American Cruise Lines Announces Plans For 10 New Ships in the Next 3 Years

american cruise lines coastal ships rendering

American Cruise Lines has announced that it has signed contracts with Chesapeake Shipbuilding for four more new ships, bringing the line’s total orderbook with Chesapeake to 10 vessels over the next three years.

All the newbuilds are for the U.S. cruise market, which is currently the fastest growing segment of the river cruise industry. Next year, American Cruise Lines will be operating 21 small ships around the country.

The 10 new ships begin with the delivery of American Legend this week. The newest Coastal Cat in American’s fleet passed sea trials and is on schedule for her maiden voyage on November 25th. The remaining ships on order will roll out every few months over the next three years. They include three riverboats and six more coastal ships.

american cruise lines coastal cat
(Photo courtesy of American Cruise Lines)

Now available for booking are:

  • American Patriot (2025)
  • American Pioneer (2025)
  • American Maverick (2026)
  • American Ranger (2026)
  • American Encore (2026)

More details on the four additional newbuilds scheduled to debut in 2027 will be released soon.

The rapid expansion of ACL’s fleet over the past several years is a demonstration of the growing interest and demand for cruise experiences in the U.S. The line has introduced 19 of the 24 cruise ships built in the United States in the past 20 years.

chesapeake shipbuilding shipyard maryland
Chesapeake Shipbuilding (Photo courtesy of American Cruise Lines)

American Cruise Lines operates the only 100 percent U.S. flagged fleet of riverboats and small ships in the world and is committed to introducing only new small ships built specifically for domestic cruising.

In 2025, American Cruise Lines will sail the largest collection of 100 percent domestic river and coastal itineraries ever offered in the U.S.

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