ACCL Info Please

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Hi - Tried this post on the river cruise site with no response. Thought I would try it here. We are thinking about taking the Great American Waterways 2010 on the Grande Mariner offered by American Caribbean Cruise Lines. Does anyone have any recent experience with this ship or cruise line? Any input would be appreciated. We have been on several European river cruises (GCT) and the riverbarge before it stopped sailing. Just wondering how they would compare. I like an occasional beer - is there anyway to keep it cold? ;-)

[rafinmd]

I have several past cruises with ACCL with 2 more booked this year. They are not for everyone, but I ABSOLUTELY love them. I actually have 2 favorite cruise lines which I describe as polar opposites, ACCL and Crystal.

 

I describe ACCL's creature comforts as somewhere between basic and spartan. The rooms are tiny, and the bathrooms even smaller, but everything seems to work for me. Mealtimes are fixed, typically 8, 12, and 6. In terms of meals, think family in the true sense. At home you probably don't get a menu with a choice of a dozen entrees, and you won't on ACCL. The daily menu is posted in the dining room each morning. If something on the menu does not meet your linking, let the chef know a meal in advance and an alternate will be arranged for you. Seating in the dining room is "Southwest style". It sounds crude but I find it actually works well, since there are no good or bad seats. On most cruises I will share a meal at some time or other with virtually everyone on the ship.

 

The atmosphere is very much that of a small group. Most everyone will recognize you if not know your name.

 

One of my favorite ACCL stories actually happened on Queen Mary II. On my first crossing, in the 6 days only one "crew" person ever addressed me by name. It was a vacation ACCL crew member who approached me on the Promenade deck with "Hello Mr. Ferguson". Passengers and crew together take on quite a family atmosphere.

 

The company has a byob liquor policy. For small quantities of beer, probably 2 or 3 bottles at once, there is a cooler in the lounge for passenger use, that could fit your bill quite well. You could also bring a smaller for your cabin; there is ample ice available on board.

 

There are a few things that could be a bit of a hangup for some people. The chief one I can think of right now is there are no locks on the cabin doors. With the small group intimacy, I have never heard of that being a problem (the doors do lock from the inside).

 

One thing might be a problem for you. The Great American Waterways has been a very popular cruise and has often sold out months in advance. Have you checked availability yet?

 

I'm sure there is a lot unsaid here, so if you have other questions please post them here, and I'll try to answer the questions you really have.

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Thanks for the reply. We are pretty laid back as well and would be comfortable in this environment. We have not checked availability yet but will tomorrow. Some additional questions might come up which I will post here. Thanks again.

[rafinmd]

One thing I should have said and didn't. I don't always think to check this forum, so if you ask something and don't get a response, also email me via royaferguson at yahoo dot com.

[LHT28]

If you must go then book a cabin on the top deck or bring ear plugs

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That's what I've heard.