Celebrity River Cruises to Build 10 More Ships, Opens 2028 Deployment with New Itineraries

On the heels of selling out its inaugural 2027 season, and the official start of construction of its first ship, Celebrity River Cruises unveiled plans to add 10 more ships, bringing its total fleet capacity to 20 ships by 2031. The line also opened up its 2028 European sailings for booking.

The 2028 season will feature an 80% increase in European destinations compared to the 2027 deployment, comprising 160 sailings to more than 50 destinations on the Rhine and Danube Rivers.

“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 travelers,” said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises.

“Whether guests already love the Celebrity experience or are discovering it for the first time, they now have new ways to enjoy it along some of Europe’s most iconic rivers. 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…”

Celebrity River Cruises launches next year with Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, followed by Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless joining the fleet in 2028.

With 30 ships, Celebrity River Cruises would be one of the larger cruise lines on the river. Viking currently has 88 ships, but plans to increase its fleet to more than 100 river ships globally. AmaWaterways operates 23 ships on European rivers, with several more due for delivery over the next few year, while Avalon operates 15 currently. Uniworld will have 18 ships on the rivers by the end of 2027. Lines such as Scenic, Emerald Cruises, Riverside, Tauck and others have significantly fewer ships.

The inaugural 2027 season sold out in under six minutes, something Celebrity Cruises president Laura Hodges Bethge called “a testament to how much guests value the unmatched hospitality and service Celebrity delivers.”

In 2028, Celebrity River Cruises will take guests to 24 new ports, including new journeys to the Lower Danube with a Celebrity-first overnight land stay in Bucharest, sailings to enjoy tulip season in full bloom, and a new way to experience Europe’s Christmas Market cruises. 

All are now open for booking.

2028 Celebrity River Cruises sailings are now open for booking.