American Cruise Lines has announced the names of two more U.S.-built small ships: American Beauty, a new riverboat for the Mississippi that will launch in 2028, and American Rhapsody, another new riverboat for the Columbia and Snake Rivers that will launch in 2029. These riverboats represent the 29th and 30th ships in the company’s ever-expanding fleet and will be among the finest new riverboats in the world. All American Cruise Lines’ new ships are built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland.
American Beauty will begin cruising the Mississippi River in September 2028, operating the company’s popular 8-Day Upper Mississippi River cruises between St. Louis, MO and St. Paul, MN. Toward the end of the season, American Beauty will also cruise the company’s new 8-Day Gulf Coast cruises, which operate between New Orleans, LA and Pensacola, FL. In 2029, American Rhapsody will begin cruising the company’s 9-Day Columbia & Snake Rivers cruises between Portland, OR and Clarkston, WA.
American Beauty and American Rhapsody are both part of the company’s acclaimed modern American Riverboat series, which began in 2018, when American Song became the first modern style riverboat ever available for U.S. River cruising. Since then, the demand for these world-class riverboats has increased year after year. American Beauty and American Rhapsody follow three others previously announced: American Encore (which debuted in May 2026), American Anthem (sailing in April 2027), and American Grace (sailing in April 2028). All the company’s American Riverboats accommodate 180 guests in 100% private balcony accommodations and showcase the finest amenities available in river cruising worldwide.
The demand for U.S. River cruising around the country continues to grow rapidly. In order to keep pace, American Cruise Lines is introducing new ships at a rate of 3 per year. The company has introduced more new U.S.-built cruise ships over the last 10 years than all the U.S.-built cruise ships combined in the previous 4 decades. The company has also expanded and developed new itinerary options across 40 states, including many cruises that are totally exclusive to the Line.
In addition to these new riverboats for the Mississippi and the Columbia and Snake Rivers, American continues aggressively expanding their fleet in many other regions of the USA, with new small ships sailing over 50 U.S. itineraries along the East, West, and Gulf Coasts, as well as all the major U.S. rivers, lakes, bays, and inland waterways in-between. Today, the new ships and the breadth of domestic itinerary options offer more diversity than at any other time in history and the U.S. market is a booming sector of the global cruise industry, rivaling Europe and all other river regions worldwide.
American Ranger, the company’s 3rd new ship this year (launching in September) will cruise the Line’s exclusive Hudson River Fall Foliage cruises, Potomac River & Chesapeake Bay cruises, and Florida Gulf Coast & Keys cruises throughout the holiday season and into the New Year. One of American’s new 2025 ships, American Patriot, is currently sailing the company’s first season of domestic cruises on the Great Lakes (these are the only all-domestic cruises available in the Great Lakes market). In 2027, when American Anthem debuts, it will sail the company’s newest regional itinerary, 16-Day Grand Columbia & Snake Rivers cruises, throughout its entire inaugural season.
