ACL for young forty somethings?

[Itsallaboutholidays]

Looking for some advice about whether ACL is going to be the right cruise lines for us.  We are a British couple in our forties currently living in Belgium and we really want to do a Mississippi cruise and Viking are sold out for our dates.  We have only previously ocean cruised (with Azamara, Celebrity, RCL, Celebrity and Princess) but we do like smaller ships.  What should we expect on ACL?  What is the demographic?  What is included in the cruise fare?  Any tips or suggestions?  I realise these questions are not very specific but am hoping somebody could give me some insight.  Many thanks

[BaumD]

You will probably be the youngest people on the ship. The average age on ACL is probably about 70. Very different than cruising on some of the larger cruise ships. No pools, no casino, no specialty restaurants. entertainment is very limited. After dinner there will either be a musical presentation with a trio or duet or possibly a lecture. No flashy shows like on the big ships.

 

[BillHana]

Yes, there are older folks on ACL but that is not bad. Very relaxed cruise with happy and friendly fellow cruisers. No crowds at all. Getting on and off the ship easy. No extra charge for anything except a few premium excursions. No tipping is expected. At breakfast you select your choices for lunch and dinner from limited choices but they don't hold you to it. No complaints about food quality. Drinks (including beer and wine) and snacks always available. Cocktail hour every evening includes liquor. All staff friendly with English as a first language, not like the big ships. Lots of excursions available without extra charge. 

We did American Jazz from Memphis to New Orleans. Only issue was low water level in the Mississippi due to drought and some stops inaccessible. We would do it again.

[DaveinCharlotte]

You might also want to check out ACL's competitor, American Queen Voyages.  The AQV experience is much the same, but they provide a theater and a troupe of professional entertainers for nightly shows,  Meals are somewhat fancier, and they do a bit better on the excursions, in my opinion.  Price point is even higher than ACL, but if you can live with an inside cabin (we do, and don't mind it all), it is less than ACL.

[Itsallaboutholidays]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:18 PM, BaumD said:

You will probably be the youngest people on the ship. The average age on ACL is probably about 70. Very different than cruising on some of the larger cruise ships. No pools, no casino, no specialty restaurants. entertainment is very limited. After dinner there will either be a musical presentation with a trio or duet or possibly a lecture. No flashy shows like on the big ships.

 

Thank you - very helpful overview and insight.  We have been the youngest people on a number of vacations previously so this does not put us off.

[Itsallaboutholidays]

On 12/13/2022 at 12:40 AM, DaveinCharlotte said:

You might also want to check out ACL's competitor, American Queen Voyages.  The AQV experience is much the same, but they provide a theater and a troupe of professional entertainers for nightly shows,  Meals are somewhat fancier, and they do a bit better on the excursions, in my opinion.  Price point is even higher than ACL, but if you can live with an inside cabin (we do, and don't mind it all), it is less than ACL.

Thank you, i'll check AQV out as a comparator.  Thank you for taking the time to give me some feedback,

[Ozmodiar]

I am in my early 50's and last year did an ACL Ohio River cruise (with my Mom, who always wanted to do such a trip). As noted, you will be about a generation younger than the majority of the passengers - I am pretty sure I was the youngest on board. Having said that, it was still a fairly active group, retired in late 60's and early 70's. Most of the people I spoke with were experienced travelers so fun to discuss where people had been and their careers and so on, and many had done multiple ACL cruises. The ship was a faux-paddle wheeler which was one of their older ships - personally I liked it because it added to the ambiance of a slow cruise down the river.

 

You will get to know other passengers as it will likely be under 200 of them and ACL has communal dining with no fixed seating (at least on mine) so you can meet different people each meal, or plan to sit with some regulars, up to you. I liked that they had a lecture on each port which connected the dots and added some context. Tours were pretty good I thought. Entertainment was fine - keep in mind the common spaces are not that large, so solo acts or duos/trios are about as big as it will get, so more like being at a local bar or town auditorium than a "big" show.

 

I enjoyed it, but it was a little slow for me - very relaxing but unlike ocean cruises which are fairly "efficient" in terms of distance covered and time in port, the distances between the ports are only a few hours drive most of the time, and in a few towns not their long enough to do more than a tour (which were all good I thought). 

 

If you haven't been to the Mississippi river area before, I would suggest one of the itineraries that start and end in two different cities. New Orleans is worth a couple of days, as is St Louis or Memphis, so give yourself a day or two before and after in those places.

[SbbquilterUT]

One more consideration after living in that region - it is very hot and humid in June through August.  Travel in a shoulder season (spring or fall) will be much more comfortable.