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Inside Celebrity Cruises’ first river ships offering luxury travel on Europe’s waterways

The seven-night sailings down the Rhine and Danube rivers depart in 2027

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Celebrity Cruises is floating into river sailings with two new ships taking to European waterways in 2027.

The Miami-based cruise line will open bookings later this month for voyages on board Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker.

According to Celebrity Cruises, the vessel’s lightweight design, hybrid propulsion system and waste management system advance “Royal Caribbean Group’s decades-long commitment to sustaining the planet.”

Booking is now open for voyages onboard Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker
Booking is now open for voyages onboard Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker (Celebrity Cruises)

The ships are equipped with a hybrid propulsion system alongside advanced technology, which reduces noise and vibration.

With scheduled journeys down the Rhine and Danube rivers, the new river vessels feature open decks, spacious staterooms and eight restaurants and bars.

On the menu, locally baked pastries and regionally-inspired dinners will see guests fed, alongside a 24-hour onboard meal service.

The new “Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites” have a separate living area and a ceiling window for additional natural light.

Amenities also include cantilevered dining pods, a top deck bar and an infinity-edge plunge pool.

So far, 33 seven-night sailings on the Rhine and Danube are due to depart. Each vessel has a capacity for 172 guests.

The new river vessels feature open decks, spacious staterooms and eight restaurants and bars
The new river vessels feature open decks, spacious staterooms and eight restaurants and bars (Celebrity Cruises)

Unlike other river cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises will welcome kids from age four. The brand’s river cruise ships will offer twin staterooms, and guests aged four to 18 must be in the same cabin as their parent.

All guests have access to complimentary breakfast, room service and a mini bar, plus “destination-inspired” amenities.

Those in suites are also able to make use of a dedicated, on-demand butler, complimentary exclusive dining, room service, a complimentary laundry service and priority booking for shore excursions.

Excursions include wine tastings in Austria, thermal baths in Budapest and cycling the Danube’s riverbanks.

Staterooms are fitted with king-sized beds, balconies and complimentary mini-bars
Staterooms are fitted with king-sized beds, balconies and complimentary mini-bars (Celebrity Cruises)

Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises, said: “With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to take a river cruise, we know guests are going to love sailing Europe’s Rhine and Danube rivers on our fleet of elevated, cutting-edge ships.”

Read more: I travelled on the world’s biggest cruise ship – this is what I thought

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