Amazingly Expensive Bay Area Cruise, With Excursion to Stockton, Launching Soon
For $5,397, you can book a 15-day Avalon European river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, with stops in Cologne, Linz and Vienna along the way.
Or, for a minimum of $6,095 per person, you can cruise from San Francisco to Stockton to see … Stockton 99 Speedway.
The 8-day American Cruise Lines river cruise departs from the Port of San Francisco and visits Stockton, Sacramento and Napa via the San Joaquin, Sacramento and Napa rivers. Three of the eight days are spent in San Francisco.
“Led by our knowledgeable local guide, explore the culturally and ethnically diverse waterfront community of Stockton and enjoy the local cuisine on a stroll to local farm stands and markets,”[ads1]; the website says. “Visit Sacramento, the capital of California, and explore the underground city. Travel to the Napa Valley region and stop at a local winery to taste the finest varieties. Return to the Golden City and explore its many treasures, from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz Iceland and Ghirardelli chocolate.”
The vessel, American Jazz, has 99 staterooms to accommodate 190 guests. The first departure date is scheduled for February 17, 2023, and the cheapest room will set you back $6,095 per person. The most expensive room, the Grand Suite, costs an astonishing $11,680 per person.
According to the itinerary, cruisers will be taken to the Haggin Museum in Stockton, as well as a “NASCAR Style Driving Experience and Ride Alongs at the Stockton Speedway.” In Sacramento there will be several excursions to museums, and in Napa there will of course be wine tasting. It’s a day spent just on the river and San Francisco Bay with no excursions. “Cooking demos” and a “local California Cuisine Cookbook” are included in the price.
American Cruise Lines may be hoping that its California river cruises will hearken back to the days of the Delta King, a steamboat that once sailed up and down the waterways between San Francisco and Sacramento.
“There hasn’t been an overnight cruise on this scale since the Delta King,” Scott Ford, director of economic development for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, told KCRA. “Sacramento really has a lot to offer and has the opportunity to showcase this area to visitors who frankly aren’t coming up here right now.”
The Delta King sank in 1981. It has since been restored and is now a permanently moored hotel in Sacramento.
