• Some river cruises travel over the Hudson River.Hudson River at sunset image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
  
  River cruises provide passengers with the opportunity to travel over smaller waterways, closer to inland cities and towns. These trips are typically casual and, because the ships that can travel on rivers are much smaller than ocean liners, there are fewer passengers than on an ocean cruise. Passengers on river cruises rarely spend an entire day at sea due to the shorter length between destinations. There are many available cruises over the rivers of North America.
  
  

American Cruise Lines

• American Cruise Lines has 13 different river cruises in the United States with destinations such as New England, the Chesapeake Bay, the southern U.S. and the Pacific Northwest. No ship has more than 120 passengers at a time. The company also schedules onboard entertainment featuring lectures, local musicians and theatrical productions, each designed to highlight aspects of specific destinations. Dinners are casual, and menus are based on the cuisine of the region. There is also a library on each ship to allow passengers to learn more about the rivers and the ports of call.
  
  American Cruise Lines
  
  741 Boston Post Road, Suite 200
  
  Guilford, CT 06437
  
  800-460-4518
  
  americancruiselines.com
  
  

USA River Cruises

• USA River Cruises offers excursions across the waterways of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Some of the rivers traveled in the U.S. include the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest, the Mississippi River, the Potomac River, the Hudson River and the rivers of Florida, such as the St. John's. Canadian destinations include the St. Lawrence Seaway and Newfoundland. Mexican cruises do not travel over rivers but are on small ships along waterways close to shore. Most cruises are seven, eight or nine days, although the company has a two-day riverboat cruise on the Illinois River and a 15-day cruise from Chicago to New Orleans, covering eight rivers of the Midwest and the South.
  
  USA River Cruises
  
  3407 N.E. 97th St.
  
  Vancouver, WA 98665
  
  800-578-1479
  
  usarivercruises.com
  
  

Blount Small Ship Adventures

• This company specializes in river cruises in the United States and Canada with destinations such as the northeastern U.S. and the Maritime provinces in Canada, the southern U.S. and the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The lengths of the trips range from six to 16 days, depending on the destination. Onboard dining includes regional cuisine, and the company allows passengers to bring their own alcoholic beverages. Bikes are available to rent for exploring inland towns and cities.
  
  Blount Small Ship Adventures
  
  461 Water St.
  
  P.O. Box 368
  
  Warren, RI 02885
  
  800-556-7450
  
  blountsmallshipadventures.com