We boarded the boat/ship on April 8th. Technically, I suppose, the Viking Mississippi is a river boat, but the passengers, crew and I often called it the ship, mainly because it dwarfed all else on the river above Baton Rouge. It looks like a Soviet-era floating apartment block. The design offers no concessions to Mississippi culture, riverine or otherwise. The competing American Cruise Lines boats are at least dressed up to resemble the great steamboats of the 19th and early 20th Century. They are also half the size. The Viking boat is way too big. We were herded like cattle into some of the small museums we visited en-route. There were often no seats left in the "Living Room" for the port talks, and the main restaurant was invaded nightly at opening time by an unruly mob. Once inside we jostled for tables attended by our favorite waiters, pushing aside other passengers so we could sit with new friends. The service was frenetic, with sweaty staff rushing about frantically, generating an air of barely controlled chaos. Calm and professional it was not. The food was quite good, a fair attempt at haute cuisine, but it was served tepid at best. For days I assumed they were short staffed, like any other American restaurant these days, but later the Hotel Manager (second in rank only to the Captain) informed me that they had no vacancies. In no way did the experience live up to our previous Viking trip on the River Douro in Portugal. There the waiters lived up to the name, patiently waiting to attend to the passengers needs. Here the staff are more akin to basketball players. They are, however, always polite and friendly. Viking is restricted in who it can hire by the Jones Act, which mandates that ships which run from U.S. ports to other U.S ports must be built in America and staffed by Americans. In Europe and in the wider world, Viking is free to hire staff from anywhere in the world.
 Viking 'Behemoth of the River' CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE |
 Moored in Vicksburg, imitating a block of flats. |
 The Living Room. A gathering place for excursions, musical evenings (very good) and lectures (also good). |
 Our stateroom. No complaints here. |
Poor organization was also a problem. Some
of the excursions were changed at short notice. One of them
was billed as 'about 2 hours' but ran to almost 3, causing
us to miss a talk we wanted to see. Many of them returned
too late to attend the afternoon lecture. Many of the tour
guides, with the exception of Mike (page 1) treated us like
kindergarten students and were short on knowledge of culture
and history. All cruising was done at night, so there was no
chance for lazy days sitting on our balcony watching the
Mark Twain river of Huckleberry Finn roll past. There
was little concern for the environment. Bus engines were left
idling for hours. Our room attendant could not even refill
our gallon plastic water jug, she had to provide a new one
when we ran dry. Towels were changed even if we left them
hanging up, in spite of a notice to the contrary. As noted
above, there was continuous unreserved seating for dinner
and the two restaurants had inconvenient hours. No
chance for breakfast after 9 a.m. and no room service. The
in-room coffee maker produced lukewarm, weak coffee.
The bar staff were overwhelmed, even more harassed than the
waiters. There were no quiet areas in the whole ship.
Even the library was noisy and it was difficult to converse
in the restaurants. I reported all these problems to
Viking on the mid-cruise survey but nobody showed up to
discuss.
On the plus side, our room was quiet, well designed and comfortable. The propulsion system was very quiet. There is a useful self-serve launderette on each deck. Some of the talks and the evening musical events were very good. The coffee machines in the Living Room and upstairs produced excellent coffee. The staff were unfailingly polite and helpful in spite of being totally overworked.
The Atchafalaya Swamp. Taken from Interstate 10 which runs from Los Angeles to Miami (via Phoenix) on an elevated carriageway over it. We took a boat tour on April 13th.
On the plus side, our room was quiet, well designed and comfortable. The propulsion system was very quiet. There is a useful self-serve launderette on each deck. Some of the talks and the evening musical events were very good. The coffee machines in the Living Room and upstairs produced excellent coffee. The staff were unfailingly polite and helpful in spite of being totally overworked.
 New Friends: Eileen, left, and Kathryn. Kathryn is from Sheffield but now lives in Canada with Charlie. They've lived all over the world and he still runs a security consultancy. |
 New Friends: Charlie and Bob Eileen is a nurse and Bob is retired. They live in New Jersey and South Carolina. Bob is an avid ornithologist, a fund of avian knowledge. |
 Lobster Night (with Creamed Spinach) |
The Cruise Itinerary: April 8th Embark Rosedale April 9th Greenville, Mississippi April 10th Vicksburg, Mississippi April 11th Natchez Mississippi April 12th St. Francisville Louisiana April 13th Baton Rouge Louisiana April 14th Darrow Louisiana Apr 15th New Orleans Louisiana. Disembark. |
 Rival American Cruise Lines Paddlewheeler.  Typical River Traffic Tugs push trains of up to 36 barges CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE |
 |
 Easter Bunnies (no, we don't know them). <<< Easter bunny pillow
decoration on
Easter Sunday. This chocolate bunny looks substantial, but is hollow within. A metaphor for the cruise! |
     More River Traffic (Click on any strip to view) |
 On April 12th we visited Rosedown, an old Cotton Plantation in Francisville |
 |
 |
 |
 Barb on the balcony above the Grand Walk The house was completed in 1835. The
furniture
was imported from Europe and the North. At its peak, Rosedown comprised 3,455 acres and employed 450 enslaved workers, generating enormous wealth and status for Daniel and Martha Turnbull, the owners. |
 Shawl crotcheted by Martha Washington, the First Lady of First Ladies. |
 Soapmaking demo in the kitchen She told me that the Romans used
soap but not
for cleaning. They bathed by rolling in ashes and rinsing off. The Ancient Brits taught them how to use soap as a cleaner. Who knew! |
 Bride posing on the Grand Walk Martha Turnbull built one of the
first formal
gardens in Louisiana, inspired by trips to France and other European destinations. There's a lot more information about Rosedown here. CLICK on any IMAGE to VIEW
|
The Atchafalaya Swamp. Taken from Interstate 10 which runs from Los Angeles to Miami (via Phoenix) on an elevated carriageway over it. We took a boat tour on April 13th.
 Captain Swampman at the Helm CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE (Except swamp view above) |
 The View of I-10 from below. The elevated section only took 3 years to build. The pylons rest on huge concrete blocks in the swampbed. |
 Old Alligator. We saw smaller ones swimming.  The Mississippi gets deep and the traffic larger. |
 Baton Rouge. We were moored next to a run- down Casino boat, which we walked through to get to shore. |
|
Our last port was Darrow, on
the edge of New
Orleans. We were moored right next to Houmas House, another plantation mansion. This has been lovingly restored by the owner, Mr. Kevin Kelly, who still lives there.  Houmas House  |
 A Rare Black Swan Event. Yes, it's a Gauguin  |
 There's a tour every 15 minutes. We had a guide to ourselves - a private tour! |
  Barb belts one out on the old Joanna. We were allowed to touch the furniture, a rarity among home tours. CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE |
 On the Balcony at Houmas House |
 Houmas House is over 200 years
old and
was a sugar plantation. It has a fascinating history thanks, mostly, to enslaved and indentured black workers. You can read about it here. |
 The Carriage House Restaurant. |
 Lunch at the Carriage House, behind the mansion. The best Crab & Corn Chowder I ever had! |
So finally to New Orleans. We were
turfed out of our room at 8:30 and bused downtown
to a hotel which we could use as a base before being
bused to the airport at 1:30 p.m., so we had about half
a day to explore the city. We found a nice little cafe
which had live jazz all day, and later we went to a free
music festival down by the river in the French Quarter.
An unexpectedly pleasant end to our journey.
 Cafe Beignet |
 Me 'n my friend Fats Domino |
 "Steamboat Willie", the Cafe Beignet Band (Laid back to the point of torpor, but good) |
 One of the Stages at the French Quarter Festival. |
 |
   Lots of Interesting Food at the Festival |
 Streetcar on Canal Street CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE |
 We were soaked in a massive thunderstorm boarding our bus for the airport. |
RETURN to Page 1
HOME