Guest demand for Celebrity River Cruises’ debut European season has prompted the line to double its fleet and open sales for its 2028 deployment

The company has added 10 more ships to expand its European river cruise fleet to 20 vessels by 2031. It comes after the first steel was cut for Celebrity Compass, the line’s debut ship.

The expansion will make Celebrity River Cruises one of the largest European river cruise operators. Its 2028 season is now open for booking, featuring an 80 per cent increase in European destinations compared to the brand’s inaugural 2027 deployment.

“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, chair and CEO of 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 – turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations.”

Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises, outlined how the line’s inaugural 2027 season sold out in under six minutes, which she described as 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 per cent more European destinations, five ships, and more than 160 itineraries. There are now more ways than ever to experience Europe’s rivers The Celebrity Way.”

The line’s 2028 itineraries include six lower Danube itineraries, more than 60 Rhine departures, upper Danube sailings, Dutch Tulip cruises and a series of Christmas Market holidays.

Celebrity River Cruises launches in 2027 with Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, followed by Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless joining the fleet in 2028.