Traditional cruises on the Mississippi River in old-fashioned paddle-wheelers ended in 2009. The companies that owned the classic boats such as the Delta Queen and the newer Mississippi Queen stopped running tours that included overnight accommodations on the boat. Today, the only paddle-wheel cruises available are day and evening cruises and overnight cruises where the passengers stay in riverbank hotels at night. It is still possible to spend time on the river aboard an old-fashioned paddle-wheeler.
Write down your ideas for the kind of riverboat experience you want. Do you want a day tour or night tour? Do you want to ride on an antique paddle-wheeler or is a replica okay? Do you want to dine on the tour? Are you interested in an overnight cruise? What time of year do you want to take the cruise? Will the trip be on the northern, central of southern part of the Mississippi?
Run an Internet search for paddle-wheelers. Choose sites that advertise boat operators on the part of the river you wish to see. Run a search for paddle-wheelers plus the geographic area. For example, run a search on "St. Louis paddle-wheelers." Select websites sponsored by local tour boards or official city sites.
Follow links to the paddle-wheeler operators. Read about the operators at their own websites. Run a separate search engine query on the paddle-wheeler operator to see what others have to say about the company. Look for reviews of the operator from former passengers on Internet forums.
Call the tour operator that seems most appropriate for your trip. Ask for someone who has time to answer your questions about the cruises they offer. Ask about the boat's history, the captain's experience and the sights you will see. Find out about hours of operation, days the tours run and where they launch. If you will be taking a dinner tour find out about the menu and entertainment. Check out the costs. Book the reservation if needed when you are satisfied it is the right one.
