Growing niche offers passengers intimacy of riverboats coupled with the versatility to sail on coastal routes
USA Today/The Arizona Republic — August 11, 2024
EDGARTOWN, Mass. – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
A terrified Chief Brody uttered one of the most memorable quotes in American cinematic history in the 1975 thriller “Jaws,” a watershed movie that was filmed here on Martha’s Vineyard, an affluent island 7 miles south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
The 100-passenger “catamaran-inspired” American Eagle docked in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The ship is part of American Cruise Lines’ growing fleet of ships designed for coastal cruising.
Chief Brody’s panicked assertion was true, if you’re trying to catch and kill a 25-foot great-white shark with a ravenous appetite for sun-seeking beachgoers.
But when it comes to exploring the small towns, bays and inlets off the coastline of Cape Cod – and other coastal regions in the United States — bigger boats are about as useful as a rod and reel in trying to ensnare a horrifying 3-ton sea-monster in Steven Spielberg’s movie.
Gurnet Light, the oldest wooden lighthouse in the United States. Located at the entrance to Plymouth Bay in Massachusetts, it originally was constructed in 1768.
Coastal cruising is one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments. It involves sailing on small ships – typically carrying 100-200 guests — close enough to shore that passengers can see land throughout the voyage. The segment is geared toward older, well-heeled Americans who want to stay fairly close to home while visiting less-touristy ports that the big ships can’t get to.
Coastal ships have a shallow draft that enables them to dock in small harbors without having to ferry their passengers ashore on tenders. They offer the convenience and intimacy of riverboats coupled with the versatility and stability to sail in waters that tend not to be too bumpy as they’re protected by nearby coastlines. On some itineraries, they also traverse rivers, lakes and canals.
Coastal ships like the American Eagle have a shallow draft that enables them to dock in small harbors like this one in Plymouth, Mass.
I recently sailed on a one-week coastal cruise around Cape Cod on the 100-passenger “catamaran-inspired” American Eagle. The four-deck ship was christened last August and is part of the fleet of American Cruise Lines, the largest river cruise line in the U.S. that is rapidly expanding into coastal cruising.
The Connecticut-based company isn’t just dipping its toes in the coastal-cruising market. It now has seven coastal-cruise ships on the water with plans for two more ships to begin sailing by the end of the year and two more launching in 2025. Its newest vessel, American Liberty, will be taking its inaugural voyage Thursday, Aug. 15 from Providence, R.I., visiting several ports in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Historian Walter Powell presents a lecture aboard the American Eagle about the Pilgrims’ arrival in America. Powell presented several lectures on the history of New England during the cruise.
“Our newest small ships allow guests to cruise within sight of land and enjoy the same atmosphere found aboard our riverboats, making our coastal itineraries a natural transition for any river cruiser,” said Charles B. Robertson, American Cruise Lines’ president and CEO, whose father founded the company in 1972.
American Cruise Lines owns its own shipyard in Maryland’s Eastern Shore and all of its ships are U.S.-flagged, which allows for itineraries that don’t include a foreign stop. An American law requires foreign-flagged ships sailing in U.S. waters to stop in at least one non-U.S. port of call.
The view from the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, Mass., located on Cape Cod. Provincetown was one of the stops on a week-long cruise in New England on the American Eagle.
Besides New England, other U.S. coastal itineraries include the Chesapeake Bay with port stops in Maryland and Virginia, a Southeast cruise that visits Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, GA., trips around the coastline of Florida, the Puget Sound in Washington and Alaska’s Inside Passage. American Cruise Lines also owns Pearl Seas Cruises, which has one coastal ship – the 210-passenger foreign-flagged Pearl Mist – now sailing the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada.
Rates for coastal cruises are comparable to high-end river cruises and can get pricey. Depending on the cruise line and what amenities are included – like roundtrip air, a pre-cruise hotel, an open bar onboard and shore excursions – fares can easily exceed $1,000 per person per day. A high percentage of cabins on coastal ships come with private balconies.
Passengers on the American Eagle are treated to a New England-style clambake in Portsmouth, R.I.
All told, American Cruise Lines plans to grow its fleet to 12 coastal cruise ships in the coming years as part of its “Project Blue” series. Add that its stable of 10 riverboats plying the Mississippi, Columbia, Snake and other U.S. rivers, and the cruise line says it now has a footprint in 35 states.
The view of Boston’s skyline. The “Cape Codder” cruise on the American Eagle started and ended in Boston Harbor.
The “Cape Codder” cruise on the American Eagle started and ended in Boston Harbor. The itinerary offered a chance to become immersed in the history related to the Pilgrims’ arrival in the New World in 1620 aboard the Mayflower and their encounters with the indigenous Wampanoag people, who have been living in New England for more than 12,000 years.
We reached our first port, Provincetown, on the northern tip of Cape Cod, just four hours after leaving Boston. I had thought the Pilgrims first landed at Plymouth Rock, but they actually spent five weeks in Provincetown before settling in Plymouth, about 80 miles west across Cape Cod Bay.
The Pilgrim Monument towers over downtown Provincetown on the island of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Provincetown was one of the stops on a week-long cruise of Cape Cod on the American Eagle.
Provincetown, known as a boisterous party-town, has a year-round population of less than 4,000 that swells to 60,000 during the summer. I climbed the Pilgrim Monument for a spectacular view of the town and harbor. A museum at the monument has a replica of the landmark Mayflower Compact. Signed by the Pilgrims in Provincetown Harbor, the compact is the first document to establish self-government in the New World.
In Plymouth I toured a full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower, the ship which brought 102 Pilgrims from England to America. Their arduous journey across the Atlantic took 66 days. From the American Eagle, I walked to the nearby Plymouth Rock, where some believe the Pilgrims first set foot in the New World. While there is no historical evidence to confirm that, the rock remains an important symbol representing the determination of the nation’s early settlers.
A full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower, which brought 102 Pilgrims from England to America. The ship is docked at the harbor in Plymouth, Mass, where the Pilgrims settled in 1620.
We also visited Plimouth Patuxet, a living museum that features a recreated 17th-century Pilgrim village. There are “historical interpreters” dressed as Pilgrims at the site, who interact with visitors as if it were 1627. They stay in character, so it’s best not to ask – as I made the mistake of doing – if the site had Wi-Fi.
A recreated Pilgrims’ settlement from the 1620s at the Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Mass. Plymouth was one of the stops during a one-week cruise to Cape Cod on the American Eagle.
From the port of Buzzards Bay, I took an excursion to Hyannis to visit the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, which showcases the Kennedy family’s deep connection to Cape Cod. The Kennedys had several summer homes in nearby Hyannis Port. The compound, closed to visitors, is still the home of Ethel Kennedy, the 96-year-old widow of Robert F. Kennedy.
The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum in Hyannis, Mass. chronicles the life and legacy of President Kennedy and his family’s deep connection to Cape Cod.
It’s hard to find a place in America that oozes more money than Newport, R.I., known for its rich sailing history and grandiose homes. By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation’s wealthiest families – including the Vanderbilts and Astors – built summer houses in Newport. Today, mansions are owned by the likes of Jay Leno, Judge Judy and billionaire software-magnate Larry Ellison.
The harbor in Newport, R.I., a city known for its rich sailing history. Newport was one of the port stops during a one-week coastal cruise around New England on the American Eagle.
The island of Martha’s Vineyard, often called “The Vineyard,” is another popular summer hangout for the rich-and-famous. We visited Edgartown, a town that took on the stage name of “Amity” during the filming of “Jaws.” We also stopped by the spectacular Aquinnah Cliffs – with its colorful clay cliffs carved by glaciers — on the northwestern tip of the island.
The stunning Aquinnah Cliffs on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The clay cliffs were carved by glaciers millions of years ago.
As for sharks, it turned out that it was indeed safe to go back in the water again. The only sharks I encountered on the cruise were emblazoned on t-shirts and other souvenirs in Martha’s Vineyard giftshops.
© 2024 Dan Fellner
Website: American Cruise Lines: http://americancruiselines
