American Pioneer "Florida Gulf Coast & Keys" itinerary I loved this brand-new cruise ship from American Cruise Lines

This ship was literally just a few weeks old when I sailed on it.  It was only her second cruise with paying passengers.  It was really interesting to see the little improvements that American Cruise Lines had made to their ship design.  Nothing major...  but small tweaks to improve things for the passengers.  For example, two outdoor viewing areas up at the front of the ship where passengers can sit to relax and enjoy the views of what's ahead of the ship.  Some ACL ships don't have any outdoor viewing areas facing forward.  This ship has two...  one on deck three, and one up at the top on deck 5.  Here's a photo I shot from the one on deck 3:

I'm a licensed commercial drone pilot and professional photographer.  American Cruise Lines has been sending me all around the country to shoot photos and videos of their ships and itineraries.  It's been the best retirement gig for me that I could imagine!  They pay for my (coach) airfare to get back and forth...  but other than that, no money changes hands.  So, it's a great deal for both sides:  I get a free cruise and a fun, creative assignment...  they get high-quality photos they can use in their brochures, and video they can use for TV ads or other video projects.  Also, I generate great publicity for them by making very high-quality YouTube travel videos about their cruises...  and by posting photos, videos, and stories of my cruise to an American Cruise Lines Facebook group.

Here's an example of an aerial photo that I shot for them using my drone.  This is their new ship sailing under the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St Petersburg, Florida.

That's a really tricky shot to get!  First off, it takes a licensed, commercial drone pilot to make sure the flight is legal.  Second, it takes a pilot with the ability and experience to safely launch the drone from a ship that's in motion, and to safely land it back on that ship later.  Very tricky to do!  It's one thing to launch and land a drone on land.  Fairly easy.  Quite another thing to do so on a ship in motion.  For example, you can't just land by using the drone's "return to home" feature.  "Home" is a mile or more behind you, in open water, by the time you want to land the drone.  Plus, the thing you want to land on is moving.  Really tricky!!!  I've mastered the technique through trial and error on eleven different cruises shooting photos and videos for American Cruise Lines.

I hope ACL likes the photo enough that they use it on the cover of one of their brochures sometime.  That's the ultimate compliment to a photographer.  So far, three different photos I've shot on previous cruises have made it on to the covers of ACL brochures.

This next shot was much easier to get, because the ship was at anchor.  So, the ship was not moving during the drone's takeoff and landing.  This was at sunrise, just offshore of Punta Gorda, Florida.  I think this shot is also probably one that ACL is going to really like.
 

The inside of their ship is really nice looking, too.  Here's a shot I got of the ship's restaurant.  This was right after I sat down at my table in the restaurant for an early breakfast.  None of the other passengers had sat at the tables in front of me yet, and the lighting in the room was just insane!  I saw this scene in front of me, and knew that it would be a photo that would make the restaurant look better than it ever would at any other time of day.
 

There's something so unusual about the look of that scene!  To me, it doesn't look like a photograph.  It looks like a painting or an illustration that an artist at some shipyard would make to show what the restaurant was going to look like after construction is completed.  In other words, too good to be real.  But in reality, it was the real thing...  and surprisingly, I shot it with my cell phone.

Here's another photo from this trip that I like a lot.  I think if you were trying to convey the very relaxed, comfortable vibe of life aboard an American Cruise Lines ship on a cruise along Florida's Gulf coast, this picture of a guy enjoying a beer out on deck at sunset would do it!

I don't know if American Cruise Lines will want to use that photo inside one of their brochures or not...  but I think they might!

Here's a photo that shows off an unusual feature of some of the newer ACL ships.  It's a room they call 'the chart room".  It sits at the very front of the ship, with spectacular views of what's ahead of the ship.  There are binoculars at the desks, so you can look closely at things ahead, and a full set of navigational charts that you can look at to see where we are, where we've been, and where we're going.  Because this is an indoor viewing area, it's great for taking in the views at times when it may be windy, wet, or cold outside.

Here's one last still photo I shot of the ship from my drone:
 

American Pioneer at anchor off Marco Island, Florida

Videos

Still photos are great, but videos are so much better!

I created a two-part series of videos that takes you along with me on this cruise from start to finish.  If you watch both episodes back-to-back, it will take you about 32 minutes.  So, it's basically like watching a really good show on The Travel Channel.  I'd like to think that the aerial shots are as good as anything you would see on The Travel Channel...  and I'm a former radio announcer, so I'd have to say that the narration is a lot better than you'll usually hear on YouTube.  Everything was shot in 4K resolution, so the picture quality is outstanding.  Do yourself a favor and at least check out the first episode. 

I recommend that you watch these videos full-screen, to best enjoy the big scenic views.  And if you have a high-speed Internet connection, you might also want to double-check that the video player is set to show them to you in 4K resolution.

To start the video playing, click the triangle in the middle of the video screen
To make the video fill the screen (recommended) click the little symbol in the lower right corner of the video player

If you see an error message about a video configuration error,
just click where it says "Watch video on YouTube

To start the video playing, click the triangle in the middle of the video screen
To make the video fill the screen (recommended) click the little symbol in the lower right corner of the video player

If you see an error message about a video configuration error,
just click where it says "Watch video on YouTube

Need A Travel Agent?

Booking a cruise can be confusing, especially if you haven't been on many cruises before.  There are lots of first-time cruiser mistakes that a travel agent can keep you from making.

If you're interested in booking a cruise with any cruise line...  please feel free to use the services of my travel agent, Caitlin Gallagher.  She's extremely pleasant to deal with, easy to talk to since she lives in the United States and speaks without any kind of an accent, and quite experienced and knowledgeable about different types of cruising.  Caitlin is the owner of Ambren Travel.  Visit her web site, check out the Ambren Travel Facebook page, or contact her using the information below.

The Cruise Ships We've Been On

If you've enjoyed this page, you would probably also enjoy reading the stories about some of the other cruise ships I've traveled on.  Click here to see the complete chronology of all the cruises we've ever taken, and to read the full story of any that look interesting to you.

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