New England Islands Providence, RI Round Trip 7-Nights/8-Days
Small Ship Cruising Done Perfectly™
Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059
Welcome
With over 30 years of experience, American Cruise Lines has perfected small ship cruising, allowing us to offer guests the best American cruise experience anywhere. With the newest fleet of ships, all-American crews, exciting shore excursions and unparalleled personalized service, American Cruise Lines is the only choice when it comes to planning your next cruise. We look forward to having you onboard soon.
Table of Contents
Ports of Call...................................................... 3
What to Bring................................................... 12
What Sets American Cruise Lines Apart........... 4
Onboard Food & Beverage................................ 12
Onboard Experience.......................................... 5
Getting to Providence, RI and the American Star..... 13
Shore Tours....................................................... 5
Boarding Process............................................... 13
Location Highlights.......................................... 6–11
Cruise Conclusion............................................. 13
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Brant Point
Ports of Call
Explore New England’s quaint islands and villages with 17th century architecture and seaports as you admire the iconic New England scenery.
New Bedford, MA Nantucket, MA
Newport, RI
CONNECTICUT
Bristol, RI
Martha’s Vineyard, MA Providence, RI Block Island, RI
Providence
MASSACHUSETTS
RHODE ISLAND
Fall River Bristol
New Bedford
Newport
N Cape Cod
Nantucket Block Island
Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
Martha’s Vineyard
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What Sets American Cruise Lines Apart The newest and most environmentally friendly small cruise ships and riverboats The largest fleet of small cruise ships in America Seven ships carrying 50 to 150 passengers
A true all-American experience. American built, flagged, and crewed ships The largest staterooms with interior entrances and private balconies Elevator service to all decks of the ship
Open seating dining allows you to dine where and when you want 35 cruise itineraries to 28 states in America
The only cruise line with three authentic paddlewheelers
Complimentary cocktail hour every evening before dinner Complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner
Gracious hospitality and personalized service—that is the hallmark of American Cruise Lines Many spacious lounges and public spaces on each ship
Exquisite cuisine from American Cruise Lines’ staff of highly trained chefs Entertainment each evening
Historians, naturalists, or local experts join every cruise
Daily lectures ranging from history & ecology to culture & cuisine Exciting shore excursions show you the best of each area
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Onboard Experience
Our mission is to make your exploration effortless by providing unsurpassed attention to detail amid the magnificent landscape. This is just one of the benefits of small ship cruising with American Cruise Lines. Onboard and ashore we will work with you to accommodate your specific interests and tastes. The cruise director will assist to set up special land adventures and the chef will sit down with you to understand any dietary preferences. One of our resident onboard experts will listen attentively and answer your questions about your specific areas of interest to make your cruise enlightening.
Other Amenities include: • • • •
Twin or king-sized bed Private bathroom Twice-daily stateroom service Satellite TV with DVD player
Shore Tours
Your onshore experience is as important as your onboard experience, so American Cruise Lines has taken special care to research and plan excursions at each port. With American Cruise Lines, you will experience what makes each destination a special place. Every tour will take you to the finest local sites at each port and give you true insight to the area’s culture, heritage and history. On each excursion, you’ll be joined by local experts, historians or naturalists to further enhance your experience.
Independence stateroom
The experience we provide means something different to everyone, but assistance is available at all hours for any request large or small. Our staterooms are the most spacious in small ship cruising and offer all the amenities of a modern hotel. Every stateroom has a picturesque view of the ever-changing scenery and most feature a private balcony. • • • •
Complimentary wireless Internet access Hair dryer Spacious closets/four-drawer dressers 110-volt outlets
Shore excursions come in one of three categories:
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Featured
Featured tours are complimentary to all guests.
Premium
Premium tours typically cost between $20 and $70 and can be paid for onboard, near the end of your cruise.
Signature
Signature tours are limitedavailability excursions. We recommend that you reserve and pay for these tours in advance with your Cruise Specialist.
Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
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Location Highlights New Bedford, MA
In the mid-nineteenth century, New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world and the inspiration behind Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick. The town has an authentic seaport village, large fishing fleet and working waterfront. The County Street historic area features dozens of whaling-era mansions worthy of admiration. This city was also home to many well-known residents, including Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist.
Shore Tour Options Fairhaven Tour
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The town has magnificent public buildings financed by Standard Oil Company Millionaire, Henry H. Rogers. Visit a harborside fort built during the Revolutionary War, a restored one-room schoolhouse built in 1828 and enjoy the town center with its European style architecture. Whaling Museum
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The Whaling Museum brings to life the rich history of the whaling industry and its influence on New Bedford as the whaling capital of the world. The museum features the world’s largest collection of whaling artifacts, including a model ship you can climb aboard. Participate in interactive exhibits, view displays of fine, decorative arts and browse through collections of cultural artifacts, rare antiques, scrimshaw and logbooks.
Whaling Museum
Rotch-Jones-Duff House
Built by shipwrights in 1834 for whaling merchant William Rotch Jr., the house integrates a Greek Revival style surrounded by flowery gardens. The house and gardens chronicle 150 years of economic and social life in the city. Furnished period rooms display the decorative arts, furniture and belongings of the families. Acushnet Harbor Cruise
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Enjoy a relaxing cruise around the New Bedford and Fairhaven harbors. Highlights include the Palmer’s Island Lighthouse, Fort Phoenix (the largest hurricane barrier on the East Coast), a working fishing fleet, Coast Guard cutters and plenty of whaling history.
Additional points of interest include: Fort Taber Park, Zeiterion Theatre, The New Bedford Museum of Glass, Ocean Emporium 6
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Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
Nantucket Harbor
Nantucket, MA
Nantucket is an island that features some of the most pristine beaches in the world. Embark on a tour where there is the highest concentration of pre-Civil War structures and the oldest operating windmill in the United States since 1746. Consider visiting the world-class Whaling Museum, the Lightship Basket Museum or one of the three lighthouses in Nantucket in which each has its own distinctive look, personality, and history. Walk along the streets lined with charming shops, ice cream parlors and rosecovered cottages before watching the sunset from one of Nantucket’s breathtaking beaches.
Shore Tour Options Island Tour
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Join a narrated bus tour of this enchanting island. Learn about the island’s history and hear stories
about whaling and life at sea. Explore the villages and seaside cottages of the island.
Additional points of interest include: Nantucket Whaling Museum, Brandt Point Lighthouse, Nantucket Historical Association Properties, Milestone Cranberry Bog 7
Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Martha’s Vineyard is known as “The Vineyard” because of the wild grapevines that once grew there. It is the largest island not connected to mainland by a bridge or tunnel on the East Coast of the United States. Today, the island is one of the most popular vacation spots in New England and is only accessible by boat and air. Within Martha’s Vineyard are six distinct towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark, West Tisbury, Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. The island was once a hub for whaling fleets and merchant ships that carried exotic cargo from various countries. Martha’s Vineyard is also home to the Gay Head Cliffs which is renowned for the multicolored earth that was once the main source of paint for the island’s houses.
Shore Tour Options P
Narrated Bus Tour Join a narrated bus tour to experience a 19thcentury seaport village as you visit the historic
Edgartown. Delight in Oak Bluffs’ gingerbread style cottages. This tour features a one-hour stop in Edgartown where you can stroll through the village.
Additional points of interest include: Martha’s Gay Head Lighthouse, Aquinnah Cliffs, Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Gay Head Cliffs 8
Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
Block Island, RI
Block Island is 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. A popular summer tourist destination, it is known for its bicycling, hiking, sailing, fishing and beaches. Its unspoiled beauty is maintained primarily by the Nature Conservancy who have preserved over 40% of the island from overdevelopment. Block Island is home to two historic lighthouses, the Block Island North Light and the Block Island Southeast Light, which are actively used by the Coast Guard to this day.
Shore Tour Options Island Tour
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Enjoy a narrated tour on a school bus (the only one allowed on the island) conducted by a spirited Block Island native guide. Travel along the 200 foot high Mohegan Bluffs with spectacular ocean views. Enjoy a stop at the Southeast Lighthouse and Old Harbor for a taste of Rhode Island’s own Del’s Lemonade for a true Block Island experience. Additional points of interest include: Clay Head Hill Trail, North Lighthouse, Old Harbor
North Light 9
Newport, RI
Newport is best known for its famed Gilded Age mansions that once were the cottages of the elite, and is considered the “Yachting Capital of the World. Newport contains the highest number of surviving colonial buildings of any city in the United States. During the 18th Century, Newport was a major maritime trading center and a key port in the famous Triangle Trade. Guests can stroll down the beautiful beaches, historic neighborhoods, bustling wharf ’s and scenic waterfront.
Shore Tour Options Tour of the Town and Breakers Mansion
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Enjoy a narrated tour through the best areas in Newport including the lively downtown area, the oldest synagogue in the United States and the harbor front. Travel along the 10-mile, scenic Ocean View Drive, Bellevue Avenue—“Avenue of the Mansions”—and the Tennis Hall of Fame. The tour includes a stop at the Breakers Mansion, a 70-room mansion built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1895. Additional points of interest include: Museum of Newport History, Newport Mansions, Colony House, International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, Fort Adams, Cliff Walk
Newport Harbor 10
Bristol, RI
Bristol is known as the deepwater seaport where the major industries of boat building, manufacturing and tourism are popular. Visit the extensive collections at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Tour the Blithewold mansion’s 19th-century summer estate overlooking the Narragansett Bay.
Shore Tour Options Herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame
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Bordering the Narragansett Bay, the museum is a historic maritime treasure that celebrates excellence in design, innovation, education, technology and boating history. The museum hosts classic yacht regattas, sponsors symposia on classic yacht design and restoration and operates a sailing school for adolescents and adults. Browse through the exhibits on display throughout the Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame. The collection at the America’s Cup Hall of Fame includes inductee plaques, half-hull models of challengers and defenders, artifacts of spars, steering wheels
and tank test model hulls, as well as one-of-a-kind exhibits of the America’s Cup. Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
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Explore the diverse gardens, specimen trees, and a 45-room English style manor on 33 acres of land at the Blithewold Mansion. With grand views of the Narragansett Bay, authentic artifacts and furnishings within the home depict the Country Place Era. The mansion is filled with family heirlooms, various gardens with a collection of rare and unusual plants, an accessible greenhouse and whimsical stonework throughout the property.
Blithewold Mansion Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
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What to Bring
Casual resort attire is recommended both on ship and ashore. For dinner, men’s clothing might include a sports shirt and slacks with a sport coat or sweater. Women might find a sweater or a dress more appropriate.
We do recommend you bring the following: Comfortable resort attire Comfortable walking shoes Sunscreen
Hat Light rain wear Jacket for cool evenings
Camera Photo identification
Please do not hesitate to ask your Hotel Manager for any item that you may have forgotten.
Onboard Food and Beverage
For your dining delight, our American Cruise Lines culinary masters have created a delectable all-American menu, tailored with a delightful regional twist. Each meal is carefully selected and locally sourced seafood, meat and produce are of the highest quality. We offer complimentary wine and beer during lunch and dinner and each evening before dinner, we offer a complimentary cocktail hour allowing guest to mingle and relax. If you have any special requests or dietary needs, they will be handled with precision and care.
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Contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059. Subject to change.
Getting to Providence, RI and the American Star Your ship will be docked at the India Point Park.
Flying
India Point Park 152 India Street Providence, RI 02903 To Get to Ship:
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Going Northbound I-195: use exit 2, India St. Going Southbound 1-195: use exit 3, Gano St. Gano St.
Exit 3
Exit 2
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Downtown Providence . St
Exit 21
East Providence
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To Airport
India Point Park
T.F. Green (Providence) Airport is the best airport to fly into. The airport is serviced by many airlines and is approximately 20 minutes from the ship when traveling by taxi.
Train
Amtrak provides regular train service to the Providence train station. The port is approximately 10 minutes from the station.
Arriving Early?
If you arrive the day before your cruise, there are several hotels within a few minutes of the ship. Please ask for the American Cruise Lines rate. Each hotel can arrange for a taxi service to the India Point Park Marina.
Boarding Process
Boarding the ship takes place between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The ship leaves promptly at 1:30 p.m. (earlier if all passengers are onboard). From the moment you arrive, the American Cruise Lines deckhands will handle everything for you. From helping you with your luggage to assisting you onboard—we will handle everything with care. There are no restrictions on luggage, but it is recommended to bring as few bags as necessary. Suitcases less than 10 inches high may be stowed under your bed.
Cruise Conclusion
On the last day of your cruise, the ship will dock at the India Point Park at 152 India Street Providence, RI 02903. If flying home, we recommend you fly from the T.F. Green (Providence) Airport. Taxis are typically available at the ship and American Cruise Lines can assist with your travel arrangements. 13
For more information, please contact a Cruise Specialist at 1-888-251-2059
We look forward to having you onboard soon.
741 Boston Post Rd., Suite 200 Guilford, CT 06437
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