The smallest ship, and the most attentive
The American Spirit entered service in the mid two thousands. Sixty-seven
metres, 47 cabins, 90 travellers, and twenty-six crew. That last figure is the
smallest in the fleet, but set against the number of travellers it is also one
of the best ratios in the catalogue.
Four decks, three of them with cabins. This is the line's oldest family of
ships and its most modest: no glazed atrium, no balcony everywhere, no grand
suite. What you find instead is a small ship that enters bays nothing else
reaches.
Two points to check before booking
The first is the lift. For this ship the line announces limited access and
refers you to the telephone, without stating which decks are served. A
specialist database claims on the contrary that it serves every deck. The
contradiction is unresolved. For a client with reduced mobility, have it
confirmed in writing or choose elsewhere.
The second is the balcony. Only a little over half the cabins have one; the
rest have a fixed panoramic window. A dedicated single cabin exists, with a
balcony, but on one deck only.
Fifty dates, and why
Fifty dates with us, against more than two hundred for the east coast
catamarans. This is not the end of a career: she only appears in the Pacific
Northwest at the end of the 2026 season, while her 2027 calendar is full, with
more than twenty cruises out of Tacoma. It is a deployment lag, not a
withdrawal.
Neighbouring ships
The American Legend and the American Liberty are the fleet's newest catamarans. The American Serenade and the American Song are
eighty-two-metre riverboats.
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.
