A New Kind of River Cruising Is Coming to Europe
The tried-and-true formula of dock, dinner and sleep is getting a makeover for a younger clientele.
A rendering of the Celebrity Compass.
Source: Celebrity River Cruises
Imagine you’re having dinner on a river cruise along the Danube. But instead of the typical older, stationary, Grüner Veltliner-sipping crowd, you’re surrounded by a livelier clientele, dining on a platform that revolves off the side of the ship and hovers over the water. Later, everyone decamps to a silent disco or heads for a dip in the infinity plunge pool.
The first of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s brands to trade oceans for rivers, premium line Celebrity has released details for its first two 172-passenger ships, the Swiss-registered Celebrity Compass and Seeker. The vessels will initially sail with 33 itineraries on Europe’s Rhine and Danube between August and New Year’s 2027. Fans have been buying up spots, sight and sailing dates unseen—a feat even in the popular river cruise market of Europe.