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Cruise Boats Explore a New Destination by Elaine Williams Moscow-Pullman Daily News, May 4, 2025

Almost all of the passengers stayed on the vessel the whole time.
The exception was four passengers who had been on a helicopter tour.

The overnight cruise boat, American Jazz, keeps drawing attention on its visits to the Port of Lewiston.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, was among those who greeted the vessel on its second docking this season at the Port of Lewiston on April 25.

The congressman toured a new berth the port built with financial support from American Cruise Lines and the state of Idaho, which came through an allocation of Gov. Brad Little. American Jazz is one of five American Cruise Lines vessels on the Snake and Columbia rivers with stops in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. The boats typically have stayed at the Port of Clarkston, but this year American Cruise Lines is in the early stages of using the Port of Lewiston more.

American Jazz arrived at the port at about 8:45 a.m. April 25 and stayed overnight, departing at about 2:30 p.m. for Portland, Ore., on April 26, said Scott Corbitt, general manager of the Port of Lewiston, in an email.

The passengers aboard American Jazz when it entered the Port of Lewiston on its most recent stay were the first to disembark from a river cruise in Idaho, Corbitt said.

They participated in excursions such as jet boat tours in Hells Canyon, sightseeing on helicopters and wine tasting on April 25, Corbitt.

The next day, a new set of passengers boarded American Jazz, he said.

The time American Jazz spent in Lewiston is part of American Cruise Lines staff learning how to use the new facility.

On American Jazz’s first visit to the Port of Lewiston this year, it was there for a couple of hours. Crew members assessed the mooring system. Almost all of the passengers stayed on the vessel the whole time. The exception was four passengers who had been on a helicopter tour who boarded.

The dockings of American Jazz mark a new chapter for Idaho that brings together commerce, tourism and education, Fulcher said in a prepared statement for the Lewiston Tribune.

"The Port of Lewiston is already a critical hub for trade, connecting our region to global markets and fueling the local economy," Fulcher said.

The passengers American Cruise Lines brings from across the country provide an "incredible opportunity to showcase the beauty, history and importance of the West, especially the role of the lower Snake River dam," he said.

How frequently American Cruise Lines will use the Port of Lewiston is still being determined.

The company is adding a sixth vessel to its fleet on the Columbia and Snake rivers in 2026, said Alexa Paolella, a public relations manager for American Cruise Lines, in an email.

"We look forward to many more (stops) and riverboats visiting (the Port of Lewiston)," she said.