Royal Caribbean Group is taking on a new challenge with plans to launch a premium river cruise product to begin sailing in Europe in 2027.
Called Celebrity River Cruises, the brand has signed an initial order for 10 river ships that will take design inspiration from the line's Edge Series ocean ships.
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty said the company plans to enter the river market with Celebrity but will keep an eye toward scaling up and possibly launching another river product through its Silversea luxury brand.
"As we build up this kind of engine for river under Celebrity, it will certainly provide opportunity for our ultraluxury guests to consider a river experience under Silversea," he said. "We're going to start off with Celebrity. We're going to assume that's where we think that there is great scale opportunity. And then, of course, we'll be looking to see if there's other ways to expand it for our other brands as it sees fit.
"We are never satisfied with the status quo, and we are obsessed with delivering the best vacation experiences in the world and driving exceptional shareholder returns. Today's launch of Celebrity River Cruises is an example of our commitment to deliver on that promise and ultimately capture a greater share of the $2 trillion global vacation market."
Liberty said about half of the group's guests have experienced or intend to take a river cruise. The group plans to leverage its loyalty program across the brands to deepen customer engagement and keep guests within the company's ecosystem.
The big-picture goal is to continue to keep guests within that ecosystem of vacation experiences within its three brands, for which it has four new ships and four new private destinations coming online by 2027, not including the river vessels.
The cruise line will sail on rivers around the world and has already secured berthing rights, although Liberty did not specify where.
Each ship will carry about 180 passengers, and the line will allow kids to sail, Liberty said. Like the Celebrity brand, the river cruise product will not be all-inclusive.
The line plans to begin taking bookings this year. Details about Celebrity River Cruises, including when bookings will open, destinations, fleet size and ship details will be announced in the coming months.