American Cruise Lines (ACL) announced that it has signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding for 4 more new ships, bringing the Line’s total orderbook with Chesapeake to 10 ships over the next 3 years.
All the newbuilds are expressly for the U.S. cruise market; the fastest growing segment of the river cruise industry. ACL has been a trailblazer in that market for more than 50 years and will operate 21 small ships around the country next year.
The 10 new ships from Chesapeake begin with the delivery of American Legend this week. The newest Coastal Cat in American’s fleet passed sea trials and is on schedule for its first cruise on November 25th. The remaining newbuilds on order will roll out every few months over the next 3 years. They include 3 riverboats and 6 additional coastal ships. Now available for booking are: American Patriot and American Pioneer (2025); American Maverick and American Ranger (2026), and new riverboat American Encore (2026). More details on the 4 additional newbuilds for 2027 will be released soon.
American’s commitment to U.S. River cruising is longstanding, but the rapid expansion of the company’s fleet in just the past several years is demonstrative of the growing interest and demand for world-class cruise experiences in the United States. American has introduced 19 of the 24 cruise ships built in the U.S. in the past 20 years.
The company operates the only 100% U.S. flagged fleet of riverboats and small ships in the world and remains fully committed to introducing only new small ships built specifically for domestic cruising. The company’s unique fleet enables all-domestic river and coastal itineraries that no other lines offer.
ACL will operate 21 small ships in 2025; sailing the largest collection of 100% domestic River and Coastal itineraries ever offered in the United States. The company will continue to introduce new ships with top-notch amenities that are unusual for small ships—unlocking amazing new opportunities for cruising closer to home and exploring America year after year.