- River cruise continues to grow in Europe, as it has been consistently doing over the past decade.
- This growth is headlined by Celebrity Cruise’s bringing 20 ships, but AmaWaterways and others have announced new ship launches.
- Can the tranquility of Europe’s rivers be maintained? Experts point to the extended season as a season to be optimistic.
Over the last decade river cruising has grown around 10-15% each year, fuelled by surging demand for the experiences along European waterways.
But rather than slowing down, river cruise operators are accelerating, as new river cruise entrants join and order their own new ships. The most notable has been Celebrity Cruises with a massive 20-ship order, the first of which will be delivered in 2028.
But Celebrity is far from the only line expanding.
AmaWaterways, Trafalgar and Viking have big orders in the Pipeline. Between 2025 and 2026, Viking alone is adding 10 new ships for Europe. Tauck, Amadeus, Scenic, Emerald and more all have new ships o refurbishments on the way over the coming years.
Reservations are surging, with 2026 bookings pacing “double digits” ahead of 2025 and some lines reporting they are almost at capacity.
While this growth is welcome and demonstrates the ever-rising interest in European river cruise, it does raise questions over whether Europe’s rivers have enough space for all the new ships.
A key element of river cruising is the magic of wondering off a ship and strolling right into a quaint European village. A recent report from Cleveland Research suggested that limited docking capacity in Europe would mark a ceiling of growth for river cruise.
There is high competition for docks as ships don’t want to be resigned to docking in the outskirts of a village or the industrial part of town, or “rafting” together three or four in line, forcing passengers to walk across other ships.
But the good news is that the industry is already in the midst of significant change that can accomodate expansions.
Firstly, the so-called “shoulder seasons”, outside of peak months of summer, are now just like the rest of the year. Christmas markets have made winter a must-have experience, and spring is proving hugely popular.
Second, some line are launching ships with shallow drafts that allow exploration further into the major rivers to destinations hitherto impossible to put on itineraries.
CroisiEurope has tamed the Loire River with a shallow-draft paddle steamer, and then repeated the process on the Elbe, bringing river cruising to Prague and Berlin. Nos, there is one on the Seine.
Some have voiced concern.
Avalon Waterways President Pam Hoffee told trade website Travel Weekly that she is concerned by just how many new ships are set to come to Europe.
“It used to be a thing that if you were double docked, if there were two ships together, people would get upset about it, and now it’s just totally normalised. There’s still room there, but it is something that worries me, when you hear the big numbers that some people are talking about.”
One of river cruise’s most prolific turnaround ports, Amsterdam, has revealed plans to cut its river cruise capacity in half.
But innovation is also gathering pace. Lines are building vessels that can better handle the water level changes nad low bridges of Europe’s inland waterways.
One writer aboard CroisiEurope’s Seine-based MS RE Waydelich said: “The small size of the ship, at just two decks, gives us an advantage against other vessels on the water. We could reach parts of the Seine that others couldn’t.
“This included navigating under the many low bridges of the river for a Paris-by-night tour, where the railings and canopy on the sun deck are removed to help us glide under. I felt like a VIP as we floated by landmarks such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame, without having to wrestle with land-based crowds.”
Celebrity Cruises international vice-president Giles Hawke has previously said he doesn’t believe Celebrity will run into capacity issues and may have to find different ports.
“As far as I know, we are going to be right in the centre of cities where our customers want to be.”
Anne Schrader, a US luxury travel expert and owner of Dream Destinations, told Travel Weekly: “I really can’t fault the river cruise companies for wanting to expand, as there is sufficient demand to incentivise them to offer more opportunities to their potential clients. After all, the tourist industry is in business to make a profit.
‘But too much of a good thing may backfire.”
Others disagree.
At last year’s ASTA River Expo in Vienna, where river cruise line executives spoke to 1,600-plus travel advisors, AmaWaterways co-founder and CEO Rudi Schreiner told the audience: “There’s still room to expand. 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.”
Kristin Karst, chief brand ambassador of AmaWaterways, said it was a priority to partner with destinations.
“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,” Karst said.
