Cruising without leaving the country is available through American Cruise Lines. It takes just 100 passengers to the New England islands.

Text and Photos
By ROD KING
Feature Writer

Been considering a cruise but aren’t sure you want to go on one of those mega-ships with 6,000 other people? Or perhaps you don’t want the hassle of overseas travel to cruise the Greek islands or the far east.

Check this out.

This statue of a fisherman about to head to sea is in the harbor at New Bedford, Mass.

Take a week-long cruise without leaving the U.S. by traveling on the American Cruise Lines voyage through the New England islands. You’ll be one of just 100 passengers.

The food is outstanding (you can have seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner), the rooms are comfortable, you get a complimentary cocktail hour before dinner each night, informative speakers and entertainment. It doesn’t get any better than that.

But actually it does.

The ship departs from Providence, R.I., and goes to New Bedford, Mass., known as the “City that Lit the World,” to learn about whales, whaling ships and whale oil. At the New Bedford Whaling Museum, you’ll see skeletons of huge whales and go on board an 89-foot-long, one-half scale model of a whaling ship inside the museum to learn about life on board a whaling vessel.

From there you sail off to the peaceful island of Nantucket to view elegant homes of sea captains and merchants, reflecting the prosperity of its seafaring heritage.

Martha’s Vineyard is the next stop. This little island, which was once the center of the east coast whaling industry, is now one of New England’s most chic vacation spots and summer home to some of the country’s wealthiest individuals.

Tour the Breakers, the 70-room “summer cottage” of the Vanderbilt family overlooking Narragansett Bay. Delve into the life of the rich and famous before income taxes.

Most Midwesterners have never heard of Block Island, the next stop on the cruise. It was formed 10,000 years ago by glaciers, which left behind 200-foot-high bluffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Today, it’s a thriving, laid back summer vacation destination.

Newport, R.I., which boasts one of the world’s finest harbors, is best known for its preponderance of elegant mansions, which were constructed by extremely wealthy families in the 1800s.

This stop includes a bus tour past many of the mansions and a visit to the Breakers, the lavish 70-room “summer cottage” of the Vanderbilt’s overlooking Narragansett Bay. It gives you insight into how the rich and famous lived in the days before income taxes. You’ll also have the opportunity to tour Fort Adams, which protected the harbor back in the 1800s.

Bristol, R.I., is the last stop before returning to Providence. You can sign up to tour another mansion and the America’s Cup Hall of Fame to learn about “The Golden Age of Yachting.”

Perhaps the best part of the trip is the grand finale lobster bake. By the time the ship arrives in port, lobsters, mussels, clams, corn on the cob and chicken have been baking all morning on coals under a tarp on the beach.

At noon, the tarp is lifted to an applause from the passengers, a big cloud of steam escapes into the atmosphere and the feast is revealed. It’s served buffet- style under a big tent and members of the ship’s dining staff assist in removing the juicy lobster meat from the claws and shell. What a finish to an American cruise.

To learn more about the New England Islands cruises, visit americancruiselines.com or call (800) 460-4518.

Do it before 2025 fills up.