Excursions Director

American Cruise Lines is the largest USA-flagged cruise line operating exclusively within the United States, offering a unique and intimate small ship cruising experience. With a fleet of no more than 200 passenger vessels, the company is dedicated to providing guests with unparalleled journeys along America's diverse waterways. Known for creating memorable travel experiences, American Cruise Lines emphasizes a strong commitment to the values of Optimism, Commitment, Patriotism, and Merit which shape the company culture and service standards.

The ocean-going environment is intimate, fostering close interactions between guests and crew, and the company is currently expanding its fleet with newly constructed vessels. This expansion presents an exciting career opportunity to join the American Cruise Lines shipboard management team as an Excursions Director for the 2026 season. This full-time, exempt role involves living and working aboard the ship, typically for 6 to 8 weeks followed by 1 to 2 weeks off, with 7 working days per week while on duty.

The Excursions Director plays a pivotal role on board, responsible for engaging guests through a curated series of shoreside excursions, explorations, and adventure activities. This position requires the individual to act as a brand ambassador and company representative on all excursions, ensuring guests have a superior experience at every port of call. With the highest level of guest interaction, this role is both rewarding and demanding, necessitating long working hours that can extend up to 12 hours per day in a dynamic and sometimes physically challenging shipboard environment.

Key responsibilities include coordinating and managing all shore excursion activities, maintaining excellent communication with external vendors and ground operators, and adapting to guest requests including highly personalized experiences such as kayaking, golf tee times, and private transportation. The Excursions Director must be extraordinarily knowledgeable about the cruising regions, ports of call, and the excursions offered, enabling confident guest communications and briefings.

Administrative duties also play a significant part in the role, including managing excursion inventory and invoicing systems, ensuring smooth launch boat operations with the Mate, coordinating weekly office inventory, overseeing the collection of arriving packages, and maintaining port information displays through collaboration with local convention and visitor bureaus. Additional responsibilities are to coordinate with internal team members like the Cruise Director and onboard entertainers, promoting onboard sales, and regularly reporting excursion and guest feedback to the company’s home office.

Working aboard a vessel means adapting to the motion of the ship caused by wind, waves, and currents, and physically the role requires standing for extended periods, lifting moderate weights, and working outdoors in various weather conditions. The Excursions Director must possess superior organizational skills, a positive attitude, an ability to multitask, and a passion for continuous performance improvement. This challenging role rewards a creative, energetic individual who thrives on engaging guests and delivering memorable experiences that embody American Cruise Line's dedication to sharing America’s story on the finest American ships.

Compensation includes a competitive daily rate with comprehensive benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match, and covered expenses including travel, room and board, uniforms, and training. American Cruise Lines is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusivity in its workforce. This role offers an extraordinary opportunity for a hospitality professional passionate about tourism and exploration within the United States to join a reputable and growing cruise line company.