On Saturday, September 3, a 386-passenger luxury river cruise ship (custom-built for the Mississippi River) docked at Lambert’s Landing in downtown Saint Paul (Minnesota).
By 10 pm, ~300 tourists from around the world boarded an 8-day voyage ending in St Louis (Missouri).
The Viking Mississippi ship will make her repeatedly-delayed maiden voyage from Minnesota’s capital city, the first of what Viking River Cruises promoted as a regular occurrence.
The vessel is scheduled to return to St Paul from St Louis on September 17th, and then head out the same day from Lambert’s Landing on a 15-day “America’s Great River” itinerary ending in New Orleans (Louisiana).
Another sold-out departure from St Paul is scheduled in mid-October.
The 2022-built Viking Mississippi is the first of all 6 (planned) large riverboats built and registered in the USA (flag-state). The vessels are also all American crewed. Viking Mississippi operates on the Lower and Upper Mississippi, with departures from homeports NOLA-New Orleans, St Louis MO, Memphis TN, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN.
The shipbuilder (and shipowner) is ECO Shipyards - a fully-owned subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore (1960-founded as "Edison Chouest Boat Rentals" marine corporation). The vessel is operated under charter by the subsidiary company Viking USA LLC via the new brand Viking River Cruises USA.