Celebrity River Cruises launches in August 2027, bringing Celebrity Cruises' modern-luxury approach to the Rhine and Danube for the first time. Two ships sail the inaugural season — Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker — across 33 seven-night European itineraries.
Here is the part most guides still get wrong: you can book a 2027 Celebrity river sailing right now. Priority booking opened on September 3, 2025, and as of today we have 12 itineraries live and bookable on both the Danube and the Rhine, departing August 2027 through January 2028, starting from $4,224 per person. You do not have to wait for a waitlist.
→ See the 12 Celebrity River sailings available now — or request a free quote and we will hold a cabin for you. We are a full-service travel agency and we never charge booking fees.
This guide covers only what Celebrity has actually announced: the ships, the five stateroom categories, all eight dining and bar venues, the itineraries, what is included, and how the line compares to Viking, AmaWaterways and Avalon. Where Celebrity has not released a detail yet, we say so rather than guess.
The Celebrity River Fleet: Five Ships by 2028
Celebrity is not launching a single ship and seeing how it goes. The line committed to a full fleet from the start, and at the Celebrity Compass steel-cutting ceremony Royal Caribbean Group announced it would double the river fleet to 20 vessels by 2031.
- Celebrity Compass — debuts August 2027, Rhine and Danube
- Celebrity Seeker — debuts 2027, Rhine and Danube
- Celebrity Wanderer — arrives 2028, including tulip-season Rhine sailings
- Celebrity Roamer — arrives 2028, Rhine and Christmas markets
- Celebrity Boundless — arrives 2028, Danube and Christmas markets
The 2028 season also opens Dutch waterways and roughly 80% more destinations than the inaugural year. We break each vessel down in our Celebrity Compass ship guide and Celebrity Seeker ship guide.
Celebrity has not published passenger capacity, crew count or ship length for the river vessels. We will add those figures here the moment they are confirmed rather than estimate them.
Stateroom Categories: All Five, Correctly Named
Celebrity confirmed five stateroom categories across the river fleet. Several guides circulating online list ocean-fleet cabin names on these river ships by mistake — the five below are the categories Celebrity has actually confirmed.
- Skylight Infinite Balcony Suite — the top-tier accommodation on the ship
- Vista Balcony Suite — suite-level space with panoramic river views
- Vista Balcony — balcony stateroom with full river outlook
- Infinite Balcony — Celebrity's convertible indoor-outdoor concept, adapted for the river
- River View — the entry category, positioned low and close to the water
Every stateroom on every ship gets a king-size bed and a complimentary stocked mini bar — both unusual at this price point in river cruising, where twin-convertible beds are still common.
What suite guests get on top
- Butler service
- Access to exclusive suite dining
- Room service
- Daily happy hour access
- Complimentary laundry once per sailing
- Priority shore excursion booking
Full breakdown of every cabin, including where each sits on the deck plan, is in our complete stateroom guide.
The Celebrity River fleet
Celebrity Seeker
Celebrity Roamer
Celebrity Boundless
Dining: Eight Restaurants and Bars, Including Magic Edge
Celebrity's strongest suit on the ocean fleet is food, and they have carried that over. Each river ship carries eight restaurants and bars — a genuinely high count for a vessel this size.
The headline venue is Magic Edge: cantilevered dining pods that extend out over the water, the first of their kind on any river cruise ship. It is the single feature most likely to sell this product, and most competing guides have missed it entirely.
- Magic Edge — cantilevered dining pods suspended over the river
- Café al Bacio — Celebrity's signature coffee house, a first for river cruising
- Martini Bar — the brand's best-known bar concept, brought to the river
- Sunset Bar — open-air bar on the top deck
- Top-deck bar and grille — casual al fresco dining
- Plus additional venues Celebrity has not yet named individually
Across the venues you get destination-driven menus, locally baked morning pastries, regionally inspired dinners, 24/7 meal options and complimentary breakfast room service. Our full dining guide covers dress codes and which venues to reserve.
The top deck
Celebrity claims the most usable outdoor space of any river ship, built around transformable shade structures and movable furniture so the deck reconfigures through the day. There is also an infinity-edge plunge pool — not a feature you will find on a Viking longship.
2027 Itineraries: 33 Seven-Night Sailings
The inaugural season runs 33 seven-night sailings on the Rhine and Danube, with multiple ports per day and overnight stays in select cities. Pre- and post-cruise extensions are offered in Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam and Lausanne.
What is actually bookable today
Of the full season, 12 itineraries are live in our booking system right now, departing August 2027 through January 2028 — on both rivers, across both ships. Verified against live inventory on August 5, 2026:
| Itinerary | Ship | River | Departures | From (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-Night Danube — Budapest & Vienna | Celebrity Compass | Danube | 8 dates, Aug–Sep 2027 | $4,649 |
| 7-Night Danube — Budapest & Vienna | Celebrity Seeker | Danube | Oct–Nov 2027 | $4,224 |
| 7-Night Danube — Vienna & Budapest | Celebrity Compass | Danube | Aug–Sep 2027 | $5,049 |
| 7-Night Danube — Vienna & Budapest | Celebrity Seeker | Danube | Oct–Nov 2027 | $7,949 |
| 7-Night Danube — Christmas Markets | Celebrity Seeker | Danube | Nov–Dec 2027 | $4,749 |
| 7-Night Danube — Christmas Markets | Celebrity Compass | Danube | Nov–Dec 2027 | $7,649 |
| 7-Night Rhine — Basel New Year’s | Celebrity Seeker | Rhine | Dec 2027–Jan 2028 | $5,899 |
| 7-Night Rhine — Basel Holiday | Celebrity Seeker | Main & Rhine | Dec 2027 | $6,049 |
Ports across these sailings include Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Melk and the Wachau Valley, Linz, Dürnstein, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg and Vilshofen.
The entry fare across all live sailings is $4,224 per person, on the Celebrity Seeker Danube departures in October and November 2027. The Christmas market and New Year’s sailings carry the premium you would expect, and those are the ones that will go first — see our Christmas markets guide.
→ Check live availability and pricing on all 12 itineraries
What Is Included in a Celebrity River Cruise Fare?
Celebrity River operates on an all-inclusive model. Confirmed inclusions:
- All meals across all venues
- All beverages, including alcohol
- One shore excursion per day — not per sailing
- Wi-Fi
- Onboard entertainment and enrichment programming
- Complimentary breakfast room service
One included excursion per day is a meaningfully better deal than most river lines, where a single included tour per port is standard and the good ones cost extra. We work through what that is actually worth in Are Celebrity River Cruises all-inclusive?
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.
How Celebrity River Compares to Viking, AmaWaterways and Avalon
Celebrity is entering a mature market, so the honest question is what it does differently rather than what it does well.
vs. Viking
Viking has the largest European river fleet and a quieter, culture-forward style. Celebrity counters with more design ambition — Magic Edge, the plunge pool, the Martini Bar — plus king beds as standard and Captain's Club loyalty integration. Viking still wins on itinerary breadth in 2027 simply because Celebrity is new. Full breakdown: Celebrity River vs. Viking.
vs. AmaWaterways
AmaWaterways built its reputation on dining and active excursions, and it is the closest philosophical competitor. Celebrity is competing directly on food. AmaWaterways has the track record; Celebrity has the newer hardware. See Celebrity River vs. AmaWaterways.
vs. Avalon Waterways
Avalon's Panorama Suites are the obvious comparison to Celebrity's Infinite Balcony concept — both chase the same open, light-filled feeling. Celebrity's edge is the broader brand ecosystem and the ability to pair a river week with an ocean sailing. See Celebrity River vs. Avalon.
Celebrity River Cruise Pricing
Live 2027 fares in our system currently start at $4,224 per person for a 7-night Danube sailing. Suites price above that, and the December Christmas market departures carry a premium.
Priority booking opened September 3, 2025 with a $500 fully refundable deposit. Because the deposit is refundable, there is very little downside to securing a cabin on an inaugural-season sailing now and deciding later — especially given how quickly the first release moved.
Detailed pricing analysis by cabin category: How much do Celebrity River Cruises cost?
Who Celebrity River Cruises Suits Best
- Existing Celebrity ocean cruisers who want to try a river week without leaving a brand they trust — and who want their Captain's Club status to come along
- First-time river cruisers who find traditional river lines a bit staid
- Food and wine travelers — eight venues and destination-driven menus through European wine country
- Couples wanting a small-ship week with a premium brand's polish
- Travelers who hate nickel-and-diming — drinks, Wi-Fi and a daily excursion are all in the fare
The five stateroom categories
Top to bottom. Every category includes a king-size bed and a complimentary stocked mini bar.
How to Book a Celebrity River Cruise
Celebrity River sailings are bookable through travel advisors, and there is no cost to you for using one — our commission is paid by the cruise line, and the fare is the same either way.
We are Pixie Vacations, a full-service agency near Atlanta run by Steve and Lisa Griswold for 16 years, with 761 five-star Google reviews. What working with us gets you on an inaugural sailing:
- We watch for cabin releases and price drops after you book, and reprice you if one lands
- We know which cabins on which decks are worth the upgrade and which are not
- One phone number to call if anything goes sideways in Europe
- No booking fees, ever
→ Get a free Celebrity River Cruise quote | Browse the 12 live 2027 sailings | Call 678-815-1584
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Celebrity River Cruises launch?
Celebrity River Cruises launches in August 2027. Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker sail the inaugural season on the Rhine and Danube, covering 33 seven-night itineraries.
Can you book Celebrity River Cruises yet?
Yes. Priority booking opened on September 3, 2025 with a $500 fully refundable deposit, and 2027 sailings are bookable today. As of August 2026 there are 12 itineraries available on the Danube and Rhine, departing August 2027 through January 2028, starting from $4,224 per person.
What ships does Celebrity use for river cruises?
Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker launch in 2027. Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer and Celebrity Boundless follow in 2028. Royal Caribbean Group has announced plans to grow the river fleet to 20 ships by 2031.
What are the stateroom categories on Celebrity River Cruises?
There are five categories: Skylight Infinite Balcony Suite, Vista Balcony Suite, Vista Balcony, Infinite Balcony and River View. Every stateroom includes a king-size bed and a complimentary stocked mini bar.
What is Magic Edge on Celebrity river ships?
Magic Edge is a set of cantilevered dining pods that extend out over the river from the side of the ship. It is the first feature of its kind on any river cruise vessel and is one of eight restaurants and bars aboard each Celebrity river ship.
Are drinks included on Celebrity river cruises?
Yes. Celebrity River Cruises is all-inclusive. All meals and all beverages including alcohol are included in the fare, along with Wi-Fi, onboard entertainment and one shore excursion per day.
How much does a Celebrity river cruise cost?
Live 2027 fares currently start at $4,224 per person for a 7-night Danube sailing. Suite categories and the December Christmas market departures price above that. Bookings are held with a $500 fully refundable deposit.
Where do Celebrity river cruises sail?
The 2027 inaugural season sails the Rhine and Danube. Currently bookable itineraries cover both rivers, calling at Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Melk, Linz, Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Vilshofen and Basel. Pre- and post-cruise extensions are offered in Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam and Lausanne. The 2028 season adds Dutch waterways.
Does Captain's Club status work on Celebrity river cruises?
Celebrity has confirmed that the Captain's Club loyalty program is integrated with the river cruise program, so existing status carries over. Specific tier benefits for river sailings have not yet been published in full.
Last updated August 5, 2026. Every specification on this page comes from Celebrity Cruises' own announcements. Where Celebrity has not released a figure — passenger capacity, crew size, ship dimensions — we leave it out rather than estimate. We update this guide as new details are confirmed.