The French river cruise operator CroisiEurope marked its 50th anniversary with a large-scale celebration held in the port of Strasbourg, France, where approximately 1,200 invited guests gathered for a gala highlighting the company’s development and future plans. The event took place on March 21st and brought together representatives of the travel industry, company personnel and partners for an evening centered on the history and expansion of the family-owned line.
The celebration unfolded along the waterfront, where eight illuminated vessels from the company’s fleet were moored side by side to form a prominent backdrop for the occasion. Around 250 crew members participated in the event, and several members of the founding Schmitter family were present. Three generations attended the gathering, including Patrick Schmitter, responsible for ship construction within the company, and Lucas Schmitter, who represents the younger generation and oversees commercial development.
Christian Schmitter, the company’s chief executive and son of founder Gérard Schmitter, noted that reaching half a century of operations represented a significant moment for any enterprise, particularly one that has remained under family ownership since its founding in 1976.
The evening’s program included a culinary presentation prepared by a brigade of roughly fifty chefs, who served a menu intended to showcase the breadth of French gastronomy. The festivities continued on the Rhine with a staged aquatic performance organized by Aquatique Show, which retraced the development of the company from its beginnings in Europe to its expansion into destinations such as southern Africa, Egypt and Cambodia.
Operational results presented during the event indicated a particularly strong performance in 2025. The company reported an occupancy rate of about 97% across its sailings, with approximately 205,000 passengers carried and nearly 1.8 million meals served aboard a fleet numbering around fifty vessels. Lucas Schmitter characterized the year as a benchmark period for the company and pointed to customer satisfaction levels approaching 95%.
Building on those results, CroisiEurope outlined several initiatives planned for 2026. Among them are a series of themed cruises designed to mark the anniversary year. These include a tribute voyage dedicated to the music of Jacques Brel on the Amstel River in May featuring performer Arnaud Askoy, as well as a literary cruise on the Rhône scheduled for autumn with writer Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. The line is also expanding its themed programs with hiking cruises on the Saône and Rhine, wine-focused itineraries through the vineyards of Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley, and a special voyage aboard La Belle de Cadix timed to coincide with the total solar eclipse of August 12th off the Andalusian coast.
At the same time, the company is seeking to expand demand outside the traditional high-season period. Greater emphasis will be placed on shoulder-season travel, particularly in March and November. Lucas Schmitter indicated that projections suggested the company would close March 2026 with more than 4,000 additional passengers compared with the same month in 2025, while a new program scheduled for November 2026 will introduce dedicated offers and revised pricing structures intended to attract travelers during that period.
The strategy reflects CroisiEurope’s long-standing focus on relatively small vessels. Since its establishment, the company has concentrated on ships of limited capacity, including barges and coastal vessels, a design philosophy intended to provide greater operational flexibility. According to Lucas Schmitter, this format allows ships to continue operating in conditions where larger vessels may be forced to suspend navigation due to fluctuating river levels or other environmental constraints.
The anniversary celebrations coincided with the recent introduction of a new vessel on the Seine, the paddlewheel ship MS R.E. Waydelich L.J.. The ship, rated at 5 anchors, offers 42 cabins arranged over two decks and was officially named on March 15 at Quai de Grenelle in Paris with the Eiffel Tower forming the backdrop for the ceremony.
Originally built in 2016 in Saint-Nazaire, the vessel previously sailed the Elbe and Vltava rivers under the name Elbe Princesse II before being repositioned to the Seine in early 2026. Its design incorporates an innovative paddlewheel propulsion system and a particularly low air draft, enabling it to navigate beneath the bridges of central Paris and operate itineraries passing directly through the city.
The vessel will operate cruises of 6 to 8 days focusing on the Paris basin, with routes extending from Île de la Cité to La Roche-Guyon and including excursions to sites such as Versailles. Unlike many larger river ships that remain outside the capital, this design allows passengers to remain on board while sailing through the center of Paris itself.
Christian Schmitter also reflected on the earlier challenges faced when the company first sought to establish operations on the Seine. He recalled that the launch of the company’s initial vessel on the river in 1998 required significant effort to secure the necessary authorizations and overcome initial resistance. According to his account, the eventual success of that project represented a defining moment for the founder, Gérard Schmitter, who regarded the sight of one of his ships navigating the Seine near the Eiffel Tower as a turning point in the company’s history.