Celebrity Cruises chief says river ships will be ‘mini Edge-class’ vessels

Celebrity Cruises’ river ships will be “miniature Edge-class” vessels, according to the line’s president Laura Hodges Bethge.

Hodges Bethge said the river ships would feature a “beautiful Sunset Bar like there is at the aft of Edge-class ocean ships, a miniature martini bar which is in the atrium of the Edge class ocean vessels, plus a Cafe al Bacio” which she described as a “perfect gathering space” which was an essential inclusion.

Speaking at the naming ceremony of newest Edge-class vessel Celebrity Xcel, Hodges Bethge confirmed The Lawn Club on Celebrity Solstice was being transformed into a space called Sunset Park and she said this would inspire the top decks of the line’s river ships which would feature a “gorgeous bar and grill” and would never close.

“The sophisticated elevated design means we can keep our top decks open even when we’re sailing under bridges,” she added.

Royal Caribbean Group chairman Jason Liberty said the reason the first release of tickets for Celebrity’s first two river vessels sold out so quickly was because the line’s marketing matched its product.

“The expectation is that our river ships are going to look and feel like our product does on the ocean, only smaller,” he added. “We’re also going to go another level on land with our river product. What we offer will be really immersive.”

Hodges Bethge said new river programmes featuring the line’s next three river vessels and those already on-sale would be released at the end of January 2026.

She said travel agents were critical to the brand’s success and in telling Celebrity’s story to customers who had not tried the line before or even experienced a cruise on ocean or river.

She said trade partners had been blown away by the new features on board Celebrity XCel, adding: “It’s been really fun to watch their faces as they have come on board.”