William Virkus
Age: 63
Occupation: Retired math Teacher
Number of Cruises: 6
Sailing Date: July 23rd, 2005
Itinerary: New England Islands Cruise

My wife and I just returned from the 7-night New England Islands cruise on the American Spirit. This is our second small ship cruise and we would rate it as A+. The ports were all great. New Bedford was surprisingly interesting. Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Newport, and Block Island were all wonderful. Fall River was OK. I can find nothing negative to say about the cruise line or the ship. The food was excellent. The crew went out of their way to be accommodating and to make our stay a pleasure. The excursions at each port were all good. The evening speakers that were brought on board were very entertaining and informative. Small ship cruising is different than cruising on a large ship, but, in many ways, it is better. On the American Spirit there are only about 90 travelers and 26 crew. You get to meet everyone. Seating at dinner is open. Dress is casual. I felt that the average age of the travelers was a little older that on large cruises, but the ship and ports are such that even the elderly can enjoy themselves. I would strongly recommend the New England Islands cruise. We also went on the Historic Antebellum South cruise on the American Glory in 2003 and enjoyed that too. We will cruise with American Cruise Line again.