Highlights of the Columbia River

Each Columbia and Snake Rivers itinerary comes complete with a Complimentary Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay, providing you with a seamless way to board the ship and explore the local area. Arrive the day before your scheduled cruise date and American Cruise Lines will handle the rest.

The package includes a premium hotel stay, where you can enjoy the city at your leisure. On the morning of the cruise, meet in the hotel lobby after breakfast and we will transport you to the ship to begin your cruise. All luggage will be brought directly from the hotel and placed in your stateroom aboard the ship.

Guests have the option of purchasing our Hells Canyon Flightseeing Adventure which takes place the morning of embarkation.

Pre-Cruise Hotel Stays must be reserved at least 30 days before your cruise date. Please call (800) 460-4518 to reserve your space.

As you embark upon your journey, enjoy a Welcome Aboard Reception with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment. Meet the crew, your onboard experts, and fellow guests. Learn more about the wonderful adventure ahead of you.

Experience the Columbia River Maritime Museum on a self-guided excursion. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is the official maritime museum of the state of Oregon and also prides itself as being one of the finest maritime museums on the West Coast. 

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Your knowledgeable guide will greet you at the dock to begin your exploration along Astoria's Riverwalk. Enjoy views of the majestic Columbia River with cargo ships at anchor and constant river traffic. Continue along the main downtown street and view several excellent examples of early 20th-century commercial architecture, including the towering Astor Hotel and the highly ornate, terra-cotta clad Liberty Theater. Stroll along city sidewalks to the Garden of the Surging Waves, which celebrates the town’s Chinese history. Enjoy the Beaux Arts-style Clatsop County Courthouse and the former Clatsop County Jail, which is now the Oregon Film Museum. The jail, used from 1914 to 1976 is not only noted for being the longest used, freestanding jail in Oregon, but also seen in the many movies filmed here, most famously, The Goonies. Your excursion will end at the well-known Flavel House. Completed in 1886, it is considered one of the finest examples of Queen Anne Stick style architecture in the Pacific Northwest.

Activity Level: Moderate | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Explore downtown Astoria on your own aboard this convenient shuttle which makes several stops on a continuous loop throughout the day including:

- Downtown Astoria - for shopping and exploring

- Heritage Museum - featuring Clatsop County’s rich and exciting history in permanent and changing exhibit galleries

- Astoria Column - a tower overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River, from which you can enjoy the majestic views of the countryside from land

- Flavel House Museum - once the home of Captain George Flavel, this 1885 Queen Anne home features original Eastlake influenced woodwork, period furnishings, and exotic hardwood

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Enjoy a scenic journey to Cape Disappointment State Park and visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, situated high on the cliffs 200 feet above the pounding Pacific surf.  A series of mural-sized “timeline” panels guide visitors through the westward journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition using sketches, paintings, photographs, and the words of Corps members themselves. 

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

On this excursion, you will learn the history of the area while visiting Fort Clatsop, the site where the Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered in 1806.  Explore the Visitor Center and take a walk outside to view the Fort that was built during this famous expedition. 

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

May 18, 1980 is a day etched into the history of the United States, as the powerful eruption of Mount St. Helens drastically changed the landscape of what is now referred to as the National Volcanic Monument. On your scenic journey to the Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory, learn about the eruption, how it affected the landscape and surrounding communities, and how the environment has responded naturally to the disturbance. The Observatory itself sits on a bluff near the crater, offering spectacular views of the pumice plain and blast site.

Activity Level: Moderate | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Just a short walk from the ship, explore this new facility that celebrates Kalama’s unique place in Pacific Northwest history as a transportation and commercial hub, and is designed to replicate a traditional waterfront warehouse of the 1800s. Exhibits track Kalama’s first inhabitants, the Cowlitz Tribe, and the settlers that followed over the next hundred years, including renowned Oregon Trail writer Ezra Meeker. Displays illustrate how Kalama’s particular landscape gave birth to a booming transportation system, impacting the area both culturally and economically.

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Throughout your journey on the Columbia River, you will transit 8 locks, lifting the ship more than 700 feet vertically. Building upon the lectures of our onboard experts throughout the week, this excursion provides guests with an in-depth understanding of and appreciation for the engineering that enables the Dam to generate enough hydroelectric power to provide nearly 500,000 homes with electricity.

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Plummeting 620 feet, Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. Experience the sights and sounds of this magnificent waterfall, fed by rain, snow-melt, and underground springs on Larch Mountain.

Admire the falls from the Visitor Center or take a short hike to Benson Bridge, one of the most photographed pieces of architecture in Oregon, to feel its misty spray and get a great photo.

Multnomah Falls also offers one of the best places in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to view the basalt rock formations exposed by Ice Age Floods.

Activity Level: Moderate | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Enjoy a self-guided tour of the Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center, which showcases the area's unique history and cultural diversity. From the Native American tribes that inhabited the gorge to the expedition of Lewis and Clark and 19th-century loggers, learn of the bountiful life on the gorge as you explore this amazing museum.

Activity Level: Low | ADA ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Why not stay an extra night or two to immerse yourself in the spirit of this vibrant city? Ask your onboard Hotel Manager for recommendations on area hotels, attractions, and more.