It’s cruise month and we’re shining a light on the booming luxury river cruising market in Europe, where there’s been record demand and more ships launching than ever before.
CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz says, “River cruising has become an incredibly innovative area of travel, and we are seeing enormous investment in new ships and new experiences”.
“The Australian market has been among the most enthusiastic to embrace river cruising and as noted in this year’s State of the Cruise Industry report, agents are seeing a 20 per cent higher growth in river cruise than any other travel segment.”
This year’s highly anticipated debut of APT’s ultra-luxe river ships in Europe set the scene for what’s shaping up to be an unprecedented period of growth for river cruising.
It’s not just about the numbers; the 154-guest APT Solara and APT Ostara showcase a new level of sophisticated design and style, aimed firmly at the discerning Australian luxury traveller.
APT Travel Group CEO David Cox says, “These ships were designed without compromise and purpose-built for our guests, and the market has responded as expected – with overwhelming demand”.
“The success is underpinned by customers being far more informed about what real luxury is. There’s a lot of luxe-washing in the market, where brands claim to offer luxury but simply don’t deliver. At APT, we back up every promise with world-class delivery.”
And he says there is an opportunity for further growth.
“Right now, our priority is delivering on the success of Solara and Ostara, but with such strong momentum, we are considering opportunities for further growth of the fleet. We’ve always led from the front, and that’s exactly where we intend to stay.”
New players on Europe’s rivers
In January 2025, Celebrity Cruises announced its plans to launch 10 river ships by 2029, starting with Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker in August and October 2027.
Just eight months later, priority bookings for the ships’ inaugural sailings sold out within six minutes – an extraordinary affirmation of the demand from both new and seasoned river cruisers.
The 172-guest ships will sail seven-night itineraries on the Rhine and Danube, and in early 2026 Celebrity will release pre- and post-cruise stays for booking.
Several design features are inspired by those on Celebrity’s Edge-class ocean ships – cantilevered Magic Edge dining pods, the Martini Bar and Skylight Infinite Balcony Suites – and Celebrity promises to offer “the most usable outdoor space of any river ship”.
While Lindblad Expeditions has extensive experience in river cruising on the Amazon and Nile – and operates small-ship cruises in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean – Connect is Lindblad’s first river ship on Europe’s waterways.
Due to start sailing two different eight-day itineraries on the Rhine in April 2026, the luxurious, 120-guest vessel will offer a high 1:2 crew to guest ratio.
Each cruise will be staffed with Lindblad’s renowned cultural experts and photography instructors, and guests can expect outstanding shore excursions – think wine-tasting with nuns at a Benedictine Monastery in Rüdesheim, or after-hours access to prestigious museums and galleries. Two-day pre- or post-cruise stays are available in select cities.
New ships for established lines
Hot on the heels of the successful launch of two ships on Colombia’s Magdalena River, AmaWaterways announced that it is building eight new European ships for delivery by 2030, bringing its global fleet to more than 40.
Meanwhile, AmaSofia will debut on the Rhine in March 2026 and then cruise the Danube from June until December.
Viking’s mighty fleet continues to expand as the company plans to welcome six more Viking Longships to Europe’s rivers in 2026.
Five will sail popular itineraries on the Rhine, Maine and Danube, and the sixth is dedicated to cruising on France’s River Seine.
In 2026, Scenic’s sister brand Emerald Cruises is launching the 180-guest Emerald Astra to sail the Rhine, Moselle and Danube, followed in 2027 by the 130-guest Emerald Lumi on the Seine.
Emerald Astra is designed to mirror the line’s luxury superyachts, while including popular Star-Ship features such as the pool/cinema combination.
Uniworld will welcome S.S. Emilie to the fleet in 2026 – the company’s 50th anniversary year – and has three new SuperShips scheduled for 2027: S.S. Audrey (named after Audrey Hepburn), S.S. Marlene (named after Marlene Dietrich) and S.S. Rafael, which will sail on the Douro with “brother ship” S.S. Gabriel.
Two of Uniworld’s smaller ships, River Queen and River Princess, are joining Trafalgar Tours’ (another company in The Travel Corporation) new river cruise venture next year.
Tauck announced in September 2025 that due to “unprecedented guest demand”, it is adding two new ships to its European fleet in 2027, as well as two already in the pipeline for 2026.
This four-vessel expansion over two years represents the highest volume increase in the family-owned company’s river cruising history, doubling its capacity in sought-after France and Portugal.
On the horizon
Luxury travellers can look forward to exciting new European itineraries that combine river cruising with rail journeys, seamless city stays and, in the cases of Scenic, APT, Celebrity and Lindblad Expeditions, small-ship coastal cruising as well.
In a recent interview with Karryon, Uniworld’s CEO Alice Ager said, “From next year we will see new Uniworld small-group journeys, Luxury Gold tours, and more luxury rail offerings”.
Reflecting the demand for expanded river cruise itineraries, bookings for Uniworld’s 51-day World Rivers Cruise in 2026 sold out months ago.
Making the most of its extensive travel portfolio, Scenic is offering five Grand Journeys in 2026. Ranging from 48 to 80 days, the all-inclusive itineraries comprise river cruises, ocean cruises on Scenic Eclipse I or II and extended city stays.
Looking a little further ahead, Celebrity Cruises’ President Laura Hodges Bethge says that river cruising opens up the possibility of Celebrity combining sailings in Europe that offer land, river and ocean segments.
For more information, visit AmaWaterways, APT, Celebrity Cruises, Emerald Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, Scenic, Tauck, Trafalgar, Uniworld, Viking
CLIA’s Cruise Month Toolkit is available at CLIA Members Hub
