Introducing Celebrity River Cruises

[Matt]

 

[USFFrank]

On my bucket list is a river cruise to see the Christmas markets of Europe. 

It will be nice to see what Celebrity will offer.

[wordell1]

I am very excited about this!

[Mike.s]

1 hour ago, USFFrank said:

On my bucket list is a river cruise to see the Christmas markets of Europe. 

It will be nice to see what Celebrity will offer.

With the added bonus of Captain Club points. We've been looking at trying a river cruise, looks like we'll be waiting until 2027

[kadmgs]

I'm so excited for this. It's a bucket list trip after I retire. 

[JasonOasis]

Taking a river cruise is on my bucket list, it probably won't happen for another 10 years simply because right now I'm not sure it's for me at my age.  I still love the big cruise ships out on the open ocean.  

This move is huge and give where Celebrity Cruises now sits because of the Edge Class of ships they have really been attracting more cruiser who are looking for a more upscale experience.  My husband and I went on a Celebrity Cruise last year it was a wonderful experience and completely different experience than what's found on Royal Caribbean ships but still an absolute wonder experience and something I look forward to once I grow up and graduate from Royal.  While Royal's CEO says this isn't about going after Viking cruises and it most likely isn't.  There must be some data somewhere showing Royal that Viking is poaching away some of their customers when those customers decided to take a river cruise only because Celebrity doesn't offer river cruises.  For people not completely familiar with Celebrity Cruises this move might seem like gamble something out of left field but Celebrity and Royal have experience in the luxury and non-mainstream cruise market after all Celebrity has ships like Xpedition, Xperience, Xploration, and lets not forget the ultra luxurious and exclusive Flora.    While Royal my not be directing going after Viking River Cruises they are going after Viking in a round about way by letting Celebrity customers who sail with Viking when they want to do a river cruise CelebrityRiver  Cruises is coming in 2027.  

Viking use to do river cruises only but Viking realized they had loyal customers who also wanted to go on ocean voyages so they built brand new ocean bound ships to hold on to their customers.  Im my opinion Royal is only returning the favor and if they do it right if they get the ships right this has the potential to be huge for Celebrity. And I love the fact that he stated we aren't just looking at Europe because Viking has quietly built up their operations here in the United States where they are sailing the Mississippi River and they also a few years ago launches seasonal sailing on the Great Lakes.  They don't sail out of Chicago where I live but they do set sail from some place up in Wisconsin.  If Royal does this right they could not only sail some of Europes greatest rivers they could also sail down/up the Mississippi River and on the Great Lakes as well.   

[Ampurp85]

I've done 2 river cruises, one in Egypt and another in Germany. They are much more different than what i do now but would be a welcome change in the style of cruising.  I would love if they had American river cruises.

[twangster]

On 1/29/2025 at 4:46 PM, Ampurp85 said:

I've done 2 river cruises, one in Egypt and another in Germany. They are much more different than what i do now but would be a welcome change in the style of cruising.  I would love if they had American river cruises.

The problem with American river cruises is that all crew have to be American and ships have to be American made.  American flagged ships have much more stringent USCG inspections more often.  

That dramatically changes the math and it's why American river cruising is very costly compared to ocean cruising.

[Jill]

On 1/28/2025 at 10:35 AM, USFFrank said:

On my bucket list is a river cruise to see the Christmas markets of Europe. 

It will be nice to see what Celebrity will offer.

Just did this with Viking. I will say I was disappointed in the markets. 80% food (overpriced) and drinks. Very little in way of ornaments, Christmas decor

We did enjoy the cities themselves. Especially Vienna 

[Jill]

I’m super excited for this. Sailed Viking in December on the Danube and left thinking about choosing a different line next time. (AMA or Avalon). 

I really hope celebrity improves the nightlife experience because Viking was boring. Thankfully we were a group of 12 so made our own fun. Looking/wanting something with a little bit of a younger vibe. Not sure what that looks like given size constraints on river ships. Really just the one lounge as public space. 

We weren’t planning another river until 2027 so this is perfect timing! 

I will add this: due to the ever changing water levels on these rivers, next time we will get cancel for any reason travel insurance. This past year was awful on the rivers as there was flooding in June and October that turned river cruises into hotels and bus tours. One thing I hate are bus tours! We were lucky that water levels weren’t an issue for us. 

[steverk]

On 1/29/2025 at 4:46 PM, Ampurp85 said:

I've done 2 river cruises, one in Egypt and another in Germany. They are much more different than what i do now but would be a welcome change in the style of cruising.  I would love if they had American river cruises.

There are lines that do river cruises in America but they aren't Celebrity and they are expensive.  You can also do Great Lakes cruises, but it's a similar story.

I've considered both before, and decided a great American road trip would go to better places for less money. 

[HeWhoWaits]

17 hours ago, Jill said:

I really hope celebrity improves the nightlife experience because Viking was boring.

The size of the vessels is a significant limiting factor for nightlife on river cruises. There's not much to do because there's nowhere to do it.

[PhillyLady]

Well, I signed up for Celebrity's list for upcoming information about the river cruises, and I am really looking forward to see what they offer.  

My parents did a number of river cruises, including the Mississippi decades ago,  as well as all over Europe, and I used to think about river cruises as something one did when much older. However, husband and I finally took a Viking Danube river cruise a few years ago, and we did enjoy the experience overall.  It is great to see castles along the river, and look at little towns, and other lovely scenery. Yes, a stop every day means one has to be prepared to do a fair amount of walking on tours, and we usually had time to go off on our own for a while as well. It is fun to be "parked" right next to a city or town, and be able to return to your boat for lunch every day (unless you go on an all-day excursion). 

I do agree that evenings are dull and limited in entertainment, people fight for table spots and reserve for friends, and because it is more casual, some (grown) folks walk around in their pajamas at breakfast (Just sad!). I did dress up a bit for dinner, but no long gowns or sequins (which I miss!). There are also no pools or spas. I hope Celebrity can address some of these issues.

I think of the Christmas markets cruise as the least intense for touring--it is more like a "shopping" cruise and designed to get you in the mood for the holidays. 

So, I would never allow a river cruise to replace my ocean cruise passion, but they will be a nice addition to my travel repertoire.  There are some places a person MUST see by river (Danube, Rhine, Nile, etc.), so I am already making my bucket list.  Bon voyage!

[Jill]

On 2/4/2025 at 7:49 AM, HeWhoWaits said:

The size of the vessels is a significant limiting factor for nightlife on river cruises. There's not much to do because there's nowhere to do it.

That’s why I mentioned I wasn’t sure what that would look like given size restrictions on the river ships. 

Viking’s entertainment brought onboard in some cities was ok but some was just old people hokey. 

A comedian (a clean one), maybe a night with karaoke? Something that engages 

[cruisellama]

Received the email from Celebrity today.  They're building 10 ships and will begin sailing in 2027.   Very interested - email  mentioned the ships will carry over Edge class design  features  into the new fleet.  Must mean "decor"  because river ships are very different from the ocean faring ships.   Same color palettes?

 

[Woody14]

15 hours ago, cruisellama said:

Received the email from Celebrity today.  They're building 10 ships and will begin sailing in 2027.   Very interested - email  mentioned the ships will carry over Edge class design  features  into the new fleet.  Must mean "decor"  because river ships are very different from the ocean faring ships.   Same color palettes?

 

infinite verandas? 

[Jill]

On 3/7/2025 at 10:23 AM, Woody14 said:

infinite verandas? 

Most all river ships have what is called a French balcony. Basically a sliding door but balcony “railing” is right there