American Cruise Lines has announced that American Jazz is repositioning from the Mississippi River to the West Coast for brand new California river cruises beginning in February 2023: the first of their kind since the 1940s.
Already underway along the journey from the Mississippi River to San Francisco Bay, American Jazz is expected to transit the Panama Canal in the coming days.
American Jazz’s repositioning voyage is following a similar route to the historic U.S. mail ships of the Gold Rush era that carried passengers, mail, and gold between the East and West coasts. The expert nautical team aboard is supported each day of the voyage by the company’s shoreside operations team. Throughout the journey, American’s crew and the shoreside team closely monitor vessel systems, weather forecasts, and voyage progress.
American Jazz’s arrival to San Francisco Bay heralds a historic development in U.S. River cruising, as it is the first U.S. built riverboat to offer overnight cruises throughout the Bay and California Delta in over 80 years. American Jazz will embark along the Line’s first 8-Day San Francisco Bay cruise on February 24, 2023. The new river cruises will sail San Francisco Bay and Wine Country: cruising the Napa River, Sacramento River, and San Joaquin River.
“Exploring San Francisco Bay and the California Delta by U.S. riverboat is a momentous occasion for domestic river cruising and another first for American Cruise Lines. We are proud to provide this new opportunity for our guests to experience the joys of cruising close to home, as they discover yet another beautiful area of the country by riverboat,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines. “American continues to expand the possibilities for exceptional domestic small ship cruises by introducing brand new U.S. flagged riverboats and small cruise ships each year.”
American Cruise Lines is proud to offer the 8-Day San Francisco Bay itinerary, roundtrip from San Francisco, in February and March, and again in November and December 2023.
American’s guests will explore San Francisco and Wine Country, while visiting vineyards and enjoying bespoke experiences from special tastings to becoming a winemaker for a day. Cruises highlight the region’s historical, cultural, and geographical influences that gave rise to the stunning seaside city of San Francisco, as well as the lush vineyards and flourishing agricultural communities present throughout the Bay area and its surrounding valleys today.
California river cruises details:
American’s new 8-Day San Francisco Bay cruises dock in: San Francisco, Stockton, Sacramento, and Vallejo, and sail San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, the Napa River, and the San Joaquin River.
2023 departure dates for the California river cruises aboard American Jazz are: 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 11/03, 11/10, 11/17, 11/24, 12/01, 12/08, 12/15, 12/22, and 12/29.
For a limited time, Special Wave Season deals including Complimentary Domestic Airfare are available for select San Francisco Bay cruise dates in March: for departures on 3/10, 3/17, & 3/24.
American’s California river cruises further represent the rapid growth of the domestic river cruise market and the extensive possibilities for exceptional 100% U.S. small ship itineraries. In just the past few years, the company’s portfolio of domestic itineraries and their fleet of U.S. built small ships has experienced record growth; more than doubling in size since 2016, with many more new builds announced through 2027. Notably, all of American’s new ships remain small—with every boat in the fleet accommodating 180 guests or fewer, offering private balconies and over 350 square feet of space per passenger.
