American Cruise Lines fleet. The all-steel vessels may lack the charm of much larger paddle-wheelers of yore but operate with far greater efficiencies. The company envisions the whole new-generaio fleet in service by 2027. Alas, not many of e vessels will be assigned to Upper Mississippi trade.
Upper Mississippi a shrinking cruise market
WINONA, Minn. – Only one company is operating Upper Mississippi cruises this season with Winona as a port of call. American Cruise Lines of Guilford, Connecticut, has scheduled only two vessels, American Serenade and a sister ship, American Melody, for Winona dockings. Together they will make only 11Wininevists. A second company, Swiss-owned Viking, also has Upper Mississippi cruises but their nearest 2025 dockings are LaCrosse and Red Wing. Only a few years ago Winona hosted twice as many dockings as there will be this season. Sometimes two vessels tied up simultaneously. Thousands of passengers would be disgorged over the seven-month season for walling trips, shopping and bus rides into the bluffs. The market for Upper Mississippi cruises, however, became saturated. One company, American Queen, went belly-up lastvyear. And merican Cruise Lines, meanwhile, has reassigned vessels to a newer market on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The era of the Mississippi Queen and other huge paddle-wheelers with 400 passengers is over.
Earlier: Viking’s 2025 ports of call exclude Winona
Summer 2025 lineup
American Cruise Line’s tentative 2025 Winona visits:
> June 13: American Melody, 180 passengers, departs St. Paul this date.
> July 4: American Serenade, 180 passengers, departs St. Paul.
> July 11: Serenade departs St. Louis.
> July 14: Serenade departs St. Paul.
> July 18: Serenade departs St. Paul.
> July 25: serenade departs St. Louis.
> August 1: Serenade departs St. Paul
> August 8: Serenade departs St. Louis.
> August 15: Serenade departs St. Paul.
> August 22: Serenade departs St. Louis.
> August 29: Melody departs St. Paul.
The cruises, all nine days, cost $5,100 to $5,600. The first two departures have sold out. There are no October cruises for autumn colors.