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Regarding the 2 hour tour --- from the ACL website: On the heels of an exclusive stay at The Guest House at Graceland, join us for a thrilling tour of Memphis, culminating at your cruise ship the next morning. Set the tone for your Music Cities itinerary by starting in the home of the Blues and the birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll before you climb aboard your Memphis riverboat.

If you want a drink during off hours, just ask one of the managers and they will take care of you. They don't have dedicated bartenders. Water, soda, juice, beer and wine are available self service in one of the lounges all day. If you want a bottle of your favorite liquor, just let them know precruise and they will get it for you to have in your room, then you can have a drink whenever you want it-no extra charge. . Chances are once onboard you can sign up for the complimentary excursions. The regular excursions are very reasonably priced, not like the big cruise lines. Don't know what kind of entertainment they had on AQV, but ACL entertainment is not big shows, usually singers, musicians, or a comedian. On my last cruise, the "resident" singer/guitar player came over from AQV after they went belly up. ACL ships are smaller than AQV (100-190 passengers), so that impacts the entertainment. You will discover the cabins are new and large, public spaces are modern and the ships are much newer than AQV.

Doubtful they will let you cancel the policy

If someone else had purchased them, that would be competition for American cruise lines. Now that American queen is gone, ACL basically has no competition except for Viking on the Mississippi.

American Cruise Lines Cruisers

The cruise is to Clarkston not Clarksville.Clarksville, is in Tennessee and was popularized by the Monkees song Last train to Clarksville. Your tipping comment is correct some ships do have table for two Beer, wine, soda, juice, and water are available all day in one of the lounges. The bar is open for happy hour and after dinner during the entertainment. There is never a charge for a mixed drink. If you wanted a martini during dinner, they would get it for you. depends on the cruise whether precruise hotel is included. Have been on 5 ACL cruises, only 2 had included hotel nights. Portland airport is closest to Portland. Lewiston, Idaho is closest to Clarkston, but has a very limited flight schedule (very small airport). ACL runs a transfer to Spokane, WA at the end of the cruise, but charges about $150/person

Both lines run their ships in a very similar manner. The biggest difference is the crew. On American, the waiters, housekeepers and deckhands are mostly young inexperienced Americans, who work for ACL for one, maybe two seasons. On Pearl, the waiters, housekeepers and deckhands are mostly Filipino. Many have been with Pearl for 10 years, since the ship first sailed. They are a lot more experienced than the crew on American.

I do not think any major cruise line requires Covid vaccinations from their passengers at this time.

Wine and beer are available all day in one of the lounges - self serve. Mixed drinks are served during happy hour 5:30-6:60 and after dinner during entertainment. - all included. If you want a mixed drink during dinner, they will get it for you. Usually, from airport to ship is NOT included. After the cruise, there is an included transfer to local airport. Gratuities are included for on ship staff, but many people give a little extra to their housekeeper, favorite waiter, etc. You still need to tip bus drivers, tour guides, etc. When you walk off the ship, the only thing you will need to pay for is excursions (although some are complimentary). Everything on the ship is included, down to the washing machine detergent pods in the self service laundry.

Is there any reason a US flagged ACL ship could not do a Great Lakes cruise that stops in both US and Canadian ports? Ships that are registered in the Marshall Islands, Bahamas, England, etc. do it every day on ocean cruises. What legalities prevent an ACL ship from stopping in Canada, Mexico or the Bahamas?

If you wait until it is close enough to check the weather, chances are the flightseeing excursions will be sold out. The cruise lines will have locked up most of the seats.

If there is an excursion, you really want to do in a certain port, you should book it yourself direct with the vendor. When the ACL excursions come out 60 days prior, you can decide whether to stick with the one you booked or transfer over to American. Most excursions you book online can be canceled within two weeks of the excursion so you don’t lose any money.

Probably difficult for American to come up with a final excursion list until 60 days before the cruise. Excursions can change from cruise cruise due to local conditions or situations with the vendor. For example, a visit to a winery may have to be canceled if there is a wedding planned for that day at the winery. Sometimes special activities going on in the city may cause another excursion to be cancelled. Prices can also change. Imagine you see a price for an excursion six month before your cruise and when the 60 day list comes out, the price of the excursion has gone up by $15. imagine the negative feedback that the cruise line will get.

if you go on the ACL website, find the Columbia River Cruise, click on ITINERARY, then click on DAY BY DAY ITINERARY. Under each port they is a list of excursions. Click on each one for details. As far as going on your own, it depends on how comfortable you are doing this. Just be sure to be back on board at the designated time before the ship leaves. Probably not to many "private" excursions on your cruise as they are smaller cities. Just was in Key West on an ACL cruise and did several excursions on our own, but in Key West, there are hundreds of private excursions as it is a big tourist destination.