American Cruise Lines has announced that the American Jazz is repositioning from the Mississippi River to the West Coast in preparation for the new California river cruises starting in February 2023, according to a press release.

These cruises will be the first of their kind since the 1940s, which makes the arrival of the American Jazz to San Francisco Bay heralds a historic development in U.S. River cruising

“Exploring San Francisco Bay and the California Delta by U.S. riverboat is a momentous occasion for domestic river cruising and another first for American Cruise Lines. We are proud to provide this new opportunity for our guests to experience the joys of cruising close to home, as they discover yet another beautiful area of the country by riverboat,” said Charles B. Robertson, president and CEO of American Cruise Lines.

“American continues to expand the possibilities for exceptional domestic small ship cruises by introducing brand new U.S. flagged riverboats and small cruise ships each year.”

The American Jazz is expected to transit the Panama Canal in the coming days and the ship will follow a similar route to the historic U.S. mail ships of the Gold Rush era.

The American Jazz will embark on the first eight-day San Francisco Bay cruise on February 24, 2023. The new river cruises will sail San Francisco Bay and Wine Country, cruising the Napa River, Sacramento River, and San Joaquin River. The cruise line will offer this roundtrip from San Francisco in February and March, and again in November and December of 2023.

The eight-day San Francisco Bay cruises dock in San Francisco, Stockton, Sacramento, and Vallejo, and sail San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, the Napa River and the San Joaquin River.