Ship Tour of American Melody - The Newest Mississippi River Cruise Ship

[@omega250]

Wow Jim this ship's interior design is really nice and so nice to see the nursing home decor banished! Im very intrigued to see how Viking will do in this area. Great job on the video!

[@PortsladeBySea]

Superb quality film. Jim Zim has the skill and technology required, plus of course that amazing voice, which has got to be the best recording voice on KZbin 🥇🏆🥇

[@dsbrbl]

Looks very relaxed. I’ll give a shot when I’m 65 or so. Till then I’m still living the thrills with royal Caribbean.

[@susananderson618]

Great video Jim, ship is gorgeous! Something that will definitely be on our bucket list!

[@Jo-vf7qi]

ACL is the best. I did a Mississippi cruise on the America. One of the most enjoyable experiences I had in traveling. I highly recommend American Cruise Lines.

[@dirtcop11]

I spent the first nine and a half years within walking distance to the Mississippi River. I have seen many changes to the river as well as the towns along the river. The best thing is that the river is a lot cleaner than it was when I was a child. Old Man River has a lot of secrets and surprises for those who have only rarely visited it. It was a highway for trade even before the first European saw it. It is exciting and even a bit frightening when you get to see its power. The largest American maritime loss of life happened on the Mississippi after the Civil War.

[@tadroid3858]

Sweet! Thanks. We were looking for something to do with my wife's parents. They'd love this venue.

[@MathewLauren]

Wow such a beautiful ship! We love the viewing area in the aft!

[@amandarehkamp715]

Would love to take a cruise on this ship!! Beautiful!!

[@ameliaerin1544]

Make sure you have deep pockets!

[@jingyak7]

@@ameliaerin1544means expensive? How much would be?

[@bergetterichardson-moore6586]

Soooo Gorgeous, can't wait to see enjoy with my Boo! Thanks Jim.

[@ameliaerin1544]

Thanks for showing us during Covid times,

[@TheMartinezpepe]

Great video

[@dannysluxurycruisevacation8812]

One correction. you. I sailed the American Harmony on the Mississippi River.

[@behramcooper3691]

Very interesting.

[@atmakali9599]

It’s unbelievable that you shoot, edit and narrate all of these videos. You’re very talented for sure.

[@springstud]

nice video do these river cruises come with life jackets have you ever taken river cruise on the north west.

[@markkelly3166]

Hi Jim! We love your videos! Will you be sailing on one of the new Viking cruises on the Mississippi this year?

[@JimZim]

Thanks! I'd love to. The last couple of cruises I've done with Viking have been at their expense. They understand the publicity value of my videos and wanted me to come aboard to help get the word out about what's so special about a Viking cruise. So, I'm hoping they might offer to have me aboard their new Mississippi River ship at some point. There's been no offer yet... but the two previous times it happened, it was all fairly last-minute. I think they wait to see if they have un-booked cabins close to the sailing date. So, I'm just sitting here hoping to get an opportunity. I'm sure you can understand why, after two previous cruises at their expense that I'd be reluctant to just book one at my own expense! I'll hang in there and see if they want to invite me aboard.

[@baddriversofgeorgia3387]

Imagine the cruise ports the small towns along the Mississippi River that could be made

[@cherylsemrau4375]

Do they have a little souvenir shop?

[@JimZim]

No, they don't.

[@BestofBoatWorlds]

Thank you for making this fantastic video! By chance is it fine if I can use some of this video footage for a video I’m making? I promise to give you credit! Thank you in advance.

[@JimZim]

Sorry... no, you can't use my footage in your video.

[@patunderhill35]

Being on two of America’s best fishing rivers, Mississippi & Columbia do they offer fishing while docked?

[@JimZim]

I don't recall seeing any fishing excursions offered.

[@paullai7161]

Thank you for the informative video. I looked at their prices and got sticker shock - at something like $900-$1000 a night is beyond ultra-luxury pricing. How did you find the value proposition, particularly compared to other (river or ocean) cruises? I mean, those snacks you mentioned aren't exactly ulterior-luxury! What was the quality of the wines and beers that are included in the fare? Thanks.

[@JimZim]

It's an expensive cruise, there's no doubt about that. You could do three cruises on the big cruise lines for what this cruise would cost you. The reason for that is on a big cruise ship, the price of operating the ship and paying the crew is split among thousands of passengers. On a small ship like these ACL ships, all the expenses of operating the ship and paying the crew are split among just 100 or maybe 200 passengers. There's no way a small ship can offer a price comparable to a big ship. The thing is that the people that go on these cruises don't care about the price. These are mostly people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who have saved and invested all their lives. They have a ton of equity in their house. They are affluent. Whether the cruise costs them $4000 or $12000 makes little difference to them. Unfortunately, I am not a wine or beer person... so I can't offer an opinion on that subject. I can vouch for their rum, though!

[@MichiganRailfannerndaccount]

Do you know how to change the whistle on engine 707 piko loco I have that one I can’t figure out how do you know ? It’s a great whistle 😀

[@JimZim]

Are you powering it with a DCC control system, or an analog power supply? If analog, I don't believe you can change it. If DCC, look in the owner's manual that came with the loco and it will show you which DCC setting you have to re-program. It's not simple, but if you know how to program a DCC locomotive, you can do it.

[@justinmajors2872]

Do the boats ever anchor over night or slow down for passengers to see everything while awake? Or just go same speed at night time. Yes i know you stop at certain cities for sight seeing

[@JimZim]

These river ships are almost always moving from one town to another at night. This way, by the time the passengers have had breakfast the ship is at its next destination... and the passengers can get off the ship and tour the new destination that day. On a few days, if the ship needs to go a very long distance, it may also travel during part of the day as well as all night. There's a second video I made about this ship and this Mississippi cruise that focuses more on when and where we went, which will give you a better idea of the way it all happens. You can see that video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnuzZH1jZ6t5jrc

[@lautaroaguilar9584]

The interior looks nice but the food looks less than ideal.

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac welcome too Mississippi sunny day today

[@prmath]

Is this vessel smoke free?

[@JimZim]

I think it is. I don't recall seeing anyone smoking on any of the outer decks, and I don't recall seeing any ash cans on the decks anywhere.

[@JerryMiah]

Does the ship not take you back to St. Louis?

[@JimZim]

Each cruise is a one-way trip either north or south, and then the next week the ship goes the other way. I suppose you could do back-to-back cruises and end up back where you started... but I think for most people it doesn't matter where you start or where you end, there's an airport at either end. It's just a matter of flying to "airport x" to get to your cruise and then flying home from "airport y" at the end of the cruise. It makes no difference to most people that it's two different airports.

[@dennysgacita1231]

Nice

[@justinmajors2872]

How much was it? Interested in going’s on a cruise. I work in Vicksburg and see them often docked there

[@JimZim]

In the neighborhood of $10,000 per couple for a one week cruise.

[@justinmajors2872]

@@JimZim oh wow. Dont think I can swing that

[@JimZim]

People are always surprised when they hear about the cost of these cruises. It's literally about 3 times the cost of sailing on one of the big ocean cruise ships. The reason for that is that the big ocean ships carry thousands of passengers... so, the costs of operating, staffing, and building the ships are split among thousands of passengers. But on a small ship like these, the costs of operating, staffing, and building the ships is split among a much smaller number of people... since the ships carry only about 150 passengers. A big number divided by 150 is a lot more than an even bigger number divided by 3000.

[@airbnbadventureswithjeannie]

@@justinmajors2872me neither too pricey!

[@Keppy601]

Do you prefer this cruise, or ocean cruises?

[@JimZim]

Ocean cruises are more my style, because I love the sun and beaches in tropical destinations. Plus, you could do two or three ocean cruises for the price of a river cruise.

[@justinmajors2872]

@@JimZim wow. Had no idea the big ships are cheaper

[@reymanosa2462]

This would be convenient because of high gas prices

[@milaemouse8442]

meals sucked on this ship. just completed (a month ago) a St. Paul to New Orleans run. the food was mediocre and entirely forgettable. :/

[@EVCarGuy]

Just began to be interested in the possibility of a river cruise and started researching today. I'll have to say, for the prices I'm seeing, I'm just not impressed. Yes, this boat looks new, neat and tidy...but the interior and amenities remind me of any decent hotel in America. Nothing special. Why are river cruises so much more expensive than an ocean going cruise if this is what you get?

[@JimZim]

That's actually a really simple question to answer. When you sail on a big cruise ship from one of the major cruise lines, the cost of operating the ship (fuel, salaries, food, payments to cover construction costs of the ship, etc) can be split between the thousands of passengers on the ship. When you sail on a small ACL cruise ship with only 100-150 passengers, all those costs of operating the ship can only be split between that much smaller number of guests. So, each of the guests has to be charged more to cover those costs. In other words, it's always cheaper when 4000 passengers are sharing the costs than it is when only 150 people are sharing the costs.

[@reneehinkley4918]

I don't see any amnesty like pools or shuttle boards, nothing like what you find on carnival or Disney.

[@JimZim]

River cruise ships are not like ocean cruise ships. The ship has to be small, so they don't have things like swimming pools, waterslides, comedy clubs, and a casino. Also, river cruises are fundamentally different than ocean cruises. It's all about the places you go and the tours that you do during the day. The ship only needs to be a hotel, a restaurant, a bar, and a lounge with some entertainment. None of the other stuff is needed because almost all the passengers are off the ship during the day. The typical passengers on river cruises are over 65 years old and they have done plenty of ocean cruises before and are looking for something different at this point in their lives. It's all about cruising close to home without needing a passport, and spending the day touring places they've never been to.

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac Amtrak and ship

[@airbnbadventureswithjeannie]

I Heard it’s like $4000 a person and that is a little pricey.

[@JimZim]

The typical passenger is in their 60s or older... and are financially well off. The price is not a stretch for them. Also, keep in mind that a big cruise ship can split the costs of operating the ship among four or five thousand passengers. On a small ship like this, all the costs of running the ship have to be covered by only 150-200 passengers. So, the mega cruise ships definitely have a price advantage.

[@airbnbadventureswithjeannie]

@@JimZim We are wealthy but my husband won't pay over 3,000 a person ever. Maybe that is why we are just going to take DAY excursions on the RIVER this June. I liked your Video.