Onboard the American Jazz right now if you have a question

[cruisingherrons]

 

I just booked the New England Islands Cruise in Aug 2023. This will be my first small ship cruise and I am very excited about my adventure. I would love to hear from past ACL cruisers to hear about their experiences and tips on what to wear etc. I usually cruise on Princess and every day they have a Daily paper featuring what is going on onboard. Does ACL have the same and would any past passengers share a copy with me? It doesn't matter what the itinerary was, I would just like to see what life onboard might be like.  Thanks, in advance, for any/all tips!
Donna

[vslparis]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I hope the rain has not had a significant impact on your cruise.  

What are the hours for the open bar for the pre dinner cocktail party?  Is it usually open during the evening entertainment?  I imagine it is not exactly the same for every cruise, but I just wanted to get an idea.  
 

When it is not open for no charge cocktails, can you purchase drinks?

 

Am I correct in my assumption that ACL allows passengers to bring bottles of liquor or wine on board?

 

What has been you favorite meal thus far?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

The bar is open from 5:30 to 7:00 pm with hors d’ouvres such as shrimp ,lobster claw meat, assorted cheeses, nuts, mini quiche, local sausage . Not all at the same time, just wanted to give you an idea of some of the things. 

The bar is open again from 8:00 to around 9:30 pm a little before the show starts.

 

There is no opportunity to charge drinks at any other time. 

[jagoffee]

5 hours ago, vslparis said:

The bar is open from 5:30 to 7:00 pm with hors d’ouvres such as shrimp ,lobster claw meat, assorted cheeses, nuts, mini quiche, local sausage . Not all at the same time, just wanted to give you an idea of some of the things. 

The bar is open again from 8:00 to around 9:30 pm a little before the show starts.

 

There is no opportunity to charge drinks at any other time. 

Are the drinks from 5:30 to 7pm and 8 PM to 9:30 PM included at no extra charge?

 

Thanks

[vslparis]

1 hour ago, jagoffee said:

Are the drinks from 5:30 to 7pm and 8 PM to 9:30 PM included at no extra charge?

 

Thanks

Yes.

[vslparis]

8 hours ago, cruisingherrons said:

 

I just booked the New England Islands Cruise in Aug 2023. This will be my first small ship cruise and I am very excited about my adventure. I would love to hear from past ACL cruisers to hear about their experiences and tips on what to wear etc. I usually cruise on Princess and every day they have a Daily paper featuring what is going on onboard. Does ACL have the same and would any past passengers share a copy with me? It doesn't matter what the itinerary was, I would just like to see what life onboard might be like.  Thanks, in advance, for any/all tips!
Donna

Here you go -

 

[vslparis]

On 5/6/2021 at 12:28 PM, jagoffee said:

 

Am I correct in my assumption that ACL allows passengers to bring bottles of liquor or wine on board?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Yes, you can bring bottles of wine or liquor on board.

[cruisingherrons]

16 hours ago, vslparis said:

Here you go -

 

This is great.....just what I was looking for
Thanks so much

 

[twototravel]

Wow, you have really shared a lot of good info. We will still have money on our voucher we transferred from Pearl Seas to ACL that has to be used in 2021. With other trips we have scheduled, we only have late November as a possible opening. Would this be a good one to take if offered then? We've been to a lot of the cities on land that the cruise stops at. 

[Cali Viajera]

Are the excursions like the Cajun swamp tour included? Looking at the schedule it doesn’t say if they are paid excursions.

[Texasramblinreck]

On 5/3/2021 at 1:32 PM, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Thanks for taking us along. We're booked on Jazz for the Music Cities cruise July 25. First time with ACL so any info/hints/pictures you can share are appreciated. 

We are on the Jazz July 10 out of Nashville.  Our first time on River Boat cruise, have been on 16 ocean cruises.  Stayed at Opryland hotel before, it’s really nice.  This cruise was supposed to include tickets to Grand Ole Opry, but I haven’t hear anything about it.  The Jazz is only a few months old, so everything will still be like new.  I wonder what kind of entertainment we will have.  Looks like someone posted a daily guide, but was hard to read.

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

48 minutes ago, Texasramblinreck said:

We are on the Jazz July 10 out of Nashville.  Our first time on River Boat cruise, have been on 16 ocean cruises.  Stayed at Opryland hotel before, it’s really nice.  This cruise was supposed to include tickets to Grand Ole Opry, but I haven’t hear anything about it.  The Jazz is only a few months old, so everything will still be like new.  I wonder what kind of entertainment we will have.  Looks like someone posted a daily guide, but was hard to read.

 

 

We got out E-docs yesterday. Do you have the pre-cruise hotel included? We do and it shows the Grand Ole Opry show on the night before the cruise. Really looking forward to a new and different experience.  

[cruisingherrons]

"Travel as much as you can.....As far as you can......As long as you can....Life's not meant to be lived in one place."

 

Suzyluvstocruise - what an awesome quote and oh so true. Enjoy you night at the Grand Ole Opry.
 

 

 

 

[2beagles mom]

Good morning,

My husband and I have done numerous river cruises, but never one in the US. We are on the America, RT New Orleans in June, so the information I am gathering here is very helpful. (This will also be our first time in the south.) I have a few questions. 

What are shore excursion group sizes?  
Are pastries at the early riser breakfast pre-packaged or freshly made?

What brand of bath products are in the cabins? 
Thanks so much!  

 

[Ray in NH]

2 hours ago, 2beagles mom said:

Good morning,

My husband and I have done numerous river cruises, but never one in the US. We are on the America, RT New Orleans in June, so the information I am gathering here is very helpful. (This will also be our first time in the south.) I have a few questions. 

What are shore excursion group sizes?  
Are pastries at the early riser breakfast pre-packaged or freshly made?

What brand of bath products are in the cabins? 
Thanks so much!  

 

 

I'll try to answer some of your questions.  However, my replies are based on pre-Covid-19 cruises.  We don't cruise again until this September (Ohio River) 😒

a) The shore excursion groups have varied in size, based upon location and individual preferences, but we have not encountered any that were "uncomfortably large",

b)  Pastries have been a combination of pre-packaged and/or freshly baked.  Obviously, unsure what the future cruise will have to offer.

c)  Unfortunately, I do not recall the brand(s) of bath products -- but, they were quite adequate.

 

NRayH

[DarthCruiser]

On 5/3/2021 at 2:32 PM, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Thanks for taking us along. We're booked on Jazz for the Music Cities cruise July 25. First time with ACL so any info/hints/pictures you can share are appreciated. 

Hi Sue,

 

We'll be anxious to hear how you like cruising on ACL.  We're booked on a Grand New England Cruise in August.  We're having to branch out a bit to get back on the water.  🙂

 

Mike & Steve

[suzyluvs2cruise]

12 minutes ago, DarthCruiser said:

Hi Sue,

 

We'll be anxious to hear how you like cruising on ACL.  We're booked on a Grand New England Cruise in August.  We're having to branch out a bit to get back on the water.  🙂

 

Mike & Steve

 

Hi there....we're branching out a bit too. A couple of road trips, a US river cruise and a part of the US we haven't seen. Will definitely let you know how we like it. 

[vslparis]

22 hours ago, Cali Viajera said:

Are the excursions like the Cajun swamp tour included? Looking at the schedule it doesn’t say if they are paid excursions.

The prices will be on line when you are able to book or on the Shore excursion sign up sheet that you will get the first day on board.

The Cajun Pride Swamp Adventure is $50 pp from Baton Rouge. 

[vslparis]

3 hours ago, 2beagles mom said:

Good morning,

My husband and I have done numerous river cruises, but never one in the US. We are on the America, RT New Orleans in June, so the information I am gathering here is very helpful. (This will also be our first time in the south.) I have a few questions. 

What are shore excursion group sizes?  
Are pastries at the early riser breakfast pre-packaged or freshly made?

What brand of bath products are in the cabins? 
Thanks so much!  

 

Right now, they have been putting about a max of 25-27 per bus on those tours that use a bus.  Same with inside tours at places like Houmas House and Oak Alley.  

Due to Covid, the only pastries for early risers are pre-packaged. 

Bath products are Judith Jackson Spa Citresse Shampoo, Conditioner and Bath and Shower gel and hand soap. 

 Wish they have some moisture/body lotion though.. 

[2beagles mom]

6 minutes ago, vslparis said:

Right now, they have been putting about a max of 25-27 per bus on those tours that use a bus.  Same with inside tours at places like Houmas House and Oak Alley.  

Due to Covid, the only pastries for early risers are pre-packaged. 

Bath products are Judith Jackson Spa Citresse Shampoo, Conditioner and Bath and Shower gel and hand soap. 

 Wish they have some moisture/body lotion though.. 

Thanks so much. The information is very helpful. I do wish the tour groups were smaller. 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Hoping you can share a picture of a dinner menu. 

[vslparis]

On 5/3/2021 at 1:32 PM, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Thanks for taking us along. We're booked on Jazz for the Music Cities cruise July 25. First time with ACL so any info/hints/pictures you can share are appreciated. 

The first photo is the ship letting off passengers at Houmas House, next is an outside area found on several decks on the starboard side ( long enough for 4 chairs , that’s it ) , self serve snacks and drinks; soda is there too , next is appetizers served during the 5:30 to 7:00 pm cocktail time and finally the bathroom in an AAC ,just because . A lot of the cabins and public areas you can see on line.

 

Some tidbits that are nice to know ( at least I think so 😉) -

1. On days where is looks like rain they have umbrellas and plastic rain ponchos on the gangway.  Water is always available when ylu get off and on the bus.

2. There are two golf carts that are available at the gangway for those that might have trouble walking to the bus ( several stops had inclines to walk up) or over to site such as Houmas House which was within walking distance.

3. At breakfast you can get a mimosa if you want !  On the back of the breakfast menu ( or at the office on deck 1) you can check off what you might want for lunch and dinner. It is not written in blood so it is OK to change your mind or not do it if you aren't sure.

4. At lunch or dinner if you want to take the bottle of what wine you are drinking back to your room, just ask for it. You can also bring wine and spirits on board if you wish. Wine list is on the ack of the dinner menu.

5. Wi-Fi is a bit spotty ; I had to use my phone’s Hot Spot . Even then, we had some dead zones. 

6. The clock on one side of the bed has two USB ports ;the lamps have a plugs.

 

We disembark tomorrow so I am off to pack 😟

 

[Texasramblinreck]

17 hours ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

We got out E-docs yesterday. Do you have the pre-cruise hotel included? We do and it shows the Grand Ole Opry show on the night before the cruise. Really looking forward to a new and different experience.  

I have not received anything in the mail.  Online the Opryland Hotel package is listed, but no mention of Grand Ole Opry show.  The invoice shows all our excursions we signed up for and we have vouchers for hotel to print and boarding passes.  We are also looking forward to new experiences.  We are in mid 70’s think we will enjoy the peaceful cruise with less people, our last cruise had about 5,000.  We have one more cruise planned after the river cruise out of Tampa for 5 days Jan 2022, 3rd time is the charm, had 2 cruises canceled due to Covid-19.

[vslparis]

20 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Hoping you can share a picture of a dinner menu. 

Tonight is Beef tenderloin, Lobster stuffed with crawfish and shrimp or surf and turf with a bit of both . I remember seeing French Onion soup, caesar salad and some sort of shrimp for appitizer. Don’t remeber desert but some of the choices that we have had are Red Velvet cake, Creme Brulee, Coconut cake, chocolate cake, Boston Creme pie. They always have ice cream ; usual flavors plus butter pecan and mint choc chip.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

7 minutes ago, vslparis said:

Tonight is Beef tenderloin, Lobster stuffed with crawfish and shrimp or surf and turf with a bit of both . I remember seeing French Onion soup, caesar salad and some sort of shrimp for appitizer. Don’t remeber desert but some of the choices that we have had are Red Velvet cake, Creme Brulee, Coconut cake, chocolate cake, Boston Creme pie. They always have ice cream ; usual flavors plus butter pecan and mint choc chip.

 

Thanks for taking us along with you, answering questions and providing pictures. Getting excited for our July 25 cruise.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

17 minutes ago, Texasramblinreck said:

I have not received anything in the mail.  Online the Opryland Hotel package is listed, but no mention of Grand Ole Opry show.  The invoice shows all our excursions we signed up for and we have vouchers for hotel to print and boarding passes.  We are also looking forward to new experiences.  We are in mid 70’s think we will enjoy the peaceful cruise with less people, our last cruise had about 5,000.  We have one more cruise planned after the river cruise out of Tampa for 5 days Jan 2022, 3rd time is the charm, had 2 cruises canceled due to Covid-19.

 

Our E-docs went to our travel agent and he forwarded them to us. If you use a TA you might want to ask them. If not, put in a call to ACL. Good Luck!