Transcend Cruises Orders Two Additional River Cruise Ships

Transcend Cruises, the charter-only river cruise company, has signed a construction agreement with Den Breejen Shipyard for two additional newbuild ships. The order will see the company double its fleet to four vessels by 2028.

The two new ships will be named Create and Engage and are slated for delivery in October 2027 and Q1, 2028, respectively. The ships follow the same design concept as Transcend’s first two vessels.

“It is an extremely exciting time for Transcend as we get closer to bringing the first ever river cruise ship built exclusively for the group market into service this summer,” said Hans Rood, chief development officer, Transcend Cruises. “On the heels of this exciting milestone comes the introduction of our second ship and the steel cutting of our third, soon to be followed by our fourth vessel. This speaks to the strong demand we’ve seen from the group market for Transcend’s concept and the exceptional bookings we’ve received for sailings on our first ship, Connect, in 2026 and beyond.”

Transcend has contracted with Tillberg Design of Sweden, the luxury cruise and yacht interior design firm behind the first two Transcend ships, to craft an identical custom design for both Createand Engage. Like the first two ships, Createand Engagewill offer fully customized itineraries on the Rhine and Danube rivers in Europe, tailored to each charter client’s program.

All Transcend Cruises’ 135-meter ships offer 60 identical staterooms that are fully convertible to true two-room suites, each providing a full living room, bedroom and two baths. Staterooms convert in pairs, allowing the charterer to flex the guest offering for between 30 and 120 attendees.

The vessels boast five separate venues capable of accommodating all 120 guests, including the “Forum,” a signature two-story amphitheater for group programs ranging from leadership talks, and destination expert-led presentations to concerts and performances. The “Studio” on the first deck can accommodate meetings of any size and format.

Transcend’s first ship, Connect, will enter service this July, with several August and September sailings chartered out to National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. Its second ship, Evolve, is scheduled to join the fleet in May 2027. The company has plans for a fleet of up to 12 river ships.