American Cruise Lines, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
American Cruise Lines, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan
Guilford, CTArts, Entertainment & Recreation1,172 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$996Employer $ per active participant
$1,485Employee $ saved per active participant
0.49%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$14.8MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity25.2 / 5050th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.9 / 2524th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving4.8 / 1532th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score39 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation plans with 500–2,499 active participants (225 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 50th |
| Lower admin cost | 24th |
| Employee saving | 32th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 38% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- American Cruise Lines put in about $996 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($995). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.49% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $1,167,775 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,740,743 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $409,208 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $64,892 |
| Contract administrator fees | $64,892 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,243,466 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $11.5M / $14.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 986 / 1,358 |
| Participants with account balances | 475 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Caron & Bletzer, PLLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| United Pension Designs LLC | $19,027 reported compensation |
| Park Avenue Securities LLC | $18,861 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $17,459 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250911103156NAL0000158787001, received 2025-09-11, EIN 06-1324808, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.