Though the ships will be smaller, they will feel familiar.
Celebrity Cruises guests who step onto Celebrity River Cruises' 172-passenger vessels when the line debuts in 2027 will spy familiar elements, including the Martini Bar, Sunset Bar and Cafe al Bacio. And travel advisors say this approach, bringing aboard tried-and-true designs and venues Celebrity fans already know and love, will help attract those clients to the river product.
Celebrity, which has sailed ocean cruises since 1990, earlier this month revealed the river line's first Rhine and Danube itineraries. Its first two river ships -- the Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker -- are being modeled after Celebrity's Edge-class ocean vessels.
It was a purposeful way to create a cohesive brand, said Celebrity Cruises president Laura Hodges Bethge.
"It's important for us that we are Celebrity Cruises. Whether that's the ocean or the river, we truly are Celebrity Cruises," she said. "So we took our favorites ... those will all be sized down a little bit, more petite, than they are on the ocean."
Compact size aside, the experience and feel will be the same, Hodges Bethge said, adding that guests can expect the same level of quality and comfort in their rooms and what she called the company's "signature hospitality."
Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer, founder of Live Well, Travel Often in Key West, Fla., said that means Celebrity fans will have the things they are "used to having."
"I think they're trying to capture their current clientele that is used to sailing in the Aqua class and the Retreat, the higher-end rooms," she said. "They're adding those things to appeal to their existing clientele as well as new clientele."
Missy Skoog, of Travel Leaders Market Square in Maple Grove, Minn., called the jump from ocean to river "an easy conversion" for her clients given the reliability of the brand, likening it to the crossover between Viking's river and ocean product.
Celebrity River Cruises ships will have a Cafe al Bacio onboard. Photo Credit: Celebrity River Cruises
Making some new Magic
Celebrity has signed an initial order of 10 river ships and will launch two in its first year. The Celebrity Compass will debut in August 2027 with five itineraries, and the Celebrity Seeker will begin sailing in October 2027 with seven itineraries. Both ships will sail the Rhine and Danube.
A limited number of eager travelers were able to get priority access to bookings by placing a $500 refundable deposit in early September. Those spots sold out in just six minutes, Celebrity said, demonstrating the piping-hot demand for its river product.
"It was like a Rolling Stones concert in the '80s," said Goldberg-Glazer, who was able to place a deposit for a client.
The Edge class is known for its innovation, including the Magic Carpet, a cantilevered platform venue.
Something similar will be on the Seeker and Compass called the Magic Edge, which Celebrity says will be the first cantilevered dining pod on a river ship.
Hodges Bethge called the new ships "the most innovative on the water" and said the company is seeking patents for some designs, though she declined to discuss specifics.
River cruise ships are limited in size due to the locks and bridges they must pass on their sailings. But instead of viewing this as an issue that must be tolerated, Hodges Bethge said the design team viewed it as an opportunity to break the mold; the Compass and Seeker will each have an open sundeck with unobstructed views.
The plunge pool will be located at the aft of the Celebrity Compass. Photo Credit: Celebrity River Cruises
The plunge pool, instead of being on the sundeck as usual, will be located one deck below on the aft. Everything located in front of the wheelhouse will be lower down so guest experiences there won't be interrupted by passing under a bridge or through a lock.
"Our guests have told us that they love coming to Europe with us," she said. "So we wanted to get them as close to the destination as we could, and we didn't want that exterior to be closed down at any point during the process."
Goldberg-Glazer said the renderings of the ships suggest that Celebrity is bringing inspiration from its Retreat suites, adding that she thinks travelers who love the Retreat will likely be drawn to the river cruises.
The ships will have eight restaurants and bars, more than what guests typically see on river ships. In addition to the three venues replicated from the Edge-class ships, the vessels will also have a bar and grill, a place to dine alfresco and a chef's table experience, Hodges Bethge said.
Food will be available 24/7, and complimentary room service will be available for breakfast across all room categories. Suites can have room service delivered for any meal at no additional charge.
"One of our guest passion points is food and drink," Hodges Bethge said. "They expect really high quality -- that also means variety."
Skoog said she anticipates the food quality to be the same as on the ocean ships or better. Hodges Bethge called out the small galley -- and lack of storage space -- as an opportunity to take advantage of sailing in the heart of Europe, where chefs can frequently procure fresh food when the ship docks, enabling the crew to obtain "really fresh local ingredients and really drive great cuisine from the places that we're at."
Correction: Celebrity Cruises has been sailing since 1990. A previous version of this report had the incorrect year.