What’s Celebrity’s plan for river cruising? Allan Brooks, national dir. of sales for Canada, explains

Allan Brooks went to bed as an ocean guy, and then woke up the next morning as a river guy. Unexpectedly.

When Celebrity Cruises announced early Tuesday morning (Jan. 28) that it would be launching a river cruise division, Brooks, the cruise line’s national director of sales for Canada, knew as much about it as everyone else.

“They kept this one really close to the chest,” Brooks told PAX in a video link interview yesterday, just six hours after he learned that Celebrity, after nearly 40 years of perfecting ocean voyages, will deploy small ships on Europe’s rivers in about two years. “All I knew was that a big announcement was coming.”

On the heels of Royal Caribbean Group sharing its Q4 and full-year 2024 results, which saw record-breaking numbers and more than 8.6 million vacations sold, “Celebrity River Cruises” is being positioned as a “transformative” addition to the company’s portfolio.

READ MORE: Celebrity will start offering river cruises in 2027

Launching in spring 2027 with Edge Series-inspired river ships (newbuilds that will be constructed in Holland), the new venture aims to bring Celebrity’s modern design and sophistication to popular European waterways and destinations, the company said. 

“It’s a bold step that positions us to lead in an exciting, fast-growing segment of the travel market and win a greater share in the $2 trillion vacation market,” wrote Jason Liberty, president and CEO at Royal Caribbean Group, on his LinkedIn page yesterday.

Liberty later told analysts that the plan is to launch two 180-passenger Celebrity river vessels in 2027 and then expand to four new ships annually thereafter. Currently, 10 river ships are on order. 

The CEO suggested that other brands within the group may also launch river cruise divisions, hinting that ultra-luxe Silversea could be next. He said Celebrity River Cruises could become the second-largest river operator behind Viking for “significantly less money than we paid for [Celebrity] Xcel 2." 

“This is not about chasing Viking customers," Liberty was quoted as saying. "This is about leveraging our customers and keeping them in our eco-system. We then get more repeat guests that are happy and support us because they trust us.”

A move that, perhaps, comes in response to a post-COVID demand for vacations that involve smaller ships and fewer crowds, Celebrity’s river line will leverage the loyalty programs within Royal Caribbean Group’s three brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea).  

Celebrity's river extention is just one of many updates the premium-level cruise line has shared this month. As the company prepares to launch its fifth Edge Series vessel, Celebrity Xcel, later this year, a sixth Edge-level ship was recently announced. Edge 6 or "Xcel 2" will be a sister-ship to Celebrity Xcel, and will be delivered in 2028.

As for the new river line, which was teased yesterday with an image depicting a river ship bearing Celebrity’s “X” symbol, yet speed blurred to hide the vessel’s hardware, what we know, at this point, is that sales will open sometime in the next five to six months.

What’s the strategy as Celebrity enters Europe’s highly-competitive river cruise scene? PAX spoke to Allan Brooks to get all the answers (or at least some of them). 

PAX: What was your reaction when you heard that Celebrity was getting into the river cruise business?

Allan Brooks (AB): When I read the press release along with everybody else, my reaction was “Amazing. Awesome.” We have a great ocean product, we have the expedition component with Celebrity Flora in the Galapagos, and now we have river. It really rounds out our offering as a brand. A lot of our cruisers have done river cruises, or are thinking about river cruises, which tend to be more immersive in destinations. When you think about taking an ocean cruise in Europe, and then tying it into a river cruise to extend the experience, with the same brand, it’s very exciting.

PAX: Why did Celebrity decide to go this route?

AB: I think there's always been interest in rivers because of our presence and success in Europe. This takes it to the next level with more immersion. It also opens up more destinations to us that weren't available with our larger ships. We've always had a lot of respect for the industry’s river cruise segment. We also have a big loyalty program [The Captain's Club] and I think that will complete the package.

PAX: What will be the “Celebrity Way” of doing a river cruise?

AB: Great question. It’s 10 ships with approximately 180 passengers. We’re going from ships of 2,800, where we’ve been able to deliver an elevated service and attention to detail, to a much smaller space. If I had my operations hat on, I’d send my best of the best. It's a great place for the crew to learn in an intimate setting and apply all of those lessons learned after 30-plus years on oceans.

It also brings to mind “the ship within a ship” concept, like The Retreat [a suite experience on Celebrity’s ships that offers exclusive spaces]. It’s similar in terms of size and scale. That may lend itself to the river portion of our brand.

PAX: So, you think Celebrity’s “Retreat” concept will inform elements of your river ships?

AB: I truly do. We know there will be suites, but there are other categories within the ship, which is great for other price points and comfort levels. There will be a good variety.

PAX: Have you seen any renderings of the river ships? The speed blur image Celebrity shared yesterday was very mysterious.     

AB: I’ve seen nothing.

PAX: What about the design of the ships? Will there be any ‘industry firsts’? 

AB: Like we did with Edge, designing it in 3D, with the hull being more efficient, making less of an environmental impact with the engines we use, the paint we use, how we source everything, all of that will apply to our river ships. There’s definitively some consideration going into how these ships will set us apart from the rest – as we’ve done on the ocean.

There will be open decks, dining spaces, lounges, and obviously staterooms. With river ships, you’re limited to a certain extent. But I know our architects, designers, marine department and hotel, entertainment, food and beverage teams will come up with wild and wacky ways to make it different, better and greater. We always find a way.

PAX: Will Celebrity’s 10 river ships all have the same design?

AB: We don’t know yet. But think about our Edge Series ships. We all assumed the four we had ordered were going to be the same. But we know now that there’s quite a significant difference between them. We may not be limited to 10 ships either. So, it's super exciting.

PAX: In line with your Edge Series ships, will there be a mini Magic Carpet on Celebrity’s river ships? A Magic “Area Rug,” perhaps?

AB: A Magic Bath Rug? Laughs. Yeah. That has a weird ring to it.

PAX: Do you know what rivers Celebrity will sail on in Europe? What destinations you’ll visit?

AB: At this point, no. Our guests are our North Star. We know many of them have taken a river cruise or have aspired to. Not because they were bored with our brand – we just didn't have that offering. They will drive where we go. The Danube comes to mind as a starter spot. But that is still yet to come. I haven’t seen anything.

PAX: How long has this idea been in the making? Is it a post-COVID move?

AB: I’m speculating, but I’d assume it’s been going on for a couple of years. I think it's always been on the minds of our leadership given the growth we’ve seen in ocean.

PAX: Since the pandemic, there’s been heightened interest in smaller ships, like the ones used in river cruising, because they involve fewer people. One could argue some ocean cruisers crossed over to rivers during COVID. Is Celebrity River Cruises a direct response to that trend?

AB: I can’t say definitively how the decision was made. I know it's always been a topic of conversation – pre-COVID as well – that river was a segment we were always interested in. Back in the day, there were talks of merging or acquiring. But now, I think we've positioned ourselves so well over the past couple years, post-COVID, with the aggressive return to cruising. Our river product is going to give customers the confidence to use and retain loyalty points and stick with a brand they know, love and can trust.

There’s also something to be said about the evolution of the cruiser – if we want to call it that. You know, you do a seven-night Caribbean cruise and love it. And then maybe you go on a longer cruise and try a more exotic destination, like Alaska or South America. And then people may try a small-ship experience, like Celebrity Flora, for example. And then they're looking for longer, more immersive experiences. That's where I think river comes into it.

PAX: Of all the brands in the Royal Caribbean Group, why was Celebrity chosen to launch a river product?

AB: I think that our sister brand, Royal Caribbean, has gone into a space of massive ships with amazing offerings, and ultimate adventures in an amusement park-like environment at sea. Whereas we went in the other direction with a more intimate feel, with elevated food and service. It’s just a different package.

Our CEO, Jason, talks about how it’s not just a vacation of a lifetime, but now a lifetime of vacations. You evolve from sailing with the family on adventure cruises, where you’re zip-lining and rock climbing, to more immersive overnights with Celebrity. The next stage, [river], is even more immersive, seeing the interior parts of Europe. It’s all about the evolution of the cruiser – and river fits in perfectly.

PAX: This could potentially introduce a whole new audience to river cruising. Do you agree?

AB: Yes. I think it will appeal to not only those that have done river cruises and enjoy them, but it may also work the other way. River may attract new audiences, but it may also direct people to our ocean ships as well.

PAX: What kind of customers do you think will enjoy Celebrity’s river cruise experience?

AB: Our guests are adventure seekers. They want to be immersed. They want to learn. I don't think there's a specific demographic I would target for this. As much as retirees have more time to do longer itineraries, this could be just as appealing to a young couple on a honeymoon.

PAX: Are you going to expand your sales team in Canada? Will there be specific BDMs for Celebrity River Cruises?

AB: I don't foresee that. These ships, on average, will hold 180 passengers. It’s not a massive number compared to the rest of our fleet. I don't see us scaling up our sales force. It'll just become another component. We're going to get great training on it.

PAX: Generally speaking, river cruises can be quite expensive. Can you say what Celebrity’s prices will look like?   

AB: I can't give you an exact number at this point. What I can say is that there will be different cabin categories to accommodate different budgets and interests. I don't think it'll be at the level of Celebrity Flora, which is all suites and all-inclusive with air credits. A lot of the questions I’ve heard from travel partners is if our river ships will have an all-included concept. It’s still in development, but we're definitely leaning towards that. It won’t be Flora pricing – unless you’re in a suite, perhaps.

PAX: Will partners and customers have a say in the development of Celebrity River Cruises, much like what’s being done with Celebrity Xcel? 

AB: We’ve been naming ocean ships for many, many years. Now, we're going to name river ships. They've been hinting at a competition for our trade partners and Captain’s Club members to suggest ideas for names.

PAX: Have travel advisors been asking Celebrity for river cruises?

AB: It’s something they've alluded to. I don't know of any other brand of our size, scale and experience that has done something like this. People are excited. It’s like they’re saying, “Oh yeah, they should be doing that.’” We brought in Edge with much fanfare, acclaim and awards, and I think the ‘wow factor’ is going to come out with our river ships, too.

Were [travel advisors] expecting this? I don’t know. It shocked us. I just know we're going to do something really cool and different. We've got the team, experience and travel partners to do it. I think partners are equally excited because now the brand they've loved for so many years has another offering. We're going to be pushing for some good commissions on it, too. For sure.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. 

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