We chose this cruise because we wanted to go with some friends over the New Year Holiday. We were also attracted by the history orientation of the cruise. Great lectures by Bill, the river historian. He is truthfully amazing in his knowledge of river history. He really made a difference in understanding the lower Mississippi. We really enjoyed the cocktail hour before dinner. The boat was hospitable. I would rate the food as very good. Another fun thing that they served regional food. The service on the boat was outstanding. All staff were very accommodating and in at least two instances went out of their way to provide extra service. I knew when we were in good shape we arrived at the boat and we had forgotten to put our luggage tags on and one of the staff told us not bother - just let him know our cabin number and name and point out our luggage and he would take it from there. No longer than 10 minutes after we checked in our luggage arrived in our room. But this was not exceptional - this was typical of the behavior of the entire staff. We were pleased that we were only charged for one tour, all the rest were included in price of the cruise. All of us in our party had a great time.