It's not often that you hear something is ahead of schedule, but American Cruise Lines' latest American Song is just that.
In fact, the new riverboat has launched seven weeks ahead of schedule.
The domestic vessel recently floated onto the Wicomico River, marking the first in the company's new Modern Riverboat Series for U.S. river cruising.
The ship is being constructed by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland. Once complete, American Song will sport five decks to accommodate 190 guests in 102 staterooms.
Among its innovative features, the bow will be capable of opening to reveal a retractable rotating gangway to directly access river banks and docks wherever necessary, making a greater variety of itinerary options equally accessible.
The ship's propulsion will be handled by two Veth Propulsion Z-drives from Veth of the Netherlands. They will give the vessel additional dexterity with 360-degree azimuthing forward and aft props.
The brand is uniquely set to offer its existing traditional paddlewheelers as well as these modern equivalents for a broad market appeal. The potential is there to cater to many more interested travelers from a wide mix of demographics accordingly.
To better understand just where the line is positioning itself, be sure to check out TravelPulse's exclusive interview.
The Song will begin officially sailing in Fall 2018 along the Mississippi River before heading for the West Coast in 2019 to service the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
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