I had the chance to take a tour of the American Glory from American Cruise Line when she was docked in Portsmouth, NH during a Grand New England cruise.
American Glory is a notable vessel in the American Cruise Lines fleet, particularly because she is the second coastal catamaran in the company’s lineup, following her sister ship, American Eagle. Her construction represents a significant step forward in the company’s commitment to innovative design all while blending it seamlessly with luxurious coastal cruising.
She spends her summers in New England and then winters out of Florida with these unique one-of-a-kind itineraries out of St Petersburg, FL.
When I boarded her in Portsmouth, NH, she was on a Grand New England Cruise with a stop in New Hampshire’s largest seaport town. This marks the second time a cruise ship has moored in Portsmouth, NH since 1998.*
*bit of a detour here. Technically the Nova Star called in Portsmouth and berthed at this same pier in 2014. Long-time readers may recall she sailed on the Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS route for two seasons before going to Europe full time. I covered it quite extensively as she was America’s only Cruise Ferry. As she technically is a cruise ferry and was only in Portsmouth as part of a media and publicity tour before her inaugural season, it doesn’t count. So the last ship to call was an American Canadian Caribbean Lines (later renamed to Blount Smallships) ship in 1998 until ACL started to call earlier this year.
Some notes on her design and constructions before we dive into her interiors and general layout.
Conceptualization and Design: The journey of American Glory began as part of the Project Blue initiative which would turn out to be six of these shallow draft, catamaran-style ships. Each would be built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp., in Chesapeake, MD. The mission: to create a vessel that combines the intimacy of small-ship cruising with the advanced features and modern comforts of a larger vessel, while iterating on and blending in features of the Constellation-class and the American Riverboat-class. The way they did this was with a catamaran-style bow which we will cover more in depth in the next section. While there have been some similar ships in the rivers of Europe that feature this bow design, river cruising and coastal cruising are quite different. American Cruise Lines arguably created a class of ships unlike any other.
Catamaran Hull Design: The defining feature of American Glory is her catamaran-style hull. This is most visible at her bow. ‘Catamaran’ simply means a ship with two hulls. The superstructure is then suspended above both of them. This design allows the ship to be quite a bit wider, as well as much more stable due to the wider beam.
This design was chosen for Project Blue for its stability, shallow draft, and fuel efficiency. This makes it ideal for navigating the narrow channels, bays, and coastal waterways that are the hallmark of American Cruise Line’s itineraries. The catamaran structure provides a smoother ride, even in less-than-ideal sea conditions, ensuring a comfortable journey for all aboard.
Externally, the ship’s sleek lines and modern aesthetic reflect her advanced design and purpose as a coastal cruiser, or coastal cat, as they’re now referred to. The catamaran hull not only improves performance but also allows for a wider beam, giving more space for public areas and staterooms.
Construction Timeline: Construction of American Glory began in 2022 at Chesapeake Shipbuilding, located in Salisbury, Maryland, and owned by American Cruise Line. All the ACL newbuilds had been built at this yard due to their expertise in building small cruise ships tailored to American waters.
Innovative Features: American Glory was designed with several cutting-edge features that set her apart from other vessels in the fleet. These include an advanced propulsion system featuring three Z-drives (Similar to an azipod as found on larger ships.) This reduces environmental impact and noise, as well as allowing for unparalleled maneuverability on these shallow, often narrow waterways frequently found in the northeast.
Technical Details
The American Eagle was launched and delivered in 2023. She comes in at 221.7ft LOA and has a max beam of 54ft. Her draft is 9.8 feet and measures 3,344gt.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW AMERICAN EAGLE DECK PLANS
The interiors of the vessel are very bright with simplicity and comfortable luxury being a key feature.
Deck 01
This deck features cabins at the front and a guest laundry amidships. There is the vestibule here as well. This is the main stairwell that traverses the entire ship, all the way to the topmost deck. The aft half of the deck is the dining room. Due to the large beam that the designers were allowed to play with, the dining room features more views out the windows with a U-shaped design in this area.
Deck 02
Probably the signature space onboard is the forward observation lounge offering 180-degree views towards the front of the vessel. This multi-purpose venue features cocktail sailaway parties, guest lectures, as well as evening dancing.
At the very front of the lounge is an outdoor deck. This would be my choice to hang out where when navigating into or out of port. The unique shape of this outdoor deck is made possible by the catamaran bow. Amidships are all cabins with private verandahs. At the very back is the fitness center as well as the study and game room. This is probably the quietest area onboard so if you like to read or have to get any work done, this would be the place.
Deck 03
Deck 3 features the wheelhouse (bridge) at the very front. There are cabins amidships and then the very back is the Sky Lounge. This is a great place if you want to mingle but something is going on in the Forward Lounge. Always available are coffee, sodas, and snacks 24/7. Fresh-baked cookies are also put out at 10:00 and 15:00 daily.
Behind that is the outdoor cafe and a small outdoor deck that gets a lot of use for sailaway parties. The cafe features a different menu than the restaurant and is in a more casual al fresco environment.
Deck 04
The front of the deck features six of the top suites onboard. Past the top deck of the vestibule is the main outdoor sun deck. With a jogging track that encircles it, they also have a lot of padded loungers dotting the space. There are also two sets of deck chess here.
Special thanks to the onboard team for showing me around, answering my thousand and one questions, and being so knowledgeable about the line.