During the last week in March, 2026, we went on a Viking cruise on the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Memphis. We shared the experience with our two daughters, Ellen and Gillian, and their husbands, Rick and Mike. We very much enjoyed both the companionship and the travel experiences!

New Orleans

We started the trip a couple of days early so we could explore New Orleans a bit.

On the river

Viking has one of the largest cruise liners on the river.

We were surprised that the ship didn’t require a traditional “dock” to let the passengers on and off. Instead, it “ties up” to trees and rocks along the way, in any location where the water is deep enough and the shore provides access to the tour buses. The ship has its own built-in gangplank. The thruster engines sometimes need to be run to prevent the ship from being pulled downstream with the current.

The weather was perfect, and the scenery along the way was beautiful. The ship traffic was interesting to watch, with barges being pushed by tugs the most common type. There were almost no pleasure crafts.

Darrow, Mississippi

The Darrow stop featured a swamp tour. The animals, wild but regularly fed by the tour operators, included alligators, wild pigs, and raccoons.

Saint Francisville, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi

We stopped at Saint Francisville to see the Rosedown Plantation. In Natchez we toured Magnolia Hall.

Vicksburg battlefield

We did a bus tour of the Vicksburg battlefield, which was one of the most significant in the Civil War. Each state with participating soldiers has its own monuments and other markers. Our tour helped us to understand the difficult battlefield terrain with its hills, gullies, and loose soil.

Greeneville, Mississippi

Our last stop was Greeneville, Mississippi. There we saw a musical performance and toured a small museum, which has a carousel made by the Herschell Carousel Company of North Tonawanda, New York, where Dick was born.