American Cruise Lines has announced the successful launch of its newest ship, American Constellation. Designed and built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., the newbuild entered the waters of the Wicomico River in mid-July, following integration of the two major hull weeks before. Once maneuvered by tugboats into Chesapeake Shipbuilding’s East Outfitting Basin, the final work began to add upper decks and complete the outfitting.
“The launching of American Constellation could not have gone any better,” said Timothy Beebe, vice president of American Cruise Lines. “The team at Chesapeake Shipbuilding has done a fantastic job realizing our vision for this new cruise ship. We are thrilled that the construction of American Constellation continues to be well ahead of schedule.”
The new ship will have a capacity of 170 passengers and is scheduled to begin cruising in the spring of 2017. It will start service with two seven-night roundtrip sailings from Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay, followed by 10-night sailings out of Boston on a new Grand New England itinerary.
American Constellation will bring American Cruise Lines’ fleet up to nine vessels, supporting the company’s position as the largest U.S. line of cruise ships and river cruise vessels in the U.S. With more than 35 itineraries, the line’s sailings vary from four to 21 nights in length in regions in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New England, the Southeast and the entire Mississippi River system.
This May, the company debuted the 185-guest America on its inaugural season on the Mississippi, sailing from New Orleans. The largest ship in the fleet, America has advanced engineering features, including greater speed and less noise than similar vessels. With America joining Queen of the Mississippi, the line moved American Pride to the Pacific Northwest to join Queen of the West on the Columbia and Snake rivers, giving them the unique position of having two ships there and two on the Mississippi.
American Cruise Lines’ fares do not include shore excursions (except for Alaska cruises), service charges or port charges and fees. All ships have elevators to all decks. The majority of staterooms have private balconies and feature hotel-like bathrooms and large, opening picture windows. Accommodations have twin or king-size beds, satellite television with DVD players and internet access. Guests are welcome to have visitors onboard; tell clients they just need to notify the hotel manager in advance.
The company’s Preferred Travel Agent program provides guided training on how to sell its various cruises, telling agents, “We will be with you every step of the way.” The line is currently designing a new and improved agent portal, and the new On-Demand Certification Program is a series of six videos with destination and fleet details.
Fast Facts
American Cruise Lines is working on a new and improved agent portal; in the meantime, agents can email [email protected] for information, assistance or access to training programs.
For access to American Cruise Lines’ On-Demand Certification Program, agents can register here. If you have already registered and would like to resume the series, email the line at [email protected] for the link.
The Details
American Cruise Lineswww.americancruiselines.com
