ACL Columbia & Snake Rivers Cruise
My wife and I just returned from our 3rd trip with American Cruise Lines. We cruised their Columbia & Snake Rivers itinerary eastbound (Portland, OR to Clarkston, WA) from July 7-15 (includes travel days). Our ship, American Song, is the original ACL "American Riverboat" build, in 2018. It is kept in impeccable shape with constant cleaning and polishing. A couple things could use some updating, especially the fixed showerheads. (They are on flexible hoses on more recent builds.) AC power receptacles in our cabin were a little sparce but acceptable. The crew was uniformly upbeat, friendly and helpful although some, especially restaurant servers, were new to their jobs and it showed. Service could be unusually slow at times and getting beverages sometimes required multiple requests. On the upside, ACL staff is justifiably praised for its attention to passengers with special needs. Food quality was good to excellent. My wife liked the ability to order half portions. There are only 3 or 4 entree selections per meal but we never had trouble finding something we liked. For breakfast and lunch, we often took advantage of the "Back Porch Cafe" which enabled us to eat outside and less formally. Excursions were well-planned, efficiently run and had knowledgeable guides. Many were included in the cruise price. Most excursions that were not included had very reasonable pricing, e.g., $25 to $50 per person. Enrichment and entertainment was good to outstanding. Our onboard historian was extremely knowledgeable about the Lewis & Clark Expedition, was a terrific speaker and appropriately funny. We received complimentary airfare for this cruise. ACL's flight itinerary was well thought out, with very reasonable layover times and total travel times. Embarkation and debarkation were both handled smoothly. An ACL representative even met passengers at the Portland airport. The overnight stay and included breakfast at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport went well. For debarkation, most passengers were driven to Spokane, WA because their airport has MUCH better flight connections than the Lewiston, ID airport. As for the itinerary itself, the scenary was incredible and most port stops were educational and enjoyable. Transiting 8 locks was especially interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, so much so that we did something we have NEVER done in 11 previous cruises (ACL and other lines): We booked our next cruise while onboard to enjoy the 15% savings. ACL cruises are not inexpensive but they are almost all-inclusive with practically zero "nickle & diming" of passengers. Recommended.