Our room rivaled those in many an upscale hotel. Food and table settings were five-star. The list of activities in our temporary home-away-from-home covered a diversity of interests. We had opportunities to explore inviting towns that provided deep dives into Civil War and other history and to visit magnificent antebellum plantations. Adding to the allure…

I’ve been on several boat trips—a barge cruise in France, a Danube River cruise, a sail along the Nile—and always the accommodations have been lovely. Sometimes very lovely. But it took a Mississippi River cruise from Memphis to New Orleans with American Cruise Lines to reach luxurious. “Stateroom” doesn’t adequately describe the accommodations on the…