Many travelers have enjoyed a Viking cruise in Europe or other global regions. But for those seeking a Viking small-ship cruise close to home, well, there are two great options. Viking offers new expedition ships sailing the Great Lakes, and also the 386-passenger Viking Mississippi on the Mississippi River.
Did you know that this modern American river ship routinely carries a high complement of “repeat” Viking guests? Yes, that’s the case. In fact, 85 percent of all guests aboard The Meandering Traveler’s “America’s Heartland” sailing from St. Louis, MO, to St. Paul, MN, this week are Viking “repeaters.”
So, if you’re a loyal Viking fan, check out this vacation choice. Give Pavlus Travel a call to discuss itineraries, accommodations and other details.
Meanwhile, here’s our initial, brief look at three spaces on this ship. Since we’ve only been aboard for a short time, we’re providing several photos and a bit of detail about these onboard spaces. But much more is coming in an upcoming blog.
Deck 1’s Explorers’ Lounge – Drinks & Socializing
Located fully forward, the two-level Explorers’ Lounge is a top venue for socialization aboard. On Deck 1, the lounge is adjacent to both the gangway entrance and the guest services desk.
In the evening, it’s a great spot for socializing and sipping a cocktail, mocktail, wine or beer. And during the day, it’s also a meet-up spot for guests heading out on tour. Shore excursion tickets will tell guests where to meet about 15 minutes prior to the tour, and often Deck 1 of the Explorers’ Lounge is the spot!
The lounge has large expanses of glass for great views of the scenery outside. Plus, guests can walk outside to a few exterior seats on the ship’s bow. The reward? It’s a space for great views.
Inside, of course, there are many comfortable seating areas, ringing a full-service bar. During our cruise multiple bartenders/servers provided guests with friendly, prompt service. The lounge’s bar is typically open between noon and 11 p.m.
If you’re ambling into the Explorers’ Lounge in late afternoon, here’s a plus. Just look for a table outside the lounge. There, Viking offers light snacks. Typically, that occurs around 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Deck 2’s Explorers’ Lounge – Enrichment & Lectures
A stairway also leads up to the second level of the Explorers’ Lounge; guests can also take a nearby elevator up to that second deck. Frankly, this seems akin to a totally separate venue.
How so? Recently, the line outfitted the upstairs portion of this lounge with theater-style seating (see photos above and below). Now, it’s more of an event space. As a result, Viking conducts many enrichment presentations here on a daily basis.
Typically, the talks are themed around the area of sailing. For example, today’s Viking Daily menu on our cruise listed a 3:30 p.m. time for “Nautical Locks and Dams” talk. That’s being conducted by Cruise Director Tim and Captain Cory Burke.
Also, today at 6 p.m., Assistant Cruise Director Gabby is doing a talk about “European Influences on the Midwest.” Also, at 8:15 p.m., Senior Bartender Chris is doing a “Spirits of the Mississippi” whiskey tasting seminar in this Deck 2 space.
The Casual River Cafe
Guests on Viking Mississippi can dine in the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But the River Cafe is definitely a hot spot for tasty casual fare. On the day the ship called at Dubuque, IA, for example, this was the River Cafe’s schedule; it may vary slightly day to day, depending on the port schedule.
Breakfast: It’s open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. for continental breakfast. Plus, a full breakfast buffet is served from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
We dined here one morning and enjoyed robust choices. For instance, guests could select from pastries, croissants, muffins, scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns, bacon, oatmeal, fruits (including berries), and much more.
Lunch: The cafe welcomes guests for a full lunch spread from 11:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Coffee and Snacks: Guests can saunter up to the cafe for coffee and snacks between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Yum, yum…. pizza is available between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Dinner: Today, for instance, the cafe is open from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
As explained previously, The Meandering Traveler has only been aboard for a very short time. So, this is just a brief snippet about these three spaces on board. Definitely watch for much more about Viking Mississippi in an upcoming blog.
There, we’ll talk about our accommodations, the fine dining aboard, and other venues including the Aquavit Terrace, plunge pool and much more. Here’s a link to Viking’s 360-degree tour of spaces on board Viking Mississippi.
If you’re interested in “rolling on the river,” give Pavlus Travel a call. Just follow the contact information below.
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