Celebrity Cruises has taken a step closer to its planned entry into the European river cruise market with a show-and-tell of its two under-construction ships and the opening of booking for cruises that will start in 2027.
It appear that Celebrity has taken a leaf from the playbook of river cruise leader Viking, but in reverse. When Viking added ocean cruising to its fleet of river ships, it translated the whole feel and many of the features of the smaller river ships to the design of its ocean fleet, helping win customers who were already accustomed to them. Celebrity’s river ships, named Compass and Seeker, are designed to carry out the themes and familiar features of its ocean brand.
The two new ships, each with 86 cabins in five categories, eight restaurants and bars—several of them replicating ones on ocean ships—and an infinity-edge plunge pool. The ships will run 7-day itineraries on the Rhine and Danube rivers.
