Mississippi River Boat Cruises
By Jackie Sheckler Finch
As a long-time solo traveler, people often ask me if I get lonely or feel afraid traveling alone. Nope and nope. I do enjoy being with family and friends, but I also like alone-time to journey to fascinating destinations.
River Cruise ships seem to offer the best of both worlds. American Cruise Lines, for example, features solo staterooms that are less expensive than regular staterooms (that are priced based on double occupancy). For my week-long Mississippi River cruise from Memphis to New Orleans aboard the 150-passenger American Heritage, I enjoyed staying in one of the ship’s 18 solo cabins — stateroom #221 on Deck 2.
Being a solo cruiser meant I had the freedom to enjoy the company of others and the freedom to be alone when I wanted to be.
When I walked into the ship’s dining room for my first lunch, a woman seated at a window table asked if I was traveling alone. When I answered that I was, she invited me to dine with her. Two other women quickly joined us and the three became regular dining partners.
Sandi from Colorado, Lena from Florida and Diane from Alaska also were in solo cabins. Each woman is fascinating, and I never tired of their lives, their travels, their hopes for the future. If I weren’t traveling alone, I probably would never have gotten to know them so well.
The Ship
Inaugurated in 2015, American Heritage has 84 staterooms — we had 145 passengers on our cruise, nearly a full house, with 52 crew members. The river boat has six main public areas, plus a dining room, fitness room, free self-serve laundry, putting green on the top deck, small library with books and games, and two speedy elevators that connect the five passenger decks.
The American Heritage is part of the growing fleet of American Cruise Lines, a family-owned and operated cruise line founded in 1991 that specializes in small-ship coastal and river cruises on American-built, American-flagged and American-crewed vessels.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 1 150-pax American Heritage](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/american-heritage-mississippi-1.jpg)
The 150-pax American Heritage. * Photo: American Cruise Lines
Arriving in Memphis on My Mississippi River Cruise
To start my cruise experience, I flew from Indianapolis to Memphis. As part of all their cruise packages, American Cruise Lines features a complimentary one-night pre-cruise overnight hotel stay. In this case, at The Guest House at Graceland in Memphis. It’s a smart move on the part of American Cruise Lines.
With the way flights are often cancelled or delayed, that first hotel overnight means that passengers have an extra day to arrive since ship departures wait for no one.
As I wanted more than a night in Graceland, I opted for the two-night Graceland Pre-Cruise Package ($725 for a solo guest or $525 per person for two guests in one room) so I could visit the home of Elvis Presley.
A perk for staying at the Guest House is free shuttle pickup from the Memphis airport. When my plane landed, I called The Guest House to request the complimentary shuttle. I asked the hotel receptionist how I would recognize my ride, she just laughed.
“Oh, you will know it right away,” she said. “Don’t worry about that.”
How right she was.
A few minutes later, a sleek blue-and-gold shuttle arrived with huge likenesses of Elvis on the sides and back.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 2 Graceland transport on a Mississippi River cruise with ACL](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-1.jpeg)
Graceland transport. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
The Guest House at Graceland
Opened on Oct. 27, 2016, and located only steps from Graceland, the AAA Four Diamond Guest House hotel is like a small city, with 430 spacious guest rooms and 20 luxury suites, an expansive outdoor swimming pool and fitness facilities, two restaurants, lobby bar, coffee shop, 464-seat theater, gift shop, meeting and banquet facilities, Chapel in the Woods and much more.
Elvis photos don’t dominate the décor. But look for Elvis touches such as the large comfortable lobby chairs with high backs that mimic the way Elvis wore his upturned shirt and jacket collars. The sparkly lobby ceiling was inspired by the jewels in Elvis’ jumpsuit capes.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 3 Guest House lobby at Graceland](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2.jpeg)
The Guest House lobby at Graceland. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
One of my favorite spots is down the hallway from the lobby where a staircase is modeled after the one at Graceland that led to Elvis’ private upstairs area of the house. The chandelier was designed for Graceland but was deemed too large so Elvis put it in storage. When The Guest House was built, it seemed the perfect place for the chandelier, which has become a popular photo stop.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 4 Mississippi River Cruises visit graceland](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpeg)
Graceland staircase to Elvis’ private quarters. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Pre-Cruise Two-Night Stay at The Guest House at Graceland Includes:
While all cruise passengers get a one-night stay at The Guest House as part of the basic fare, the two-night option — $725 for a solo guest and $525 per person for two guests in one room — adds on many other perks.
Extras in the two-night option include:
- Two nights at The Guest House at Graceland instead of the one night included in the cruise fares
- Two breakfasts at Delta’s Kitchen at The Guest House
- Cocktail party first night
- Behind-the-Scenes tour of Elvis memorabilia at Graceland not open to regular visitors
- VIP tour of Graceland
- A three-hour bus tour of Memphis with photo stops at landmarks such as Sun Studio, Peabody Hotel and Lorraine Motel on way to board ship
Behind-the-Scenes Elvis Tour
We were treated to lots of trivia. For instance, did you know that Elvis wore a size 11D boot? Given white cotton gloves (to keep), we could hold Elvis’ boot for photos and hear stories about other memorabilia not on general public display.
Two sisters from Florida, Grace and Abby, said the cotton gloves were going home with them as souvenirs. “They touched the boots that were touched by Elvis,” Grace explained.
Free Elvis Movie and Snack
We returned to The Guest House just in time for the evening showing of “Love Me Tender” in the huge comfortable Guest House theater. Complimentary Elvis movies are shown nightly at 7pm.
Released in 1956, the movie was where Elvis made his acting debut.
After the movie, we lined up in the hallway like little kids for a free peanut butter and jelly sandwich with chocolate milk or coffee. The bedtime snacks are a nod to Elvis’ favorite fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Visiting Graceland
Elvis was 22 when he bought Graceland for $102,500 on March 17, 1957. It was where he lived for the next 20 years, where he died of a heart attack on Aug. 16, 1977 at age 42, and where he is buried in Meditation Garden.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 5 Elvis Preley's grave as seen on Mississippi River Cruises excursions](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/7.jpeg)
Elvis Preley’s grave. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Adjacent from Elvis’ grave is the tomb of his 27-year-old grandson, Benjamin Keough, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 2020. Next to Benjamin is his mother and Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died of cardiac arrest in 2023, at age 54.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 6 gravestones of Elvis's grandson and granddaughter.](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/8.jpeg)
The gravestones of Elvis’s grandson and granddaughter. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Across the street from the Graceland mansion is Elvis Presley’s Memphis, a sprawling $45 million entertainment complex that opened March 2017. It is the five times the size of the previous complex which opened in 1982 and is filled with Elvis museums, memorabilia, songs and videos, plus a couple of dining spots that are very reasonably priced.
Shuttle buses take visitors from the new complex across the street to the Graceland mansion (you can also walk), which has been kept pretty much as it was when Elvis lived there.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 7 Elvis's pink Cadillac.](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/6.jpeg)
Elvis’s pink Cadillac. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Leisurely Graceland Tour
For the VIP Graceland tour, I wore an iPad around my neck and headphones to hear the voices of actor John Stamos, Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley share details about life at Elvis’ beloved Graceland.
The tour was eerily quiet, partly because visitors were listening to headphone information and partly because we knew we were walking through the home of Elvis as it was when he lived there.
One time, a guide told me that a young Japanese guest had knelt at Elvis’ grave when a gentle spring rain began falling. The guest started crying, her tears mingling with the rain. She gently splashed rain drops bouncing from Elvis’ grave onto her face. After about a half hour, she slowly walked away, still crying.
Motorcoach Tour of Memphis Before Embarking American Heritage
The next day, boarding the American Heritage was simple and easy. My suitcases were picked up in my room and delivered to the ship while I was enjoying another luscious Guest House breakfast. Then I stepped aboard one of the American Cruise Lines coaches for a morning tour around Memphis.
The red, white and blue buses with American Cruise Lines logos followed along on our cruise to make sure that transportation was always there when and where it was needed. The coaches were large and comfy and carried cold bottles of water for us.
First stop was Sun Studio where 18-year-old Elvis plopped down $4 to make his first recording on a hot summer day in 1953. Legend says the shy truck driver recorded “My Happiness” as a gift for his mother.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 8 Mississippi River Boat Cruises](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/jackie-at-sun-studio-626x1024.jpeg)
The author at Sun Studio. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Peabody Hotel March of Ducks
Next was the Peabody Hotel to watch the morning parade of ducks from their $200,000 Royal Duck Palace atop the hotel to the lobby fountain led by Duckmaster Kenon Walker.
The ducks will splash and entertain visitors in the lobby fountain until it is time to march to the hotel elevator to return to their penthouse for the night. Kenon told us how the duck tradition started.
“It all started as a practical joke.”
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 9 Peabody Hotel morning duck parade.](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/11.jpeg)
Peabody Hotel morning duck parade. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Back in 1933, Frank Schutt, general manager of the Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, went on a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas. “They took another colleague along with them. His name was Jack Daniel,” Kenon says.
“They had a bit too much of that Jack Daniel’s fine sipping whiskey and thought it would be funny to sneak some of their live duck decoys into the Peabody lobby fountain,” Kenon says. “That’s back when you were allowed to have live duck decoys. So they put the ducks in the lobby fountain and went up to their room to sleep it off.”
When they woke up the next morning, the two men worried what mayhem the deserted ducks might have caused. Walking into the hotel lobby, the duck owners were shocked at what they found.
“They were surprised the ducks were still in the fountain and that a huge crowd was having a great time watching the ducks swimming around,” Kenon says.
Thus began the famous Peabody tradition.
Lorraine Motel Site of MLK Assassination
Then came a visit to Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at age 39. The motel exterior looks like it has been stuck in time. Antique automobiles are parked beneath the second-floor balcony where MLK was standing when he was shot by James Earl Ray from a rooming house across the street. Inside is the National Civil Rights Museum.
We didn’t visit the museum because our guide said it would take several hours. Great reason to return to Memphis.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 10 Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, a shore exucxrsion on Mississippi river cruises](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12.jpeg)
Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; it’s now a museum. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Boarding American Heritage
Arriving at the ship, we showed our IDs to security and stopped at our rooms to be sure our luggage had arrived and to pick up our digital room keys and name badges that will be scanned every time we go off or on the ship.
Then I went to the dining room for lunch. My first meal on the new American Heritage gave a hint of the delicious cuisine to come over the course of the week.
My first lunch was BBQ ribs with broccoli salad, a corn and cheddar muffin, baked beans and cole slaw. Dessert was berry crisp with butter pecan ice cream. All very tasty.
The dining room was light and airy with linen tablecloths and napkins, and comfortable chairs. No reservations were needed. No seats were assigned. Just walk in, sit down and be prepared to be pampered.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 11 American Heritage dining room](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/american-heritage-dining-room.jpg)
The dining room. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Complimentary Cocktail Hour
A 5:30 happy hour was served in the River Lounge before dinner. Cocktails, beer and wine were complimentary on the cruise. A great idea since it can get very tiresome signing expensive drink bills on cruise ships. I paid almost $5 for a can of Coke one time on an ocean cruise. Never again. American Cruise Lines doesn’t nickel and dime passengers as some other ships do. Pay one price. Forget about hidden costs.
Further, there was always something to eat 24 hours a day in the Sky Lounge with packages of nuts, candy, chips and snack bars. In the self-serve fridge, passengers could always get soft drinks, fruit drinks and water, plus make coffee and tea from the machines on the counter.
My Solo Stateroom
My 230-square-foot solo stateroom was cozy and beautiful. Not as large as regular cabins but it was just me staying there. It had a plush double bed with quality bed linens and duvet, three bed pillows and a cushion, a long dresser with plenty of drawers and a desk on part of the dresser, a chair, mirror, Keurig coffee maker, nightstand next to the bed with lamp and clock, large flat screen TV, closet and lots of storage space.
Although the shower was small, it had plenty of hot water and great water pressure.
What I liked best about my cabin was the balcony with two deck chairs and a table. A great place to watch the mighty Mississippi.
Outside my stateroom door was a neat gadget that replaced those awkward “Do Not Disturb” signs that seem to fall off door handles or get lost. All I had to do was turn the message in the gadget to “Welcome,” meaning the cabin attendant could enter to clean or turn it to “Do Not Disturb,” meaning exactly that.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 12 Solo cruising pros include American Heritage's single cabin](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/acl-697x457-paddle-single-with-balcony.jpg)
An American Heritage solo cabin with balcony. * Photo: American Cruise Lines
American Heritage Dining
Each meal aboard American Heritage offered multiple choices to please any appetite. One day, breakfast was bacon tomato eggs benedict with fried potatoes or an omelet or fried eggs, sweet potato pancakes, oatmeal or quiche, plus side choices of bacon, sausage or breakfast potatoes.
Lunch choices included a shrimp po boy sandwich with gumbo, Memphis style spareribs with beans and corn bread or a Hot Brown sandwich with corn salad.
Dinner was eggplant parmesan with penne pasta, short ribs with potatoes and mashed zucchini squash or pan-seared halibut with whipped potatoes and asparagus. Desserts ranged from Kentucky Derby pie, strawberry shortcake, bourbon pecan pie to lemon meringue.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 13 Mardi Gras King Cake served on American Heritage](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/16.jpeg)
Traditional Mardi Gras King Cake served at dinner. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
A nice option was ordering half a serving or even half of one entrée and half of another. My favorite dinner was the Surf & Turf — crab stuffed lobster tail, beef tenderloin, baked potato and lemon zest asparagus.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 14 Mississippi River Cruises aboard American Heritage feature fine dining](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15.jpeg)
Surf and turf was an option one evening. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Overall I enjoyed the dining, though I (and my three dining companions) found the beef and pork a bit dry on several evenings.
Entertainment on American Heritage
Local musicians were brought onboard for entertainment each evening. Jonathan Len shared old tunes one night and country songs the next night. A former police officer, Connie G. did a great job as Tina Turner.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 15 Mississippi River Boat Cruises entertainment](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/connie-garrett-performs-a-tina-turner-tribute-show-504x1024.jpg)
Connie Garrett performs a Tina Turner tribute show. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
The three-member Flashback shared Hits Through the Decades for two evenings and comedian Judy Davis delivered some laughs.
Riverlorian Steve Marking kept busy doing presentations on the golden era of steamboats, Mississippi River history, life story of Mark Twain and much more.
A talented photographer, Steve also had photos to illustrate his stories and didn’t mind sharing tips with passengers about taking photos.
Advantages of Smaller Ships like American Heritage
- Less crowded onboard experience
- No long lines getting on or off ship
- Private balconies in staterooms
- Ship can travel to places that are often inaccessible to larger vessels
- Crew members will know you by name
- No inside staterooms
- No casino
- No swimming pool
- Unlike ocean cruises, passengers don’t get seasick and land is always visible throughout the journey.
Cruising the Mighty Mississippi
Although the red-and-white paddlewheel churning the muddy Mississippi on the back of American Heritage is an eye catcher, the historic-looking paddlewheel is just for looks. It doesn’t really power the riverboat, but it can be hypnotizing to watch it roll round and round, dripping water from its massive wheels.
The ship’s upper deck was a wonderful place to sit in a rocking chair and watch the mighty Mississippi rolling along. The second-longest river in North America, the Mississippi is known for its brown, sediment-filled waters.
The riverside landscape changed quickly as the American Heritage cruised the muddy waters. Tree-lined riverbanks gave way to cornfields, little towns, folks fishing from small boats or standing on shore with fishing poles and coolers.
Towboats were often parked along the river waiting to move on and download their cargo. Large industrial towers spouting huge puffs of white smoke signaled our arrival into industrial areas and large cities. Always something different to see.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 16 American Heritage.](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/14.jpeg)
The American Heritage’s wheel. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Excellent Shore Excursions
When I told a friend that I was cruising for eight days from Memphis to New Orleans, she laughed. “You could drive that in about six hours,” she said. “Why is it taking so long to cruise there?”
Well, for one reason my American Heritage cruise was traveling on rivers, not on major interstate highways. For another, the journey was what was important. We stopped at cities and towns along the way and took shore excursions, plus we spent several days cruising leisurely while watching the river flow while relaxing on the decks of American Heritage.
The itinerary of my Lower Mississippi River cruise to New Orleans included stops in:
- Cleveland, Mississippi
- Vicksburg, Mississippi
- Natchez, Mississippi
- St. Francisville, Louisiana
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Vacherie, Louisiana
- New Orleans, Louisiana
Each stop offered about a half dozen or more shore excursions, many of them complimentary with others reasonably priced. For example, a tour of Houmas House and Gardens, a 19th-century sugarcane plantation in Vacherie, cost $45. Often, passengers would take a complimentary tour in the morning and another one in the afternoon.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 17 Houmas House and Gardens in Vacherie on Mississippi River cruises](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/21.jpeg)
Houmas House and Gardens in Vacherie. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
A big plus was the hop-on hop-off cruise coach which would ride to the main stops in a new destination. A local guide aboard the bus pointed out sights and shared history of our destination.
I liked to ride the whole loop, then start the ride over again and get off for the places I wanted to visit. The cruise coach usually came around again in about a half hour.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 18 Cajun music on a shore excursion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/19.jpeg)
Cajun music on a shore excursion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Learning American History, Intriguing Tidbits
Since it would take me reams of words to describe what I saw and learned on my cruise shore excursions, I’ll just share a couple of them. You can learn more by taking the same Lower Mississippi River cruise I did.
At Vicksburg National Military Park, I heard the story of Old Abe, the eagle whose scary screech led his Wisconsin regiment into battle during the Civil War. His figure rests atop the Wisconsin State Memorial monument.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 19 Civil war monument in Vicksburg on Mississippi River cruises](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/25.jpeg)
Civil war monument in Vicksburg. * Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
In 1921, Old Abe was honored as the bald eagle on a black shield insignia of the 101st Airborne Division Air Assault. The 101st Airborne also is nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles” as a salute to Old Abe.
As a bit of trivia, perhaps the most famous 101st Airborne Division alum is also one of the greatest guitarists ever.
Enlisting when he was 19 years old, Jimi Hendrix served with the 101st for about a year before he was honorably discharged from the Army in 1962.
The rest, of course, is history.
How Teddy Bears Got Their Name
Elvis Presley sang about them. My little sisters had them propped up on their beds. But it was on my riverboat cruise that I learned the true history behind the ubiquitous teddy bears.
Once upon a time, President Teddy Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino to go hunting in the woods about 25 miles north of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The men set out for a four-day hunt on a fine November day in 1902.
However, big game hunter Teddy had no luck tracking a bear. Not wanting the president to be disappointed, his assistants cornered and tied a black bear to a willow tree. Summoning the president, the men signaled for him to shoot the captive animal. Viewing it as extremely unsportsmanlike, the nation’s leader refused to kill the bear.
Hearing about the story, political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew a sketch of Teddy Roosevelt with a little bear tied to a tree and the caption “Drawing the line in Mississippi.”
Soon toy manufacturers were producing “Teddy’s Bears” in honor of the event. The stuffed toys were later called teddy bears and of course are still around today.
That fascinating bit of trivia is featured on Vicksburg’s Riverfront Murals, 32 murals painted on the city’s flood wall by renowned artist Robert Dafford. Each mural measures a huge 12-by-20 and was paid for with private funds. Not bad for a city with a population of about 21,000.
![Mississippi River Boat Cruise on the Lower Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans in a Solo Cabin Aboard American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage 20 Vicksburg’s Riverfront Murals](https://quirkycruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20.jpeg)
Vicksburg’s Riverfront Murals. * Photo: Photo: Jackie Sheckler Finch
Disembarking American Heritage
Disembarking American Heritage was as simple as it was boarding. My luggage was picked up and put on the motorcoach for a complimentary ride to New Orleans airport while I ate breakfast and bid farewell to my newfound friends.
I Recommend the American Heritage for Mississippi River Boat Cruises
As for whether I would recommend the American Heritage — definitely. Not just because the ship is a beauty, which it is, but mainly because of the crew.
No matter how top-notch a ship is and how yummy the food or how good the shipboard entertainment, if the ship’s crew is lazy, surly or nowhere to be found — the cruise is a waste.
The crew of the American Heritage — from captain to cabin attendant — was friendly, efficient, caring and downright excellent.
As a solo traveler, I have many happy memories of my cruise, my fellow passengers and the adventures we shared.
READ MORE: Here are some pros and cons of cruising solo (there are lots of pros!)
Included in Cruise Fares:
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- All meals (no specialty restaurants or added costs)
- All ship gratuities.
- Pre-cruise hotel stay
- Most shore excursions
- WiFi Internet
- Entertainment and riverlorian presentations
Interested in Lower Mississippi River Boat Cruises?
A single occupancy stateroom with balcony like mine starts at $6,585, while a double occupancy room with balcony starts at $4,925 per person. Prices may change depending on the season. Airfare is sometimes included on special cruises.
Check out more details about this Lower Mississippi River cruise HERE.
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