Celebrity Cruises Makes Waves: Ocean Cruise Line Enters the River Cruise Market

Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker will be Celebrity River Cruises' first two ships to sail the iconic rivers of Europe.

As avid cruise enthusiasts who have sailed with Celebrity Cruises numerous times, we were thrilled to hear the early 2025 announcement that Celebrity Cruises is venturing into river cruising. As more news is released, things continue to become ever-more-exciting as the countdown continues to Celebrity River Cruises' 2027 premiere.

Celebrity Cruise Loyalty Captures River Cruisers' Hearts

We've had the pleasure of experiencing Celebrity Cruises' exceptional service on a voyage to Alaska on Celebrity Edge, aboard the stunning Celebrity Beyond after its debut, and on Celebrity Apex in the Caribbean. Each experience has solidified our appreciation for Celebrity's commitment to premium cruising.

Celebrity River Cruises has us genuinely excited about what's to come—especially as small ship cruise enthusiasts. The marriage of this brand, which cruisers like us know and trust, with the small-ship cruising world's most popular format—river cruising—has our attention.

Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Club Will Apply to River Cruises

An interesting aspect of Celebrity River Cruises is that it can leverage Royal Caribbean Group's existing loyalty programs. Liberty mentioned that “by leveraging our valuable loyalty programs across our three brands, we will deepen customer engagement and further our ability to keep guests within our ecosystem of vacation offerings.”

Good news: Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Club members’ loyalty tiers extend to river vacations. This gives guests access to new and different rewards, recognition, and elevated experiences. Members can earn 8 to 18 points per night on river vacations. More details on tier benefits will be shared in 2026.

This makes river cruises more attractive and accessible to Celebrity's existing customer base. This cross-pollination between ocean and river cruising will likely entice ocean cruisers who have never considered river cruising to give it a try, a goal we've supported here, on Sometimes Sailing, and on our podcast, Small Ship Cruise Talk.

An increase in river cruisers and more eyes on the small ship cruise industry is an exciting prospect.

Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises, said, “With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to take a river cruise, we know guests are going to love sailing Europe’s Rhine and Danube rivers The Celebrity Way on our fleet of elevated, cutting-edge ships.”

A Bold New Direction for Celebrity Cruise Line & Ocean Cruisers

Celebrity River Cruises is a premium river cruise vacation option. With an initial order of 10 ships, Celebrity River Cruises will focus on Europe's iconic rivers, with sailings commencing in 2027. This move represents a significant expansion for Celebrity, which has built its reputation on ocean cruising.

Itineraries will cover the Danube River and Rhine River, competing with cruise lines like Viking, AmaWaterways, and Riverside Luxury Cruises.

Booking Celebrity River Cruises: Deposits and Schedules

Celebrity River Cruises pre-bookings were available September 3, 2025, 9:00 am EST, just after Labor Day. There's nothing like coming off a holiday weekend in the United States to start dreaming about your next vacation!

The cruise line will operate 33 sailings in its first year. Starting in 2026, you will have the option to add a pre- or post-cruise extension in Prague and Budapest. Contact our preferred travel advisors ASAP to book for your chosen dates and itinerary.

“We are excited to offer guests the chance to experience the first-ever Celebrity River Cruises vacations in 2027 with Priority Booking Access,” shares Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises. “Guests will enjoy the warm hospitality Celebrity is known for, on innovative ships, with land experiences unlike any other, as we set sail on Europe’s iconic Danube and Rhine rivers.”

Celebrity Cruises announced in an email to its cruisers that access was limited, stating that “Priority Booking Access” comes with a $500 refundable deposit per stateroom. Though the spaces sold out in six minutes, a few weeks later, news debuted that additional 2027 bookings would be available on September 25, 2025, with Celebrity River Cruises opening its remaining inventory on its inaugural sailings to the public—those sold out as well.

The number of booking spaces available was undisclosed, but it bodes well for the cruise line and the demand surrounding the hoopla. It's warranted, of course, since we can imagine that many former hesitant river cruisers were waiting for their favorite ocean cruise line to venture into small ship cruising. Now, they likely feel comfortable trying something new with their preferred cruise line, which they know and trust.

Edge Series Innovation Comes to the Rivers

What makes Celebrity River Cruises particularly exciting is the promise that the cruise line will bring its innovative design elements of its Edge Series to the river. Having experienced Edge-class ships firsthand, we can attest to how these vessels have revolutionized ocean cruising with their contemporary aesthetic, thoughtful layout, and attention to detail.

The ships literally bring cruisers closer to the edge, with more windows than other ships and a literal architectural element called the Magic Carpet, which brings guests over the edge of the water. This was particularly key to maximizing our glacier experience while cruising with Celebrity in Alaska.

Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group (Celebrity's parent company), emphasized that they intend to “innovate and elevate the river cruise experience” to meet growing demand for intimate, culturally enriching travel experiences. Celebrity doesn't want to simply enter the river cruise market – it wants to reimagine it.

As we predicted, Celebrity River Cruises has confirmed a similar revolutionary aspect of Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, with the Magic Edge, the first-ever cantilevered dining pods.

We cannot wait to experience these pods, having enjoyed spaces like the Aquavit Terrace on Viking ships and Al Fresco on AmaWaterways' AmaMagna ship. These spaces feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows that evoke the innovative glass panels on Celebrity's Edge series of ships.

We hope the Magic Edge pods are worthy of our awe once they are realized.

Eight Onboard Restaurants and Bars with Celebrity Classics

One of the reasons we've gravitated toward Celebrity for ocean cruises is its commitment to exceptional dining experiences and sophisticated ambiance.

Hodges Bethge said, “Celebrity River Cruises will bring the quality and sophistication of our Edge Series ocean ships to the most iconic rivers, starting with Europe.” She highlighted that the new river cruises will feature the same best-in-class hospitality, award-winning food and beverage experiences, and elevated design that have become hallmarks of the Celebrity brand.

Celebrity River Cruises will have eight onboard restaurants and bars, including beloved spaces like the Martini Bar (a personal favorite), Sunset Bar, and Café Al Bacio. Breakfast room service will be complimentary. All-day room service offers 24/7 meal options. Since they mentioned that suite-class guests will get complimentary room service, our prediction is that beyond breakfast, there will be a fee for room service if you are not in a suite.

Bringing this same approach to river cruising is setting Celebrity Cruises apart in a market that's already quite competitive.

Forward-Thinking Staterooms and Onboard Amenities

We love how cosmopolitan Celebrity's ocean ships are. For the river cruise industry, which has skewed a bit younger than guests in their 70s or older in recent decades, we adore the design aesthetics of Celebrity cruise ships; they resonate with us. They beckon us to cruise. And if the renderings are any indication, they're going to please all ages with classic neutral colors and plush finishes.

In addition to the Magic Edge, two additional onboard amenities piqued our interest: an infinity-edge plunge pool and skylights in the first-ever Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites. These suites feature a separate living area and a ceiling window for unbeatable natural light.

Lounges look sleek and sexy, and the sky deck in intriguing with umbrellas that will provide shade but also make us raise an eyebrow, wondering how the crew will be able to lower them in a jiffy as needed to pass under low-clearance bridges, which is commonplace in river cruising. We shall see.

Stateroom Categories & Features

Let's dive deeper into staterooms. There will be king-sized beds in every stateroom and spacious balconies. Celebrity River Cruises promised that five boutique stateroom categories will be bathed in natural light and deeply connected to surroundings, with the most in-room amenities on the river.

All guests enjoy complimentary stocked mini bars, luxury linens, bedding, bathrobes, and slippers. Suite guests will have a dedicated, on-demand butler through “Butler Chat,” complimentary exclusive dining, room service, and happy hour experiences, complimentary laundry once each sailing, and priority booking for shore excursions.

• Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites feature a separate living area and a ceiling window for unbeatable natural light.
• Vista Balcony Suites and Balcony staterooms offer private balconies with an enhanced design for more usable outdoor space.
• Infinite Balcony staterooms are likely similar to panoramic balconies found on Celebrity Edge-class ships. Riverside Luxury Cruises, Emerald Cruises and other river cruise lines have similar balconies.
• The cruise line has not explicitly stated that River View staterooms do not have balconies, but the name and renderings indicate such.

Potential Impact on the River Cruise Industry

Established players, such as Viking, AmaWaterways, Avalon, and Uniworld, have long dominated the river cruise industry. Celebrity's entry into this space could be a disruptive force that prompts innovation across the board.

It reminds us of the competition between Disney and Universal theme parks: when one park announces a new attraction or park, the other must up the ante to attract guests and capture their dollars. Competition is healthy and forces each business to improve its offerings.

With the backing of Royal Caribbean Group's considerable resources and Celebrity's track record of design innovation, the cruise line announced its ships will be equipped with the best-in-class hybrid propulsion system, as well as waste management systems, alongside advanced technology to reduce noise and vibration. River cruise ships are not noisy beings as it is, but any technology to minimize any noise, anywhere, is good in my book.

Cultural Immersion: The Celebrity Way

Celebrity River Cruises has promised that the Danube River cruises will take guests through Budapest at night, to see the illuminated buildings along the river, and sail the Wachau Valley. These are not new concepts; every river cruise itinerary on the Danube sailing these spots hits the highlights regardless of which cruise line you sail with.

There is no lack of local experience options among the offerings from existing river cruise lines, whether it's wine tasting during a cruise in Portugal along the Douro River or experiencing a private concert in Vienna during a sailing on the Danube River. We've enjoyed all these experiences firsthand and then some.

However, can Celebrity Cruises make these experiences even more immersive?

Our hope is that Celebrity River Cruises goes beyond the expected and excels with its brand power. For example, they announced that breakfasts will feature locally-baked breakfast pastries, but will what transpires align with that promise when, operationally, it's easier to bake bread in the onboard galley each day?

Additionally, guests can look forward to destination-driven in-room amenities. We're looking forward to seeing what that means. Will it be bath products from the famous baths of Budapest?

A company we adore that excels in focusing locally is land-based tour operators Devour and Walks. We always seek out the experiences of these two companies when we travel on a pre- or post-cruise land trip because they truly support small businesses. If their company model can be integrated with the power of a brand like Celebrity Cruises, why not?

What intrigues us is the promise to deliver these experiences “The Celebrity Way.” Based on our previous sailings with Celebrity, this could indicate a balance of luxury with authenticity at more competitive prices.

Although the nature of ocean cruise ship excursions and the sheer volume of people they need to accommodate do not necessarily allow for an abundance of intimate and non-touristy experiences, we hope that Celebrity River Cruises can create sophisticated experiences that don't feel manufactured or touristy within its river cruise line.

A Growing Trend in Premium Travel

Celebrity's entry into river cruising comes at a time when demand for premium travel experiences is surging. As travelers increasingly seek out meaningful, culturally rich vacations, river cruising has gained popularity for its ability to deliver intimate access to historic destinations without the logistical challenges of constant packing and unpacking.

By bringing its ocean cruise expertise to the rivers, Celebrity is positioning itself to capture a segment of travelers who desire premium experiences but may have previously overlooked river cruising as an option. Liberty noted that about half of Celebrity's guests have either experienced or intend to take a river cruise, indicating a substantial overlap in interest.

What To Expect from Future News About Celebrity River Cruises

What we know so far about Celebrity River Cruises is that they will include all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Wi-Fi, onboard experiences, and one shore excursion per day.

Suite guests will have access to priority excursion bookings, but the exact details of this benefit are yet to be determined. After all, river cruisers aren't competing with thousands of other guests—fewer than 200 other passengers, actually. However, if an exclusive off-ship dinner, available only one evening, has room for only 12 people, such as the famous port wine dinner in Porto that Viking offers, priority booking is a significant advantage.

Still forthcoming is the pricing structure that Celebrity River Cruises will implement: the average total cost of the cruises, solo supplement costs, and the payment structure.

Our Take: A Promising Development to Keep Your Eyes & Ears On

As Celebrity cruisers and small ship enthusiasts, we're genuinely excited about this news. The river cruise market has been ripe for innovation, and Celebrity's entry is already proving to bring fresh perspectives and elevated experiences to the small ship cruise world.

Will Celebrity River Cruises be a disruptor that fundamentally changes river cruising? Will the announcement end up being something to talk about in a positive or negative way when the ships debut?

What we do know is that Celebrity's commitment to premium design and experiences, combined with the intimate nature of river cruising, has the potential to create something truly special. The prospect of experiencing Europe's historic waterways with Celebrity's signature attention to detail and service is enticing.

For now, we'll be eagerly awaiting more details about ship designs, itineraries, and bookings. As devoted fans of the brand, we're certainly planning to be among the first to experience this new chapter in Celebrity's story.