Two hundred and ninety-six dates, the fullest calendar
The American Eagle entered service in August 2023. Seventy-four metres, 56
cabins, 100 travellers, fifty crew. She is a catamaran, and that twin-hull form
explains almost everything that follows: it gives a lounge width unusual on so
small a ship, and a draught shallow enough to work the Intracoastal Waterway
and berth in secondary ports no conventional cruise ship enters.
Two hundred and ninety-six departure dates with us: the fullest calendar of
the eighteen ships. The figure says something simple. She runs loops of eight to
fifteen nights almost without a break, New England in summer, Florida in
winter, the Hudson in between.
The cabin, and the category to check
Fifty-six cabins, two lifts serving every deck, and a panorama lounge
forward. Almost every cabin has a real balcony with a full-height sliding
door.
Almost. One category on the main deck has only a fixed panoramic window with
a window seat. It is comfortable and well placed, but you do not step outside.
Her two younger sisters of 2024 dropped that category: if a balcony is a
condition, check the exact category before you pay a deposit, or choose one of
the two newer ships.
Neighbouring ships
The American Glory is her exact 2023 twin, with the same reservation on one category.
The American Liberty and the American Legend are the two 2024 hulls, entirely balconied. The American Pioneer is a
larger 2025 monohull.
Who owns this ship
The line itself. That is the short answer, and it holds for all eighteen
ships in the catalogue. The settlement reached in January 2024 with the United
States Department of Justice refers to the seventeen ships "owned and operated"
by the company at that date.
Seventeen of the eighteen hulls come from a Maryland shipyard held by the
same family. That vertical integration shows in the plans: ships of one class
are rigorously identical, and the line has delivered two to four new hulls a
year since 2023.
The American flag, finally. The 1886 law imposes a foreign call on foreign
ships sailing between two American ports. It imposes none on an American ship.
If this line stays in the United States, that is its choice, and the choice
gives it America's rivers to itself.
What is included, and what is not
The fare covers the cabin, all meals, crew gratuities, a hotel night before
embarkation with transfers, at least one excursion per call, port taxes and
satellite internet.
It does not cover the flight, insurance or upgraded excursions. The alcohol
question deserves an exact sentence: beer and wine at the two main meals, plus
a cocktail hour in the late afternoon. It is not an unlimited drinks package,
and several ships close early in the evening.
Internet runs on satellite and is included. No speed is guaranteed: the link
depends on a clear view of the sky and drops in the Columbia gorges, under
bridges and inside locks. Plan not to work aboard.
What life aboard asks
The rhythm is slow: sailing in the morning, a call and a guided outing
during the day, back aboard for dinner, a talk in the evening. Meals run to
fixed hours and several reviews note feeling hurried through them. There is no
casino, no show, no children's programme.
On the clientele, the line announces the early sixties and professional
observation gives seventy-five and over for most. Almost all travellers come
from the United States. That is a useful criterion of exclusion, not a
fault.
On accessibility, the line advertises accessible cabins on its ships without
publishing an inventory, and in January 2024 it reached a settlement with the
United States Department of Justice bearing precisely on the accessibility of
its fleet. A traveller with reduced mobility must obtain written confirmation
before paying a deposit.
Arranging this trip from Montreal
A valid Canadian passport is needed to enter the United States by air. The
line's phrase about leaving the passport at home is aimed at its American
clientele; it does not apply to you. On the Alaska and Great Lakes itineraries
the passport also serves during the cruise.
The fare does not include the flight. It does include the hotel night before
embarkation, the transfer to the ship and the transfer from ship to airport at
the end. Still allow a margin: several embarkation ports need a connection from
Montreal.
Nothing establishes that the line holds a Quebec travel agent's licence, and
its contract points to American maritime law and the courts of Connecticut,
with claim deadlines markedly shorter than those of Quebec law. Voyages
AquaTerra holds a licence from Quebec's Office de la protection du
consommateur, and that is where your protection comes from.