Brinley Hineman
Europe's waterways are heating up with the addition of river cruising newcomer Celebrity River Cruises, which plans to set sail in 2027. And although a new brand means more competition for companies already on the water, it also could introduce river cruising to a new audience.
That seems to be what Celebrity is banking on. Jason Liberty, CEO of Celebrity parent company Royal Caribbean Group, said about half of Celebrity's ocean customers have taken or intend to take a river cruise.
Both Marilyn Conroy of Riviera Travel and Cory McGillivray of Globus family of brands told me they welcome the competition and are excited about Celebrity joining their companies on Europe's most popular rivers.
"Anytime you get a new brand or known brand like Celebrity promoting the concept, I think it's good for river cruising all over," Conroy told me. "For a company like Celebrity to embrace it as they are, I think it's an overall great signal for us all."
That was also the mindset of McGillivray, the senior director of sales operations and channel marketing for Globus family of brands, which includes Avalon Waterways.
"It confirms what a lot of us already knew: that river cruising is one of the fastest growing segments in travel," he said. "You don't make decisions like this lightly."
Where it could sail
It's been about a month since Celebrity announced the news, but no additional information has been shared. We know that the company signed for an initial order of 10 river ships and plans to cruise in 2027. Bookings will open later this year, but itineraries aren't yet public. (Although I think we could see a Celebrity ship on the Danube or Rhine given the tried-and-true nature of the rivers.)
Americans have been loving Portugal more and more with each passing year (over 1 million visited last year, nearly double 2022's numbers), so I wouldn't be surprised if a Douro cruise was eventually unveiled. In fact, the Douro River is "the hottest ticket out there" right now, Conroy told me. It's a great option for foodies looking to sip some Port and nibble on egg tarts.
Analysts are also bullish about Celebrity wading into the industry.
With Royal Caribbean Group having a database of 35 million customers to market to, it's possible Celebrity's river entry will spark a higher demand, wrote UBS analyst Robin Farley. According to Farley, Celebrity could capture 4% of the North America outbound river industry by 2029. Still, Viking is projected to remain king of river cruising with the largest market share.
That pool of existing customers could prove useful, Conroy said, likening it to what Viking did "but in reverse."
What will be the Celebrity difference?
So, what will Celebrity do to set itself apart from the competition? That's the question some advisors are considering.
Karen Quinn-Panzer of Dream Vacations, who specializes in river cruising, told me she thinks Celebrity has an opportunity to distinguish itself from other lines with innovative dining and excursion options. She pointed to the Le Petit Chef experience -- a 3D table animation restaurant experience on Celebrity's ocean cruises -- as an example of immersive dining that could be brought to the river.
She also mentioned active excursions, which are popular on other lines.
"No doubt it will be good -- but will it be great?" is the question river cruise specialist Hank Schrader of Visit Dream Destinations is asking.
He told me Celebrity's ocean cruising reputation alone will lure some folks on board, but he doesn't know how he will convince his river cruise clients to set sail on an unproven product. He, too, wonders how the brand will set itself apart from competition: maybe with a rotating wine menu? An included happy hour? Free excursions?
Asking his clients to fork over thousands of dollars when bookings open later this year for a cruise still at least 18 months away might be a tough sell. But even with these uncertainties, Schrader told me, "There is no bad river cruise."