WINONA, Minn. – The scheduled Winona stop of the cruise boat American Splendor on Sunday has been cancelled. The owner, American Cruise Lines, wanted to hasten the ship’s voyage back to its New Orleans home port. There appears to be a growing risk of vessels becoming grounding in shallow points due to droughts that have slowed tributary flows into the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. The river already has been clogged with hundreds of barges getting hung up.
American Splendor. The paddle-wheeler made Winona calls on August 11 on a cruise to St. Paul and on August 17 on its way back downriver. The ship also stopped in Winona on October 20 heading upriver but will paddle right by this Sunday on its way back to New Orleans.
Tourist revenue
The Winona tourism economy has been building on a growing number of river cruise boat visits. The American Splendor carries 185 passengers who are free to disembark and roam the city and spend money. This season 31 cruise boat visits were scheduled — a record since the long-ago heyday of river travel.