Entertainment & Activities

Shore Excursions on American Jazz

As we said initially, American Jazz is pioneering cruising on the rivers in and around the Napa Valley where none have existed in eight decades. That means excursions are in a state of flux as the cruise line determines what works and what does not. Offerings on our cruise were heavily focused on the agriculture of the region, which means wine, olive oil, and honey.

Other tours included sightseeing in San Francisco, a boat ride to Alcatraz, and museum shuttles. All tours were carried out via motor coach. Hop-on-hop-off-style shuttles were supplied between the dock and downtown Napa, as well as a loop in Sacramento.

All tours were clearly labeled as low, moderate or high activity level, with each category defined by the amount of walking and stairs required. Most tours were low activity level tours.

Lectures and Enrichment on American Jazz

Enrichment on American Jazz takes a multi-focus approach with an in-residence lecturer knowledgeable about the region the ship is traveling through, guest lecturers brought onboard to cover specific topics, as well as an art program that incorporates aspects of the region into interactive classes. In the case of our Napa Valley cruise, this consisted of a guest lecturer on lavender growing and art/craft classes where participants made wine glass charms. The onboard sommelier provided additional wine-related enrichment throughout the cruise.

Nightlife on American Jazz

Evening entertainment consists primarily of a resident musician. In the case of our cruise, it was a piano player/vocalist who performed during cocktail hour as well as after dinner in the River Lounge. On several evenings, guest performers came onboard the ship to perform music. We found it slightly odd that all the musical acts set up their equipment on the dance floor, eliminating dancing as an option and no dance parties were included in the entertainment schedule.

American Jazz is quite sociable throughout the day and evening, but like most river cruise ships, once the evening entertainment is completed, there is not much left to do. Many guests stayed in the lounge talking for a bit following the entertainment, but the crowds disappeared well before 11 pm.

A few words about beer, wine and bar service. Everything in the literature indicates that complimentary beer and wine are served at lunch and dinner, plus during cocktail hour and evening entertainment. We found virtually no limits on when or what you could drink onboard American Jazz. We saw Bloody Mary’s served at breakfast in the dining room. We had no difficulty procuring a bottle of wine for our stateroom.

There are short gaps in the late afternoon and between cocktail hour and the evening entertainment when the bar counters in one lounge or the other were not manned.

For Kids

Is American Jazz Family Friendly?

Though ACL does not state that children are not welcome, there are no programs, staterooms or menus designed to accommodate children.