River cruise options in America are expanding, with Viking and American Cruise Lines announcing plans to sail more U.S. rivers.

American Cruise Lines is expanding to the Arkansas River this year with sailings between Memphis and Tulsa, Okla., that will visit Little Rock and other towns not typically associated with river cruises. Next year, Viking will launch two itineraries on the Ohio River that will feature Louisville, Ky., and Memphis among its calls.

"This is a big country, offering tons of waterways and massive geographic diversity for amazing river cruises," said Alexa Paolella, public relations manager at American Cruise Lines.

Travel advisors say the expansion comes as demand for domestic cruises grows among clients who are well traveled and have already taken one, or many, European river cruises.

Most travelers who take a domestic river cruise are seasoned cruisers, not first-timers, said Lisa Collins of Fitzgerald Travel in Spofford, N.H. And they're especially appealing for travelers who don't want to deal with a lengthy flight and burdensome jet lag or have mobility issues that make travel challenging, she said. (River cruises in the U.S. must follow requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act, while that's not the case abroad.)

Also, both Viking and American Cruise Lines attract cruising fans who "jump all over any new destinations we can offer," said Cindy Anderson, a small-ship cruise expert and owner of USA River Cruises in Vancouver, Wash. Many of her clients have sailed on 10 to 20 river cruises.

And U.S. expansion helps fill a gap left by American Queen Voyages when it shuttered in 2024.

"Since American Queen went out of business, we really haven't had options for the Ohio and Arkansas rivers," Collins said. "Memphis and Louisville have always been must-see ports of call, and I love the fact that my clients now have more options to see them."

Must add pizzazz

Even though these expansions will bring travelers to new destinations in the U.S. and advisors say their clients will be eager to experience the itineraries, perception poses a challenge.

Angela Hughes, founder and CEO of Trips & Ships Luxury Travel in Winter Garden, Fla., said despite growing demand for domestic cruises, these locations don't have the same pull and flash of European rivers like the Danube or Rhine.

Hughes said Viking and ACL will have to elevate the storytelling of these destinations. Though many cruisers opt to sail in the U.S. for ease and convenience, their familiarity with the country can dampen excitement.

"The Mississippi River or Columbia River doesn't immediately create desire the way the Danube River does," she said. "Clients feel like they already know the U.S., so they don't see it as something they need to experience in a deeper way."

And though she thinks it might take some effort for cruise lines to create buzz, she is bullish on the expansion, saying that the lines are making a long-term play to expand travel opportunities and develop new markets in the U.S.

"There's definitely curiosity around new rivers and new itineraries," she said. "Clients like the idea of being early to something and experiencing a destination that feels less saturated than the Danube or Rhine. It gives us something fresh to talk about and, from a sales perspective, new stories to tell."

Michele Saegesser, Viking's vice president of sales and national accounts, said many sailing dates for its Mississippi cruises are sold out.

"What is clear is that our guests are drawn to the history, culture and culinary traditions of the destinations they visit," she said, and that includes the U.S.

Viking will lean into its "build it and they will come" strategy by creating demand, said Barbara Henkel, a cruise specialist at Henkel Travel Services in Carlsbad, Calif.