- Experts are reporting a river cruise boom in demand with many saying they’re already almost sold out.
- So much so, that they are now turning to a hunt for new rivers and destinations to explore.
- A major European conference has heard that more ships are due on the waters, but that there is still room for more.
River cruise lines are reporting record bookings, with some close to capacity already and more ships ready to launch than ever before.
The recent fourth annual American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) River Expo delivered a key message this year when nine elite river cruise lines met in Vienna to discuss new ships, new competition, new itineraries and the future of the industry as a whole.
They all agree, there is a river cruise boom as never seen before.
Celebrity River Cruises were the big newcomers to the scene with the announcement that they will begin sailing in 2027 with 10 ships planned for the fleet. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s biggest ocean cruise lines. The sudden emergence of ocean cruisers looking for river ships has caused many ripples among the industry’s stalwarts.
The 1600 strong audience of travel advisors heard a united message from all the cruise line executives including AmaWaterways co-founder and CEO Rudi Schreiner who welcomed the competition. “I Think there’s a bright future. There will be new entities coming into the market. The more the happier. Everybody brings in some new ideas and so on.”
Viking Cruises announced last week that they have already sold 88% of their 2025 inventory, sending a powerful message about just how rapidly the river cruise market is expanding. CEO Torstein Hagen said there will be several challenges with the rapid expansion. “Docking space is a critical resource”… that can take years to secure. He also spoke about the importance of restricting tourism in some smaller ports.
Similarly, Tauck Vice President of Global Sales and Reservations, Steve Spivak said “River lines have to take a hard look at how we manage the impact on destinations.”
AmaWaterways co-founder and chief brand ambassador Kristen Karst said the key would lie in the partnerships forged with the small communities. “We want to make sure that we do partnerships with villages and countries in the most meaningful, purposeful way, and that, of course, our achievements become their achievements.”
When asked to explain the boom in river cruising, Michelle Palma, the North American executive vice president for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, said ocean cruisers are open to exploring the world of cruising further and there’s an opportunity to penetrate this established market. “I often say, when you take a cruise, you travel to the heart of the country, but when you take a river cruise, you travel the arteries of the country,” she said.
Cruise Passenger spoke exclusively with AmaWaterways about the boom.
Angela Smith, head of Marketing, Australia and New Zealand confirms the boom is across the board. “Yes, we are experiencing record occupancy levels for this time of the year.” She said it’s also a great indication for the Australian market.
“There’s a great uptake from the Aussie market with river cruise growth. We are currently +4% against last year for inventory sold for 2025. There’s a very strong indication for 2026, already +5% ahead of capacity at the same time last year. Our 2027 will be released shortly and we’re currently averaging around 12 months for book-to-departure trend.
Smith stated that despite the boom, there’s still room to book on the popular itineraries with “space available in France across most months, Egypt (Nile River) through all months, The Mekong in late August and early September and the Taste of Christmas markets in late November.”
Tauck’s Australian Managing Director David Clarke says they are also well above the 80% mark for bookings. “We have experienced unprecedented sales for 2025 on the European rivers, with still some small pockets available but are are well past the 80% mark.”
Clarke says every destination has seen the boom. “France has been selling very early as has the Douro in Portugal, and the classics like the Blue Danube is also very well sold for 2025.”
In terms of the Aussie market joining the trend, Clarke also says Tauck’s local numbers have exceeded their best year ever and it is only March. While it’s advisable to book early so as not to miss out, Tauck insists there are still spots left with availability. “There are still definitely pockets on the Rhine, Seine, Danube even the Douro, but it is limited.”
The introduction of new ships and new frontiers into the market double as early indicators of the ongoing growth. While AmaWaterways is working hard to promote its foray into Colombia’s Magdalena River as the first line to do so, Tauck is adding new capacity into France with two brand-new ships.
Avalon Waterways told Cruise Passenger 2024 was a record-breaking year for the line. “2025 bookings are going gangbusters, with some cruises nearing sell-out. We are introducing the brand new Bonjour Bordeaux itinerary, amongst the two new rivers (for a total of five), six new cruises and 33 per cent (33%) more capacity to meet demand in France in 2025.” Avalon Spokesperson Natalie King-Hughes said: “We expect a number of our cruises to sell out, in particular the Douro river cruises in Portugal and we would also recommend those wanting to get on board one of our Festive cruises in November/December to get in quick.”
Abercrombie & Kent Marketing Executive for Australia, Rachel Wynne told Cruise Passenger the line is seeing some specific examples of the boom. “Our Egypt & Nile River cruising options remain extremely popular in our market. Just this week we are introducing three new European river cruise programs to capture additional 2025 demand (A Culinary Cruise Through France, Cruise the Rhine to Europe’s Christmas Markets and A New Year’s Cruise on the Danube). In June 2025, A&K Sanctuary will also launch Pure Amazon, a chic new boutique riverboat on the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru, taking intrepid travellers deep into one of the world’s most precious and undiscovered wildernesses.” Wynne also said the boom is likely to continue well into next year. “2025 will see A&K Sanctuary launch the Pure Amazon luxury vessel in Peru. Our European River cruising is hoping to add a program on the Douro in coming seasons and A&K is always on the lookout for new destinations and emerging opportunities around the world.”
Viking’s figures are the strongest indicator of a longer-term growth trend and apart from the recent record 88% sales results, there’s also the addition of seven new ships in the making over the next couple of years, bringing the line’s total ship count up to a grand tally of 109.
Whether it’s the sales figures, the new rivers the new itineraries, the new ships, or even the new players in the cruise line game, it seems all the major cruise lines do agree that space is booming in a record direction and looks very positive for years yet to come.
