nests as well as learning a bit of history about the island. We also managed to sneak in a short walk to Old Harbor to check out some of the shops and returned to the ship by way of bucolic Block Island State Beach.

Block Island kayaking. * Selfie: Seldon Ink

Newport, Rhode Island

One of the highlights of the itinerary was Newport. Not only to celebrate Lynn’s birthday with lobster and more, but to take a deep dive into The Breakers, the 1895 summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, along the Avenue of the Mansions.

Cele & Lynn in front of the Breakers in Newport RI. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Although we saw it from the Cliff Walk years ago, we were excited to get an up-close look at the 70-room gilded age mansion and experience the last week of the traveling Great Elephant Migration global art installation on the grounds. This ACL excursion was $50 per person and included the house tour and bus to and fro.

An interior room of The Breakers. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Afterwards, the ACL tour bus returned to Fort Adams (where our ship was docked) for a self-guided tour of the fort for anyone interested and also to enjoy a traditional New England lobster and clam bake luncheon in the courtyard arranged by ACL. (The beloved lobster bake is something ACL offers on other East Coast itineraries as well, like their Maine coastal cruise.)

The popular lobster and clam bake. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Catered by a local clam bake caterer, we enjoyed the unveiling of the rockweed bonfire that was gently steaming our lobster, clam, potato and corn feast. Lynn was even invited to ring the supper bell in honor of his birthday.

To top off our Newport day, we took one of ACL’s complimentary shuttle buses to the center of town and spent the afternoon visiting the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Audrain Auto Museum, and the Sailing Museum, all of which were compliments of American.

Needless to say, it was a birthday Lynn will not soon forget.

Nantucket Audrain Auto Museum. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Bristol, Rhode Island (and Nantucket)

Although the day was scheduled to be spent exploring the sights of Bristol, American Cruise Line managed to figure out a way to get those interested booked on the Nantucket Ferry out of nearby New Bedford — our first port of call earlier in the week.

While there were two guided tour options offered in Nantucket, we opted for the free ferry transport and lunch voucher option. After a short 20-minute bus ride, we boarded the 1.5-hour ferry to Nantucket, where we had six-plus hours to explore this charming island.

Filled with delightful cottages, steepled churches, and lush gardens, we wandered the cobblestoned streets and enjoyed complimentary visits to The Whaling Museum, The Hadwen House, the original Quaker Friends Meeting House, Nantucket’s oldest house (circa 1686), as well as a quick lunch with an included lunch voucher.

Nantucket’s oldest house (circa 1686). * Photo: Seldon Ink

We then boarded ACL’s complimentary 1.5-hour bus tour of Siasconset (‘Sconset), the quieter side of Nantucket.

We discovered the island features popular bike trails from end to end, and we wished we had explored biking the 14-mile-long island.

We met up with the rest of the passengers at the ferry terminal late-afternoon and took the ferry back to Fall River, Massachusetts, where the ship had sailed to from Bristol with the passengers that had stayed onboard.

RELATED: Heidi reviews her American Cruise Lines Maine coastal cruise.

Finals Thoughts on Our American Cruise Lines New England Cruise

With so many American rivers and waterways to explore, many passengers’ preference for drive-to embarkation destinations, typically smooth sailing, and being a bit closer to home than European river destinations, American Cruise Lines has hit a homer with their U.S.-based itineraries.

We enjoyed the New England islands immensely and loved being so close to home relatively.

The included shore excursions were plentiful and appreciated, while the handful of for-fee excursions gave everyone plenty of options for a very low cost.

The food was delicious, and the smaller portions helped with not feeling too indulgent. The young staff were welcoming and, although the service had a few bumps (like plates not being cleared and timing), overall, we felt well taken care of.

We’re not going to choose American Cruise Lines for an uber-luxury experience or recommend them to our overly active friends, but we’ll certainly choose them again for a stress-free way to see this amazing country.

A beautiful sunset as seen from the Seldon’s cabin balcony. * Photo: Seldon Ink

Interested in This American Cruise Lines New England Cruise?

The 7-night New England Islands itinerary embarks in Providence, Rhode Island and includes stops in:

• New Bedford, MA
• Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket, MA
• Block Island, RI
• Newport, RI
• Bristol, RI

Starting fares are $4,950 per person including a pre-cruise hotel night, all food, complimentary shore excursions in each port, internet, and alcohol.

The New England cruises sail from early May through late September.

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