River Cruises 2026/2027: How is the industry growing – and how is the number of crews increasing?
- Stephan Busch
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
The positive news is that passenger numbers have been steadily rising over the past few years, ships are operating at full capacity, and interest seems set to continue growing.
Which companies will grow or enter the market from 2026 onwards?
In late 2026, Nile Seray will be unveiled as Abercrombie & Kent’s fifth Egyptian riverboat.
Amadeus River Cruises is slated to launch its new 158-guest Amadeus Aurea in May 2026. Amadeus is steadily growing over many years and with high standards.
AmaWaterways has two riverboats debuting in 2026: AmaSofia on the Rhine in March (followed by the Danube), and AmaMaya on the Mekong in August.
, American Cruise Lines is also anticipating its new American Encore riverboat, sailing the Columbia and Snake rivers in May 2026
Another new modern riverboat, American Anthem, is arriving in 2027, and three more river vessels, including American Grace and two not yet named, in 2028. Anthem and Grace are also planned to ply the Columbia and Snake rivers.
Royal Caribbean Group is making a big splash with its plans to introduce river cruising starting in 2027 aboard the Celebrity brand.
10 River Ships on Order
Each carrying about 180 passengers, 10 vessels are on order with the first two, Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, to arrive in 2027 and four to follow in both 2028 and 2029.Viking's river orderbook consists of 21 vessels through 2028. Eight are planned for delivery in 2026, eight in 2027 and five in 2028.
Royal Caribbean Group Chairman/CEO Jason Liberty described an “avalanche of demand” for Celebrity River Cruises and said 10 newbuilds are “just a start.”
Riviera Travel is stretching from its U.K.-based roots to appeal to North American travelers with the new Riviera Resplendence, set to launch in 2026.
Century Cruises has a newbuild scheduled for September 2026; called Century Star, the ship will be the Chinese line’s first to operate in Europe.
In Egypt, Century Cruises currently charters vessels from a local tour operator but having acquired a majority stake in that company along with a shipyard, newbuilds for the Nile are envisioned starting in 2027.
Emerald Cruises & Tours will also strengthen its riverboat fleet when Emerald Astra begins sailing the Rhine, Main, Moselle and Danube rivers in May 2026. Emerald Lumi to join on the Seine in 2027.
Tauck will debut its new MS Lumiere on the Rhone and MS Serene on the Seine in spring 2026.
Saudade, an 84-passenger Douro vessel that's a sister of 2021's Andorinha.
Expanding on its Super Ship series of riverboats, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will launch S.S. Emilie along the Danube in March 2026.
with sisters SS Audrey and SS Marlene for the Rhine and Danube coming in 2027, along with the smaller São Rafael for the Douro.
Lindblad Starts Europe River Cruising
In this first year Lindblad will offer eight departures of two Rhine itineraries on Transcend's Connect, adding more departures and varied Danube itineraries including three weeklong Christmas market cruises in 2027 with a second Transcend vessel, Evolve.
Sister vessel Riviera Resplendence is scheduled to debut on the Rhine in early summer 2026, followed by Riviera Reflection on the Danube in September 2027.
Riviera Travel will be expanding into Asia in 2027 with its own newbuild, the 50-passenger Riviera Alba, on the Mekong. Meanwhile, in 2026, Riviera is offering six departures of the chartered Victoria Mekong but these are not sold on the North American market. Only Riviera Alba will be available in 2027.
Solo Focus
The company is known for designating special sailings for solo travelers, and starting in June 2027, it will dedicate a smaller vessel, George Eliot, exclusively for this. Carrying 68 passengers in all solo-occupancy rooms, George Eliot will cruise the Danube, Rhine and Moselle.
Launching in September 2026, Travelmarvel Sirius on Nile
Rounding out Viking’s 10 new vessels launching by 2026 will be five new 190-guest Viking Longships on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers — Viking Dagur, Viking Haki, Viking Halogi, Viking Rota and Viking Sjofn — along with the smaller, 168-guest Viking Fjolvar on the Seine. Meanwhile, two 82-passenger sister ships will set sail on the Nile: Viking Ptah and Viking
Trafalgar will enter the inland waterways market for the first time when its newly formed river cruise brand debuts its first ships, Trafalgar Reverie and Trafalgar Verity, in April 2026. Retooled from the fleet of corporate cousin Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, the former River Princess will become Reverie, and River Queen will soon be Verity. Each vessel will accommodate 128 guests in Europe along the Danube and Rhine rivers.
Charter specialist Scylla’s in-house Viva Cruises river line will expand in 2026 with Viva Beyond, scheduled for May.Viva Unique will follow in spring 2027, sailing Italy's Po River from Venice and Cremona.
In 2027 CroisiEurope plans to introduce a newbuild for the Amazon.The 32-passenger Brasilian Dream
Where does the crew come from?
Currently, it is estimated that approximately 80 different nationalities work on river passenger ships.
Most are based in Europe, where the Rhine, Main, Danube, Moselle, Seine, and Rhône are major attractions. However, America is also developing, with the Mississippi, Snake, and Columbia rivers. For many years, the Nile, Yangtze, and Mekong have also been popular destinations. Due to visa restrictions, China, Vietnam, Egypt, and the USA are mostly dependent on their local labor markets. Many agencies fill ships in Europe with Asian crews—from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar—as well as Eastern European personnel from Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania. Increasingly, management positions are also being filled by Eastern Europeans, as many have years of experience on ships. English and German are becoming increasingly important languages, but French and Spanish are also gaining importance, leading to significant recruitment in Mauritius, Tunisia, and other countries. The growing number of ships is also posing a challenge for recruitment agencies. Finding hotel staff and qualified nautical personnel will be a huge task for the coming years.
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