'It's just beautiful': Viking Mississippi cruise ship finally arrives in Burlington, to delight of locals

Michaele Niehaus, The Hawk Eye
·6 min read
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Burlington's riverfront took on a celebratory tone early Thursday as residents gathered to check out Viking Cruises' newest ship and greet its guests.

"The Vikings are finally here," Greater Burlington Partnership President and CEO Della Schmidt said before enthusiastically welcoming a Viking guest. "It's fabulous to see."

The five-deck, 193-room Viking Mississippi initially had been scheduled to arrive in Burlington on June 18, but supply-chain issues pushed back completion of the ship, resulting in several postponements of its maiden voyage.

"Some of the materials, due to (Hurricane) Ida, were damaged and we had to get new materials in, and with everything going on with COVID, getting everything is kind of slow," Andrew Boudreaux of Houma, Louisiana, explained.

He and Clarence Ward of Thibodeaux, Louisiana, work for LA Ship, the company tasked with building Viking, and rode the new vessel up to St. Paul, Minnesota, where its first cruise passengers boarded, before riding it back downriver.

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"We're here just to make sure everything works properly and repair the vessel if anything happens," Boudreaux said. "So far, so good."

Cruise ship arrives early: 'It's very European, very sleek'

Despite the delays, the Viking Mississippi arrived in Burlington slightly ahead of schedule. Initially expected to enter Burlington's waters between 7:30 and 8 a.m., a horn announcing its arrival sounded at about 6 a.m.

"It threw me a bit," said Vicky Krause, a New Zealand native and Burlington resident who came ready to greet Viking guests with a flag and chair. "We live up on the bluff and can see it from there. It's exciting for Burlington, isn't it? It's brand new and it's just beautiful."

While non-passengers were not permitted on the ship while it was docked, Krause had viewed the interior via a virtual tour of the Viking Mississippi beforehand.

"It's very European, very sleek, and lots of wood," Krause said.

Toward the front of the ship, Christine Williamson posed for a photo, holding up a bright yellow shirt displaying the words: "Ask Me!"

Williamson was among a handful of volunteers who waited to greet guests outside, while others waited inside the Port of Burlington.

"I absolutely love Burlington and bragging about it to everybody around the world," Williamson said, remarking on the art center, Snake Alley, downtown shops, restaurants and other Burlington attractions. "Our Jefferson Street shopping district is a fun place to visit. I love to shop there."

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Williamson also has been a Viking passenger, having enjoyed three of its cruises in Europe.

"Now I want to be a part of Viking from the land side," she said.

Ambassadors show off Burlington: 'It's a beautiful day'

Taking her photo was Jerry Johnson, who was not there in an official volunteer capacity due to a scheduling conflict. Still, he planned to be in the downtown area later in the day to answer any questions Viking guests may have.

"I'm on the Downtown Partners board, so I just wanted to come see it, first of all, because we've been talking about it for years," he said. "And I, too, like Christine, like to talk about and show off Burlington. We're pretty proud of it."

Johnson has been working behind the scenes with downtown merchants to help them show off their businesses to the first group of what are intended to be many Viking guests.

"We've even gone to shops to make sure, if they are interested, that they have light, flat merchandise, things that can be put into suitcases easily. And a lot of it is Burlington, Iowa, specific," he said. "It's a beautiful day, and the people of Burlington should be very proud of their city, all that they've done to get ready for this."

The passengers aboard the Viking Mississippi seemed eager to take in what southeast Iowa and west central Illinois have to offer.

"We're so pleased to be here," Sherry Kennedy of Colorado Springs said after being greeted by Greater Burlington Partnership ambassadors Renee Zaiser and Lois Sirek.. "It's a beautiful city."

Passengers spread out for excursions: 'The townspeople have shown up'

It was Kennedy's seventh Viking cruise, but her first in the U.S. She had hoped to travel the length of the Mississippi River aboard the ship, but the full river cruises were sold out two years ago, so she split the journey in two, touring the Upper Mississippi this fall and saving the Heart of Delta cruise from Memphis to New Orleans for December.

She said she's been enjoying the cruise, as well as the people she's met along the way.

"Every port we've been to, the townspeople have shown up," Kennedy said. "We went through a port at 9 p.m. and there were cars lined up with their headlights to watch us go through. It's been overwhelmingly gracious by the communities. They're so happy to see us, and we're equally as happy to see them. We've had little bands come out and people along the shorelines waving welcome. And of course we're all on our little balconies waving, and boats coming alongside the ship."

As she made her way to a bus waiting to take her to Nauvoo, Illinois, a group of Burlington Municipal Band members performed not far from the ship.

"My roommate is a Mormon historian, so I know all about it before I get there," she said.

The Historic Nauvoo excursion is one of six available to Viking guests during Burlington dockings:

  • Historic Burlington consists of a 3.5-hour motor coach tour whose visits will include Mosquito Park, the Garrett-Phelps House Museum and Snake Alley;

  • Art Around Burlington, a 3.5-hour excursion featuring Cecile Houel's art studio and the Art Center of Burlington;

  • Flavors of the Midwest, a 5.5-hour excursion whose stops will include Parkside Brewing Co., Lindon Wines, Wildlife Lakes Elk Farm and The Drake;

  • Old Fort Madison, a 2.5-hour excursion that will take passengers to the upper Mississippi River Valley's oldest military garrison in Fort Madison as well as a cemetery where 22 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians are buried;

  • Hinterland Dairy, a 3.5-hour excursion to a family-owned and -operated dairy farm in Donnellson; and

  • Historic Nauvoo, a three-hour, 45-minute excursion to Nauvoo, Illinois, where Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints founder Joseph Smith and his followers settled in 1839.

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Bob and Karen Brannon, Lee County natives who now live in Denton, Texas, had initially planned to go on the Old Fort Madison excursion, but instead opted to spend time with Karen's sister, who traveled from Fort Madison to visit them in Burlington.

"Because we didn't know how long we were going to be in Burlington, we thought we'd better meet in Burlington," Karen said. "We wish we'd have longer at the ports."

The Viking Mississippi set sail for St. Louis at about 1 p.m. It's next scheduled docking in Burlington will be Sept. 22.

Editor's note: This report has been corrected to state that Viking's next docking in Burlington is scheduled for Sept. 22.

Michaele Niehaus covers business, development, environment and agriculture for The Hawk Eye. She can be reached at mniehaus@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Viking Mississippi docks in Burlington, Iowa, for first time