Celebrity to Launch River Cruises With 10 New Ships

Today, Celebrity Cruise Line announced that it will be entering the river cruise market with the launch of Celebrity River Cruises. These premium cruises will launch in 2027.

Celebrity River Cruises Will Have 10 New Ships

To kick off this initiative, Celebrity has signed an initial order for 10 new ships. While this may sound like a lot, it’s worth noting that river cruise ships are much smaller than their ocean-faring counterparts. Viking River Cruises, perhaps the most well-known brand in the river cruise industry, operates over 70 ships. These ships typically have just 95 cabins, accommodating a maximum of 190 guests.

Celebrity hasn’t released details about what their ships will look like but indicated they will “bring the elevated design and sophistication of the Edge Series ocean ships to the river.” This likely means continuing the styling and artistic beauty of the Edge Class ships on a smaller scale. While the signature feature of Edge Class ships, the Magic Carpet, may not be necessary for river cruising, the Infinity Verandas that debuted on the Celebrity Edge could find their way into this new design.

Celebrity ordered the ships from TeamCo Shipyard, the company that’s built river ships for cruise lines like Amawaterways and Emerald Cruises.

River Cruises Offer Access to More Unique and Immersive Itineraries

Anyone who has sailed a cruise ship to Europe or the Mediterranean knows that one of the biggest downsides to ocean cruising in this region is the distance to many ports of call. For example, Rome is about an hour from its nearest cruise port, Civitavecchia, while Florence is an hour and a half from the port of Livorno.

River cruises, however, allow travelers to sail directly into the heart of a city, giving them more time to explore the rich culture of their destination and less time on a tour bus. These smaller ships can easily access cities like Paris, Normandy, and Lisbon.

Celebrity River Cruises Will Start in Europe

Exactly itineraries and dates have not been released yet, but the President of Celebrity Cruises, Laura Hodges Bethge, indicated that the line will start in Europe. She said, “We are thrilled to bring these experiences to the river and combine them with authentic, destination-rich itineraries that will give our guests an experience unlike any other.”

Expanding Celebrity’s Reach

Royal Caribbean Group’s CEO, Jason Liberty, noted, “about half of our guests having experienced or intending to vacation on a river cruise.” For Celebrity, this represents a missed opportunity, as it means many loyal guests have turned to other river cruise lines. While Celebrity does operate smaller, purpose-built ships in the Galapagos, this new fleet will mark the line’s first attempt to capture the growing river cruise market.

More Details to Come

Celebrity indicated that bookings will open sometime this year. We’ll get more information on the fleet, destinations, and ship size in the coming months. Stay up to date by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, or subscribing to our monthly newsletter.