Last updated: July 20, 2026 · By Steve Griswold, co-owner of Pixie Vacations, a full-service travel agency booking river and ocean cruises since 2006.
Celebrity River Cruises includes every shore excursion in the cruise fare across four series: the Storyteller Series, the Skillmaster Series, the Keys to the City Series, and the Celebrity Takeover Series. Guests choose from multiple included options in each port rather than one assigned tour, and the program runs across all 2027 and 2028 sailings.
That last part is the piece most travelers miss. On most river lines you get one included tour per port and a menu of paid upgrades. Celebrity built the opposite: a deep bench of included choices, with a bucket-list private event layered on top once per sailing.
We book river cruises for families every week, and this is the question we field most often once someone hears Celebrity is entering the river market. Here is exactly how the excursion program works, what each series actually looks like in port, and how it stacks up against Viking and AmaWaterways.
One quick correction before we go further
A number of articles published in mid-2026 list the fourth series as “Celebrity Table.” That name does not appear in Celebrity’s official announcement. Celebrity’s March 13, 2026 press release names the four series as Storyteller, Skillmaster, Keys to the City, and Celebrity Takeover. If you have been comparing coverage and getting confused, that is why. We are working from the official release.
The Storyteller Series: locals who actually live there
The Storyteller Series pairs guests with residents, artists, and cultural insiders who call the destination home. The distinguishing detail is choice — Celebrity says guests can pick from multiple included Storyteller experiences per port, each blending the landmarks you came to see with the host’s own favorites.
Two examples Celebrity has released:
- Amsterdam: A canal captain with deep family ties to the waterways takes guests through hidden passages, past Oude Kerk (the city’s oldest building), aboard a historic Dutch trading ship, and into an explanation of how modern canal engineering actually works.
- Prague: A local brewer leads a walk through the city’s brewing tradition — historic taverns like U Vejvodu, beer-infused artisanal shops, and the story of how centuries-old recipes shaped Czech social life.
TravelPulse editor Janeen Christoff previewed a Storyteller excursion in Amsterdam in May 2026 and reported that the tours ran roughly three hours and included snacks and lunch. Hers went to the STRAAT Museum for street art, where guests put on coveralls, picked up spray paint, and collaborated on a mural under the guidance of a museum educator.
The Skillmaster Series: you make something
Skillmaster excursions are hands-on workshops. Guests cook, craft, and create alongside the artisans who shape the local culture — not watching a demonstration, but doing the thing.
- Budapest: A local Mamika (grandmother) walks guests through Central Market Hall to choose ingredients, then cooks generations-old Hungarian family recipes with them in her own home kitchen.
- Amsterdam: A local artist leads a painting class built around Van Gogh — first his works at the Van Gogh Museum, then the settings that influenced them, then his actual techniques.
If you have traveled with a teenager who checks out on a walking tour, this is the series to book. Giving a kid a spray can or a mixing bowl changes the whole day.
The Celebrity River fleet
Celebrity Seeker
Celebrity Roamer
Celebrity Boundless
The Keys to the City Series: independent, but not on your own
Keys to the City is Celebrity’s answer to travelers who do not want a guided group at all. Through a digital platform, guests get curated route maps built around a specific interest — art, history, food, or architecture — with interactive maps, audio guides, and video content.
The clever part is that it is not purely self-guided. Celebrity stations local hosts along the routes who provide behind-the-scenes access at working studios and craft sites. You explore at your own pace, but you still get doors opened that you could not open yourself.
Celebrity’s published example follows an architecture route in Bratislava: St. Martin’s Cathedral with a local historian explaining its coronation history, a hike up to Bratislava Castle, then a stop beneath the UFO Bridge with an architect who walks through the design.
The Celebrity Takeover Series: once per sailing
The Takeover Series happens one time per cruise. Celebrity privately takes over a European attraction or plaza and converts it into an event exclusively for guests on that sailing. It is designed to be the memory you lead with when someone asks how the trip was.
Celebrity has not yet published venue-by-venue details for the Takeover events. We will update this page as they are announced.
Ready to price a 2027 Celebrity river sailing? The first season is already selling quickly, and included-excursion itineraries tend to go first. Compare Celebrity river cruise pricing on our online cruise booking engine — you can see live availability and book directly, with no agency fees.
How Celebrity’s included excursions compare to Viking and AmaWaterways
This is where the program gets interesting for anyone cross-shopping river lines.
| Line | Included excursions | Paid upgrade tier |
|---|---|---|
| Celebrity River | Multiple included options per port across four series, plus one Takeover event per sailing | None announced as of July 2026 |
| Viking | One included excursion per port | Privileged Access experiences, extra cost |
| AmaWaterways | One included excursion per port | Connections tours, extra cost |
Two honest caveats. First, Celebrity has not launched yet, so this compares a published program against two lines with decades of delivery behind them — Viking and AmaWaterways are known quantities and Celebrity is not. Second, Celebrity’s river fares start higher than a comparable Viking sailing, so “more included” does not automatically mean “cheaper.” It means fewer decisions and fewer add-on charges once you are aboard.
For a fuller breakdown of what the fare covers beyond excursions, see our guide to whether Celebrity River Cruises are all-inclusive, and our head-to-head on Celebrity River Cruises vs Viking.
What every Celebrity River fare includes
One included shore excursion per day — not one per sailing — is the inclusion most river lines do not match.
Pre- and post-cruise stays use the same playbook
Celebrity extended the locally-led philosophy to land stays. Multi-day pre- and post-cruise packages are available in Prague and Budapest beginning in 2027, with Amsterdam added in 2028.
Each stay includes daily small-group tours with local hosts, premium hotel accommodations, a dedicated concierge for dining reservations and private experiences, daily breakfast, and airport transfers.
Our advice after years of booking Europe: take the pre-cruise stay, not the post. Landing two or three days early absorbs jet lag and flight delays before the ship departs without you. It is the single most useful thing you can do for a European river itinerary. Which ports you can pair a stay with depends on your route — see our 2027 Danube and Rhine itinerary guide.
What we still do not know
Being straight with you about the gaps, as of July 2026:
- Celebrity has not published a full excursion catalog by sailing date
- Takeover Series venues have not been announced
- Group sizes for Storyteller and Skillmaster experiences have not been confirmed
- Accessibility details for individual excursions are not yet public
- Whether any paid premium tier gets added before launch is unknown
If accessibility or mobility is a factor for your group, that is worth a conversation before you book rather than after. We can put those questions to Celebrity directly on your behalf.
The five stateroom categories
Top to bottom. Every category includes a king-size bed and a complimentary stocked mini bar.
The bottom line
Celebrity’s excursion program is the most differentiated thing about its river product so far. Four included series, multiple choices per port, a private takeover event once per sailing, and no announced upcharge tier is a meaningfully different structure from the one-included-tour-plus-upgrades model the category has run on for years.
Whether it delivers is a 2027 question. But if you are the kind of traveler who resents being nickel-and-dimed in port, this is the river line to watch.
We are a full-service travel agency and we never charge booking fees. Book your Celebrity river cruise through Pixie Vacations’ online cruise booking engine, or reach out and we will build a quote around the itinerary and cabin category that actually fits your group.
Frequently asked questions about Celebrity River Cruise excursions
Are shore excursions included on Celebrity River Cruises?
Yes. All four excursion series — Storyteller, Skillmaster, Keys to the City, and Celebrity Takeover — are included in the cruise fare. Celebrity has not announced a paid premium excursion tier, which differs from Viking and AmaWaterways.
How many excursions are included per port on Celebrity River Cruises?
Celebrity says guests can choose from multiple included experiences per port rather than being assigned a single tour. An exact count per sailing has not been published.
What are the four Celebrity River Cruise excursion series?
Storyteller (locally led tours with residents and artists), Skillmaster (hands-on cooking and craft workshops), Keys to the City (app-guided independent routes with stationed local hosts), and Celebrity Takeover (one exclusive private event per sailing).
How long are Celebrity River Cruise excursions?
Preview excursions ran approximately three hours and included snacks and lunch, according to a TravelPulse first-hand report published May 31, 2026. Final durations will vary by port and series.
Do Celebrity River Cruise excursions cost extra?
No paid excursion tier has been announced as of July 2026. All four published series are described as included in the fare.
Which sailings include the excursion program?
All 2027 and 2028 Celebrity River Cruises itineraries, plus pre- and post-cruise stays in Prague, Budapest, and Amsterdam.
Can I book a Celebrity river cruise with a travel agent?
Yes. Pixie Vacations books Celebrity River Cruises at no additional cost to you — agency commission is paid by the cruise line, not added to your fare. You can book online through our cruise booking engine or request a quote.
Sources
- Celebrity Cruises official press release, “Celebrity Cruises Is Redefining River Travel With The Industry’s Most Extensive And Experiential Destination Experiences,” PR Newswire, March 13, 2026
- Janeen Christoff, “Inside Celebrity River’s Included Excursions: A First Look at What’s Coming in 2027,” TravelPulse, May 31, 2026
- Cruise Critic, “AmaWaterways vs. Viking River Cruises” (included-excursion and paid-tier comparison)