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America's waterways: sailing intimate vessels on leisurely voyages that stick close to home.

Article Excerpt
Homeland cruising is all the rage, and nothing could be closer to home than a voyage along North America's coastal and inland waterways. To capitalize on the trend, some new ships, new itineraries, and even new cruise lines have emerged, while perennial favorites continue to ply U.S. coastlines or venture inland to America's picturesque rivers and lakes.

Of course, it's impossible to take just one cruise that surveys America--a country so big it barely fits on one continent. Indeed, the opportunities to travel America's inland and coastal waterways are as numerous as the states in the Union. So it's best to take a sectional approach and think in terms of three historical cruise regions: the Colonial Coast, the Heartland, and the Pacific Frontier.

THE COLONIAL COAST

Ever since English explorer Henry Hudson arrived on the Half Moon in 1609, ships have traveled up and down the U.S. East Coast. The attractions here are as diverse as America itself, and cruises of the eastern seaboard appeal to many different interests. Some departures emphasize the region's ecological diversity, while others may explore Colonial history or plantation architecture. In autumn, fall-foliage cruises sail at full capacity.

American Canadian Caribbean Line pioneered small-ship sailing in 1966, and today its three vessels range throughout the entire eastern half of the United States. In fact, the line's territory is bordered in the west by the Mississippi, in the north by the Great Lakes, in the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean. While its reach has grown, what began as a family business still operates in much the same manner. Among its homespun charms...