American Cruise Lines Food Review & Complete Dining Guide
After multiple cruises and eating way more food than we'd like to admit on the beautiful ships, we have settled into the rhythm of dining on American Cruise Lines (ACL). In this complete food and dining guide, we’ll walk you through what meals are actually like on board: where you can eat, what kind of food to expect, some delightful surprises, how drinks work, what happens if you have dietary restrictions, and a few pro tips we learned along the way.
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Drinks & Dining Overview on American Cruise Lines
Every American Cruise Lines ship has one main restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That’s your core dining venue, whether you are on a riverboat, a coastal ship, a paddlewheeler, or a catamaran. In addition to that, you’ll have a main lounge where you can find light breakfast, snacks, drinks, and evening entertainment. On most ships, you’ll also find the Back Porch Café (often referred to as “the grill”), which is an outdoor spot for a no-fuss breakfast and lunch.
The overall feel of the dining on ACL is casual and easygoing. This is not a tux-and-evening-gown kind of cruise line. Think more along the lines of “nice jeans and a polo” than formal night stress. The food leans heavily toward American comfort dishes rather than experimental or fine-dining options, and the drinks are included but mid-tier rather than top-shelf.
Breakfast on American Cruise Lines
You’ll usually have three breakfast options on an ACL cruise: the main dining room, a light breakfast in the lounge, and, on most ships, the Back Porch Café.
Main Restaurant
In the main restaurant, you’ll find a full, sit-down breakfast with traditional options. There are savory options like eggs any style or build-your-own omelets, daily specials like Eggs Benedict or quiche, and sweet options such as French toast or pancakes. You can order breakfast sides like bacon, sausage, ham, breakfast potatoes, grits, fresh fruit, yogurt, or cereal as well. If you enjoy a slower start to your day, coffee refills from a server, and a warm plate, you'll enjoy this option most.
Lighter, Small Breakfast Buffet at the Lounge
Up in the lounge or bar area, there is typically a lighter, small buffet-style breakfast set up on the bar. Here you’ll find pastries, breads, fruit, yogurt, smoked salmon, and hot drinks. It’s particularly helpful for early risers who want something before the main dining room opens, or if you prefer to grab a few bites at your leisure and go, rather than sit through a full meal. This setup usually continues during the main breakfast window, so it’s an easy way to get a change of scenery without sacrificing your first meal of the day.
Back Porch Cafe Breakfast, Outdoors
The Back Porch Café quickly became one of our favorite breakfast spots. It’s a grill out on the back deck where you can order the breakfast sandwich of the day (usually an egg wrap or burrito, or something like an egg croissant).
Our morning routine often looked like this: I would grab coffee for us from the lounge, where it's self-serve, and bring it back to the room while Dan hopped in the shower. Then I would go to the Back Porch Cafe to place our order and duck into the adjacent lounge to snag some fruit or a fun extra like brûléed bananas or a brûléed grapefruit. It was perfect timing—Dan would arrive right as our order was placed on the table.
We would eat at one of the outdoor tables on a nice day, with a waterfront view and beautiful scenery surrounding us. If the weather is bad, the Back Porch Café may be closed, but it is usually open.
Lunch on American Cruise Lines
For lunch on ACL, you have two options: the Back Porch Café or the main restaurant. Each has a different mood.
Lunch at the “Grill”
For Dan, the Back Porch Café (the “grill”) was often the lunch highlight. The menu there is casual and satisfying: hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, the soup of the day, and chips with salsa or guacamole. Depending on how many people show up at once (especially if it's a gorgeous day outside and everyone's just returned from an excursion, hungry), service may not always be fast-food quick, but it is relaxed and laid-back. And nothing beats enjoying the cruise scenery while dining al fresco.
It’s the kind of dining venue where you sit in your shorts, sip something refreshing and cold, and watch the scenery while you wait for your burger or hot dog. The lounge bar is next to the Back Porch Grill on nearly all ACL ships, so a beverage is never far away.
Main Dining Room Lunch
The main dining room offers a slightly more structured lunch option. This is where you go if you’re craving something a bit more “restaurant style,” with table service and white tablecloths. The menu usually includes sandwiches and a few hot dishes, such as a pasta entree and another warm main.
The big difference in menus for dinner and lunch in the restaurant is that lunch skips a formal starter course and jumps straight to main dishes. There was also usually a sandwich on the lunch menu, but not for dinner. Typically, you’ll see a handful of entrée options plus dessert options.
Pro Tip Dining on ACL
One of the touches we really appreciated, both at lunch and dinner, was the ability to order half portions. So if you're like me and enjoy trying a little of everything, you can order half portions of multiple things. Or, if you're not that hungry and don't want an entire Reuben sandwich, you can ask for half a sandwich. We appreciate that this cuts down on food waste, too.
You can also mix and match—half a sandwich and half a pasta, for example—so you can taste more without feeling like you’ve overdone it. For anyone who likes variety or who gets menu FOMO, this is a huge plus.
Dinner: Casual, Social, and Enjoyable
Dinner is served in the main restaurant with open seating. On ACL, that usually means shared tables and a very social atmosphere. If you’re traveling solo or as a duo, you should expect to be seated with others. In our experience, fellow passengers are generally curious and friendly, especially on small ship cruises. Table for one or table for two is possible, particularly at breakfast and lunch when people arrive sporadically over a two-hour window, but less common at dinner, when most people show up right at opening time and are there for an hour to two hours.
After the first couple of days onboard, many guests (including us) seemed to gravitate toward their favorite servers. Because most of the crew is American, it’s easy to strike up conversations, compare hometowns, and build a quick connection with the staff. We noticed that once people found their preferred server’s section, they often tried to sit there for each meal.
Dinner Menu
The dinner menu is structured as a three-course meal. For an appetizer, there is usually a choice of soup or salad: options like gumbo, bisque, or a hearty soup, plus a salad with lettuce, such as a wedge or a spinach salad. If you want soup and a salad, just ask.
The main course typically offers around four entree options, give or take, and we almost always saw at least one vegetarian dish and one pasta dish. The remaining choices are usually proteins like fish, chicken, pork, beef, or occasionally something like trout or duck.
ACL knows its audience; it is not the cruise line for exotic ingredients or elaborate tasting menus. The dishes lean toward familiar, comforting, and American.
For dessert, there is usually ice cream plus one or two other options such as a slice of cake, pie, or a cobbler. Cobblers and pie showed up fairly often and really reinforced the “American comfort” feel of the menu.
Dress Code at Dinner on American Cruise Lines
In terms of dress code, it’s very relaxed. Most people wore something like a collared golf shirt or a simple blouse and cardigan. Jeans are acceptable, polos are fine, and while you can dress up if you enjoy that, there’s absolutely no need for evening cocktail dresses or suits. You can leave men's ties at home! The one thing we always recommend on any cruise, including ACL, is to bring a light layer like a cardigan or sweater, because the air conditioning in dining rooms can often run chilly.
Snacks, Cookie Time, and Evening Treats
Food is absolutely not limited to only breakfast, lunch, and dinner on ACL. Snacks and treats are woven into the day, and many people look forward to them.
Snack Station in the Main Lounge
In the lounge area, there is a self-serve “anytime” snacks setup. You’ll find things like granola bars, chips, pretzels, sodas, soda water, coffee, tea, and cookies, like Oreos. It’s a very convenient station if you get hungry between meals or want to grab something before heading off on an excursion. We often picked up a granola bar or a small bag of pretzels to toss into our day bag, so we had something on hand if we started to feel hungry while off the ship.
Daily Cookie Time
One of the signature moments on American Cruise Lines is daily cookie time, usually mid-afternoon. The crew sets out fresh cookies, and it becomes a kind of unofficial social occasion. Even if the schedule has everyone off the ship for a big excursion, the team makes an effort to bring cookie time to the guests.
During an excursion to visit Mount St. Helens in Washington, we found that cookie time followed us ashore; the staff set up cookies on picnic tables outside the visitor center so no one missed their afternoon sugar fix! While coffee and tea were unavailable on location from ACL, as we enjoyed on the ship, the crew brought water, and everyone was happy to get their mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
Additional Dessert Opportunities in the Evening (After Dinner)
In the evening, dessert makes another appearance in a very fun way. As you head into the lounge for the night’s entertainment, you’ll often see a multi-tiered stand filled with pre-made ice cream sundaes. You can pick your favorite and sit down with your dessert while the musicians play or the performers sing. We’ve seen flavors like mint chocolate chip with hot fudge, local specialties such as a huckleberry ice cream, and classic vanilla with whipped cream.
There is also freshly popped popcorn if you’re more in the mood for something salty, especially if there’s a gap between your dinner time and the evening show, and you're craving a crunchy, savory snack. On vacation, it's very easy to justify dessert twice—once at dinner and again with the entertainment! Go ahead…indulge. We won't tell!
Cocktail Hour and Pre-Dinner Bites
Before dinner, there is typically a happy hour or cocktail hour in the lounge. This is as much about the food as it is about the drinks. The spread usually includes a mix of charcuterie and cheeses, seafood items on many nights, and at least one hot item like meatballs or small tacos. There is often a vegetable crudité with dips. Some items may be self-serve while others are plated for you by a crew member. Having staff serve some of the hot items added a slightly elevated feel to the experience that we appreciated.
One thing we wish they would change is that the cocktail hour often starts around the same time as dinner. That means you can easily fill up on snacks and drinks and end up not feeling ready for dinner when your preferred mealtime hits. Yet, dinner is between set times, so you can't take an hour break between cocktail hour and dinner, which is unfortunate.
We would have appreciated a bit more staggering between the two, but once you know how the timing works, it’s easier to plan. Some guests chose to make happy hour their main meal, piling plates with the cocktail buffet and skipping dinner entirely.
Drinks on American Cruise Lines
Alcoholic drinks are included on American Cruise Lines (including cocktails, wine, and beer), but the selection is more mid-tier than premium. You shouldn’t expect top-shelf liquor, because in most cases it isn’t even stocked on board. Instead, you’ll find a solid selection of standard brands and some regional touches depending on where you’re sailing.
On our Washington and Oregon itinerary during our Columbia and Snake Rivers cruise, the wine list leaned heavily into local labels, which was a great surprise. We had several good glasses of wine, and Dan ended up chatting with the restaurant manager about pairing different wines with dinners. He even reserved a bottle of the wine Dan liked best by putting his name on it for him to have with the meal so they wouldn't run out. If you’re into wine and enjoy discovering regional bottles, this can be a real perk.
Dan's a whiskey drinker. He stuck to Jameson on the ship, but there are options like Jack Daniel’s and Maker’s Mark as well. I'm more of a vodka or gin kind of girl. Brands like Absolut and Tito’s were available, but not premium names like Grey Goose or Ketel One. The beer selection tended to mix mainstream options like Budweiser and Corona with a few local craft choices, such as regional IPAs or blondes.
One nice perk of cruising on a small ship within the United States is how relaxed the policy is about bringing your own drinks back on board. There is usually no airport-style scanner or X-ray machine for bags when you return to the ship. We’ve bought a bottle of local wine in port and brought it back to enjoy in our room without any issue. As always, the key is to drink responsibly and be respectful of fellow guests and staff, but it’s a fun way to extend your tasting experiences from ashore to onboard.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
If you’re more interested in non-alcoholic drinks, it’s worth adjusting your expectations a bit. Unlike some European river lines or big-ship brands that now feature full mocktail menus, American Cruise Lines does not seem to focus heavily on elaborate alcohol-free cocktails. You can certainly order seltzer with lime, juices, sodas, and simple mixed soft drinks, but you won’t find pages of named mocktails with garnishes and special glassware.
Don't forget, coffee and tea are available at a self-service station in the lounge anytime!
Pre-Cruise Hotel Meals Included with ACL
Another element of the American Cruise Lines experience is that they typically include a pre-cruise hotel night with your sailing. We’ve experienced this in places like Washington before boarding American Serenade and in Chattanooga before boarding American Jazz. The included hotels are generally mainstream brands—think Hiltons or similar—not ultra-luxury properties.
The meals at these hotels are meant to be practical rather than memorable. Breakfast is usually a standard hotel buffet with scrambled eggs (sometimes powdered, which isn't my favorite, but it's the means to an end, I suppose), sausage or bacon, coffee, tea, and basic pastries.
Lunch is often a “build your own sandwich” setup with cold cuts, breads, and a handful of salads like a pasta salad or potato salad, or lettuce salad. On our trips, watermelon and cookies seemed to appear everywhere, adding to that Americana feeling. This part of the trip is primarily about convenience—feeding everyone before they board the ship—rather than delivering a special culinary experience as some European pre-cruise hotel stays might.
How Accommodating is American Cruise Lines for Dietary Restrictions?
If you have dietary restrictions, American Cruise Lines can often accommodate you, but it’s important to understand the limitations upfront. We’ve traveled with a vegan guest who was able to get appropriate meals, but their options were more limited compared to cruise lines that really lean into plant-based menus, like Windstar.
The best thing you can do if you have serious or complex dietary restrictions is to get help before you book. This is where working with a travel planner or travel advisor is incredibly helpful. As travel planners, we can help you narrow down itineraries, understand which ships might fit you best, and suggest how to structure your days, while you remain the one who actually books the cruise and related travel.
A travel advisor or travel agent, on the other hand, will book the cruise and flights for you and act as your direct liaison with American Cruise Lines regarding your dietary needs. Both options are valuable, and if you’d like a recommendation for a trusted advisor who knows small-ship cruising well, you can absolutely reach out to us.
When you arrive at the pre-cruise hotel and check in with American Cruise Lines staff, that’s your first chance to mention dietary concerns and ask who you should speak with on the ship. Once on board, connect with the restaurant manager or head chef as soon as possible (the Cruise Director can help you locate those people) so everyone is aware of your needs from day one. Being proactive makes a big difference. Be your best advocate!
Sailing in the United States Makes a Difference for Dietary Needs
One additional advantage is that you’re cruising in the United States. That means it’s easy to communicate specific allergies and dietary requirements on the ship, in English, and in port, and you can plan a meal ashore at a restaurant you’ve researched in advance if you need a break from the ship’s options. For example, if you’re vegan or have Celiac disease, you might pick out a highly rated spot in Chattanooga or another port that caters to these restrictions, where you know you’ll feel safe and satisfied ordering from the menu.
Our Overall Take on American Cruise Lines' Food
When we think of our American Cruise Lines food experience, there are a few highlights that we look forward to during our next ACL trip, like the breakfast sandwiches, ice cream sundaes, cookie time, and cocktail hours. We feel the food is consistent and predictable for the most part, in a good way.
If you board expecting solid, familiar, American comfort food in a relaxed atmosphere, you’re likely to be happy. You’ll have plenty of options, lots of snacks, cookie time, and included drinks that cover most tastes, even if they don’t venture into top-shelf territory. You are not booking American Cruise Lines for Michelin-star-style cuisine or multi-course tasting menus; you’re booking it for easy, all-American meals while you travel through some of the most scenic rivers and coastal regions in the United States.
If food quality, drink options, or dietary needs are big factors in choosing your cruise, and you’re trying to decide whether American Cruise Lines is the right fit or how it compares to other small-ship lines, we’re happy to help as travel planners. We can talk through your priorities, suggest itineraries, and help you decide whether you’d benefit more from a planning approach (where you book yourself) or a travel advisor who handles the bookings for you.
