It is now 4 months since we sailed with American Cruise lines and had the absolute worst travel experience of our lives (and we travel extensively) This trip was neither safe nor luxurious as they promise in all their marketing. "Small ship sailing done to perfection" is trademarked by their organization and constitutes a promise of a certain level of service. After numerous exchanges with the leadership team at American in which they stated in both written and verbal communications that "they agree we did not get what we paid for", they are still refusing any type of compensation short of us booking with them again at a slightly discounted rate. To start, we paid over $13,000 for a 8 day trip to New England and surrounding islands. Grossly overpriced but we bought in based on all their advertising that this is a "luxury experience" and "Small ship sailing done to perfection" Since we hadn't traveled in a while due to COVID we figured we'd treat ourselves to the best of the best. We were drastically misled. Here is a list of issues with the cruise: Complete disorganization -- departure port changed days prior and no plan to contact passengers, we saw it on the website. No leadership on transport from hotel to departure dock. At the dock, we had a rude awakening when we saw the condition of the ship which was dismal and in need of a complete renovation. Furnishings and décor are tattered and tired and look like they are 40 years old. Carpeting on decks was ripped and frayed. There was not one thing that was luxury. Complete confusion on the part of the Cruise Director as she continued to incorrectly document our excursions ( it took 3 redo's until it was correct) During rough seas on day 1 we came upon a service cart (weighing over 100 lbs) ramming back and forth in the hallway as well as decor including metal sculptures falling off the tables and walls in the common areas. Nothing was secured and we were not provided any instructions to stay in our staterooms or what to do to prepare for the rough seas. Ship medic and cruise director were sick and let us know they were "struggling" with sea sickness. Additionally, we never received the required life preserver/evacuation drill which we found is a mandatory exercise. Another huge safety issue was the lack of any security on two deck doors on level 2 that opened directly out to the ocean----no bars/locks/barriers or signs. You could simply turn the deadbolt and open the doorknob and step off the ship and drop into the ocean below. We mentioned this several times to the crew in the beginning of our trip and nothing was done until another passenger reported all the safety issues (including an anchor that "fell off" while we were docked in Nantucket---this caused another safety issue as the ship was spinning and the crew of the tender mentioned how dangerous it was going to be to get us back on the ship without it spinning away!) The food was ok but the service was abysmal. Several meals we waited over an hour to get served. The excursions are geared to less active, seniors and there was a complete lack of information shared by the Cruise Director. In one exchange, when we docked at Martha's Vineyard, I asked the Cruise Director where we should go....her response "I don't know, I'm learning with you...I've never been here" I asked again, simplifying my request- "when we get to the end of the dock, do we turn left or right" She replied " I just don't know, we're here" By the way, they use tier 2 docks so you had to get transportation or walk on busy roadways to get into the tourist areas. That was day 4....there were never any maps of the local area or directions on where to go. after we complained about her not being informed enough to give us direction, they started printing out maps of the area for the next 3 stops. This is just an overview of the experience. There are many more issues I brought up in detail with the "Director of Customer Experience" from American Cruise Lines. Initially he listened with compassion and disbelief and now they have completely cut off all communications. I wanted to give them the opportunity to fix this and do the right thing but after 4 months of being told "they were working on a resolution" we are done waiting and want to alert others NEVER to book with American Cruise Lines. This is unacceptable at any price, but when you charge top dollar of $13,000 for 2 people and promise a luxury experience done to perfection this constitutes a scam.