Mississippi River Cruise with Viking
Viking Mississippi Cruise
Sailing down the entire Mississippi River has always been a Bucket List item for me. The idea of tracing Ole Man River from its headwaters to the mouth brings back memories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I looked at some of the paddleboat itineraries, but once Viking announced a full river voyage, it was time to go for it.
Rollin’ down the river
Planning
We planned on a mid-July trip, so we knew the weather would be hot. We didn’t think about water levels, but fortunately the levels were fine, so no changes needed to be made to the itinerary because of sailing restrictions. Like European rivers, the Mississippi also has periods of low (and high) water which affects navigation. We found out it also impacts the docking sites; some of our ports had steep walkways because water levels were at a lower level than earlier in the year. Quite a few seniors onboard found the offloading process challenging because of the slopes or rough terrain.
For a 14-day voyage we splurged for a Penthouse Veranda Stateroom (PV1). It has more space in the cabin, includes free pressing, and a minibar replenished each day. Having that feature kept our bar bill very low. We could enjoy a drink in our cabin or elsewhere on the ship without running up a big tab.
And of course, with a USA itinerary there was no need for Passports, Visas, or converting money. The locals even spoke English, albeit with an accent.
The Ship
Our ship was the Viking Mississippi, a practically brand-new ship at the time of our trip. Apparently, US law required a US-made ship, so Viking had this ship constructed in Louisiana and operated by a US contractor. In fact, the entire crew was required to be US citizens.
Our ship docked in the Upper Mississippi
As we expected the ship was impressive. Designed like most of the Viking fleet, but larger than a longboat and smaller than one of the Viking ocean ships. It carried around 360 passengers and had all of the features we saw on other Viking ships. However, due to ship size there were no “specialty” restaurants, spa, nor pool. There was a very small infinity pool at the stern which could hold several people, but it was quite shallow.. There was a main dining room (The Restaurant) and a top deck casual buffet (River Café).
The evening entertainment was good. The ship had a full-time 3-man combo that impressed us with their range of music skills. They also accompanied other performers who joined us at various ports. Everything from rock, country, blues, ragtime and classical music was offered. The ragtime piano player and a husband-wife R&B act stole the shows.
The Itinerary
The river cruise takes you through middle America with numerous small towns along with the better-know cities like St. Louis and Memphis. It struck me as a long history lesson. You see the importance of commerce on the river (barges are moving commodities north and south continuously); you learn about the development of the western territories; you hear about the devastating flood of 1927, and how that led to major construction projects to mitigate flood dangers while improving commercial transportation and commerce. You learn about the environmental impacts of the construction and the subsequent improvements made to the water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. As I told my daughters, we didn’t see any “Eiffel Towers” on this cruise. There were no blockbuster tourist excursions – but we did see America’s Heartland, which included Mark Twain’s hometown, Graceland, the St. Louis Arch, and New Orleans.
Our Cruise itinerary
My point is: just know what’s included in the cruise. You will see some beautiful territory, wildlife, eagles soaring, hundreds of fully loaded barges, impressive locks and water control structures, historic small towns like Mark Twain’s Hannibal, MO, the National Eagle Center in Red Wing, MN, the John Deere Pavilion in Davenport, IA, and the National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, IA.
We saw real eagles and monuments to eagles
A scenic view of Ol Man River
With so many stops along the way, I’m going to highlight just some of the notable excursions or port calls.
Red Wing, MN - Although our cruise welcome center was in St. Paul, MN, we actually joined our ship in Red Wing, MN. It’s a small town set in a beautiful part of the country and the original home of Red Wing Shoes. We had a tour of the town and a ride to the National Eagle Center about 45 minutes away by bus. The Eagle Center was extremely well done, but we felt as though we needed more time there. Due to the itinerary, we only spent about an hour on the ground there. My wife walked out into Red Wing while we were docked there and visited the Red Wing Shoe store.
The “World’s Largest Boot”
The National Eagle Center
A view from Grandad Bluff
La Crosse, WI - We had a tour of the area in La Crosse. We stopped high above the river on limestone cliffs at Grandad Bluff. La Crosse is a surprisingly thriving town with a genuine hometown feel to it, and it sits on the confluence of three rivers. Grandad Bluff gives you a perfect vantage point to see it all.
Dubuque, IA - For me the most interesting spot in town was the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. A very well-organized and interesting museum which illustrated the history and importance of the Mississippi River.
A superb museum in Dubuque, IA
Quad Cities, IA - We visited the John Deere Pavilion and historic homes in the area.
The John Deere Company sponsors one of the PGA golf tournaments
A huge piece of farming equipment
Burlington, IA - We took the “included” tour around Burlington. Like every small town we saw, the communities were extremely well-maintained, and you could sense a true pride of ownership and patriotism. Sometimes we felt as if we were stepping back in time.
Tom Sawyer’s famous fence-painting con
Hannibal, MO - Another charming small town overlooking the Mississippi. And of course, the draw here is the boyhood home of Mark Twain. It was very well presented and gave you a deeper understanding of Samuel Clemens’ life and career.
One of Tom Sawyer’s suckers
St. Louis, MO - The first major city on the cruise. We opted for the St. Louis Arch excursion (The Gateway to the West). You could choose a ride across the arch or visit the museum and see a movie on the building of the arch. I had taken the ride a number of years earlier, so we opted for the movie. It was superb (Monument to the Dream); as a retired civil engineer, I came to appreciate what a difficult challenge this project was, and the skillful execution of the job. I found the documentary recently on YouTube, and I highly recommend it. My wife loved it too.
The Gateway Arch
This is the halfway point
Memphis, TN - My wife used her veto authority here to make sure we went on the Graceland tour. I did find it interesting. The grounds and the mansion itself are fascinating, but there is much more available there. One of my favorite spots was an exhibit on the making of the recent movie, “Elvis.” The display showed costumes, sets, and personal items used in making the film. There were also numerous short clips of the film showing the final results.
The entrance to Graceland
Another welcome sign
A Presley Family photo displayed in the mansion
Greenville, MS - In Greenville we went to “Steve Azar’s Mississippi” which was a musical show over a barbeque lunch featuring local foods. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was highly entertaining, and the BBQ was good. We had added the BB King Museum to our excursion (on the ship during the cruise). Smart move. The BB King Museum turned out to be one of the best excursions we had on the cruise. It was a case of exceeding expectations; we weren’t sure what to expect, but the visit was just great.
An exhibit from the BB King Museum
Vicksburg, MS - There were a lot of excursions to choose from in Vicksburg (Civil War battlefields, for example), but we chose the Walking Tour, mainly to spend time in the Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Center. It was probably the best educational exhibit we saw about the river. A very professional display, including videos, scale models of ships and flood control structures, historical photos, etc. As with all of the quality museums, you could easily spend several hours in the Corps’ center.
A typical water control structure. The Mississippi has a variety of them throughout the river.
High water marks going back to the devastating 1927 flood in Vicksburg
Natchez, MS - Another charming small river town where we were warmly received.
Walking the deck at sunset
Baton Rouge, LA - The capital city of Louisiana. We toured the city and stopped at the capital building itself. Huey Long still casts a long shadow here, and we heard numerous fascinating stories about his exploits and his murder in the building. Nearby is an excellent Louisiana Center which had many interesting exhibits on southern living. You could also take swamp tours and airboat rides, but as Florida residents ourselves (and with extremely hot temperatures outside) we didn’t choose those.
Lots of barge traffic on the Mississippi
Our ship up close
New Orleans, LA - Although the itinerary listed New Orleans as a port call, we actually were transported from Baton Rouge to New Orleans by bus. It was a relatively short ride to our hotel arranged by Viking (the New Orleans Weston). The explanation we got is that the timing of the published itinerary wouldn’t work; the ship couldn’t actually cover the 1500 + miles in the time allotted. So, we were lodged for the night in New Orleans with a day to explore the city before our departure the next day. New Orleans has a lot to offer, including the new World War II Museum which is outstanding. Another museum you could spend two or three days exploring. And the restaurants in New Orleans are legendary. You have many good ones to choose from.
Beignets are a tourist favorite in New Orleans
Overall Impressions
This was our seventh cruise with Viking (five river, two ocean). And as a result, we had very high expectations. Viking has truly spoiled us in the past. I have to report that Viking didn’t live up to their own standards on this cruise. Nothing major was broken, but there were a lot of little things that were surprising and disappointing to us. These sound petty even to me, but so many small things were dropped that the cruise stood out from our previous cruises, and not in a good way.
Some examples: on our first day our cabin attendant asked us if we would like an ice bucket delivered at a certain time each day. Sure, great idea. How ‘bout 4:30 in the afternoon? In the first six days I had to call for that ice five of those days.
Our dinner companions mentioned they were having trouble getting shampoo for their shower. Another guest mentioned the River Café ran out of butter two or three days. There seemed to be too many logistics issues, and since every port we visited had grocery stores and supplies, it was hard to understand basic supplies being short.
We felt the dining experience was lacking, too. Generally, there were not many unique options; we saw certain entrees repeatedly on the daily menu. I had a different fish about 5 times on the cruise, and only one was really excellent - the Sea Bass. The other fish options came out overcooked to various degrees. The bright spot was our waiter, Randall. He was always looking out for us, and he “hustled” at every meal. He and his assistant, Michael, were very responsive, and they both had great personalities and both with a sense of humor.
My wife is a vegetarian, and it was never obvious which foods were vegetarian and which were not. Some dishes were clearly labeled, but a casserole label usually lacked enough detail for her to be sure. She generally asked someone behind the counter – but often they would not know.
Preparing to disembark
All of this is pretty minor stuff, but it indicated to us that the ship and crew was still not completely ready for Prime Time. Again, our previous cruises raised the bar high. I am sure Viking is getting feedback like mine from their guests, and I’m confident that over time this will improve.
So, my Bottom Line is I believe Viking will get this right, but they didn’t have it right in July 2023. The cruise itinerary is a great collection of middle American towns and cities, and the Viking ships are always comfortable for their guests. If you have interest in this trip, I recommend you monitor current passenger feedback before you pull the trigger.
