American Cruise Lines has announced its newest Gulf Coast itinerary for next March, offering an 8-day, 7-night journey between New Orleans and Pensacola.
- The voyage features Pensacola’s notable military history alongside Mobile’s historic district, where America’s original Mardi Gras celebration began and where the USS Alabama Battleship stands as a maritime monument. Travelers will discover Pascagoula’s centuries-old shipbuilding traditions and experience Ocean Springs’ acclaimed arts community and distinctive small-town atmosphere.
A highlighted excursion includes Fort Massachusetts on West Ship Island, providing guests with an exploration of this significant 19th-century coastal fortification. The journey concludes in New Orleans, where passengers can immerse themselves in the city’s renowned French Quarter, exceptional culinary scene, and legendary jazz traditions.
Available in both directions with multiple departure dates throughout the season, including March 1, March 7, March 13, and March 19, 2026.
A LITTLE CRUISE SHIP HISTORY
City leaders have discussed cruise ships docking at the Port of Pensacola for decades. In 2000, when the Pensacola City Council launched a waterfront study, former Mayor Vince Whibbs said, “I can see cruise ships in the next 10-12 years in the downtown area.”
On April 4. 2003, the Niagara Prince, a 175-foot 84-passenger excursion vessel owned by American Canadian Caribbean Line, docked at the Port of Pensacola. The city was part of an 11-day cruise between Tampa and New Orleans that stopped at eight Gulf Coast ports. The vessel Grampa Woo had visited the city the previous month, leading chamber officials to believe Pensacola would become a player in the cruise ship market.
In the fall of 2003, Delta Queen Steamboat Co. of New Orleans announced it would add a four-day New Orleans to Pensacola cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway in early 2005.
- Jerry Maygarden, a former mayor who chaired a port task force at the time, said, “Pensacola is very accessible. It takes about 20 minutes to get out to the deep Gulf from the Port. Tourism promoter Nancy Halford told the PNJ that the Port of Pensacola would be ideal for smaller cruise ships. “We’re not trying to be a Miami or a Key West, but if we accommodated a cruise ship once or twice a month, it would be wonderful.”
City officials identified the west side of the Port of Pensacola as the ideal spot to dock cruise ships and build an upscale hotel with a ballroom and auditorium. Urban planner Ray Gindroz liked the idea, noting that Norfolk, Va, had added cruise ships to its port area.
“When people walk off that ship, they want to immediately be in a magical place. People will be arriving after their second martini—they’ll be feeling wonderful, and they’lll be feeling wonderful, and they’ll be wanting to spend a lot of money,” Gindroz said at a presentation at IHMC in December 2003.
Hurricane Ivan derailed those plans.
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