Sailing the Lower Mississippi With Viking

Sailing the Lower Mississippi With Viking

Some cruisegoers aren’t interested in river cruising because of its laidback onboard atmosphere, relaxed pace and the absence of certain crowd-pleasing venues often found on ocean ships, like casinos, waterparks, kids clubs, Broadway-style entertainment, etc.

But, for the right kind of guest, the absence of those things, and the streamlined, intimate nature of the river cruise experience is precisely its appeal. 

A longtime operator in this market, Viking has every aspect of river cruising down pat – with the tagline, “For the Thinking Person”. Those who with a passion for history, culture and authenticity will especially appreciate sailing the Lower Mississippi with Viking, its sophisticated yet homey onboard atmosphere, and a genuine connection with people (both on board and on shore) and the places they’re visiting.

Here is an in-depth look at the enchanting Viking Mississippi on the Mississippi Delta Explorer voyage, an eight-day trip that plies the waters of The Big Muddy northward from New Orleans, stopping in Darrow and St. Francisville/Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Natchez, Vicksburg and Greenville, Mississippi; and Memphis, Tennessee. 

Sailing the Lower Mississippi River aboard Viking features an itinerary which impresses with its uniquely intimate access to several hidden gems of the American South and is rivaled only by the onboard experience. The Viking Mississippi shares many signature features common to Viking’s other award-winning longships, which sail the iconic waterways of Europe, Egypt and Asia, including its sleek Scandinavian design and decor, and well-established public spaces like the two-story Explorer’s Lounge and Bar with panoramic views from the bow, and indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace on the top deck, perfect for al fresco dining or riverfront views. 

Viking Mississippi is a bigger longship than its overseas counterparts, measuring 450 feet in length and boasting five decks, featuring 193 all-outside staterooms. Like Viking’s ocean ships, it also features an infinity plunge pool and sun terrace on the top deck. Also located on Deck 5 is the River Café, a new dining option that serves up buffet-style breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Adjacent, The Grill is another casual concept only available on board the Viking Mississippi, which offers American classics and barbecue-style fare during lunch and dinner hours. 

On Deck 1, just outside The Restaurant (the Ship’s formal dining venue), sits The Living Room, a public area with couches, books and coffee, which offers a serene, sophisticated yet homey atmosphere in which to kick back and relax or soak in some entertainment. Along with the Explorer Lounge, this serves as the ship’s main social hub, where guests can mix and mingle, participate in various scheduled and impromptu activities, or take in daily enrichment talks and live musical performances. 

Ship interiors exude extreme class and understated elegance, with a light and airy feel imbued by natural wood elements and furnishings, and expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that allow the sunshine to flood in. Scandinavian architectural design and decorative motifs are evident everywhere, but in a way that is completely unintrusive, taking a back seat to the scenery drifting by. I felt fortunate that, with my sailing being in December, all the public spaces had the added charm of holiday lights and decorations on display. 

A Deluxe Veranda Stateroom (268 square feet) includes an extremely comfortable bed and a separate living area with table, plush chairs, desk (with lighted pop-up vanity) and mini fridge, plus a private veranda with outdoor seating. A built-in wardrobe and several spacious drawers lets you easily unpack all your belongings. Even the side tables have drawer space to offer, plus there was a 42” flat-screen TV, a capacious safe and an in-room coffee maker. Oh, and the wi-fi is free for as many devices as you need. 

All staterooms also feature premium Freyja toiletries, anti-fog mirrors, heated bathroom floors, hairdryers, plush robes and slippers, luxury linens and pillows, a mini bar with included soft drinks and snacks, and filtered water refilled daily. Get pampered with the plushness of the bed and the twice-daily service from your stateroom steward. There’s also laundry service available and even a unique self-service launderette on board. Those with limited mobility will appreciate the sets of elevators available throughout the ship. 

The dining onboard boasts everything from the freshest fruit and cooked-to-order items at the breakfast buffet to exquisite dinner options in the evening at The Restaurant. Except for some always-available dishes, menus evolve to reflect the style of cuisine and signature fare associated with each destination visited. Dining staff gladly accommodates special requests attentively and personally.

Since the demographic of river cruise passengers typically skews older, ample accommodations were available for those with limited mobility or stamina. Golf carts run shuttles up and down the levees throughout the day, taking guests to the Viking motorcoaches that transported them to and from their excursions. Notably, all ground transportation is owned and operated by Viking, ensuring guests can rely on a higher level of comfort, service and reliability throughout their journey, from airport pickup to departure. 

Sailing the Lower Mississippi With Viking: Depart from New Orleans

A pre-cruise visit can enhance the trip with some time spent in The Big Easy. Options include partaking in the French Quarter Walking Tour excursion, an intimate stroll through New Orleans’ oldest and most famous neighborhood, also known as the Vieux Carré (Old Square). Now a National Historic Landmark, this 85-square-block area is where the city got its start in 1718. Here, a local expert guides guests through the Quarter’s history, pointing out such highlights as Jackson Square, home to St. Louis Cathedral; the Cabildo, where the Louisiana Purchase was signed; and the Pontalba Buildings, iconic urban townhouses that exemplify the French Quarter’s signature architectural style. 

Darrow

The first stop after leaving New Orleans is Darrow, a key location along The Great River Road — a national scenic byway that runs along the Mighty Mississippi for almost 3,000 miles through 10 states. A visit to Laura Plantation is an optional excursion, where a tour of the house and grounds teaches participants about life on a 19^th-century Creole sugarcane plantation, both from the perspectives of the owning family and enslaved individuals. 

The included shore excursion is a visit to Houmas House, known as “The Crown Jewel” of Louisiana’s River Road, and its spectacular surrounding gardens. Established in the late 18^th century, it became known as the “Sugar Palace” in its heyday, when it was producing 20 million pounds of sugar annually. Here, a guided tour takes guests through the main house, a Greek Revival–style mansion, filled with elegant period furnishings and artwork, and still lived in by its current owner. 

During the holiday season, the grand historic estate is also decked out fwith Christmas carols piped in, twinkling lights and oversized ornaments hanging from its stunning, sprawling Southern Live Oak trees, some more than 700 years old. There’s also a bar and three restaurants in other buildings on site, plus 38 acres of gardens, courtyards, lawns and fountains, and a rather impressive gift shop. Plus, the Great River Road Museum sits right next door.

St. Francisville/Baton Rouge 

Day three is a stop in St. Francisville, a historic small town in Louisiana’s West Feliciana parish and home to the breathtaking Rosedown Plantation, a National Historic Landmark. Dating back to 1834, the Antebellum mansion and 13 surrounding outbuildings remain in a state of rare preservation, with around 90 percent of the original furniture still in place. The surrounding gardens, which sit on roughly 28 acres of the estate’s original 3,455 acres (most of which were once cotton fields), have also been restored to their 19^th-century glory and are now maintained by the Louisiana State Parks system, along with the rest of the site.

An included motorcoach excursion into Baton Rouge, goes by some of the city’s important landmarks and stops in at the Capitol Park Museum to see such exhibitions as “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America”, “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation”, and “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend.”

Natchez

Day 4 visits Natchez, Mississippii and oiffers optional excursions, such as a Soul Food and Music tour to Natchez’ Dunleith Historic Inn, a National Historic Landmark and Mississippi’s only remaining antebellum mansion. At its Castle Restaurant, which occupies the estate’s original carriage house, enjoy a delectable lunch of classic Southern dishes, consisting of fried chicken, black-eyed peas, okra, sweet potatoes, biscuits and pecan pie, as well as regional muscadine wines. A stop at Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church features a stirring a cappella rendition of some gospel tunes by Tony Fields, minister of music. 

A seasonal optional excursion is a Holiday High Tea at the stunning Sunnyside Bed & Breakfast, a stately antebellum home in downtown Natchez dating back to 1850. The owner, Colleen Wilkins, a former interior designer who also ran an antiques business in town, has richly appointed the house with lavish period furnishings, fine artwork and other décor elements. Most charmingly, she delights in decorating for the festive season – from the home’s exterior to the smallest interior details. Thirty-five Christmas trees – each with its own theme and color scheme – feature prominently throughout every room, while the tea itself features a winter-spice brew, finger sandwiches, mini-quiches, scones, cakes, fruit, and more. 

Vicksburg

During a morning in Vicksburg, an optional excursion is Vicksburg’s Historic Neighborhoods, highlighting the city’s beginnings and its famous role in the Civil War. The tour begins at Christ Episcopal Church, the city’s first house of worship, constructed in 1846, which withstood all the shelling of the 1860s conflict intact. There, the rector recounted its past and pointed out interesting elements, like church’s Tiffany stained-glass windows. Also on the tour are the historic Wahl-Schaffer Cottages—which have been combined into a single home, although each features a distinctive architectural style. This charming home is owned by Bertram and Carol Hayes-Davis (he is the great-great grandson of Confederate president Jefferson Davis), who also own and operate Vicksburg Old Town Tours. 

The historic Greek Revival home of Martha Vick (a daughter of the city’s founder), aptly named the Martha Vick House, is also a tour stop. A brick mini mansion built in 1830, it has since been carefully restored, with plenty of period furnishings, artwork and décor elements on display. It is now lived in and operated by Lisa Longfellow, whose father first set about restoring the property and offering tours to the public in the 1980s.  

The included excursion to Vicksburg National Military Park is conducted mainly by motorcoach, since the area is so expansive and there is so much to see. A extremely knowledgeable certified park guide accompanies the tour and provides narration about both the site and Civil War history in general. There are more than 1400 monuments and memorials in the park, the national cemetery where roughly 17,000 soldiers are buried, and the battlefield’s role in the 1862 siege that ultimately turned the tide of the war in the Union’s favor. Also on site is the USS Cairo, an ironclad gunboat and museum, one of seven formidable City Class gunboats that prowled the Mississippi River and its connecting waterways during the Civil War.

Greenville

On the final port day, the whole ship’s contingent may be invited to attend an included Viking Privileged Access event – one of which is hosted by Greenville native and famed singer-songwriter Steve Azar. A small-scale concert held just for Viking guests, features performances by Azar and his band, whose award-winning music incorporates elements of the blues, rock ’n’ roll, soul, and gospel. Named the state of Mississippi’s official Music and Culture Ambassador, Azar had plenty of history and stories to tell about his beloved home state and how it has influenced all of America and the world at large. 

This Viking Privileged Access event also provides a family-style, authentic Southern lunch consisting of hot tamales, fried catfish, hush puppies, savory pulled pork, tangy cole slaw, mac and cheese, banana pudding and more – and a shot of Mississippi moonshine as a farewell toast

Optional excursions offered from Greeneville, MS include a ride to Indianola, B.B. King’s hometown and the site of the B.B. King Museum and its collection of exhibits and authentic memorabilia. Guests learn about King’s life and the broader story of the Mississippi Delta’s musical legacy, as well as pay their respects at King’s final resting place. Alternatively, guests can transfer to Stoneville to visit the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center to gain insights into its research on the region’s agriculture and education efforts with local farmers.

Scenic Sailing on the Lower Mississippi River with Viking Cruises

The final full day onboard Viking’ Mississippi’s ‘s Mississippi Delta Explorer voyage consists of scenic sailing along the Mississippi toward Memphis – with Delta landscapes, sandbars and dikes drifting by. There are ample diversions on board for guests, such as a Q&A session with the captain and chief engineer to enrichment presentations, live music performances, game-show-style gatherings and activities such as gingerbread house decorating. Of course, there’s always the option of dining, taking a book from the library, lounging outdoors on the Aquavit Terrace or bow seating, dipping your toes in the pool or just enjoying your pristine stateroom.

This one-way river cruise disembarks in Memphis, Tennessee – and offers optional land add-ons to explore this famous city of the Mid-South.

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.

Contact My Journey Begins Travel to book your sailing on the Lower Mississippi River with Viking Cruises.