13 Winona cruise visits set for 2026
WINONA, Minn. — The river cruise company American Cruise Lines confirmed 13 Levee Park landings this season, The first landing will be at 1 p.m. on June 10. None will be true paddle-wheelers like the days of yore when arrivals of the 472-passenger Mississippi Queen were spectacles.
The Queen, whose crew numbered 57 and which featured a 44-whistle steam calliope was scrapped in 2009. The current fleet includes the 150-passenger American Heritage, which has what’s called “classic paddlewheel aesthetic” but which actually has diesel-powered propellers. The. red” paddles” on the stern are mere show. They are nonfunctional and turned off and on at flick of a toggle. The 2026 Winona landings allow passengers to roam ashore for five hours.
> June 10 : American Melody (180 passengers)
> July 12: American Serenade (180)
> July 16: American Serenade (180)
> July 30: American Serenade (180)
> August 13: American Serenade (180)
> August 20: American Melody (180)
> August 27: American Serenade (180)
> September 3: American Melody (180)
> September 10: American Heritage (150)
> September 17: American Melody (180)
> September 24: American Serenade(180)
> October 1:| American Melody (180)
> October 15: American Melody (180)
Eight days. From New Orleans to St. Paul. Or make it a round trip for double the fare. From $6,200 to $9,900. Dinng with white table cloths.
Alt ports: LaCrose, Red Wing
Swiss-owned Viking Cruise Lines again has skipped Winona as a port of call. Viking, however, will have five 2026 stops 30 mikes downriver in LaCrosse, which has extended its Lake Park wharf to accommodate two cruise ships simultaneously. Viking also has six 2026 stops 60 miles upriver at Red Wing with excursions to the Red Wing Marine Njuseun. American Cruise Lines has 12 at Red Wing stops..