River cruises are often very port intensive as you don't have long distances to travel between ports. Our first full day onboard and second official day of the cruise had us docking in Astoria, Oregon arriving at 12:00AM and departing at 6:00PM. This port had the most excursion options of the cruise but our Cruise Director Rhiannon also arranged a cruise long "Step-a-thon", a Sunrise River Walk, a Puzzle Palooza, and an organized game of Scattergories for those choosing to stay onboard.
American Cruise Lines offered three price points for excursions on this itinerary:
- Complimentary (or sometimes referred to as Featured) are included in the price of your cruise.
- Premium excursions typically cost between $10 and $99 per person. These are the ones that are also considered included if you as a member of the Eagle Society loyalty program are sailing on your 4th or above cruise.
- Signature excursions are for small groups of guests and can cost $100 or more. They can include activities like fishing charters, kayaking, flight-seeing tours, or farm-to-table dining. (a.k.a. needs more than a tour bus to a location to operate) Signature excursions are reserved and billed in advance. These excursions are non refundable and will often sell out quickly.
All shore excursions with American Cruise Lines are classified by physical activity level. I will list which each excursion was classified as in my descriptions.
Here is what ACL defines as a Low, Moderate, and High physical activity level excursion:
- Low - Very little standing, walking, or physical activity required.
- Moderate - Requires a moderate amount of walking, standing, or other physical activity. Some walking surfaces may be uneven.
- High - A very active excursion, requiring a lot of walking, standing, or other physical activity.
A rundown of today's excursion choices: (all excursion descriptions are copied (or paraphrased) from the list you receive on day one in your information folder)
Fort Clatsop Experience - Two Hour Duration/Premium ($45 per person)/Low Physical Activity Level
On this excursion, you will learn the history of the area while visiting Fort Clatsop, the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery winter encampment site of December 1805 to March 1806. The park includes a 2006 replica of Fort Clatsop like the one built by the explorers and a visitor center featuring an exhibit hall and one of the best bookstores for Lewis and Clark literature. A ranger will greet you on arrival and give a brief orientation. The walk to the fort is about 250 yards. The guided portion of this excursion is about 45 minutes with an hour and 15 minutes of self-guided time.
The Astoria Walking Exploration - One and a Half Hours Duration/Premium Excursion ($25 per person)/Moderate Physical Activity Level
Your local guide will greet you at the dock to begin your exploration along Astoria's Riverwalk. Enjoy views of the majestic Columbia River with cargo ships at anchor and constant river traffic. Continue along the main downtown street which has been completely rebuilt after two fires. View early 20th-centry commercial architecture including the Astor Hotel and the Liberty Theater. Continue along city sidewalks to the Garden of the Surging Waves. Enjoy the Clatsop County Courthouse and former Clatsop County Jail where The Goonies was filmed. Your excursion will end at the Flavel House after a 12 block walk. From here, you can enjoy a self guided experience of the house, take the loop back to the dock, or walk back to the ship.
Astoria Local Loop - Continuous Loop Duration (aka Hop On/Hop Off bus)/Complimentary/Moderate Physical Activity Level
This equivalent to what you may see described as a Hop On/Hop Off Bus (HOHO Bus) on ocean cruise line excursions was a couple motorcoaches that would pick up/drop off at the dock but also make three stops in the town of Astoria. A schedule of what times a bus would be returning to each of the stops was available near the office onboard. Those wishing to head out in the morning could start using the bus at 10:15AM. Those choosing to wait for the afternoon could start using the bus at 1:30PM. This is a good option for those wishing to see the landmarks at a slower self guided pace. This is the bus loop referred to in the walking exploration excursion description. The local loop stops at the Flavel and Carriage House, the Heritage Museum, and Downtown Astoria.
Columbia River Maritime Museum - At Your Leisure Duration/Complimentary/Moderate Physical Activity Level
This museum is located at the end of the dock. ACL has arranged free (included) admission to the museum for its passengers so all you need to do is show your lanyard. Otherwise the cost is $16 per person for ages 18-64 and drops to $13 for those aged 65+. This museum opened at 9:30AM and was open for most of the day so you could easily visit before and/or after doing another excursion option. Showing the lanyard also gives you admission to the Lightship located across the dock. There is about .5 to 1 mile worth of walking inside the museum but plenty of places to stop and rest including during viewings of educational movies every 30 minutes.
We both stopped into the museum after our separate excursions and enjoyed walking through the exhibits. You could buy your weight in huckleberry jam products in the gift shop. Unfortunately, the Lightship was closed when we tried to visit it.
A replica of the bridge controls you could enter and act out a list of scenarios guided by a TV screen.
A comparison between an American gun (left) and a British gun (right):
Cape Disappointment State Park Three and One Half Hours Duration/Premium Excursion ($55 per person)/Low Activity Level
Take a scenic motorcoach ride to Cape Disappointment State Park and visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center across state lines in Washington. The cost for visiting the center on your own is $5 per person for ages 18+. The center also features a short film presentation, gift shop, and a glassed in observation deck. There is an option to hike to the lighthouse but it is not an easy or accessible hike and will take most of your time. The coach ride is 30 minutes each way. If you choose to walk to the photo op on Waikiki Beach, there is uneven ground.
This is the excursion Dad chose to do. He found the museum's displays very informative and interesting. He opted to walk down to Waikiki Beach where the guide was kind enough to take everyone's picture for them. If you have any interest in Lewis and Clark, Dad recommends booking this excursion and felt it was worth the price. Disclaimer: This was Dad's fourth cruise with ACL so this excursion was included for him due to his loyalty status.
Dad was kind enough to pick me up a magnet from the gift shop:
Astoria Column Exploration - One Hour Duration/Complimentary Excursion/Low Activity Level/Partial Wheelchair or Scooter Accessible
The Astoria Column, a unique work of Northwest art, serves as a monument to the native people of the region. This excursion has a local guide on the coach. There are 164 steps to the top of the column. As this is a self-guided experience once you arrive at the site, you can choose not to climb the column. If you do choose to climb to the top, you will receive a glider to throw once up there.
This excursion is classified as low activity level and wheelchair/scooter accessible only if you choose not to climb. Please know your own body's limitations before choosing whether to climb.
If you choose to visit on your own, the park and climbing the column is free. However, parking costs $5. Gliders can also then be purchased in the on site gift shop if you wish to join the tradition of tossing one from the top.
Now if you've read any of my past excursion reports, you know I wasn't about to pass up the chance to climb this tower. There were a decent amount of our tour group that opted not to climb and simply explore the grounds. You will get some great views including the chance to admire the artwork on the outside of the column without having to climb. My only critique, aside from the fact that my legs turned to lead 2/3rds of the way up and I made the decision to save what little strength I had left for the walk back down, is that there is only 45 minutes on site. It became a climb or explore the grounds decision. While there were wider areas to step off and take a breather inside the spiral metal stairwell, my legs felt like jelly once back outside. Take those first steps on solid ground very gingerly after you climb as my knees buckled a time or two trying to walk over to the small gift shop building.
We were each handed a glider by our guide to be put together and thrown from the top as we departed the bus on arrival at the tower. Great little souvenir to take home for a kid in your family if you choose not to climb. It is encouraged to write your name/hometown on the assembled glider so that when the local schoolchildren are brought to the park to collect the gliders, they often enjoy seeing where all the visitors are from.
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