Celebrity River Cruises has confirmed plans for 10 additional newbuild vessels, a program that will bring its European river fleet to 20 ships by 2031.
The announcement coincides with the formal start of construction, marked by the first steel cutting for Celebrity Compass, the brand’s first riverboat.
Once delivered, the expanded 20-boat fleet will position Celebrity River Cruises among the largest operators in the European river cruise market, significantly broadening its range of itineraries and destinations. In parallel with the fleet news, the company has opened reservations for its 2028 season, which represents an 80% increase in European destinations compared with its first year of operations in 2027.
The 2028 program comprises 160+ sailings calling at 50+ European destinations. Scheduled itineraries include voyages on the Rhine through Alsace’s wine country, Danube sailings to Budapest and its historic market halls, and routes that allow guests to begin a day in Prague and conclude it in Vienna. Celebrity River Cruises is scheduled to debut in 2027 with Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, followed in 2028 by Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless.
Royal Caribbean Group (Celebrity's parent company) chairman and CEO Jason Liberty noted that demand for Celebrity River Cruises had surpassed initial expectations, prompting the decision to accelerate fleet growth. He indicated that the expansion would allow the brand to reach a wider audience while extending the Celebrity experience onto Europe’s major rivers, reinforcing the group’s broader strategy of offering guests a more connected and varied portfolio of vacation options.
Celebrity's president, Laura Hodges Bethg,e pointed to the rapid sell-out of the inaugural 2027 river season, which she said reflected strong interest in the company’s service standards and hospitality. She explained that opening the 2028 season, with 5 ships, substantially more destinations and over 160 itineraries, was a direct response to that demand and created additional opportunities to experience Europe by river under the Celebrity banner.
The 2028 itineraries will add 24 ports, including routes on the Lower Danube featuring a Celebrity-first overnight land stay in Bucharest, designed to connect river cruising with deeper exploration ashore. The season will also expand offerings around spring tulip blooms and winter Christmas market voyages.
Lower Danube itineraries will operate on six sailings, travelling from Bucharest through the Iron Gates gorge and into destinations where natural scenery and regional history intersect, with overnight stays in the Romanian capital either before or after the river journey. On the Rhine, more than 60 sailings are planned between Basel and Amsterdam, passing through traditional river towns such as Strasbourg, Breisach, and Rüdesheim amid vineyard-covered hills and castle-lined banks. Upper Danube routes will link Regensburg or Nuremberg with Budapest, calling in Germany, Austria, and Hungary, with selected departures timed to coincide with the Gäuboden Festival in Straubing.
Seasonal programs include Dutch tulip (spring-time) cruises between Brussels and Amsterdam during peak spring bloom, incorporating visits to Keukenhof Gardens, Kinderdijk, and Maastricht, as well as Christmas Market sailings along the Rhine between Basel and Amsterdam, calling at festive cities and villages such as Mainz, Strasbourg, and Heidelberg.
All 2028 Celebrity River Cruises sailings are now open for booking.