Small ship specialist American Cruise Lines recently introduced a newly built riverboat, the 150-passenger Queen of the Mississippi. The company also operates four other small ships: the 104-passenger Independence, completed in 2010; the 100-passenger American Star and American Spirit, completed in 2007 and 2005, respectively; and the 49-passenger American Glory, 2002.

Their primary destinations are New England, the East Coast and the Southeast, and the American Spirit has inaugurated seven-day Alaska Inside Passage cruises. The ships were built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. in Salisbury, Md., a sister company, and fly the U.S. flag with an all-American crew.

American Cruise Lines has expanded rapidly, building new vessels, exploring new destinations and eagerly reaching out to the travel agent community with online marketing tools and fam trips.