Due to last year’s popularity of its Florida Gulf Coast & Keys Cruise, American Cruise Line added a second ship. The American Glory and the American Legend will drop anchor a total of 27 times this season in Charlotte Harbor on Day 6 of the line’s eight-day, seven-night cruise.
When one thinks of cruise ships, one thinks of huge vessels, which could never traverse the waters of Charlotte Harbor. However, American Cruise Lines ships are smaller, coastal cats carrying upward of only 130 passengers. The shallow draft of the vessels allows rare access into small ports and the ability to travel on almost any river or waterway.
Since the vessels are too large to dock at Fishermen’s Village, tenders will transport some 100 passengers to the docks of the shopping and dining destination. From there, they can stay and shop or take American Cruise Lines buses on various excursions.
This year, excursions will include the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor for use of its pool, a complimentary excursion to the Military Heritage Museum, Iguanaland, Artisan Village at Punta Gorda History Park and the Visual Arts Center.
After weathering a few hurricanes and undergoing repairs and renovations, Fishermen’s Village officials and the county’s tourism director couldn’t be happier to have reopened many venues and are ready to welcome visitors this season.
“We are delighted to, once again this year, be the host location for visits to Punta Gorda via the American Cruise Lines Ships,” Fishermen’s Village Marketing and Events Manager Kathy Burnam said.
“We formed a wonderful partnership with the operators and crew in 2023. They loved the ambiance, hospitality and welcoming spirit extended to American Cruise Lines guests. What a great opportunity to showcase the very best in retail, dining and recreation offered by our independently owned shops and boutiques.”
“Everyone who visits falls in love with the area, which is a win-win for Fishermen’s Village and tourism. The additional influx of the American Cruise Lines’ guests takes our [tourist] season to a new level.”
Also welcoming the news was county Tourism Director Sean Doherty. “We are definitely excited to hear that they’re planning to add to their total number of cruises, as well as include our destination in a new itinerary for the 2025-26 season,” he said.
“Doing the quick math, I believe the capacity of visitation with those additional cruises could double the number of visitors to the destination and the corresponding economic impact. While we understand the passengers are only on land to explore our destination for a few hours, it is the exposure to the area of these visitors, many of whom we expect are first-time visitors, that carries a lot of value in addition to the direct economic impact. We’ll continue to work with American Cruise Lines to coordinate partnerships with our local industry to provide unique, memorable experiences that may entice the visitor to return for a future multiday visit.”
Looking at the cruise line’s schedule for 2025-26, American Cruise Lines added new ships to its fleet, and they will be deployed for the Grand Florida Coast & Keys Cruise — a 16-day, 15-night or 15-day, 14-night cruise with a stop in Punta Gorda, for a total of 54 stops in Charlotte County next season.
