Following sell-out success of its 2027 season, Celebrity River Cruises has ordered 10 more ships and designed new itineraries for 2028, featuring new Lower Danube adventures and Dutch tulip season voyages. Olivia Palamountain reports

Celebrity River Cruises has announced a commitment for 10 new ships that will expand its European river cruise fleet to 20 vessels by 2031, making it one of the largest European river cruise operators.

The announcement comes as Celebrity commemorates the first piece of steel cut on its first river ship, Celebrity Compass, with the inaugural 2027 season having sold out in under six minutes during presale.

To celebrate these milestones, Celebrity River Cruises has opened its 2028 season for booking, offering more than 160 sailings to over 50 destinations across Europe. Celebrity River Cruises launches in 2027 with Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, followed by Celebrity Wanderer, Celebrity Roamer and Celebrity Boundless joining the fleet in 2028. Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises, says: "Our inaugural 2027 Celebrity River Cruises season sold out in under six minutes – a testament to how much guests value the unmatched hospitality and service Celebrity delivers. To meet this extraordinary demand, we're thrilled to open 2028 sailings featuring 80% more European destinations, five ships and more than 160 itineraries."

2028 itineraries

The 2028 season includes several new offerings: Lower Danube cruises feature six new sailings with an included overnight land experience in Bucharest, plus passage through the dramatic Iron Gates gorge. Each sailing includes an overnight stay in Romania's capital, connecting guests to Bucharest's heritage before or after their river voyage.

Dutch tulip season cruises are timed to Holland's spring bloom, including visits to Keukenhof Gardens, Kinderdijk's 18th-century windmills and charming riverside towns. These seasonal sailings run between Brussels and Amsterdam during peak spring bloom.An expanded Christmas markets programme features new holiday sailings between Basel and Amsterdam visiting snow-dusted vineyards and candlelit Rhine villages including Mainz, Strasbourg and Heidelberg.

Rhine River cruises comprise more than 60 sailings between Basel and Amsterdam through Europe's castle country, passing vine-covered hillsides and villages including Strasbourg, Breisach and Rüdesheim.

Upper Danube cruises travel between historic Regensburg or Nuremberg and Budapest, discovering castles and cultural treasures through Germany, Austria and Hungary. The 2028 season includes 24 new ports including Straubing, with select sailings coinciding with the Gäuboden Festival, one of Germany's largest heritage celebrations.