By Sarah Pruzansky, Cruise & Travel Writer | March 06, 2019 ( Comments)
While ocean cruising has its beauties and wonders as you venture into lands you’ve never seen, there is an allure to traveling right here in the U.S. Mark Twain, author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, painted pictures with his telling of aesthetically pleasing river towns and the sentimental notion of American rivers in his books, sparking a fascination in Americans to explore these unique rivers of the country and transport themselves into another world.
The desire to bring storybooks and history to life, to enthrall yourself in an enriching and cultural experience set on relaxing waters, is an adventure right at your fingertips that you can embark upon.
This doesn’t mean for your authentic river adventure, that you need to purchase or build your own boat though. Instead, companies like the American Queen Steamboat Company and American Cruise Lines offer fascinating multi-night boat adventures on various rivers throughout the U.S., whether you’d like to travel the Mississippi River, the Columbia and Snake Rivers, the Hudson River and more.
Despite the intrigue toward journeying away on a river excursion, you may be wondering what exactly makes American river cruises so special, aside from the fact that they’re cruising on a river instead of the ocean.
That’s why we’ve created this list of qualities that stand out about American river cruises and why you may want to book your first river excursion:
1. You have the opportunity to travel via steamboat.
All U.S. river cruises are considered to be aboard a boat as opposed to a ship. This is based on the size of the vessel combined with what it was built to sail on - ocean, lake or river.
Aside from its intimate boating experience with fewer passengers, some of the river boats propel themselves differently than an average ship by using paddlewheels powered by steam. Not only is it fascinating the way the steamboat cruises are propelled, but so is their 19th-century aesthetic, taking you back into another time.
2. American river cruises are convenient.
Sometimes going on a cruise means having additional tasks to complete and incurring extra expenses to be able to make that vacation happen. We’re talking about getting your passport, booking your flight to the city the port is located in, and potentially booking another flight to bring you home if you’re going on a one-way cruise.
While these are all worthwhile, and necessary, expenses if you’re looking to travel outside of the U.S., we understand that sometimes the extra to-do’s and costs can be inconvenient.
With American river cruises, you can get everything that you need ready much quicker and easier. This is because there’s no need to get a passport as you’ll be staying in the country the entire time, and there are a variety of U.S. river cruises available so that you can simply drive to your closest river port, making your only primary extra expense booking a flight home if you're traveling one-way.
The Mississippi River Bridge, Natchez, Mississippi.3. If you’re prone to seasickness, American river cruises may be more suitable.
While there are actions that you can take to prevent seasickness aboard a ship, you may enjoy the convenience and smoothness of riding via steamboat cruise. Because there are no waves and the water essentially moves only one way, the boat remains sturdy the entire time. So if the rocking motion of a ship makes you nauseated, you may find preference in the gentle cruising that steamboat cruises provide.
4. It’s an educational history experience.
Simply being on the waters and basking in the beauty isn’t enough to transport you into the past, but neither is sitting in a classroom and learning about it. On U.S. river cruises, you get both the educational and immersive experience of being on these rivers with onboard experts. They’ll guide you through the waters you are gliding through, as well as teach you about the areas you are visiting, whether you’re learning about the battle of Vicksburg, how New Orleans was built and founded and more.
If you’re a history buff, then you’ll likely love learning about and visiting these historic places throughout the U.S.
5. You get to walk right into town.
Steamboat cruises have convenient access to towns, with close walking distances from the ports. With 10 to 15 minutes away from town, very soon after docking, you’ll be exploring Baton Rouge, Nottoway Plantation, New Orleans and more.
This gives you more time to enjoy the destinations and immerse yourself in each area’s unique history, culture, and activities.
Taking a cruise to any destination can make for an intriguing, relaxing and beautiful vacation, but there’s something extra special about taking American river cruises.
Whether it’s your first time cruising, or you’re an avid cruiser, U.S. river cruises will be unlike anything you’ve been on before.
With its personal, intimate aesthetic from the smaller ship with less passengers, to its beautiful and astounding views of historical places in the U.S., to making you feel transported back into the 19th-century, taking U.S. river cruises is something we recommend that everyone do at least once. But we have a feeling that after you go once, you’ll likely want to go again!
To learn more about how to book your American river cruise, give us a call today.
