(Davenport, IA) — Iowa may not be at the top of the list of cruise ship destinations — but hundreds of people will be visiting on Mississippi River cruises this year. Steve Ahrens is the executive officer of the Riverfront Improvement Commission in Davenport, which greets the passengers during stops. He says, “here they are having sort of that Mark Twain-esque kind of experience — and a little bit of that whole that Midwest, nice kind of hospitality that goes with it.” The American Cruise Line has been traveling the Mississippi for 15 years, and its American Melody boat made its first stop along Davenport’s riverfront Sunday. The Viking Cruise Line is starting its first North American trips on the Mississippi River later this year.
