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Ship comparison

American Heritage vs American Melody

The verdict

Which should you choose?

American Heritage is an intimate American Cruise Lines ship carrying 150 passengers, in service since 2015. American Melody is an intimate American Cruise Lines ship carrying 175 passengers, in service since 2021. American Heritage has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.

Choose American Heritage if you want more crew per passenger: it has a crew member for every 3.0 passengers (vs 4.1).

Choose American Melody if you want more space per passenger, a newer ship or more cruises to choose from: it has 30.9 gross tons per passenger (vs 18.0), its maiden voyage was in 2021 (vs 2015) and it has 11 cruises on sale (vs none).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

American HeritageAmerican Melody
Cruise line American Cruise Lines American Cruise Lines
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2015 2021 (better)
Gross tonnage 2,700 5,400
Passengers 150 175
Crew 50 43
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 3.0 (better) 4.1
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 18.0 30.9 (better)
Cabins 91
Decks 5 6
Length 295 ft 269 ft
Beam 53 ft 56 ft
Speed 14 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 6 / 10 8 / 10 (better)
Cruises on sale 11
Upcoming sailings 105
Cruise lengths 7–22 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $4,255

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.

American Heritage has no Bliss scores yet.

  • Active American Melody: 6.0
  • Adventure & nature American Melody: 5.0
  • Cultural American Melody: 5.0
  • Dining American Melody: 5.0
  • Entertainment American Melody: 5.0
  • Family friendly American Melody: 5.0
  • Party American Melody: 5.0
  • Romantic American Melody: 6.0
  • Spa & fitness American Melody: 5.0
  • Staterooms American Melody: 5.0

American Cruise Lines

American Heritage

American Heritage from American Cruise Lines — formerly Queen of the Mississippi —delivers an experience unlike any other riverboat. Originally launched in 2012 and modeled after traditional Victorian-style riverboats of the late 1800s, it was the first paddlewheeler built for the Mississippi River in nearly 20 years.

American Cruise Lines

American Melody

American Melody began its inaugural season in September 2021 as the newest riverboat from American Cruise Lines to offer sailings on the Mississippi River through the American heartland.

Sailing now

11 cruises on sale, from $4,255.

Questions

American Heritage or American Melody?

Which is bigger, American Heritage or American Melody?

American Melody is bigger at 5,400 gross tons, against 2,700 gross tons for American Heritage. American Heritage carries 150 passengers and American Melody carries 175.

Which ship is newer, American Heritage or American Melody?

American Melody is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2021 against 2015 for American Heritage.

Which has more space per passenger?

American Melody, with 30.9 gross tons per passenger against 18.0 on American Heritage. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

American Heritage, with one crew member for every 3.0 passengers against one for every 4.1 on American Melody.

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