Celebrity River Cruises has placed orders for 10 additional river cruise vessels, doubling its planned fleet to 20 ships by 2031, the company announced as it continues preparations for its market entry in 2027.

The expansion comes approximately 18 months before Celebrity River Cruises’ inaugural sailing and coincides with the start of steel cutting for Celebrity Compass, the brand’s first river vessel. Celebrity also confirmed that its 2028 river cruise season is now open for booking.

Celebrity River Cruises is scheduled to begin operations in August 2027 with sailings on the Rhine and Danube rivers. The initial deployment will include 33 sailings aboard Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, including seasonal Christmas Market itineraries.

Each vessel will feature 86 staterooms and accommodate up to 172 guests, aligning with standard European river cruise dimensions. Celebrity said the ships will feature eight food and beverage venues, including branded concepts from its oceangoing fleet such as the Martini Bar, Sunset Bar, and Café Al Bacio, reflecting the company’s strategy to extend its core brand identity into the river segment.

Unlike Celebrity’s ocean product, river cruise fares will include daily shore excursions, Wi-Fi, and beverage packages, with Premium beverage packages included for suite-category guests.

In 2028, Celebrity plans to introduce three additional vessels, Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless, expanding the program to more than 160 sailings. The expanded deployment will add 24 new ports, including itineraries along the Lower Danube to Bucharest, as well as seasonal sailings focused on tulip season in the Netherlands.

River cruise vessels are subject to strict size limitations due to bridge clearances and lock dimensions across Europe’s inland waterways. Celebrity’s expansion into the river market represents a strategic move to access destinations unavailable to larger oceangoing vessels while leveraging the scale and distribution of a global cruise brand in a segment currently dominated by established river cruise operators.