Celebrity to double river cruise fleet to 20 ships

Celebrity River Cruises, the newly launched river division of Celebrity Cruises, is set 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 (AED10,910) per person for a six-night Danube cruise between Nuremberg and Vienna on Celebrity Compass departing on 16 November, 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.

 

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Jason Liberty, Chairman and CEO 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. 

 

“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.”

 

To book Celebrity Cruises sailings, call UAE +971 4 331 4299, KSA 800 897 1419, email book@rccl.ae or visit www.celebritycruises.ae 

 

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Supporting the growth of the cruise industry, Connections Cruise Arabia will return to Dubai in the UAE in 2026, following the success of the inaugural edition in 2025. The two-day event, taking place from 28 to 29 September, will welcome more than 500 travel trade professionals from across the global cruise ecosystem. To register your interest in attending, contact Connections.