Viking Mississippi river cruise ship overview: Viking’s first Large Muddy vessel

You may not anticipate finding odes to Norse gods or conventional Norwegian costumes as decor on a ship that sails the Mississippi — a waterway recognized staunchly for breeding Americana by the likes of Mark Twain and John Deere. However Viking Mississippi, Viking Cruises‘ first river ship to sail within the U.S., melds the 2 cultures completely.

The road’s Norwegian roots are much more becoming when you think about that Minnesota — one of many states I visited on a latest crusing aboard the ship — is a hub for Scandinavian tradition. (The place do you assume the Minnesota Vikings bought their title, in spite of everything?)

Itineraries on the five-deck, 386-passenger Viking vessel characteristic the allure of sleepy however welcoming U.S. cities blended with the atmosphere you’d anticipate finding on a Europe river cruise — nice meals, wonderful service and chic design and decor.

The listing of what is particular about these voyages is prolonged. Here is a few of what I appreciated and did not, together with all the pieces else you might want to find out about what to anticipate from a crusing on this pretty river ship.

Overview of Viking Mississippi river cruises

Viking Mississippi started providing U.S.-based river cruises in 2022. On board, you may anticipate comfy cabins and a stage of service that, frankly, blew me away. Meals choices are considerably restricted, as there are solely two locations to dine, however the dishes themselves ranged from usually spectacular to standout.

As is the case with most river cruises, sailings with Viking aren’t low-cost, with fares ranging from a number of thousand {dollars} per particular person. Nevertheless, the road features a lot in its fares, from Wi-Fi to beer and wine with lunch and dinner, in addition to one free tour in every port.

Past the practically seamless crossover from onboard expertise to shore excursions, Viking has additionally discovered a method to combine optionally available precruise and postcruise stays into the passenger journey. In the event you’re like most of Viking Mississippi’s passengers, once you e-book a voyage, you are not simply getting a crusing. You are additionally in for 2 enjoyable days precruise and postcruise in your embarkation and disembarkation port cities.

By tacking on further time (for a further price), cruisers can discover their beginning and ending cities in additional depth. Though vacationers can decide to skip the earlier than and after add-ons, hardly anybody does.

For instance, my 12-day America’s Heartland itinerary started with a two-night precruise keep in St. Louis earlier than a switch to Alton, Illinois, the place I boarded the vessel for the journey north. After Alton, the itinerary had me visiting Hannibal, Missouri; Burlington, Iowa; Quad Cities, Iowa; Dubuque, Iowa; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Pink Wing, Minnesota, earlier than transferring to St. Paul, Minnesota, for a two-night postcruise keep.

What I discovered was a pleasant journey that was each enjoyable and slow-paced but, someway, extra rigorous than many ocean cruises on which I’ve sailed. In any case, there aren’t any “sea” days on the river, so downtime will be scarce.

It is price noting that U.S. river cruise passengers skew a bit older than they do on ocean sailings and river voyages in different international locations. That is much more true on Viking Mississippi as a result of Viking ships do not permit anybody youthful than 18 years of age to sail. Nearly all of passengers on my cruise had been of their 70s, they usually had been a mixture of each avid world vacationers and individuals who desire to trip domestically.

What I cherished about Viking Mississippi

Sensible, elegant design

In the event you’re hoping for a basic paddlewheel boat, be warned: That is not what you may get with Viking Mississippi. However what the ship lacks in turn-of-the-Twentieth-century aesthetics it greater than makes up for with its timeless, stylish decor and considerate, comfy design.

Somewhat than the over-the-top decadence that was standard within the late 1800s and early 1900s, Viking Mississippi employs understated, impartial designs and hues which are an indicator of the Viking model. The ship’s decor options gentle woods; white or tan upholstery, bedding and lighting fixtures; and blue or orange carpet or pillow accents so as to add some colour.

Take, for instance, The Dwelling Room — a gathering house with loads of cozy sofas and chairs with mushy pillows. It serves as a serene but centrally positioned house for passengers to hearken to music, play board video games or learn. (If you have not introduced books of your personal, there is a well-stocked library that is bigger than many of the ones you may discover on oceangoing vessels.)

The Dwelling Room additionally hosts every day briefings given by the cruise director with regard to the following day’s schedule.

In the meantime, the two-deck Explorers’ Lounge presents a presentation house with seating and a podium (used for trivia and destination-focused lectures) on its higher stage and lounge house with seating and Paps Bar on the decrease stage, full with out of doors entry to The Bow, a spot for alfresco eating and nice views. In these areas, passengers are prone to admire massive glass home windows and a constellation design paying homage to Norse ties to astronomy.

Different nods to Scandinavian tradition embrace divider slats in The Restaurant, the ship’s most important eating room, made to resemble the oars from Viking ships of yore. In The Dwelling Room, ornamental picket ceiling parts are supposed to be guitar frets that, when performed, flip into Norse music, and the close by library is stocked with titles related to Norwegian tradition. Scandinavian artwork adorns hallways and lounges, and in a nook of Deck 1, midship, stands a pair of Norwegian folks costumes.

Nevertheless, the heavy give attention to Norse design does not blur the truth that the ship sails on the Mississippi. Simply look to the vessel’s stairwells for proof. What you may discover are large maps of the river, together with excerpts from the pages of Mark Twain’s famed novels about legendary characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Along with the ornamental parts that add to cruiser consolation on Viking Mississippi, structural and mechanical concerns embrace a redesigned bow form and energy-efficient propulsion system, each of which lower down on vibrations throughout river sailings.

Wonderful service

Two years previous to my Mississippi River voyage with Viking, I sailed the Ohio River with a special river cruise line. Given the lackluster service throughout my Ohio cruise, I set the bar pretty low earlier than boarding Viking Mississippi. Because it seems, I did not must; I used to be pleasantly stunned to search out that service all through was pleasant and attentive, with the crew going above and past to drastically exceed my expectations.

After boarding, we weren’t allowed to entry our cabins for a couple of hours whereas the stewards completed tidying up from the earlier visitors. The crew supplied to carry visitor baggage and ship luggage to passengers’ rooms later within the day. I needed to move ashore, however I knew I might want my backpack once more as quickly as I returned to the ship. Once I talked about it to a member of the visitor providers workers, she supplied to maintain it behind the entrance desk for me.

Bartenders and waitstaff known as me by title and had been desperate to swap tales with me about our pets and which exhibits are price watching on Netflix. My room steward was fast to replenish my cabin’s complimentary snacks and drinks, whether or not I requested them or not. And, one night throughout dinner on the River Cafe (the ship’s buffet venue), a waiter overheard my pleasure over the dessert counter’s selfmade coconut ice cream and introduced me a dish with out my even asking for it — full with a scoop of chocolate. (He assured me it might style like a Mounds bar, and, to my immense delight, it did.)

However the wonderful care Viking’s workers provides to passengers is not simply restricted to the onboard expertise. Crew members wait on the gangway to dole out chilly water earlier than and after excursions, assist passengers work out learn how to discover factors of curiosity after they enterprise out on their very own on the town, provide chilly towels when vacationers return to the ship and guarantee a seamless handoff of each cruisers and baggage throughout precruise and postcruise land-based extensions.

Native guides meet passengers on the airport and level the way in which to Viking’s resort transfers. On the resort, a bunch of guides is on the market at a Viking data desk within the foyer to reply traveler questions, go out data packets and manage tour sign-ups. For postcruise add-ons, the crew gathers up everybody’s massive luggage the evening earlier than disembarkation, masses them onto vehicles and makes certain they’re delivered to the designated lodges and distributed to the suitable visitor rooms.

Free excursions

As a part of its complimentary choices, Viking Mississippi has one free shore tour in every port of name, in addition to a number of further tour choices which are obtainable for an added price. I assumed there could be a marked distinction between the standard of the free excursions versus the for-fee ones, however that did not appear to be true, based mostly on my expertise.

Somewhat than indicating the extent of an tour’s high quality, the additional price appeared to return in for actions — like a go to to the Discipline of Desires from Dubuque or a tour of the John Deere Pavilion and household mansions out of Quad Cities — that had been positioned farther from the port space (which meant an extended bus trip and extra gas) and which had admission charges. The excursions that got here with a price additionally accommodated barely fewer folks to create a extra intimate expertise. Free excursions tended to be metropolis overviews and historic excursions, both on motor coaches or on foot, led by native guides.

Total, I used to be happy with the excursions I chosen. Free ones included an summary tour of historic Burlington and a strolling tour of La Crosse. Ever a fan of previous buildings, I notably loved the Burlington tour, throughout which we visited the Des Moines County Heritage Middle Museum, a former library with attractive mosaic flooring, a grand staircase and a large assortment of fossilized crinoids — animals that resemble crops and date again 490 million years. We additionally toured the Garrett-Phelps Home Museum, a historic dwelling in Burlington positioned subsequent to Snake Alley, dubbed “The crookedest avenue on the planet” by Robert L. Ripley of Ripley’s Consider It or Not!

I additionally examined out three pay-to-play excursions that piqued my curiosity. A go to to the John Deere Pavilion and former household homestead meant extra old-house enjoyable and a slew of large shiny machines — the biggest of which can set a farmer again $1.4 million. I additionally checked out the Freedom Middle African American Life Historical past Undertaking, which tells the story of previously enslaved folks and notable members of the Black group in Hannibal, and the previous houses of the folks after whom Mark Twain molded the characters of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher.

Maybe the tour I most loved was a go to to the precise Discipline of Desires, the place the Kevin Costner movie of the identical title was filmed. It included a tour of the adjoining dwelling, an opportunity to take photographs on the sector and tales from a former skilled baseball participant who was forged as one of many ghost gamers within the film.

Passengers should join excursions, together with the free ones, prematurely. Tickets are delivered to cruisers’ cabins every evening for the following day’s excursions. Your ticket will be aware whether or not it is best to convey alongside the QuietVox audio system and headphones supplied in every room.

What I did not love about Viking Mississippi

Waits and lag instances

Though many of the cruise expertise was terrific and transitions from shore to ship and again had been largely seamless, I skilled some lengthy wait instances price noting.

Throughout check-in, which takes place on the ship, the road snaked from the desk on board the vessel across the visitor providers desk, out the door, alongside the deck and onto the shore. It was related after I checked in at each the precruise and postcruise lodges. I waited about 20 to half-hour every time.

It is a minor niggle, however given how upscale the remainder of the expertise felt, lengthy traces appeared incongruous. I additionally surprise what would have occurred if passengers needed to stand outdoors in inclement climate. It looks as if the check-in points could possibly be simply resolved by higher staggering passenger arrival instances or by utilizing smaller autos for transportation as an alternative of constitution buses.

Moreover, I needed to wait a very long time between after I checked in and when cabins had been obtainable. I boarded the ship a bit after 11 a.m.; at check-in, I used to be informed my room would not be prepared till round 4 p.m. That is a very long time for passengers who need to nap, clean up or unpack their baggage earlier than dinner.

At my postcruise resort, I used to be fortunate sufficient to snag a room that was prepared instantly, however a pal who was additionally on the journey wasn’t so fortunate. She needed to wait a few hours for entry to hers and ended up storing a few of her belongings in my room. (Although the ship’s crew transported our massive luggage to the resort for us, many passengers nonetheless introduced carry-ons with them.) Seven hours after I arrived on the resort, my bigger suitcase nonetheless hadn’t arrived at my room. I known as the entrance desk and was informed I might should go downstairs to ask somebody on the Viking desk. They took me to a again room the place a number of the baggage was nonetheless ready, and I grabbed it and took it as much as my room myself.

Lastly, I usually skilled an inexplicable lag in timing between meal programs in The Restaurant. The waitstaff was conscious of it and apologized a number of instances. Nevertheless, the meals supply points hadn’t improved by the top of my crusing.

Congestion

Probably associated to the problems of lengthy wait instances and features was congestion. Passengers confused the visitor providers desk with the check-in desk, which led to queues in odd locations. Nightly glad hour hors d’oeuvres had been arrange within the foyer as an alternative of within the close by Explorers’ Lounge, which might have been a greater spot. The consequence was a crowded gangway space.

The Dwelling Room lounge space, the place the cruise director gave nightly briefings, did not have sufficient house for everybody. A few of the briefings grew to become standing-room-only occasions. The addition of even a dozen extra chairs would go a protracted method to make the talks extra comfy for the various passengers with mobility considerations who couldn’t stand for the complete briefing.

Viking Mississippi cabins and suites

Viking’s ships — each river and ocean — characteristic a balcony in each cabin, which units the road aside from its competitors by way of lodging. On Viking Mississippi, some rooms have French balconies with home windows that open however with none out of doors house for sitting. They nonetheless provide passengers entry to recent air.

A step up from the French balcony-style cabins (301 sq. ft) are normal balcony cabins, known as Penthouse Verandas (336 sq. ft) and Deluxe Verandas (268 sq. ft). A majority of these rooms have full balconies. There are additionally three varieties of true two-room suites — Penthouse Junior Suites (400 sq. ft), Terrace Suites (425 sq. ft) and Explorer Suites (657 to 1,024 sq. ft) — that are uncommon within the river cruise sector.

No matter the kind of balcony passengers have, they’re going to need to train warning in the summertime months on the Mississippi when mayflies and different creepy crawlies — which love the ship’s brilliant white exterior — are rampant. If you wish to sit outdoors at evening, flip off your inside cabin lights or shut the curtain once you’re on the market in order not to attract them to the sunshine.

Beginning with the Penthouse Veranda class, passengers obtain further perks like complimentary shoeshines, laundry service and minibar alcohol. Explorer Suites, which have probably the most facilities, are the one cabin class to incorporate a beverage bundle in its fares. These are additionally the one cabins which have entry to room service eating, which is free.

All lodging include a king-size mattress that may be transformed to 2 twins, in addition to luxurious linens. I slept higher on Viking Mississippi than I had in a very long time.

Moreover, rooms are outfitted with safes, hair dryers, telephones, QuietVox audio system with earpieces for passengers to tackle excursions, lint brushes, life jackets, espresso makers, robes and slippers, minifridges with free soda and snacks refilled as wanted, filtered water replenished every day, umbrellas, binoculars and particular person local weather controls.

Every cabin’s 42-inch TV is provided with complimentary on-demand films, ship data, music channels and extra.

All lodging obtain twice-daily room cleansing. All rooms are outfitted with doorbells, which is a pleasant contact so room stewards can ring earlier than they arrive in to tidy up.

I used to be booked in a Deluxe Veranda, which supplied the above facilities, in addition to a desk/self-importance with a chair and a big mirror, two small bedside tables with probably the most shallow drawers I’ve ever seen, two studying lamps on both facet of the mattress, a dresser constructed into the wall with drawers for garments, a espresso desk and two plush sitting chairs as an alternative of a settee.

Total, the room had nice storage capability. I did not even use half of the drawers. I didn’t take care of the closet design, although, which is the type the place you may solely entry one facet at a time by way of doorways that slide from left to proper, relatively than opening outward. Inside, the closets had room for hanging each quick and lengthy gadgets, plus shelving and drawers.

Whereas my cabin possessed ample lighting and loads of each 110-volt North American and USB/USB-C shops, it wasn’t very soundproof. I additionally would have appreciated some further hooks for hanging gadgets to dry. The one two obtainable had been on the again of the lavatory door.

I really appreciated the lavatory setup in my cabin. It was spacious, with a large self-importance and an enclosed bathe with nice water strain. Freyja merchandise that odor pretty are in each cabin and embrace shampoo, conditioner, lotion and bathe gel. My rest room additionally had a bathe cap and an arrogance equipment. Carry any toiletries you want; most of the small cities the ship visits haven’t got shops the place you should buy even fundamental requirements with out entry to a automotive.

I used to be initially aggravated to see that the shelving on both facet of the lavatory self-importance did not maintain a lot, however that was solely till I found two massive drawers for storing toiletries. I appreciated that they saved my stuff tidy and out of sight. The mattress has loads of room beneath to retailer baggage.

Normally, river cruises aren’t splendid for passengers who use wheelchairs, and Viking states that wheelchairs introduced on board can’t exceed 22 inches in width. Nevertheless, 9 of Viking Mississippi’s 193 cabins — together with eight French Balcony cabins and one Explorer Suite — are accessible. Configurations fluctuate. Elevators, most corridors and public areas are additionally wheelchair accessible. Name the road for extra particulars: 1-855-884-5464.

Viking Mississippi eating places and bars

With simply 5 decks, Viking Mississippi is simply too small to supply an abundance of meals choices on board. Which means those that exist have to be fairly nice — and on this ship, they’re.

Eating places and meals

Cruisers can select to dine at no cost for breakfast, lunch and dinner at both the informal River Cafe buffet on Deck 5 or at The Restaurant, the principle waiter-served eating room on Deck 1. Each are brilliant, ethereal and welcoming with loads of seating. The latter is a bit dressier for dinner and does not permit shorts, denims, sleeveless shirts for males or baseball caps. Passengers don’t want reservations to dine at both place.

Hours for mealtimes are restricted, with hours for breakfast and lunch various based mostly on the day’s schedule.

Usually, the River Cafe shall be open from 6 or 6:30 a.m. for continental breakfast, which runs for 3 1/2 hours. Common sizzling breakfast — which often consists of eggs, bacon, hash browns and different dishes — begins a half-hour later.

Lunch sometimes begins between 11 and 11:30 a.m. within the River Cafe and lasts about three hours. Dinner is all the time from 5:30 to eight:30 p.m. Throughout each meals, you may anticipate finding quite a lot of self-serve gadgets, akin to salad elements, sushi, hen, fish, greens, meat and cheese slices. A dessert counter sweetens your meal with cake, pie, cookies and ice cream. (No matter you do, do not miss the selfmade coconut ice cream. Including a scoop of chocolate will make it style like a Mounds bar.)

Feeling like a burger, sizzling canine or some pulled pork? You will not need to miss The Grill, an open-air counter that is a part of the Aquavit Terrace, the River Cafe’s out of doors seating space. Place your order, and seize a desk to take pleasure in your meal alfresco.

On the River Cafe, Viking Mississippi used to have an outpost for Mamsen’s, a counter discovered on Viking’s ocean ships that serves up dishes with a Norwegian aptitude, akin to pea soup and waffles with brown cheese. Though it is nonetheless listed on a number of the onboard signage, I used to be unhappy to be taught it was eliminated to make extra space for added seating.

The service contained in the River Cafe was pleasant and attentive. Waitstaff stopped by all tables to take drink orders, they usually had been fast to clear away soiled dishes. That wasn’t the case on the Aquavit Terrace. One morning, as I walked round searching for an outside place to take a seat for breakfast, I seen a number of tables with soiled dishes. I ended up sitting at a grimy desk however in a clear spot the place the place setting hadn’t but been used.

By way of meals high quality, The Restaurant was my favourite of the eating venues. It opens at 7 a.m. every morning and serves breakfast for 90 minutes to 2 hours, relying on the day’s schedule. The meals weren’t excessively prolonged, however on multiple event, I needed to await an inexplicably very long time between programs.

In The Restaurant, the left facet of the menu options gadgets that change every day, whereas the appropriate facet presents always-available choices, akin to shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, salmon, New York strip steak, hen and creme brulee. I appreciated the Indian chickpea curry that was served one evening, in addition to the crab beignets they whipped up as an appetizer on one other. For breakfast, you may’t go improper with one of many freshly made omelets.

Meals will be exhausting to search out throughout off-hours, however snacks can be found between meals. Each afternoon from about 3 to five p.m., scrumptious pizza is on the market within the River Cafe. From 4:30 to five:30 p.m. every day, the eating workers put out predinner appetizers close to the doorway to the Explorers’ Lounge. Alternatives would possibly embrace fruit, finger sandwiches and bruschetta. Cookies can be found between mealtimes within the River Cafe close to the espresso machines.

Room service eating is barely obtainable for passengers booked in Explorer Suites.

In the event you decide to e-book precruise and postcruise land stays in your crusing, know that the one meal included within the worth is breakfast, which is commonly a Sterno-style setup of eggs, sausage and cubed potatoes. You will be chargeable for discovering and paying in your personal lunch and dinner throughout these extensions.

Bars

Paps is a bar within the middle of the primary ground of the Explorers’ Lounge. It is an ideal place for socializing or for postdinner drinks, and the bartenders are improbable.

The one different bar on board is the River Cafe bar, which is extra of a spot to seize a drink throughout a meal than a gathering place. It feels crowded and hectic throughout peak eating instances.

No bar exists in The Dwelling Room, however bar menus are on the tables, and the crew will cease by to take your order.

Each bars provide practically an identical menus. The one distinction is that every venue has its personal small choice of regionally impressed cocktails blended in with the usual choices. Home wines and beer are free with meals. Different wines and cocktails as much as $14 are free with a Silver Spirits beverage bundle.

Viking Mississippi leisure

Because of its measurement, Viking Mississippi’s leisure and actions are restricted. The main target is on stay leisure, in addition to demonstrations and lectures that concentrate on enrichment, usually tying into the areas the ship is visiting.

Actions

On my crusing, the every day schedule included actions like trivia, a drink demonstration the place passengers discovered concerning the historical past of the mint julep cocktail, whiskey tastings and lectures by a resident vacation spot knowledgeable who talked about matters like bald eagles and the Nice American Steamboat Race. They had been properly researched and delivered and infrequently drew small crowds to the Explorers’ Lounge.

The vessel has no spa, salon, health middle or on line casino, however there’s a strolling/jogging monitor across the outer deck. Six laps equal 1 mile. There may be additionally a stunning pool that faces out over the ship’s wake, aft on Deck 5. Truthful warning: Though the deck plans consult with it as a “plunge pool,” it is solely about 3 ft deep, so do not plan on leaping in. A built-in bench permits passengers to take a seat and soak as they take within the views.

A small Viking logowear present nook close to the visitor providers desk supplies alternatives for onboard purchasing. It sells primarily Helly Hansen-branded cold-weather gear like sweaters, jackets and backpacks. Purchases are charged to passengers’ onboard accounts. Every particular person should hyperlink a bank card to their account to cowl their onboard invoice.

Reveals

Viking Mississippi doesn’t have a theater. As an alternative, performances — which start within the night and run till later within the evening, following dinner — happen in the course of The Dwelling Room. On my voyage, home band The Trio placed on nightly exhibits, and native performers got here on board in varied ports to sing jazz and ragtime and to play classical harp.

Though the performances had been usually properly attended, they hardly ever felt crowded. The placement of the setup was awkward, although, as a result of it is unattainable to stroll from one finish of the ship to the opposite on Deck 1 with out passing by The Dwelling Room. Which means you are strolling in entrance of anybody watching the exhibits.

Viking Mississippi itineraries and pricing

Viking Mississippi was constructed particularly for voyages alongside the Mississippi River, and that is the one place the ship sails. When reserving, cruisers can select from a choice of greater than 10 completely different itineraries that cowl each the Higher and Decrease Mississippi, in addition to mixtures of the 2.

Sailings begin at $3,499 per particular person for an eight-day Mississippi Delta Explorer itinerary that provides six free excursions and sails from New Orleans to Memphis. Fares begin from $19,999 per particular person for a 22-day, 16-tour Grand Mississippi Voyage that mixes the Higher and Decrease Mississippi and sails from New Orleans to St. Paul.

Whatever the particular itinerary you choose, you may go to historic U.S. landmarks and tiny cities that home a number of the nation’s most iconic manufacturers. You will additionally sail by a number of of the river’s locks that the ship must clear with a purpose to make its means.

Pricing consists of free Wi-Fi, beer and wine with meals, not less than one tour in every port and transfers from the airport to the resort in case you’re flying within the day your crusing departs. You possibly can add a precruise or postcruise land extension for an additional price. The value consists of transfers, resort lodging and free breakfast every morning.

You will pay further for gratuities, cocktails (except you’ve gotten the Silver Spirits bundle), flights, further excursions and lunch and dinner throughout any land-based stays you add on.

My itinerary included eight days on Viking Mississippi, two days precruise in St. Louis and two days postcruise in St. Paul. The transitions from the land-based tour to the cruise and vice versa want a bit of labor, notably with waits to examine in and baggage supply instances.

What to know earlier than you go

Required paperwork

As a result of Viking Mississippi travels solely alongside U.S. waterways, a passport is not required. Passengers are capable of sail with a sound government-issued picture ID like a driver’s license (no delivery certificates is important).

Along with identification, you may must examine in on-line previous to your crusing and print out your boarding go. You may also preregister a bank card for any onboard purchases. In the event you’re unable to take action earlier than you embark, you can arrange your account when you’re on the vessel.

Viking will ship you some other needed journey paperwork by way of normal mail, together with each printed baggage tags and leather-based baggage tags that it is best to connect to your luggage to allow them to simply be delivered to you.

Gratuities

Passengers who don’t prepay gratuities will see a cost of $20 added to their onboard accounts every day. Shore tour workers and people who oversee precruise and postcruise land tour extensions should not included within the every day or pay as you go gratuity quantities. For these folks, Viking recommends $2 per particular person, per tour or switch for bus drivers and $5 per particular person, per tour for guides.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is supplied to all passengers on board at no cost. On my Higher Mississippi crusing, it was quick, dependable and free from connectivity issues.

As a result of your voyage shall be totally within the U.S., you may as well use your common mobile knowledge plan as standard with out having to fret about switching your cellphone to airplane mode once you’re on the ship. Notice, nonetheless, that some locations are distant and may not have constant cellular service.

Carry-on drinks coverage

Passengers are allowed to convey each alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks on board in no matter portions they need. The drinks could also be consumed in any space of the ship with out a corkage price.

Smoking coverage

Smoking shouldn’t be allowed on Viking Mississippi, besides in a chosen out of doors space on Deck 1, aft. Smoking of any form can be not allowed in cabins or on cabin balconies.

Laundry

Viking Mississippi has three complimentary self-service launderettes, discovered on decks 2, 3 and 4, midship. Every has two washers, two dryers, free cleaning soap packets and an ironing board.

Passengers may also select to ship clothes out for laundry and urgent for a per-item price. Objects picked up earlier than 9 a.m. are returned by 7 p.m. the next day. Similar-day service (picked up by 9 a.m. and returned by 7 p.m. that night) is on the market for a 50% surcharge.

Electrical shops

If there’s one factor Viking Mississippi’s cabins have loads of, it is locations to plug in. My normal balcony cabin had 12 110-volt North American shops — two within the rest room, two by both sides of the mattress, two in an alcove within the entryway by the Nespresso machine and 4 on the desk/self-importance. Two of the 12 are taken up by the Nespresso machine and the QuietVox containers.

There have been additionally 4 USB and 4 USB-C ports — one on both sides of the mattress and two within the base of the lamp on the self-importance.

I could not discover any 220-volt European-style shops in my cabin; in case you’re touring from overseas (aside from Canada), convey adapters and converters.

Foreign money

The forex used on board is the greenback. All onboard purchases, akin to alcohol, shore excursions and merchandise from the ship’s store, are accomplished electronically.

Consuming age

As a result of it sails throughout the U.S., Viking Mississippi’s consuming age is 21. Passengers who’ve reached that age obtain complimentary beer, wine and mushy drinks with lunch and dinner. Cocktails will be bought a la carte, or passengers can decide to purchase a Silver Spirits bundle that covers all however probably the most top-shelf liquors.

Juice, espresso, tea, sizzling chocolate and water can be found at no cost across the clock. Room stewards refill in-cabin water carafes as wanted.

Gown code

The gown code throughout the day is informal however not sloppy. Passengers ought to plan to decorate comfortably, notably if they are going on shore excursions which may contain strolling. Prompt apparel consists of shorts or slacks with T-shirts or collared shirts and durable, comfy strolling sneakers.

At evening, passengers can put on no matter they wish to the River Cafe buffet. To eat in The Restaurant, cruisers are requested to chorus from sporting shorts, denims, clothes with holes, cutoff sleeves and baseball caps. Some girls would possibly want to put on skirts or clothes, however you may discover most passengers sporting slacks with collared or button-down shirts.

Backside line

The Viking Mississippi expertise supplies a stunning mixture of the Americana that springs from the sleepy cities alongside the Mississippi and the onboard class of a Europe river cruise. The vessel is trendy and properly appointed, providing luxurious comforts as passengers sail alongside the nation’s second-longest river.

In the event you’re searching for a method to examine a couple of of the Midwestern states off your “been there” listing, this can be a improbable method to do it with out having to take a highway journey or plan the logistics your self. The ship supplies a terrific alternative to discover smaller, less-traveled locations, the place time usually appears to cease.

Swirl that along with wonderful service, meals that is a lower above what you’d discover on most oceangoing ships and comfy, upscale lodging, lounges and bars, and you have the makings of a soothing, instructional journey.

Need to be taught extra about Viking and Mississippi river cruises? We have got you lined with these tales.