Just returned from a ACL Colombia/Snake River cruise!

[Ski Mom]

Hello just returned from a fabulous 8 night River cruise with ACL on the American Song July 8th through July 16th. A little about us. We are in our early sixties and I have MS. I walk with a cane and travel with a transport wheelchair. I usually rent a scooter for larger ships but didn’t for this trip and I will explain later.

We didn’t know what to expect when we booked with ACL because I honestly was not familiar with them. A big shout out to Essies Mom for suggesting this line when I posted a question about a year ago. Except for one couple in their forties and two young adults traveling with their parents we were probably one of the youngest passengers on board but you know what? It didn’t matter! We met so many wonderful and interesting well traveled people and we had a blast! We usually travel with a few friends and if we had done that I don’t think we would have met the people we did so I feel this is a great cruise for a single traveler.
The food was great and the cocktail hour was fantastic. Initially in the early stages of planning this cruise I was a little taken back by the price. It’s definitely the priciest cruise we’ve been on including our Alaskan cruise but it is all inclusive with drinks and gratuities included and also some nice complimentary shore excursions. Although the staff was willing to always help out I do think ACL needs to improve the overall accessibility in their staterooms and the disembarkation process on both shore excursions and the first and last day. I had done some research on line before the cruise and saw that the hallways and elevators were small and narrow and a scooter would have a hard time getting through especially when there are carts in the hallway from housekeeping staff who by the way were awesome and always seemed to be working and available if need be. The ramps to leave the ship for excursions were quite narrow steep and bumpy and I don’t think you would be able to use a scooter on them. That is the one thing that Princess and Celebrity have ACL beat hands down because I’ve been on both of them and never had a problem using my scooter.The ramps going ashore would definitely not accommodate a travel scooter and the shower in my accessible stateroom had a six inch lip that if I was traveling alone I would have not been able to use. I took pictures of the bathroom to show others so they are prepared. The balcony also required a step.
All and all it was a wonderful cruise and I would definitely recommend them but I think at this point it would be a bit hard on a wheelchair traveler to do on their own. Just a note and just my opinion I’m glad I started our journey in Clarkston WA which is hot and dry and almost dessert like. On the day we disembarked it was a scorching 95 degrees! Luckily it got cooler and much more pleasant as we traveled down the river towards Oregon. Although both landscapes are beautiful in their own right I think it would be a bit of a let down to go from the lush green scenery in Oregon to the desert like landscape of eastern Washington. But again that’s just my opinion. There is also an option for a pre cruise Jet Boat excursion that we didn’t take because it wasn’t wheelchair accessible but fellow passengers said it was wonderful but you would have to start your cruise two days before in Clarkston to accommodate it.

The Columbia River is made up of a series of locks and we passed through eight of them on our journey. Some of them at night. They were designed to let ships pass seamlessly from one water level to another dropping at levels of 90 feet and a defiantly an engineering marvel!

I loved all the excursions and it would be hard to pick my favorite but I will say definitely Mount Saint Helen, Cape Disappointment and the M Falls are a must see! We did take a break from the museums and exhibits one day and visited the Merry Hills Winery where the wine was great and the scenery was spectacular!
Well I hope I gave you a good idea of what the ACL Colombia River cruise was like! Thanks for reading!

Edited July 19, 2023 by Ski Mom
Miss spelled words

[Essiesmom]

Thank you for coming back to report.  Glad you enjoyed it.  EM

[Ski Mom]

6 hours ago, Ski Mom said:Although I thoroughly enjoyed all the excursions offered I think one of my favorite days was our last day on the ship that we spent just cruising and enjoying the lush and spectacular scenery of Oregon.It was so nice not having to rise at dawn or board a motor coach! The last picture I posted I am enjoying our last day on our balcony and just taking in the beautiful views! ! I forgot to mention that there were four motor coaches that followed us through out the week. Climbing the steps of a motor coach after a long day of touring were very difficult for me. I was so grateful that two of the buses had a lift on them to accommodate a wheelchair and the coach itself could accommodate two wheelchairs with passengers that needed to remain in their wheelchair. I was the only passenger using a transport chair and I was so blessed to have a wonderful driver named Abra. She always tried to park as close to our destination as possible and was always there to assist if I needed help getting back on the bus or needed to use the lift. I called her my angel and told her I couldn’t have done what I did with out her. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Ski Mom
Accidental double post

[Meander Ingwa]

I am glad you enjoyed your visit to some of my favorite areas of my state.  I think many people are surprised to find out how vastly different the landscape of eastern Wa /Or is from the western side.  For geology nuts, the east side of Wa state is a wonderland.

[Ski Mom]

I tried to edit my original post but it was too late. I forgot to mention that forgot to mention that we had four motor coaches that followed our cruise all week and two of them had lifts to accommodate wheelchair travelers and room on them to fit two wheelchair passengers that needed to stay in their wheelchair. I had trouble navigating the stairs on the motor coach the first day and needed to bring my wheelchair to excursions that required a lot of walking so this really helped me! I was blessed to have a wonderful driver named Abra who was always there to assist me with the stairs or operate the lift on days when I needed it. I told her that she was my angel and I couldn’t have done what I did without her help.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed all the excursions offered by ACL I think one of my favorite days was the last day of our cruise that we spent just cruising and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Oregon. It was so nice not to have to report to anyone or rise at dawn to board a motor coach for an excursion. These lat two random photos are of my wonderful bus driver Abra and the other is of the last day of our cruise that we spent on our balcony enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery of Oregon.

[Ski Mom]

1 hour ago, Meander Ingwa said:

I am glad you enjoyed your visit to some of my favorite areas of my state.  I think many people are surprised to find out how vastly different the landscape of eastern Wa /Or is from the western side.  For geology nuts, the east side of Wa state is a wonderland.

You have a beautiful state and I hope to visit it again someday because one week just wasn’t enough!