It was the most magnificent experience I’ve had on a cruise shore excursion.
Sailing on Viking Mississippi, Viking cruise line’s only U.S.-based riverboat, we docked at Greenville, Mississippi. Our outing that day took us through the somewhat desolated river town to a concert hall.
There, Greenville resident Steve Azar, a musician known for his blend of country, blues, folk, and rock—a mix he calls "Delta Soul"—gave a heartfelt performance, accompanying his music with tales of life here in the Mississippi Delta.
He opened his arms to us, as friends and neighbors, making us feel like we belonged here in his town.
The experience was a powerful example of showcasing the contemporary culture of a place, not just its romanticized history, in a way that felt personal, bringing the region alive to travelers just passing through.
That sense of balancing old and new continues throughout this cruise from Viking, better known for its European riverboats, ocean sailings around the world, and polar expedition voyages.
On a Lower Mississippi cruise from New Orleans to Memphis aboard the line’s only U.S.-based riverboat, you’ll see plenty of plantations, Civil War sites, and communities where the blues were born. But you’ll also appreciate a contemporary take on the region’s food, music, art, and culture.
That makes this the most insightful and enjoyable cruise out of a dozen I’ve taken on this storied river and its tributaries.
River cruising on the Mississippi has undergone significant changes over the past 5 years.
Longtime cruise line American Queen Voyages, which operated four ships on the river and its tributaries, shut down operations in February 2024.
That left American Cruise Lines, which operates 28 new small ships & riverboats, all recently built vessels with paddle wheels for ambience, as the only operator there for a time. The company still has the most ships in the region.
Now Viking, which has a sizeable fleet on Europe’s rivers, has embarked on the Mississippi as well.
Viking Mississippi, which carries 386 passengers, debuted in September 2022. Currently it’s the only riverboat Viking operates in the U.S. (though the line does occasionally offer international coastal cruising that touches on the Great Lakes via expedition vessels).
The ship is a hybrid for Viking, combining elements of its European river vessels, its expedition ships, and its ocean cruisers. What connects all of them is a signature Scandinavian style—sleek and minimalist yet comfortable.
Viking aficionados will appreciate cornerstone venues here, like The Living Room (the ship’s main gathering area); The Restaurant (a formal, white tablecloth indoor eatery); and Explorers’ Lounge, a bar with a view. Aquavit Terrace, the line’s indoor-outdoor top-of-the-ship restaurant/lounge is here, too.
And yet the layout of this ship is distinct from any other Viking ship in its fleet of over 100 vessels.
Ships on the Mississippi can be larger than those in Europe, where locks and low-slung bridges have to be taken into consideration. That means stateroom balconies on Viking’s U.S. vessel have more space and there’s a bit more room inside the ship for extra features such as cozy seating nooks.
There’s a sun terrace, with a generous number of loungers, many in shade, and a narrow infinity plunge pool off the back of the ship (a nice spot to enjoy sailing away).
Cabins range from splurge-worthy two-room Explorer Suites to Penthouse Junior Suites. Most staterooms feature private verandas; the most affordable category, the French Balcony Stateroom, has a floor-to-ceiling window you can open, but there’s nowhere to step out.
We stayed in a cozy 268-square-foot Veranda Stateroom with an exceptional bathroom (spacious shower, heated floor) and a roomy balcony with a small table and two chairs.
The 7-night Mississippi Delta Explorer itinerary travels between New Orleans and Memphis. A variety of tours ranges from those included in cruise fares to fee-extra privileged-access excursions, typically involving an activity like a cooking demonstration or musical performance.
One interesting sidebar on a Mississippi River itinerary, particularly this stretch of the waterway: Ships sometimes dock in towns and other times pull up to a tree off the side of the river and tie up there, where Viking motorcoaches, which follow the ship the entire way, wait to transport travelers to shore excursions.
Fortunately, there are always paved walking paths to the vehicles, even in the more remote places. The pathways can be steep; Viking has a fleet of golf carts to carry riders to the bus platforms on request.
Here are some of the trip’s noteworthy stops along the way.
Outside New Orleans, Darrow, Louisiana, is home to the Houmas House plantation, situated directly across the street from the ship’s mooring on the river. A tour of the plantation is included.
The Houmas House is an impressive estate. Beyond the historic manse—a tour of which is included in the cruise fare—the Great River Road Museum is located on the property to show what life on the waterway was like in the 19th century. There’s also a formal restaurant, a casual restaurant, and an atmospheric bar.
Other Viking-sponsored options in the area include visits to Whitney Plantation, where the sole approach is to provide education about the history and legacy of slavery. You can also visit the Laura and St. Joseph plantations, which address that issue to a lesser extent.
Visits to a sugar distillery and a “Cajun Swamp Discovery” are other options for Viking cruisers.
About 30 miles north of Baton Rouge, St. Francisville is one of those in-the-middle-of-nowhere docking locations that’s known for proximity to plantations. Available tours range from Rosedown (included) to the Myrtles, Greenwood, and beyond (for travelers concerned about historical accuracy, note that these sites discuss slavery more minimally than those outside of Darrow).
There’s also a panoramic tour of Baton Rouge—essentially a bus tour, a nature hike, a swamp-via-airboat tour, and, for the environmentally focused, a visit to the Coastal Protection & Restoration Center at Louisiana State University to learn about river and coastal dynamics in this part of the Delta.
Natchez is the oldest city on the Mississippi River. Options here include more plantations but also cultural attractions involving music and culinary arts.
The included tour focuses on the history of the town, but Natchez is a very walkable place for the independent-minded. Locals recommended we trek to Old South Trading Post on the outskirts of town for a memorable hodgepodge of Natchez souvenirs, from snacks to books.
As a privileged tour, Soul Food and Music combines a gospel concert with lunch, serving regional staples, such as fried chicken, okra, hush puppies and black-eyed peas.
Vicksburg is a thriving city set on a bluff above the Mississippi. The cruise spotlights the area’s significant Civil War history, with an included tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park. When Confederate forces surrendered here in 1863, the Union gained control of the entire Mississippi, splitting the South in half.
Another worthy option is a guided tour of Poverty Point, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s over 3,000 years old. The prehistoric Indigenous earthwork is now an archeological site where you can learn about its construction and past role as a trading hub.
My first impression of downtown Greenville, the river’s largest port, was that it had seen better days. But it’s got an intriguing pedigree as the birthplace of Muppets creator Jim Henson, numerous literary figures (including historian Shelby Foote and novelist Walker Percy), and famed blues songwriter W.C. Handy.
The big draw is the aforementioned privileged-access shore excursion to Azar’s performance, where you absorb the rich character of the Delta through songs and stories. Throughout, attendees can sample regional beers or moonshine cocktails as well as locally beloved dishes such as fried catfish, tamales, pulled pork, and hush puppies.
Azar shares the stage with a talented saxophonist and a local storyteller who regales travelers about life in the Delta.
Another touring option you can combine with the Azar show: a visit to the nearby B.B. King Museum to see exhibits about the life and legacy of that blues legend.
Before winding up in Memphis, the ship spends one blessed day on the Mississippi itself, giving travelers a chance to enjoy the vistas of passing flora, fauna, and birdlife—and to enjoy the ship itself. The best place to take in the scenery is all the way forward, in a group of rocking chairs out on deck in front of the Explorers’ Lounge.
Viking Mississippi food, entertainment, and service
Most crew members who work on Viking Mississippi are Americans or permanent U.S. residents. If you’ve cruised internationally on just about any line, you might notice a difference. Not so much in the quality of service but in style. Americans just tend to be more casual. We loved talking with the crew about their hometowns, and found they were very engaged, and took great care of passengers.
We loved the two dining venues. The Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with menus changing daily. The indoor-outdoor River Cafe, a bar and dining venue located on the top deck, has a buffet line, an outdoor grill, and limited menu service.
I loved The Restaurant’s more formal ambience (and floor to ceiling picture windows looking out at the river or riverbanks) when our day was more leisurely. Typically, one item on the lunch and dinner menu reflected the Mississippi Delta (like a delicious starter of Cajun oyster gratin, and entrees that are drawn from Southern comfort food, Cajun/Creole cuisine, barbecue, and classic regional desserts, such as beignet and Mississippi Mud Pie). The rest reflected more serve-them-anywhere items, like Norwegian gravlax, Caesar salad, and cocktail shrimp. Entrees included lobster tail (with a nod to the Delta, it was served with Cajun butter), New York strip, and poached salmon.
In the River Café, dining is more casual. For breakfast, lunch and dinner it offers a buffet plus a’la minute stations inside and outdoors, at the Grill on the alfresco Aquavit Terrace, which has a good number of tables in shaded areas. At dinner, we loved the seafood station with selections that included sushi, sashimi, oysters and shrimp. Typically, menus mostly mirrored the dishes served at The Restaurant, with a handful of regional specialties along with more continental choices.
Beer and wine are complimentary at lunch and dinner. Viking offers an extra beverage package for those who want to imbibe beyond that.
Days onboard are brisk and busy, with many guests heading out on morning excursions, returning for lunch, and then going back out to explore with afternoon tours.
The Daily Briefing, held just before dinner, is a can’t-miss event to learn not just about the next day’s tours but also to hear details about the destinations on the route.
Likewise, daily enrichment lectures focus on various aspects of the Mississippi Delta, such as music, food, and culture.
After dinner, local musicians perform. A favorite on our cruise was Memphis Jones, who came onboard from B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis. Another night’s entertainment revolved around a Cajun celebration. One of the ship’s bartenders, an expert in whiskey and bourbon, held presentations and tastings.
For a quiet break, the ship has a marvelous library, with books covering everything from history to fiction, located in The Living Room.
Active types can hit a walk-around track on Deck 6, but there’s no gym or spa on board.
What type of traveler will enjoy a Viking Mississippi cruise?
Fellow passengers on Viking Mississippi seemed to fall largely into the 70+ age category, with some groups of family and friends containing representatives of younger demographics. On the whole, the ship’s guests were well-traveled and drawn to exploring the U.S. at a slower pace, but with depth when it came to appreciating destinations’ history and culture.
Many guests on my trip were repeat Mississippi cruisers. Some had already traveled this very same Viking itinerary, even though the line has only offered it for a few short years—suggesting a high level of customer satisfaction.
Despite a few recreation-oriented shore excursions, a Viking Mississippi voyage isn’t what you’d call an active traveler’s cruise. But there’s no reason you couldn’t research and book your own more adrenaline-fueled adventures at ports along the way.
Viking’s 8-day Mississippi Delta Explorer cruise starts at $4,799 per person, including all onboard meals, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, and one complimentary shore excursion in every port. For more information, go to VikingRiverCruises.com.