Viking River Cruises, a major European river cruise company, is coming to the United States - in particular New Orleans and the Mississippi River.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, along with Viking Cruise officials, have announced that New Orleans will be the first North American home port for the cruise line.

Viking is expected to begin offering cruises from New Orleans in 2017.  Cruises will head north to Memphis, St. Louis and St. Paul, Minnesota, depending on the season.  The company plans to initially build six boats capable of holding up to 300 passengers for the new American cruises.

Viking currently runs tours mainly in Europe and Asia. Recently however, river cruising in general has exploded in popularity across the world - resulting in the company deciding to expand into the United States.

(Source: Associated Press)

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