American Cruise Lines
American Pioneer
- Cruises
- 0
- From
- —
The verdict
Which should you choose?
American Pioneer is an intimate American Cruise Lines ship carrying 130 passengers, in service since 2025. Joy is an intimate Tauck River Cruises ship carrying 130 passengers, in service since 2016. American Pioneer has no Bliss scores yet, so the verdict rests on the figures we do hold.
Choose American Pioneer if you want more space per passenger, more crew per passenger or a newer ship: it has 25.7 gross tons per passenger (vs 7.7), it has a crew member for every 2.6 passengers (vs 3.8) and its maiden voyage was in 2025 (vs 2016).
Choose Joy if you want more cruises to choose from: it has 17 cruises on sale (vs none).
Side by side
Specifications
marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.
| American Pioneer | Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise line | American Cruise Lines | Tauck River Cruises |
| Ship size | Intimate | Intimate |
| Maiden voyagenewer highlighted | 2025 (better) | 2016 |
| Gross tonnage | 3,344 | 1,000 |
| Passengers | 130 | 130 |
| Crew | 50 | 34 |
| Passengers per crew memberfewer is better | 2.6 (better) | 3.8 |
| Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier | 25.7 (better) | 7.7 |
| Decks | 5 | 4 |
| Length | 243 ft | 443 ft |
| Beam | 56 ft | 39 ft |
| Speed | 20 mph | — |
| Cruiseable ratingout of 10 | 9 / 10 | 10 / 10 (better) |
| Cruises on sale | — | 17 |
| Upcoming sailings | — | 67 |
| Cruise lengths | — | 5 to 14 nights |
Bliss scores
How they rate, out of 10
Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday.
American Pioneer has no Bliss scores yet.
- Active
- Adventure & nature
- Cultural
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Family friendly
- Party
- Romantic
- Spa & fitness
- Staterooms
American Cruise Lines
American Pioneer
American Pioneer is a 2025-built Patriot Class coastal ship from American Cruise Lines designed for small-ship cruising along protected U.S. waterways.
Tauck River Cruises
Joy
Cruising exclusively along the riverscapes of the Danube, ms Joy is part of the Inspiration class of riverboats from Tauck River Cruises.
Highlights
- Twenty two 300-sq. ft. suites and 8 loft cabins with an additional view
- Complimentary Internet
Sailing now
17 cruises on sale.
Questions
American Pioneer or Joy?
Which is bigger, American Pioneer or Joy?
American Pioneer is bigger at 3,344 gross tons, against 1,000 gross tons for Joy. American Pioneer carries 130 passengers and Joy carries 130.
Which ship is newer, American Pioneer or Joy?
American Pioneer is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2025 against 2016 for Joy.
Which has more space per passenger?
American Pioneer, with 25.7 gross tons per passenger against 7.7 on Joy. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.
Which has more crew per passenger?
American Pioneer, with one crew member for every 2.6 passengers against one for every 3.8 on Joy.
Still deciding?
Tell us what matters and we will match the sailing
Send your dates, budget and who is travelling, and our partner travel agency will come back to you about American Pioneer, Joy or a ship that suits you better.