Celebrity River Cruises to double planned fleet to 20 ships

Celebrity River Cruises is to double its planned river cruise ship fleet to 20 vessels.

The ambitious growth plans by the river cruise new entrant will see an additional 10 ships built by 2031.

The expansion will enable the sector challenger, which makes its debut sailing in 2027, to become one of the largest European river cruise operators. 

The commitment for additional capacity for an undisclosed sum came as steel was cut for the line’s debut river ship Celebrity Compass. 

The company also opened bookings for its 2028 season covering more than 160 sailings to over 50 destinations across Europe. 

Sample lead-in prices start at £2,152 per person for a six-night Danube cruise between Nuremberg and Vienna on Celebrity Compass departing on November 16, 2028.

Celebrity River Cruises enters the market in August 2027 with Celebrity Compass, then Celebrity Seeker. Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless are due to join the fleet in 2028. Timelines for delivery of the further ships are still to be confirmed.

The ships are being purpose built at the TeamCo shipyard in Amsterdam.

Jason Liberty, chairman and chief executive of parent company Royal Caribbean Group, said: “Guest demand for Celebrity River Cruises has exceeded our expectations, and expanding the fleet allows us to bring this highly anticipated experience to even more travellers. 

“Whether guests already love the Celebrity experience or are discovering it for the first time, they now have new ways to enjoy it along some of Europe’s most iconic rivers. 

“With Celebrity’s expansion into river, we’re strengthening our connected vacation ecosystem, offering more choice, more access, and more reasons for guests to stay with us - turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations.”

Celebrity Cruise president Laura Hodges Bethge added: “Our inaugural 2027 Celebrity River Cruises season sold out in under six minutes - a testament to how much guests value the unmatched hospitality and service Celebrity delivers. 

“To meet this extraordinary demand, we’re thrilled to open 2028 sailings featuring 80% more European destinations, five ships and more than 160 itineraries.”