The American Song marked a new era for American Cruise Line as she launched service earlier this month from New Orleans as the first in a series of at least five new modern riverboats.

“The economy is red hot good,” said Charles A. Robertson, CEO of American Cruise Lines. “That helps. There is much greater awareness for river and small ship cruising. Contemporary brands are graduating more people and they don’t want to go on a multi-thousand passenger ship; they graduate to us.”

Operating ships under 200 guests, the company controls a large percentage of the U.S. domestic river market.

The new American Song will stay on the Mississippi through the New Year and then head for the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The following two ships in the series are slated for Mississippi service.

This past summer, the company doubled its capacity in Alaska and is putting in more berths next year in response to demand.

“We have an extraordinarily high repeat rate, which has driven our marketing cost per passenger day down,” Robertson said, in an interview with Cruise Industry News.

The new series of vessels feature a glass atrium and more modern amenities. New propulsion technology enables faster and more comfortable sailing. Despite being bigger, the new ships are also more fuel efficient while offering balcony accommodations to all guests. A telescoping bow ramp makes disembarkation easy.

Shoreside, the company has expanded office space at its Connecticut headquarters, while a call center in Utah has grown.

“We’re spending an enormous amount of resources on training,” Robertson continued. 

As the expansion ramps up, the company plans to train 2,000 employees annually.

Does he have a 2025 vision? “Bigger,” he answered, noting that future ships will stay under the 200 guest mark. “We’re building five modern riverboats as of now and we’ll be building more of the coastal vessels.”