ACL review compared to American Queen

[fb0075]

Of course, we know AQ has gone bankrupt but thought it helpful to all AQ cruisers to compare

 

  First---this our 160 cruise with 8 AQ so IM very familar and with our experiences,I feel that we are very capable in an honest and frank review

    which are MY OPINIONS, so please dont try and rationalize this review!

 

DAY 1----Nashville ----------Gaylord Opry hotel and Grand OLE opry

                VERY LITTLE info or instructions from home office including calling the GAYLORD the OPRY LAND HOTEL---upon check in the gentleman knew nothing except buses will pick up to the OPRY at 5:30---------Hotel is beautiful but arrival at the OPRY oiur tickets were on the very end of the back row! Dont say they were free because the hotel and tickets were $700 of cost of cruise.

 

Day 2-----again NO info at all---we were given pickup at 10:30 am which is alot better that AQ having to sit at hotel until 3-4 pm, but no one told us that there was a 2 hour tour before going to ship which is great but really would have liked to know ahead of time!

  ARRIVAL AT SHIP-----BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Employees are very very efficent and friendly---looking forward to a great trip--

 COCKTAIL HOUR---there isnt any Champagne and very small bar but it does the purpose!

  DINNER-----Now the trouble begins----MENU--unlike the great choices on AQ a the bountiful portions, we encounter a menu of

                        1 soup

                        1 salad

and                   3 choices of entrees            Turkey Pork Chicken

                                        and the portions were very small!!!!

We choking called it the HOSPITAL OR NURSING HOME menu

  Taste was ok and yes you could request more but very disappointing as the ALL ABOARD menu

    hope tomorrow is better

FRANK

 

[BaumD]

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.

[MOcruiserman]

One night on The Serenade I didn't care for the items on the menu and requested a vegetarian meal, which was provided.

[fb0075]

18 hours ago, BaumD said:

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.

This is true but as I said---there was very little correspondence from ACL before the cruise and noone seemed to know much at the hotel---Im reporting what the majority of the people were complaining about!

[fb0075]

 

DAY 2

           Please remember. I am writing MY OPINION as compared to the now bankrupt American Queen line--as the stops are the same and the buses follow the same routes, I wont address these----AMERICAN SYMPHONY IS BEAUTIFUL with large rooms and balconies,state of the art tvs but NO MENTION of our statements or On Board CREDIT ----also  nothing about room service.  

 

 Today I met the cruise director and hotel manager who were both FANTASTIC individuals----they were well aware of the lack of correspondence from ACL and asked me to please correspond with corporate--------I also mentioned the disappointment in the lack of variety and portions of the menu---again they blamed corporate as the menus are standard ===I explained that 1 soup 1 salad and 3 entree choices are totally opposite of the cruise industry standard as other ships including "American Queen" adhere too!

both recommended that I write in what we would like to eat,which I did and had a wonderful steak dinner that night  

  Entertainment

Again, I understand that this is a small vessel so I will compare to AQ----on AQ, there were several cruise members involved that sang and danced along with artists that were brought on board--here it has been the guest lecturer the first night that sang and was very good---2nd night there was a group that came on board and again was very good.

[fb0075]

Day 3

   OMG!!!

was excited to see Prime Rib and lamb Chops on the menu tonight butttttt

My Prime Rib was a sliver of a piece maybe 2x2” so I asked to bring an order of Lamb Chops also——-but they were burned up and not edible but my wife’s was WORSE!!

 

Totally burnt!!!

Server saw and said OH NO I’ll get another one!!

But after 15 minutes she came back and said kitchen backed up and it would be awhile—- needless to say we left!

 

This is ridiculous for a High Price line. We could have went on our favorite line (REGENT) for this price!!

DISGUSTED!

[fb0075]

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[mj_holiday]

Thank you for posting your comments.  I am looking at ACL for cruise of Snake/Colombia Rivers.  It is vey difficult to find info about experience onboard.

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

Hi @fb0075

sounds like you are on a Tennessee Rivers itinerary (we board symphony on Saturday in Chattanooga for reverse).

how have the onboard activities ( other than food) and excursions been ?

Edited June 12 by AroundWithMAPTravels
Added OP reference

[fb0075]

They have been out of supplies which is entirely unexcusable!

But supplies delivered to day and dinner was what it should have been all cruise!

on board activities are normal to what you expect!

[fb0075]

What a disaster!!!!!!

I quit posting because I finally contacted corporate and out of courtesy I wanted to give them the opportunity to respond----but ALAS silence!!!!!!

totally inexcusable to be short of food----and communication is ridiculous!