Celebrity River Cruises

Ready to dominate the (river) world in 2027.

Celebrity Cruises is entering the growing river cruise market with an amazing and incredbly hyped launch scheduled for 2027. After conquering Premium Ocean Cruises with their Edge Class ships, they’re packing their bags and launching river cruises exclusively in Europe. I mean, we can’t blame them for getting curious and exploring destinations like the Seine and Rhine, right?

Just so you know, river cruise bookings for 2026 are pacing nearly 30% ahead of 2025, meaning that there is a huge demand for river cruising nowadays. Maybe some guests are giving the Caribbean and Mediterranean a break, or maybe they just need more cruises. Whatever the reason, Celebrity plans to introduce 10 river cruise ships over three years: two ships in 2027, four in 2028, and four more in 2029. They’re coming in strong.

Celebrity's river ships will draw heavy inspiration from their Edge-class ocean ships, promising, elegant designs that established Celebrity as one of the world's best premium cruise lines. The Edge-class introduced features like the Magic Carpet platform, rooftop gardens and infinite verandas. While the Magic Carpet may not translate well to smaller river vessels, Celebrity could very well introduce similar alternatives, like a stationary platform that gets passengers close to the water level, similar to an onboard Marina.

Initial sailings will focus exclusively on Europe and feature popular rivers including the Rhine, Danube, Rhône, and Seine. After checking the waters, there is a good chance that they will expand to the Nile and rivers in North America. Celebrity River Cruising is also bringing their classic Infinite Verandas to their river ships, similar to the Panorama Suites you find on Avalon Waterways. Avalon was probably inspired by the Edge Class ships, so it makes sense that Celebrity uses that design on their river ships as well.

Celebrity River Cruises will also integrate with the Captain's Club loyalty program, offering members discounts and perks across both ocean and river operations. That’s great news if you’ve been sailing with Celebrity for a while, and want to try their top tier service on river cruises in the next few years.

We can’t wait until Celebrity River Cruises launch in 2027. Bookings are available starting right now, and we expect that more destinations and surprises will pop up in the next few months. While we wait, why not explore all the content we have to offer and find out more about the beautiful world of river cruising? You won’t be disappointed.