Want to catch a view of Viking Mississippi? Here’s when it will likely arrive in St. Paul
When the Viking Mississippi sails into St. Paul’s Lambert’s Landing on Saturday morning, there’s a good chance it will beat sunrise. The 386-passenger cruise ship — the first luxury liner in downtown St. Paul in roughly a decade — could float in by 6 or 7 a.m., if not earlier, sailing out again on its inaugural trip toward St. Louis at 10 p.m.
“Exact timing when the ship will arrive in St. Paul is TBD (to be determined),” said Tara Denney, a spokesperson for the cruise line, in an email, “but what I can share to help is that disembarkation … is normally complete by 8 a.m.”
Denney said media photographers and other gawkers aren’t yet welcome on board, but the opportunity could arise in the future.
In St. Paul, tourism officials have waited for years for Viking to make good on its February 2015 announcement that it would soon be sailing from New Orleans toward the Mississippi River headwaters. Plans were delayed on multiple fronts, including U.S. maritime law — which required Viking to operate through a U.S. affiliate — to supply-chain challenges related to the pandemic.
Constructed in 2022 and purpose-built for the Mississippi River, the luxury river cruise ship hosts up to 386 passengers and 148 crew members. It measures 450 feet in length, 75 feet in width at the beam, or widest point, five decks and 193 all outwardly-facing staterooms, including 40 penthouse and junior penthouse suites.
Situated at the front of the boat is the “Aquavit Terrace,” a sunlit dining area ringed by 180 degrees of floor-to-ceiling glass doors.
With operations based in Basel, Switzerland and a marketing office in Los Angeles, Calif., Viking offers ocean and river cruises on all seven continents, with trips including the Nile, Mekong and Mississippi rivers. The company was founded in 1997.
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