ABOARD THE VIKING MISSISSIPPI -- At long last, I've made it aboard the Viking Mississippi, Viking's first ship to sail the Mississippi River.
I'm traversing the upper Mississippi on the eight-day Heartland of America itinerary, which sails from St. Louis (specifically embarking in Alton) to St. Paul, Minnesota. I tacked on a three-night pre-cruise tour of St. Louis, which is where my journey began a few days ago.
This is my first river cruise in the U.S. Doing the upper Mississippi wouldn't necessarily have been my first choice -- I've long wanted to visit New Orleans, a city on a lower Mississippi itinerary. But a river ship is a picturesque way to see this part of the country for the first time, not to mention comfortable.
I would describe the Viking Mississippi as a hybrid between the brand's ocean and river cruise ships, which gives travelers the best from both products.
The Viking Mississippi docked in Hannibal, Missouri. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
As on Viking's river ships in Europe, there's the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace for dining and lounging. There's the living room, the main common area where guests can catch up with one another, play cards and board games, enjoy live music performances, or curl up with a book from the library nook in the same area.
But there are a few additional amenities onboard that nod to Viking's ocean ships. For one, there's an Explorer's Lounge and bar onboard, which is a two-level recreational and educational space that offers front-row views of the sailing voyage as it's located at the bow of the ship.
I imagine the larger size of the ship allows for the addition of an Explorer's Lounge, as this amenity is not something I see on the Longships in Europe but rather on Viking's ocean and expedition ships. The first level of the lounge is where the bar and more casual sofa seating is located, whereas the second level is where the lecture space is located for the daily roster of historian-led talks and other insightful discussions and Q&A sessions.
Another ocean/expedition ship feature on the Viking Mississippi is the multiple stairwells and elevator lobbies located throughout the ship.
The Viking Mississippi, which can accommodate 386 passengers, is about 450 feet in length and is about 80 feet wide. The length is a little longer than Viking's Longships, which are about 443 feet in length, as opposed to its ocean or expedition ships, which are 745 feet and 665 feet in length, respectively. There are five decks onboard, including a sundeck and pool area on the top deck, and a walking track that circumnavigates the entire outdoor area of the first deck.
A deluxe veranda stateroom on deck 2 on the Viking Mississippi. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
Despite the Viking Mississippi's relatively large size, guests get all of the intimacy of a smaller ship while enjoying the look and feel of an oceangoing cruise ship.
Of course, located throughout the ship's design is Viking's signature Scandinavian décor. But Viking also incorporates the essence of life along the Mississippi River and the Midwest into the ship's design theme, which I've enjoyed.
The main staircase in the lobby has a backsplash featuring life-size renderings of excerpts from chapters in Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," which span all five decks of the staircase.
An excerpt from Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a decorative backsplash in the main stairwell. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
The smaller staircases located in the middle of the ship all feature life-size maps of the Lower Mississippi. There are also digital cartography maps of the Louisiana Territory displayed on screens throughout the living room.
Books in the library range from nonfiction works on the history of the blues music scene that originated along the Mississippi to novels set in the region. But there are tons of other books on farther-flung destinations beyond the Mississippi.
Staterooms are comfortable, especially those with a balcony, like my cabin has on deck two. The balcony has been one of my favorite places on the ship, in addition to the Explorer's Lounge bar and the Aquavit Terrace.
I don't often make enough use of my balcony on river cruise journeys, but something about sitting out here -- taking in the steamy, humid summer air as life on the Mississippi passes by -- has turned out to be a highlight of the cruise.