American Cruise Lines joins fleet in SW Washington

Ship watchers will see a new riverboat sailing the Columbia River this year as American Encore joins the growing fleet of cruise ships sailing through Southwest Washington.

Seven cruise ships are set to sail the Columbia and Snake river system this year, and six of them — including American Encore — are operated by Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines. The company expects to add another new riverboat to its fleet next year.

“The river cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers are the hottest in the country, and the region is arguably the hottest in the world at the moment,” said Alexa Paolella, public relations manager for the company.

Cruises on the Columbia aren’t cheap, starting around $4,000 per person and running up to about $34,000 per person for a signature suite on American Cruise Lines’ 16-day cruise set to begin next year, according to the website USA River Cruises.

Most of the company’s cruises, however, are sold out.

“Our river cruises in the region just keep getting more and more popular, which is why all three of the next new riverboats in our fleet are all operating cruises on the (Columbia and Snake rivers),” Paolella said.

River cruise growth in the Pacific Northwest, she added, has been both “tremendous and continuous.”

The company has tripled its fleet of small ships in the past decade.

American Cruise Lines isn’t the only company sailing the Columbia. The National Geographic Sea Lion, operated by Lindblad Expeditions, also hosted cruises in March and April and will sail the river again in September, though it’s not docking at any Southwest Washington ports. The two companies are the main cruise lines for the Columbia and Snake river system.

Riverboats used to be seen more frequently at the ports of Vancouver and Camas-Washougal. They haven’t returned to the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 1 since American Queen Voyages suspended its services here in 2024.

American Cruise Lines had two riverboats dock at the Port of Camas-Washougal in April. Those will be the only dockings for the port this year, with low water levels making the ramp down to the dock too steep.

The company’s boats will continue to dock this year at the Port of Kalama and the Port of Stevenson, as well as several ports in Oregon.

Paolella said the company hasn’t had any major issues with water levels on the river.

“All our small ships are designed specifically for the waterways and regions they cruise, so many of these attributes help us remain nimble when water levels are low,” she said.