I look forward to your next video. I understand this is a not a large, ocean going cruise ship, but if you have any footage of ships amenities (e.g. library, workout room, etc.) it would be great if you included them.
Very well put together series of videos. The camera work is great, in person and in the drone footage. The narration is friendly and welcoming. Reading the comments, yes, it is expensive, but Jim covered the positives pretty well, I think. Foremost is exploring the heart of the homeland and not having to deal with foreign principalities and jurisdictions. A river cruise is not attainable for me at present, but it is definitely in my plans for the future. For right now, I will stick with my kayak daytrips on the backwaters, watching the cruise ships go by while I fish and explore the islands.
Very nice video. That is what I like nice "calm" waters, Lol!! I have been on a few cruises, and mostly the ocean has been calm, 😁 but I have been on a couple of cruises where the ocean has been angry 😠 and scary for me 😰😱. Thanks for sharing. Sylvia
The only drawback is the pricing. From what I can gather the cost is usually at least double or triple that of ocean cruise pricing. However, my understanding is that a river cruise is normally all inclusive wherein on an ocean cruise you have to pay extra for anything other than your cabin and basic dining.
The reason ocean cruises can be so much less expensive makes sense when you think about it... all the costs that the cruise line incurs can be split among thousands of people... where on a small ship like American Melody, there were only a little over a hundred guests who have to pay for all the costs of operating the ship.
American Melody is truly an amazing ship. A little fun fact is that the reason why Melodys interior and design is so different than the other ships is because ACL is trying to market to a younger audience now. I can’t wait to see the ship tour!
I have bern looking into river cruises herr and in Europe.Umm a younger market? I am in my sixties and this crowd is too old for me! The ship is nice and I like the smaller size but the menu is catering to an older,traditional American demographic as is the entertainment.Barber shop quartets??? Not.I have read that some river cruises are starting to focus on wine and food tastings, German Christmas Markets, etc.Courses like art history/archtitecture/history featuring art in the excusions coming up in various ports of call on European river cruises would also interest me.They are not there yet.Thanks 4 ur review,though.
@@deborahhardy4445 agreed, i am 60 and this is a way too old crowd for me. Also, not much to do on cruise days and not even a jacuzzi! But there are some pros as well.
Well that and compete against viking along the same river. Granted I haven't been on one, but looking at Jim's video of the snake river, it looks like a floating la quinta from the mid 90s
Years ago I took several European river cruises, and they were much more satisfying and interesting than the mob scenes on ocean cruises. They've become quite expensive now, so I guess my cruising days are over.
Is American Cruise Lines BBB accredited ? I have seen some reviews which give it a 1/5. I would be concerned about spending $5400 or more per person for an 8 day cruise.
It varies depending on the date you sail and what type of cabin you want to stay in. But as a ballpark to expect... somewhere around $10,000 for two people to sail on one of these cruises. They're more expensive than a cruise on a mega cruise ship because they have far fewer passengers to share the costs of things like fuel, salaries, the cost of building the ship, etc.
This particular cruise started in Alton, Illinois... just across the river and upriver a little bit from St Louis. The cruise ended in Red Wing, Minnesota. I believe we went through 23 locks along the way... although about 2/3 of those were at night while everyone was sleeping. It was very interesting to see how the locks operated. Take a look at this video, which includes some video of going through locks: ua-cam.com/video/0JP3J-2FFXU/v-deo.html
Oh yes... lots of excursions... several to choose from at each city we stopped at along the way. Take a look at this video, which shows a few of the excursions: ua-cam.com/video/0JP3J-2FFXU/v-deo.html (But there were a LOT more possible excursions than the few that I did.)
Love the idea of a small cruise ship. This looks awesome but somewhat daunting for one with a shellfish allergy and a non red meat eater. Can vegetarians order special menus in advance? Thanks for your great videos!!!!
Oh yes... vegetarian is no problem for the chef. In fact, one of the people I shared a table with one night was a vegetarian, and she was really enjoying the food all week.
There are several different itineraries you can choose from... a 7-night upper Mississippi cruise, a 7-night lower Mississippi cruise, or a 21-night cruise that does both. Take a look at www.americancruiselines.com/usa-riverboat-cruise-ships/modern-riverboat-cruise-ships/american-melody I did the northbound 7-night upper Mississippi cruise which starts in Alton, Illinois, and ends up in Red Wing, Minnesota.
There's a very small number of passengers on the ship. So, all the fixed costs of the cruise such as labor, fuel, the financing of the ship's construction, etc. are split among about 200 guests... where on a mega cruise ship those costs are split among several thousand guests. So, that's why these cruises cost more than a cruise on a mega cruise ship. The type of person that tends to go on these small-ship cruises is someone who has worked hard all their life, saved well, and invested well. At this point in their life, it doesn't matter if the vacation costs $5,000 or $10,000... they have the savings to afford to do either one, many times a year. What you find on these types of cruises that you can't get on a mega cruise ship is that they are not crowded, you get to know many of the other passengers during the course of the week, and the crew gets to know your preferences fairly quickly. It's a completely different feeling onboard because of the small number of passengers and the high level of customer service from the crew. One other example of how different this type of cruise is than a cruise on a big cruise ship... You know how the big cruise lines won't let you bring your own booze onboard? You know how all the passengers have to go through a metal detector every time they come aboard the ship, and all luggage and carry-ons go through an x-ray? There's none of that BS on American Cruise Line. Show your ID and walk on to the ship. There's no search. Bring on any kind of booze you want, if you think they won't already have it... or if you'd just rather pour your own in your cabin. They are not suspicious of the passengers on a ship like this. They don't think you're going to steal their towels. They just treat you like you are their guest. It's a really nice way to cruise!
Considerably higher than a mega cruise ship... because the big ships can divide their costs between thousands of passengers, but these small ships divide their costs between 150 or so passengers. Also, because these are American-flagged vessels operating in American waters with an American crew, they have to pay American wages... they can't get away with paying third-world wages like the mega cruise ships do. Prices can vary depending on the time of the year that you travel and a few other factors, so check www.americancruiselines.com/ for exact numbers. But as a rough guide, be prepared to fork out $10,000 per couple to cruise on these ships for a week.
On a cruise ship, it's a really smart thing to do... even today. You're very close to a lot of people... it's easy to get the flu, Norovirus, or Covid. A mask is your best protection.
They do also have some paddlewheelers in their fleet, in addition to the modern riverboats. Perhaps you'd find one of those more to your liking. Have a look at one here: ua-cam.com/video/tlJHU8mXNCE/v-deo.html
yea go look what these river cruises cost hahaha honestly the quality looks sub-prime at best considering what you get on big cruises especially that food..i mean come on, out of cheese?!..pretty sad they charge this much compared to big cruises and have FAR fewer people to take care of and put out this bad of a product...i like the boat and the smaller feel but for what they charge it should be WAY better...Viking blows this company out of the water
I think there may be a few factors that you haven't considered which help explain ACL's popularity with the over-60 crowd. First off, cruising close to home. It's great for Americans to be able to explore their own country. It's also great not to be jet-lagged from flying to Europe to do a river cruise when there are awesome rivers and coastal destinations to explore here in the USA. Also, there's no language barrier with the people at the places the ship visits. There is no need to mess with currency exchanges. It's all just a lot easier than a European river cruise. Also, the crew is American. Fluent English speakers with no accents. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to have a pleasant conversation with your server in the restaurant when she speaks your language fluently with no accent. Plus, she seems like the girl next door, because she's an American just like you. Bonus: no tipping of the crew is allowed. They're paid American wages. And they're not worked 90 hours a week like the crew on a mega cruise ship is, because ACL has to follow American labor laws. This makes the crew much happier, as does the fact that the crew can easily keep in touch with their family back home with the local cell service or the ship's WiFi. It's nice to cruise with a happy crew, rather than a bunch of people who can't wait for their contract to end. Finally... the cruise might seem expensive to you, but to the people who tend to cruise with ACL, it's not. These are people who have been financially successful, saved some of their money, and invested well. To them, there's not a whole lot of difference between a $3000 cruise and a $10,000 cruise. They just want to have an enjoyable cruise. What it costs is not the point. They could afford either cruise. Also, earlier in life, they did all the "normal" cruises. They're bored with them. They want to do something different. The money is not the issue.
@@JimZim Also, the Covid protocols for the ocean cruise ships are at many times beyond the pale. On river cruise ships a vaccination is all that is required. I don't believe that PCR testing and masks are required at every juncture of your trip, to include getting to and from your cruise. Many foreign ports also require PCR testing upon arriving and masks 100% of the time while there.
That pianist was brilliant.
Excellent excellent excellent video well presented. Narration was perfect
Looks like a lovely experience and quite different from that of a mega-ship! Thanks for sharing!
Been on the old ones in Mississippi it's a great time
Thanks for including the meals! The food looks amazing and the options don't seem that limited at all. Another great video!
I look forward to your next video. I understand this is a not a large, ocean going cruise ship, but if you have any footage of ships amenities (e.g. library, workout room, etc.) it would be great if you included them.
Yes, there will definitely be footage of those kinds of things when I do the ship tour and cabin tour video... sometime in the next week or two.
Did not think I would ever see St. Louis (well, Alton) in a Jim Zim cruise video. Great to see river cruising expand!
Very well put together series of videos. The camera work is great, in person and in the drone footage. The narration is friendly and welcoming.
Reading the comments, yes, it is expensive, but Jim covered the positives pretty well, I think. Foremost is exploring the heart of the homeland and not having to deal with foreign principalities and jurisdictions. A river cruise is not attainable for me at present, but it is definitely in my plans for the future. For right now, I will stick with my kayak daytrips on the backwaters, watching the cruise ships go by while I fish and explore the islands.
Oh this ship looks like a ton of fun!
Very nice video. That is what I like nice "calm" waters, Lol!! I have been on a few cruises, and mostly the ocean has been calm, 😁 but I have been on a couple of cruises where the ocean has been angry 😠 and scary for me 😰😱. Thanks for sharing. Sylvia
Great video, Jim - as always! Thank you for sharing!
The only drawback is the pricing. From what I can gather the cost is usually at least double or triple that of ocean cruise pricing. However, my understanding is that a river cruise is normally all inclusive wherein on an ocean cruise you have to pay extra for anything other than your cabin and basic dining.
The reason ocean cruises can be so much less expensive makes sense when you think about it... all the costs that the cruise line incurs can be split among thousands of people... where on a small ship like American Melody, there were only a little over a hundred guests who have to pay for all the costs of operating the ship.
American Melody is truly an amazing ship. A little fun fact is that the reason why Melodys interior and design is so different than the other ships is because ACL is trying to market to a younger audience now. I can’t wait to see the ship tour!
I have bern looking into river cruises herr and in Europe.Umm a younger market? I am in my sixties and this crowd is too old for me! The ship is nice and I like the smaller size but the menu is catering to an older,traditional American demographic as is the entertainment.Barber shop quartets??? Not.I have read that some river cruises are starting to focus on wine and food tastings, German Christmas Markets, etc.Courses like art history/archtitecture/history featuring art in the excusions coming up in various ports of call on European river cruises would also interest me.They are not there yet.Thanks 4 ur review,though.
@@deborahhardy4445 agreed, i am 60 and this is a way too old crowd for me. Also, not much to do on cruise days and not even a jacuzzi! But there are some pros as well.
Well that and compete against viking along the same river. Granted I haven't been on one, but looking at Jim's video of the snake river, it looks like a floating la quinta from the mid 90s
Thanks for the video. That looks like a fun time!
Oh my, the pianist is dressed so sharply!
This looks great. Thanks!
Looks like an enjoyable cruise.
I would love to see the kitchen in your next video. Never see much behind the scenes footage.
I’ve always wanted to do this, thanks for the video.
Years ago I took several European river cruises, and they were much more satisfying and interesting than the mob scenes on ocean cruises. They've become quite expensive now, so I guess my cruising days are over.
Thank you for sharing!
Great job like always
Thank you, nice vlog.
I think I definitely prefer the smaller riverboat cruises than the larger ocean cruises. Definitely will look into this cruise.
Great video. I have been on 8 European river cruises but not an American. Hope I will be able to change that in the future.
Aww! The Blue Danube!
Thank You For The Great Video
Very nice, thank you.
Ok... you sold it to me..... Gotta try this at some point with my american girlfriend ! thank you for a good video.... cheers from Denmark
Excellent film. The boat looks amazzzing.
With that amazing voice Jim Zim could sell sand to the Arabs! 🤣🤭🤣
GREAT CRUISE
I would love to go on this boat.
Me too, but it’s a bit pricey.
That is cool
I have applied for work on American Cruise lines! I sure hope I get a position! ❤❤❤ Recently divorced and retired and need a new outlook!🙏
Nice video!
Is American Cruise Lines BBB accredited ? I have seen some reviews which give it a 1/5. I would be concerned about spending $5400 or more per person for an 8 day cruise.
I wonder if they have solo rates.
I went to their website, and saw they have cabins specifically for solo travelers. I've never taken a river cruise, but I am getting tempted.
Thank you!
Great video Jim! What was the cost for 2? Now my girlfriend is interested!
It varies depending on the date you sail and what type of cabin you want to stay in. But as a ballpark to expect... somewhere around $10,000 for two people to sail on one of these cruises. They're more expensive than a cruise on a mega cruise ship because they have far fewer passengers to share the costs of things like fuel, salaries, the cost of building the ship, etc.
@@JimZim Ouch! Well I figured it would be more and understandably why.
Thx!
@@phrewilly8556 and the price of Mozzarella cheese
I wonder how far up the river it goes. Does it go through the locks on the river? I am originally from the Hannibal area.
This particular cruise started in Alton, Illinois... just across the river and upriver a little bit from St Louis.
The cruise ended in Red Wing, Minnesota. I believe we went through 23 locks along the way... although about 2/3 of those were at night while everyone was sleeping. It was very interesting to see how the locks operated.
Take a look at this video, which includes some video of going through locks:
ua-cam.com/video/0JP3J-2FFXU/v-deo.html
“Older, more polite, passengers”
Nope, no bias here.
Not your cup of tea? Older, polite people?
You prefer: young, narcissistic, rude pinheads?
I'd say he was absolutely biased and proud of it. That information helps us as prospective passengers.
Have you had any experience with American Queen Cruise Line? Looking for some input on those boats. Thank you.
I'm afraid that I haven't. Sorry!
@@JimZim Thank you.
Jim, are there any excursions available or do you just go from point A to point B and don't stop at any ports in between?
Oh yes... lots of excursions... several to choose from at each city we stopped at along the way.
Take a look at this video, which shows a few of the excursions: ua-cam.com/video/0JP3J-2FFXU/v-deo.html
(But there were a LOT more possible excursions than the few that I did.)
Love the idea of a small cruise ship. This looks awesome but somewhat daunting for one with a shellfish allergy and a non red meat eater. Can vegetarians order special menus in advance? Thanks for your great videos!!!!
Oh yes... vegetarian is no problem for the chef. In fact, one of the people I shared a table with one night was a vegetarian, and she was really enjoying the food all week.
if someone brought me pizza with cheddar i would throw them overboard
In the main dining room it looks like any restaurant and you could not tell your on a ship.
I would have just 86'd the pizza vs subbing cheddar. I cook and it's embarrassing when that happens. Like serving pancakes and running out of syrup.
Is there a pool or jacuzzi?
Nope. On a small ship like this, they have to keep it down to the bare necessities.
So where do you board the boat? Where does it go on the Mississippi? How long are the trips?
There are several different itineraries you can choose from... a 7-night upper Mississippi cruise, a 7-night lower Mississippi cruise, or a 21-night cruise that does both. Take a look at www.americancruiselines.com/usa-riverboat-cruise-ships/modern-riverboat-cruise-ships/american-melody
I did the northbound 7-night upper Mississippi cruise which starts in Alton, Illinois, and ends up in Red Wing, Minnesota.
These sound good, but the cost is prohibitive
There's a very small number of passengers on the ship. So, all the fixed costs of the cruise such as labor, fuel, the financing of the ship's construction, etc. are split among about 200 guests... where on a mega cruise ship those costs are split among several thousand guests. So, that's why these cruises cost more than a cruise on a mega cruise ship.
The type of person that tends to go on these small-ship cruises is someone who has worked hard all their life, saved well, and invested well. At this point in their life, it doesn't matter if the vacation costs $5,000 or $10,000... they have the savings to afford to do either one, many times a year.
What you find on these types of cruises that you can't get on a mega cruise ship is that they are not crowded, you get to know many of the other passengers during the course of the week, and the crew gets to know your preferences fairly quickly. It's a completely different feeling onboard because of the small number of passengers and the high level of customer service from the crew.
One other example of how different this type of cruise is than a cruise on a big cruise ship...
You know how the big cruise lines won't let you bring your own booze onboard? You know how all the passengers have to go through a metal detector every time they come aboard the ship, and all luggage and carry-ons go through an x-ray? There's none of that BS on American Cruise Line. Show your ID and walk on to the ship. There's no search. Bring on any kind of booze you want, if you think they won't already have it... or if you'd just rather pour your own in your cabin.
They are not suspicious of the passengers on a ship like this. They don't think you're going to steal their towels. They just treat you like you are their guest. It's a really nice way to cruise!
are you doing the razor comercials?
I wish I was! I bet there would be good money in that.
@@JimZim I heard one for I believe Harrys razors, sounded just like you. lol
How you run out of cheese it's only 200 ppl on the ship them old ppl can't eat cheese lactose.
nice video!...how much...lol.
Prices?
Considerably higher than a mega cruise ship... because the big ships can divide their costs between thousands of passengers, but these small ships divide their costs between 150 or so passengers. Also, because these are American-flagged vessels operating in American waters with an American crew, they have to pay American wages... they can't get away with paying third-world wages like the mega cruise ships do.
Prices can vary depending on the time of the year that you travel and a few other factors, so check www.americancruiselines.com/ for exact numbers. But as a rough guide, be prepared to fork out $10,000 per couple to cruise on these ships for a week.
@@JimZim ty
You should also do videos of all Inclusive resorts also :)
Actually, I have already! Start with this video: ua-cam.com/video/v1_GX8eiTew/v-deo.html
Then this one: ua-cam.com/video/spcjXFsJsRo/v-deo.html
Hi Jim Zim, can I have a shout out in your next video?
Sorry... if I did that for someone, I'd have 100 people asking the next day!
He keeps saying “small ship”.. which it maybe, but for the Ohio river, it’s huge.
ua-cam.com/users/shortsFy8Rolx3xpA?si=fI3US-2hBuMJfyBN
Piano guy looked like he was wearing spats. :)
He was.
Seems like it's geared towards rich old people 😂
Very nice, but VERY expensive. Not for a commoner like myself, unfortunately.
Ditch the clips with people wearing masks….very off putting.
It's a video I made about a cruise I took in 2021. Those clips reflect the reality of those times.
It's his video!
How weird everyone wearing masks. I never did.
On a cruise ship, it's a really smart thing to do... even today. You're very close to a lot of people... it's easy to get the flu, Norovirus, or Covid. A mask is your best protection.
Not all heros wear caps.
It's very ugly looking...Doesn't have any of that romantic appeal like the 19th century paddle wheels.
They do also have some paddlewheelers in their fleet, in addition to the modern riverboats. Perhaps you'd find one of those more to your liking. Have a look at one here: ua-cam.com/video/tlJHU8mXNCE/v-deo.html
yea go look what these river cruises cost hahaha honestly the quality looks sub-prime at best considering what you get on big cruises especially that food..i mean come on, out of cheese?!..pretty sad they charge this much compared to big cruises and have FAR fewer people to take care of and put out this bad of a product...i like the boat and the smaller feel but for what they charge it should be WAY better...Viking blows this company out of the water
I think there may be a few factors that you haven't considered which help explain ACL's popularity with the over-60 crowd. First off, cruising close to home. It's great for Americans to be able to explore their own country. It's also great not to be jet-lagged from flying to Europe to do a river cruise when there are awesome rivers and coastal destinations to explore here in the USA. Also, there's no language barrier with the people at the places the ship visits. There is no need to mess with currency exchanges. It's all just a lot easier than a European river cruise.
Also, the crew is American. Fluent English speakers with no accents. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to have a pleasant conversation with your server in the restaurant when she speaks your language fluently with no accent. Plus, she seems like the girl next door, because she's an American just like you. Bonus: no tipping of the crew is allowed. They're paid American wages. And they're not worked 90 hours a week like the crew on a mega cruise ship is, because ACL has to follow American labor laws. This makes the crew much happier, as does the fact that the crew can easily keep in touch with their family back home with the local cell service or the ship's WiFi. It's nice to cruise with a happy crew, rather than a bunch of people who can't wait for their contract to end.
Finally... the cruise might seem expensive to you, but to the people who tend to cruise with ACL, it's not. These are people who have been financially successful, saved some of their money, and invested well. To them, there's not a whole lot of difference between a $3000 cruise and a $10,000 cruise. They just want to have an enjoyable cruise. What it costs is not the point. They could afford either cruise. Also, earlier in life, they did all the "normal" cruises. They're bored with them. They want to do something different. The money is not the issue.
@@JimZim Also, the Covid protocols for the ocean cruise ships are at many times beyond the pale. On river cruise ships a vaccination is all that is required. I don't believe that PCR testing and masks are required at every juncture of your trip, to include getting to and from your cruise. Many foreign ports also require PCR testing upon arriving and masks 100% of the time while there.