On Board American Melody

Our first cruise experience was last September on a land-sea excursion to Alaska. The cruise portion was 7 days on board the MS Holland America Noordam. 

We wanted a smaller cruise experience the next time. Even though it was a smaller ship, the MS Noordam had 986 staterooms with cabins spread across various categories, nearly 70% featuring private balconies, 16% ocean-view cabins, and the remainder were inside cabins. 

We wanted to explore U.S. waterways on the next cruise. Seeing ads for American Cruise Lines (ACL) riverboats, we booked a lower Mississippi riverboat trip on the American Melody (9 days/8 nights) for April from New Orleans, LA, to Memphis, TN. Cruising was the slowest possible way to travel that distance, perfect for us.

Launched in 2021, the five-deck American Melody riverboat has 91 staterooms, all with private balconies and full-length sliding glass doors. It holds a max of 180 passengers (157 were on our cruise) and a crew of 40 to 50. Cabin types range from 250 square-foot, single-occupancy rooms to 650 square-foot Grand Suites. All staterooms feature modern amenities. The ACL motto is Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly. 

(Generally, a riverboat, ship, or boat is a vessel or craft., a distinction based on size: ships are large/ocean-going, while boats are smaller and suited for inland waters. A riverboat is classified as a boat, river cruiser, barge, or ferry.)

ACL currently operates a fleet of over 20 modern riverboats that cruise in 35 states on boats US-owned and built and crewed with U.S. citizens. The fleet includes riverboats, paddle wheelers and coastal cats, covering major rivers and coastlines from Alaska to Florida visiting over 150 domestic ports yearly. Founded in 1972 by Charles A. and Carol Robertson, the boats are built in Salisbury, MD, at Chesapeake Shipbuilding. (The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a federal statute that requires specific construction and crew stipulations for goods transported by water between U.S. ports. It supports the domestic maritime industry for national security and economic purposes and defines certain seaman's rights.)

We preferred an all-adult cruise and the guest mix aboard American Melody fit perfectly. Many, like ourselves, were in their 70s, others in their 80s and one passenger celebrated his 94th birthday on board. We talked to other passengers who had traveled extensively and now wanted to avoid a lengthy flight or had mobility issues that made travel challenging. (River cruises in the U.S. must follow requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but that's not the case abroad.) We met folks from California (highest number) Texas, Oregon and Florida, and also the UK and Australia, but none from NH.

American Melody has several lounges, a fitness center, large dining room, café for casual dining, sun deck, library, laundry room and a four-story glass atrium in the center of the ship. The top deck has a sun deck and walking track. What you won't find are casinos, buffets, gift shop, photographers, pools, large crowds and no formal nights, the emphasis is on relaxation and enjoyment.

The riverboat's bow opens for passengers to walk on and off

The riverboat’s flipped-up bow looks like large jaws which open to extend a walkway for passengers to get off and on off. At some docks, there was the usual gangplank, sometimes quite long. The riverboat stows golf carts onboard to help disabled passengers. Mississippi riverboats have unique challenges; however, with its shallow draft and unique bow, American Melody can dock where other boats could have issues. ACL claims that its riverboats have never missed a scheduled sailing due to low water depth. 

At docks where the bow opening could not be used there was a gangplank

ACL includes a complimentary pre-cruise hotel overnight in the departure city. This ensures that passengers have time to get to the departure destination. A designated ACL coach transports everyone to the riverboat the next morning.

Our New Orleans visit was too short to really see the sights

Our cruise departed from New Orleans, LA. Unfortunately, we had less than 24 hours in a city renowned for music and food. We did venture to the French Quarter and Café du Monde, the legendary home of the classic beignet. This square piece of dough is fried, covered with powdered sugar and served in orders of three.

Beignets at Café du Monde in the French Quarter were a must taste

Based on 2026 data, ACL boasts some of the largest average staterooms in the cruise industry, particularly within the small ship and river cruise markets. When we arrived at the riverboat, our stateroom was ready. The luggage had been delivered, there were no boarding lines, lunch was being served in the dining room. 

Our veranda stateroom on American Melody was about 320 square feet

Located on Deck 2, our stateroom had a king-side bed, four pillows, nightstands and lamps on both sides, chairs, large flat screen TV (movies, ship info, selected news channels), dresser with plentiful drawer space, closet, vanity/desk and Keurig coffee maker. There were enough electric outlets so we could both charge cellphones and other devices. The bathroom had a shower (no bath), towels, shampoo, lotion, soaps with room for personal toiletries Our room was a short walk from the two elevators, stairs were always an option. 

Lifejackets were tried on as part of shipboard safety

After lunch, the first thing we were instructed to do was watch a ship safety video on the TV and also to take out the lifejackets and practice putting them on.

Here's an exploration of other areas onboard the American Melody should you be considering a riverboat cruise at some future date and even, if not.

The River Lounge hosts entertainment enrichment talks and cocktail hour 

River Lounge - Located on Deck 3 forward, this large lounge at the ship’s bow, serves as the ship's entertainment center where daily enrichment programs by the resident historian, Jim Schweickart. In addition, the cruise director gave rundowns of the next day’s events titled, Chart Your Course. This preview was useful and well attended. With no theater on board, the crew was kept busy arranging and rearranging chairs for different River Lounge uses like trivia challenges, cocktail hour and evening entertainment.

The Sky Lounge has outdoor and indoor dining areas

Sky Lounge - This lounge on Deck 4 of the American Melody is a popular, aft-located indoor venue that offers scenic panoramic views, bar and 24-hour snacks. It serves as a casual spot with floor-to-ceiling windows, freshly baked cookies and access to the outdoor Back Porch Café. The indoor space has tables for indoor breakfast and lunch.

The captain met with passengers on scheduled pilothouse tours

Pilothouse/Wheelhouse - The fore-located Navigation Bridge (pilothouse or wheelhouse on riverboats) on the American Melody is located at the forward end of Deck 4 near the Sky Lounge (observation deck). It's has open viewing. We took a scheduled tour that let guests see the navigation bridge and talk to the captain.

An open airspace for and walking track was on the Sun Deck

Sun Deck - Deck 5 is a top-level, open-air space designed for panoramic river views, with padded loungers, sofa, deckchairs, shaded seating and a walking track. It also includes a putting green, shuffleboard, and tables for socializing. A 360-degree walking track circles the deck giving high-point views of the Mississippi River scenery including many heavily laden barges pushed by tow boats. Heavy industry tended to dominate the shoreline. There's no elevator access which is by stairways from the Sky Lounge, Deck 4.

The Mississippi River is one of the world's most vital commercial waterways, serving as a primary freight artery for the U.S.. Annually, it transports over 500 million tons of goods — grain, coal, and petroleum, connecting the Midwest to global markets via Gulf of Mexico America ports. It's essential for agricultural exports and handles some 60% of U.S. grain exports. Don't expect to see any nice blue water as the Mississippi River is famously known as the Big Muddy with its water carrying high loads of sediment, particularly after joining the Missouri River. The river is heavily polluted, mostly by agricultural runoff, industrial waste and urban sewage, earning it distinction as America's most endangered rivers. 

The Dining Room offered a varied meal selection daily

Dining - Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the single dining room with no assigned seating. Menus had several meal options with a vegetarian choice at dinner. Seafood was fresh, never frozen, and delivery trucks waited at some ports. Lunch and dinner included complimentary soft drinks wine, beer, mixed drinks. While not gourmet, meals were good. If a selected dinner wasn't to your liking, you could request another choice. Half portions were also available. The service staff, young enough to be everyone's grandchildren, were helpful and did their best to serve everyone quickly. Passengers usually lingered after the end of dinner hour to continue their conversations over dessert and coffee which was never a problem. 

The Back Porch Café  offered casual breakfast and lunch choices

A more casual breakfast and lunch was served in the open-air Back Porch Café off the Deck 4 Sky Lounge. Breakfast featured a daily sandwich, pastries, yogurt, fruit, smoked salmon, bagels Lunch included hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wrap, soup, tortilla chips and salsa and ice cream bars. 

Cocktail hour was a popular daily event in the River Lounge

It's 5:30 pm Somewhere - That was cocktail hour time which was held daily in the River Lounge where hors d-oeuvres and cocktails were offered with a selection of cheeses, fruit, dips and crackers. This event was always well attended. 

Snacks were available 24 hours a day, in the Sky and River Lounges. The setup included self-serve treats such as assorted nuts, cookies and snack bars, coffee and tea. A self-serve fridge had a selection of soft drinks, fruit drinks and water.

Entertainment - As mentioned earlier, there's no theater onboard and no resident group of entertainers or musicians. Evening shows were held in the River Lounge and local musicians boarded at dock stops. These 8:30 pm shows could be watched in the comfort of your stateroom, which did that as we had been on at least two excursions each day. Onboard afternoon activities included trivia games and Two Truths and One Lie in which passengers shared three things about themselves. The challenge was to figure out which were true or false. This proved challenging at times as there were some very interesting folks on our cruise.

The Game Room and Quiet Lounges

During the day, passengers could relax in the game and quiet lounges and either play games, read or work on jigsaw puzzles. At least two 1,000-piece puzzles were solved during the cruise by fellow passengers.

ACL has three coaches that followed the riverboat cruise by a land route

ACL cruise coaches are easy to spot with red, white and blue logos. Three coaches would follow a ground route to ensure that transportation was always at a dock stop. These coaches were comfortable with complimentary bottles of water always provided. They had front seats set aside for disabled passengers. Wheelchairs and walkers were stowed in the under-bus luggage compartment.

Shore Excursions - Many are included in the cruise itinerary with choices for various ports. Information on the onboard ACL app gave the length and “Physical Activity Level” for every excursion, low, moderate or high physical activity. There was a choice of complimentary (free) shore excursions plus premium ones (extra cost.) We scheduled many complimentary ones ahead of time, often two each port and were never disappointed. The most costly premium was a day visit to Graceland with lunch at $195/person. We passed on this one, no offense to The King.

Local tour guides would board the coaches to provide information

Some excursions offered a hop-on, hop-off cruise coach loop ride to showcase an area. A local guide would board to describe the sights and share area history. The cruise coach would return every half hour to pick up passengers for other stops or to return to the boat.

The Cochon De Lait lunch featured a roasted suckling pig (not shown)

A delicious complimentary excursion was the Cochon De Lait Experience near St. Francisville, LA. We boarded the coach for a ride to a true Louisiana treat. This meal involves roasting a young pig on an open hardwood fire. Lunch included pork, Louisiana boudin (pronounced Boo-Dan), potato salad, green beans, salad, bread, sauces, beer, wine and soft drinks. Louisiana boudin is a cooked sausage made from pork meat and rice with vegetables and seasonings, stuffed in a natural pork casing. During lunch, Cajun music was provided by local musicians.

Disembarkation - Leaving the American Melody was as uncomplicated as embarking. The crew made the process as convenient as possible despite the unexpected steady rain on the last day. Many fellow passengers shared that they had booked their next cruise onboard.

Included in Cruise Costs - ACL doesn’t nickel and dime passengers as we've heard other cruise lines often do for services like wi-fi, laundry and drink packages. These are all included in the fare as are meals (no specialty restaurants), gratuities for ship staff, pre-cruise hotel stay, complimentary shore excursions. 

The Viking riverboat, Mississippi, was docked nearby on our cruise

With the failure of American Queen Voyages in February 2024, the Viking Mississippi is ACL’s competition on the Mississippi River. It's larger and carries 386 guests on a 450-foot vessel with a crew of 143 and was designed to operate on the Upper and Lower Mississippi River. Viking is expanding its U.S. presence. Ships that operate on U.S. rivers are being built in U.S. shipyards, crewed by U.S. citizens and legally owned by a U.S. company to comply with the 1923 Merchant Marine Act.

We have no plans to go on a Viking cruise in the U.S. as the ships are larger and costs are not all-inclusive. We had a great time on the American Melody and took advantage of a 15% onboard promo. In October, we'll cruise the Snake and Columbia Rivers on the American Song. Next Spring, we hope to cruise the Great Lakes.

Mississippi River sunset viewed on the cruise

If you suspect that we've become hooked on riverboat cruising, you wouldn't be far off in that assumption. In the future, we hope to cruise European rivers.