American Cruise Lines' latest modern riverboat leaves shipyard early ahead of maiden cruise this August
By
Rebecca Gibson |
American Cruise Lines’ newest modern riverboat, American Harmony, has docked in her New Orleans homeport for the first time ahead of her inaugural cruise from the US city this August.
American Harmony departed Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland for New Orleans after successfully passing her sea trials and receiving her US Coast Guard certification 23 days ahead of schedule. The vessel will remain berthed at New Orleans until she departs for her eight-day maiden cruise along the Mississippi River on 17 August. She will then offer various Mississippi River roundtrips throughout 2019 and 2020.
“New Orleans is monumentally significant in the history of American-built ships on the Mississippi River,” said American Cruise Lines in a press release. “American Cruise Lines is honoured to continue the legacy of American ingenuity and American shipbuilding by introducing American Harmony and the first modern riverboats in the US from this magical city.”
American Harmony is the second in a series of five new ‘modern riverboats’ that are being introduced on the Mississippi and Columbia and Snake Rivers in the US. The first, American Song, sailed her inaugural voyage from New Orleans in early October 2018.
Slightly larger than American Song, the new 190-passenger American Harmony has 10 additional deluxe suites on her upper deck. She also has a patent-pending bow with an extendable and retractable gangway to facilitate bow landings, as well as a central multi-storey glass atrium with a large domed skylight, outward-facing staterooms with private balconies, and lounges with triple the amount of glass of other riverboats.
Read more about American Harmony’s interior design and onboard features in our interview with Alexa Paolella, public relations manager for American Cruise Lines, in the 2019 issue of Cruise & Ferry Interiors.