Columbia & Snake Rivers Cruise on the
American Harmony
10/6/25 to 10/21/25

Click on the above link buttons that will take you directly to a particular page or area of the review; or you can just click through to the next page at the bottom of each page.
Page 1 – Pre-Trip in Portland, OR
Page 2 – Embarkation, Ship; Kalama, WA; Astoria, OR
Page 3 – Ports of Call: The Dales, OR; Richland, WA;
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Clarkston, WA; Post-Trip to Walla Walla, WA

Preface

We have been cruising with our dear friends from Seattle, Jim and Kathleen, for 20 years since we met them on a Celebrity Infinity repositioning cruise in 2015. We met Jim’s brother Steve and his wife Jamie on a 2017 Alaska cruise. Another great couple! For some reason, every year since 2023, we have booked cruises together in October. This cruise is our third one and we have another booked for 2026. We have a text message group named the October Bunch where we can plan our cruises or other visits. It has been a lot of fun and a great way to keep in touch.

Jim & Kathleen Steve & Jamie

When the subject of doing a river cruise in the Pacific Northwest came up, it was most appealing. We booked American Cruise Line’s American Harmony ship. It would give us a chance to get out of the south Florida heat, as well as seeing a very beautiful part of the country. With the cruise only being seven days, we added some pre and post days to extend the fun.

Fly to Portland

Most flights to the west coast from south Florida arrive late at night. The one we were on had a layover in Salt Lake City and landed in Portland, Or at 11:45 PM. We assumed that we might not even get to the hotel until close to 1:00 AM. With the flight being early, luggage coming off the carousel quickly and the hotel shuttle arriving as we walked out of baggage claim, we were in our room before midnight. We were very lucky that night! We were staying at the same hotel that American Cruise Lines was using for their one-night stay before the cruise, Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Airport Hotel. The lobby area was very attractive with a large open area with attractive natural areas.

When we checked in, we were told that the rooms would only be cleaned every third day, but we could request towels daily. We requested that service, but we ended up having to ask for it every day, since it wasn’t done automatically. As expected, the rooms were large two-room suites with a separate bedroom. It was a very comfortable room with plenty of storage space.

The bathroom had plenty of counter space, which is always a plus for us.

After having been up for 20 hours, we fell asleep quickly.

Portland Pre-Trip - Day 1

After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to explore Portland. Jim did an outstanding job of booking activities and restaurants for the trip. The first activity was a food tour with https://www.secretfoodtours.com/portland-oregon/food-tours-portland-oregon/. Since Jim rented a van for our pre-trip, we were able to drive to the tour meeting place at Pioneer Courthouse Square. It is a nice area for all types of activities. I liked the decorations on one of the buildings.

We were meeting at the man with an umbrella statue. It was easy to find. It is a shame that his eyes had been scratched off, leaving him with a zombie look.

Our guide for the walking tour was Ken. He was a heck of a nice guy and full of knowledge about the city and its history that he shared with us.

As we walked to our first destination, we passed by a cute fountain with a bear and some otters.

We soon arrived at the Midtown Beer Garden. This is the oldest food cart pod in Portland having been in operation since the early 1980’s. It has around 30 food carts with all kinds of delicious tempting foods.

We were there to experience a Cuban sandwich from Stella’s Sandwiches & Bowls. Ken told us that Stella was from Miami, and her sandwiches are very popular. Each couple shared a large sandwich. It was a much bigger portion than expected. Ken told us that we didn’t need to eat the whole thing, since there was plenty more to eat at the next four locations. We didn’t heed those warnings since it was so good.

On the walk to the next restaurant, we passed by one of the many marijuana dispensaries in the city. This one had a fancy paint job.

We next came to a metal statue of an elephant with a baby elephant on its back.

Our next stop was at Deschutes Brewery. By the name, we had a feeling that we would be able to have a beer with our food tasting.

The facility was quite large with lots of wooden carvings. It was a most inviting restaurant/bar.

The food item was a pretzel with some of the best cheese sauce ever surrounded by mustard. It paired beautifully with their beer.

There is so much artwork along the streets to enjoy while walking through the city.

We came to Nong’s Kao Man Gai restaurant. Kao Man Gai means Chicken and Rice. It is a very popular dish in Thailand where Nong comes from. In Thailand, restaurants often specialize in one dish that they do very well. Ken told us that Nong was quite well known and even won an episode on the Food Network show, Chopped. When I saw a photo of her on the wall, I immediately recognized her as someone we had seen on the show.

It is a small restaurant, and I am sure it stays quite busy with the delicious chicken and rice dish we had. The sauce for the chicken and rice was outstanding, as was the soup served with it.

We were getting very full but still had two more restaurants on the tour. We came to Grassa Hand Crafted Pasta.

We were having pork belly mac & cheese. Thank goodness the six of us were sharing two portions. We still had leftovers that Ken said he would take to give to the needy.

Our last restaurant was Petunia’s Pies & Pastries.

We each received a piece of Marionberry Pie. Marionberries are a type of blackberry. We had never had them before but knew that we wanted more after enjoying this delicious pie. We would get our wish.

For the afternoon we visited the Rose Test Garden in Washington Park. With Portland being known as the City of Roses, this seemed like a perfect tourist destination. It is the oldest test garden in the United States and was originally established in 1915 to serve as a safe haven for hybrid European roses during WW1. New roses are continually sent to the garden from many parts of the world and are evaluated on several characteristics, including disease resistance, bloom formation, color, and fragrance

They have over 10,000 rose bushes of around 650 varieties. The roses bloom from April through October, with peak blooming in June. We were at the end of the season, but it was still quite beautiful with lots of roses to enjoy.

There was a statue of a Royal Rosarian Greeter in the garden. They have been the official greeters and ambassadors of goodwill for the city of Portland since 1912. This statue celebrated the 100th anniversary.

It is a beautiful garden that we thoroughly enjoyed visiting. Maybe someday we can return to see it during peak season.

After we returned to the hotel, nobody wanted to go out to dinner after the filling food tour. Cathy and I ordered a hamburger that I ordered from the hotel restaurant. I brought it to the room and we split it. It was just the right amount of dinner.

Portland Pre-Trip - Day 2

I was really looking forward to today’s excursion. We love visiting waterfalls, and we were going to a good one, 620-foot-tall Multnomah Falls. The cruise line also offered an excursion to the falls, but this would be much better, since we wouldn’t be visiting with a large crowd. It was only about a 30-minute drive to the falls. When we got to the parking lot, we could see the top of the falls.

We walked further into the main viewing area where we could see the falls in all its glory.

There was a path leading to the bridge between the upper and lower sections of the falls. It looked like a steep climb, but I had to see the view from up there. It wasn’t as bad a walk as I was expecting. When I arrived, I was able to look down on the lower falls, as well as zoom in on Cathy who was standing in front of a bench.

The view of the upper falls was much better from the bridge.

Additionally, the view of the surrounding area was gorgeous.

As I came down the stairs from the bridge, I was able to get the best photo of the falls. It is a beauty!

We got back in the van and headed to our next destination about 30 minutes away, Crown Point, for a very scenic view. We drove up to the top of a promontory that sits 733 feet above the river. The large viewing area looked out to the Columbia gorge.

In the center was a small building called Vista House. It is a memorial to the Oregon pioneers as well as a comfort stop for visitors to the site.

Until I began writing this review, I didn’t realize how dramatic Crown Point was. The below photo from Wikipedia shows it very well.

After leaving, we had another 30-minute drive to the Cascade Locks. We didn’t know what there was to see at the locks, but it seemed like a good place to go since we were in the area. The original locks were completed in 1896. They were used until 1938 when the Bonneville Lock and Dam replaced it. There was lots of pretty scenery to take in. We also had a nice view of the Bridge of the Gods.

The bridge is named after the historic geological formation created during 1500-1700 by an earthquake that caused a landslide that damned the Columbia River at that point, creating a land bridge. The Indians gave it the name. After the river broke through the dam, it created the Cascade Rapids, that were submerged when the Bonneville Dam was built further down the river in 1938.

Close by we could see the Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge. It is a replica of a paddle wheeler built in 1983. The paddles are for appearance only. The boat has motors that drive it.

While in the park area, Steve decided to sit on a swing. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of a 6’8” guy on a kid’s swing.

With it being lunch time, we headed into the town of Hood River to find a restaurant. We came across a good one, pFriem Family Brewers. It was a very nice facility where they brew their beer. We had a delicious soup, a brat plate and an elote corn salad.

A main reason for going to the town of Hood River was to visit the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM). This is an amazing museum that focuses on airplanes, automobiles and motorcycles from the 1900’s to the 1930’s. It has more than 100 antique airplanes and 100 antique cars. They are currently adding an additional building to the museum. I am putting in too many photos of some of the collection.

I was fascinated by many of the unique hood ornaments. Those were the days!

After returning to our hotel, we had a rest before heading to dinner. Jim found a Greek restaurant named Elleni’s Philoxenia.

Cathy had a seafood pasta dish, and I had a moussaka dish. Both were delicious. The baklava dessert was different from what we are used to but was quite good.

Portland Pre-Trip - Day 3

For the last day in Portland on our own, we were going to go out to the coast. Before we left, we went to Petite Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie.

Now this was a great place for breakfast! Their large croissants and jam were to die for.

The guys all got a menu item called the Bourguignon Brunch. Wow, what a great breakfast. It is described as “Tender beef braised in red wine ancho chili sauce, served over a piquant hash of butternut squash, bacon, leek, Provence potato, green pepper, harissa, and jalapeño. Topped with an egg and Horseradish Crème.”

Cathy got an Avocado Burrata Tartine that she thoroughly enjoyed.

To get to our first destination of the day we had about an hour and 45-minute drive. We were going to visit the Tillamook Creamery. This is where they make Tillamook cheese, ice cream and other milk products.

It was an impressive building with lots to check out including their shop.

It was interesting to be able to look down into the factory where they were making their delicious cheese.

Before we left, I had to try some of their yummy ice cream.

We next headed to our last stop for the day, Cannon Beach. It took over an hour to get there. When we arrived, we had a difficult time finding a parking place. The town had lots of tourists. We walked toward the water and saw a whale statue.

One of the attractions on the beach is Haystack Rock. Since we had to park near the end of the beach, we couldn’t see it from there, so we moved closer into town. We had to walk a few blocks to get to the beach. Once there, the guys walked down the stairs to the sand. The girls waited up above for us.

The beach was pretty, but we had to walk further down to be able to see Haystack Rock. With it being hazy on the beach, we didn’t get a good view of the rock but could tell that it was impressive.

After a couple hour ride back to the hotel, we took a break before getting back in the van to go to dinner. Jim had found a very nice downtown restaurant named Andina.

For appetizers we all shared Cebiche de Conchas and Char Siu Pork Ribs. OMG, were they both so good. So good that we didn’t take photos before they were consumed. For dinner, the guys all got Lomo Saltado. This is the description of this scrumptious dish: stir-fried ribeye, tamari, tomatoes, red onion, papas fritas, garlic rice.

Cathy got Pan-Seared Riverence Trout. She loved it, especially since it had mussels with it.

Ports

Portland, OR

This would be the day that most people on the cruise would be flying to Portland and checking into the hotel. Since we had already been there for three nights, we had another touring day. We had pretty much exhausted the attractions we wanted to visit, but there was still one, the Pittock mansion. It was built in 1914 for a publisher. It is now owned by the city. We entered near the front entrance.

Before checking out the interior, we walked around to the back side. It was even nicer.

They had lovely plantings and panoramic view of the city of Portland.

Upon entering, we got our first view of the grand staircase.

We walked through the mansion enjoying the beautiful rooms, along with the old appliances and fixtures.

After leaving the house, we walked out to the porch and enjoyed the views.

With the rest of the day to kill, Jim recommended that we go to Voodoo Donuts. We hadn’t heard of them before, but I’m not about to pass on a donut. They are very popular in the Pacific Northwest and have expanded to other states, with a store opening soon in Miami.

We were fortunate that there wasn’t a line to go in. There is a security guard that lets people into the small store as others leave.

We purchased a few donuts that were packed into their cute pink boxes. We didn’t eat ours until later that night and in the morning. They were good ones!

For dinner, we went back to Deschutes Brewery. It was another good meal. We later packed up for boarding the ship the next day.

Boarding Day

We received an email telling us that we would not be able to board the Harmony in Portland as originally scheduled. The water level was too low, and we would have to go upriver on a bus for about an hour or 40 miles to the Skamania Dock at Stevenson, OR to board the ship. We would then cruise back past Portland to the port of Kalama. This would change or schedule timing for a couple days, but not a big deal.

Before leaving the hotel, the cruisers were able to take an included excursion to Multnomah falls on the way to the ship. We were able to enjoy our breakfast and take our time before heading that way. When it was time to board the bus to the ship, we didn’t have a bus. Instead, it was a nice Mercedes Sprinter van, since there were only eight people that didn’t take the tour.

Although it was a cloudy day when we got to the dock, the area was still beautiful. We did have a long dock to walk to get to the ship.

In the distance we could see the Bridge of the Gods we saw three days earlier. Since we would have to come back upriver in a couple days, we would be seeing it again too.

It wasn’t long before we came to the Bonneville Dam lock in the distance.

While approaching the dam, we passed by the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler we had seen earlier too.

The scenery was attractive as we pulled into the lock.

It wasn’t long until we dropped down to the lower level and were back on our way. We would go the other way on our way back upriver in a couple days.

Since we had plenty of time to get to the port of Kalama, the Captain said that we would take a bypass through Portland to see the lights. We didn’t see many lights, but I did get a nice photo of a vertical lift railway bridge.

We arrived at Kalama, WA at around 10:00 PM. We were supposed to dock at Astoria, OR, but it was still four more hours down river. With us having to start the cruise in Stevenson, OR, it meant that we had to make up three hours to get to where we were supposed to start in Portland. It didn’t matter to us which port we went to first.

Columbia & Snake Rivers Cruise on the American Harmony 10/6/25 to 10/21/25