American Symphony

The sun deck on Deck 5 is the ship's open-air viewing area. A walking track, the Sky Walk, loops all the way around it. Overstuffed sofas, love seats and coffee tables make cozy lounge areas, and farther forward there are padded loungers, chairs with ottomans and shade structures the crew can lower when needed. It's the spot for a game, a cocktail or simply watching life on the river go by.

Aft on Deck 4, the Back Porch Café is the casual choice for breakfast and lunch. Think breakfast sandwiches, grits and oatmeal in the morning, then lighter lunch fare. Service is quicker, with bar-style seating, tables along the rail and lounge seating tucked against the house, all looking out over the river. Danny's tour calls it by its earlier name, the Ellipse. The Restaurant is always there if you'd rather have a plated meal.

Just forward of the café, the Sky Lounge sits under a large skylight that fills the room with natural light. Guests can eat breakfast or lunch here, curl up with a book from the libraries on either side, or meet for the evening cocktail hour at the full bar. A grab-and-go station serves espresso drinks, teas, hot chocolate, cereal and snacks all day, and drinks are included.

Danny calls the River Lounge on Deck 3 the living room of the ship. Huge windows look out over the bow, and floor-to-ceiling glass lines the sides. This is where river experts and historians give their talks, with a screen and projector that drop down, and where local entertainers play by the piano and dance floor. Think jazz in New Orleans. There's an open bar in the corner and a snack station with coffee, tea and sodas.

A glass-topped atrium runs through the middle of the ship. Instead of adding more staterooms here, the designers built three small lounges behind the elevators: the Game Room with chess, board games and a shared puzzle, the Study with guest computers and a printer, and the Storyteller Lounge for quiet reading. Depending on the port, these spaces can also be used for boarding. Across the hall on the port side are small outdoor seating areas.

The Restaurant on the Main Deck serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day in a traditional plated style, with windows along both sides. American Cruise Lines leans into regional cuisine, sourcing produce and fresh catches in the communities along the river, so menus change with the destination. Familiar comfort foods are always on offer too. Danny credits both the chefs and the ingredients, and says food is one of the best ways to learn about a place.

Two fitness rooms sit aft on Deck 2, one on each side of the ship. Between them there are treadmills, bikes, an elliptical, a rowing machine, a pulley machine, kettlebells, medicine balls, dumbbells, yoga mats and foam rollers, plus TVs and river views. Danny likes that the line placed the gyms over the engines instead of staterooms. A complimentary guest laundry with three washers, three dryers and detergent is just forward.