We chose this cruise because it offered an opportunity to see parts of the US that we had not visited. We specifically chose this itinerary because it gave us a chance to reunite with old friends in our embarkation city of Portland, OR. This was our second cruise with American Cruise Lines and I have to say that they have improved their service since our first cruise almost 10 years ago. Specifically, they have increased their staffing so that they have teams that handle each aspect of the cruise, i.e., wait staff, housekeeping, and boat handling; on our first cruise, each crew member handled all of those duties, so they were really taxed. The complimentary hotel stay at the origin city was pretty good and convenient to the embarkation of the ship. Embarkation process was flawless. The ship is in pretty good shape overall, but you can tell that it has been some time since it was renovated; good news is that they have added usb ports in the staterooms. Food was generally excellent and flavorful; they have added an option to choose 1/2 portions at meals (great idea). The crew did an excellent job throughout the cruise; wait staff was especially good. Always enjoyed the daily happy hour before dinner. On board entertainment and activities were very good. Shore excursions were OK, but in several cases, e.g., Mt St Helen's, provided only a limited time to take in everything. As expected, scenery was excellent, although it was unseasonable hot and we encountered smoke from fires in OR twice. We would recommend this cruise and vessel.
Cabin was what we asked for, knowing in advance that it was on the small size. Cabin itself was somewhat dated but it was well maintained by housekeeping throughout the cruise; they service the rooms twice daily. Cabin was well lit. As noted before, they have several usb ports in each cabin. They have a good selection of notions in the bathroom.
Complimentary hotel was OK. Did not venture out of the hotel. Traffic from airport to the hotel is heavy.
Much cooler here than in Portland. Very nice scenery.