The City by the Sea was treated to the unveiling of a new cruise ship, the U.S.-themed American Liberty, which graced Fort Adams State Park on Tuesday with a ceremony that featured the musical trio, the Victory Belles, wonderfully reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters. The ceremony included officials from Sail Newport and Fort Adams, Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines and Rhode Island State Representative Lauren Carson. American Liberty’s godmother, New York Yacht Club Vice Commodore, Clare Harington, officially christening the Coastal Cat ship with a bottle of champagne on the top deck.
“We are honored to be able to host this event in Fort Adams State Park with our fantastic partners from the community and Sail Newport. We are especially honored to have Vice Commodore Clare Harington of the New York Yacht Club serve as godmother of American Liberty. We look forward to further developing our longtime partnerships in Newport and many other historic coastal towns along the Eastern Seaboard,” said Charles B. Robertson.
The sun-dappled weather couldn’t have been more glorious, perfectly matching the elegant design of the third new Coastal Cat ship from American Cruise Lines. As part of its New England cruise—traveling roundtrip from Providence, R.I., American Liberty docked at Fort Adams, a popular destination among American’s small ships when visiting Newport. Cruise and invited guests were treated to a tour of the tastefully-designed vessel, including the stateroom, which happened to offer expansive views of Fort Adams and Narragansett Bay. The celebration continued to entertain with 1940’s-50’s themed renditions sung by the talented Victory Belles and a delicious lobsterbake within the fort. The lobersterbake was not only mouth-wateringly good, but included a live demonstration of the region’s ancient Native American cooking process.
I was taken in by the gracious design and refreshing patriotic theme of American Liberty. This wasn’t your Princess cruise line with a million pools and monster slides. The clientele looking to book this type of American Cruise Line is likely to be sophisticated, but also environmentally conscious with the focus of the ship design incorporating several sustainability components. As an appreciator of classical music, I was also delighted to find out about with the classical music-themed line, such as American Symphony, among the company’s groundbreaking series of 100-passenger ships. American Liberty features the traditional swing and-boogie-woogie music performed by the Victory Belles and is a refined example of American Cruise Line’s Project Blue Series, a line of 12 new, small ships.
“My mom is here today,” said Robertson. “[ACL] is very much a family company, as my brother Clark is also here [as well],” he continued, while greeting guests in the elegant first floor lounge. “We are all very excited to be here. We are still very much a family business, and that extends to our entire crew, who are very much part of everything we do.”
What was also impressive to me was the focus on American design and experience. It seems like U.S. destinations don’t get the kind of attention that a Vikings cruise receives traveling through Europe, and that is a shame. As many of us know in New England, there is a massive amount of fascinating history and beautiful tourist terrain throughout this region and the country. American Cruise Lines knows that and has focused its tourism on some of the most beautiful areas of the United States.
“American cruise lines and the Robertson family have redefined small ship cruising,” said Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport. “These new designs are efficient. They’re thoughtful in their approach to guests as well as the harbors that they visit. Congratulations to ACL and the shipbuilding operation for creating the next generation of coastal cruise ships. Charlie and his teams are fully invested in the areas that they visit. They’re a true partner to the community.”
American Liberty will continue operating the company’s New England islands cruises into September. Additional East Coast cruise itineraries will include Hudson River Fall Foliage cruises, roundtrip from NYC, to popular Historic South & Golden Isles cruises, between Charleston, South Carolina and Amelia Island, Florida (November 2024 through spring 2025). The American Cruise lines operate just like river cruises, sailing in sight of land and visiting only U.S. ports of call.
The latest design and shallow draft of the American Liberty allows us to offer guests the opportunities to experience the charm into smaller coastal New England towns from the sea,” said the ship’s captain, Eric Sullivan. “Newport and the New England coastal region is rich in maritime history and traditions. I and thrilled to be here with each and every one of you and continue maritime tradition to christen the American Liberty.”
The third Coastal Cat ship for American Cruise Lines, American Liberty follows the launch of American Eagle, on Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts (August 2023); and American Glory’s christening, in Key West, Florida (November 2023). The extremely popular series of small cruise ships—which accommodates just 100 guests—continues to expand, with a fourth Coastal Cat, American Legend, that will launch in November 2024. To date, most of American Liberty’s trips are almost sold out.
The cruise line is very proud of its made in America philosophy. According to its website, it states, “American Cruise Lines is an all-American family company. Every itinerary is domestic, every crewmember is American, the company is 100 percent American-owned, and each ship is designed and built here in the U.S.”
“I’d like to welcome fellow admires of the American entrepreneurial spirit,” said Harington to the crowd gathered on the top deck, before she smashed the bottle of champagne to officially christen the vessel. “We gather to add one more link between the public and our maritime history. With American Liberty about to join the fleet of the American Cruise Line, the only U.S.-owned, U.S.-operated first fleet, exclusively using U.S.-built ships.”
Furthermore, American Cruise Lines operates the largest river cruise line in the country, exploring the Mississippi River and domestic waterways around the U.S. They reach 35 states that “explore the history, spirit, and culture of the United States.” They even have a cruise that sightsees Alaska (which is now on my bucket list)!
All four Coastal Cat ships include four decks, a unique catamaran bow, private balconies, a stunning top deck where you can take in amazing views, spacious indoor and outdoor lounges, a walking track and fitness center, and the kind of elegant features that suits a small, sophisticated footprint.
You can view the full 360-degree tour of the Coastal Cats here:
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All photos by Veronica Bruno / What’sUpNewp
