CELEBRITY CRUISES REDEFINES RIVER TRAVEL | News
Celebrity River Cruises today unveiled a new standard for river travel with a comprehensive destination discovery program featuring four unique experience categories, each designed so guests can take home stories that no one else can provide. Local insiders lead the Storyteller Series and Skillmaster Series, while the Keys to the City Series gives guests the technology-driven power to explore on their own with insights curated based on their unique interests and passions. The Celebrity Takeover Series is available once per sailing and offers unique, tailor-made experiences.
Whether at a port of call or during a pre- or post-cruise stay, these carefully curated experiences will connect travelers to the culture of each destination in deeply personal, immersive and unforgettable ways during their Celebrity River Cruises vacation. Available for all 2027 and 2028 Celebrity River Cruises itineraries, and pre- and post-cruise stays in Prague, Budapest and Amsterdam.
“On a Celebrity River Cruises vacation, no two days are the same because no two places are the same. We’ve created a destination program that connects guests to Europe on a more personal level than anything the river cruise industry has ever offered,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises. “With our groundbreaking destination discovery capabilities, combined with thoughtfully designed onboard spaces that encourage relaxation and connection, Celebrity River Cruises guests will return home with stories no one else can tell.”
Storyteller Series: Included, locally led experiences that go beyond what tour guides can capture
Celebrity River Cruises’ Storyteller Series offers experiences guided by residents, artists and cultural insiders who call each destination home. Guests can choose from multiple included experiences per port, balancing each iconic landmark with the host’s personal favorites and hidden stories only locals know.
In Amsterdam, for example, a canal captain will share Amsterdam’s centuries-long relationship with water and show guests an unseen side of the city’s iconic waterways. Guests will sail through hidden passages, through the eyes of someone with deep family ties to the region, as they admire the city’s oldest building, the Oude Kerk, board a legendary Dutch trading ship and learn about modern canal engineering.
In Prague, guests who enjoy exploring a city through food and drink are guided through the city’s rich brewing traditions by a local brewer. From the brewer’s unique perspective, guests can explore historic breweries such as the bustling U Vejvodu Tavern and craft beer shops. On a journey that combines history and hospitality in every pour, the brewer will show guests how age-old recipes have shaped the city’s culture of connection and celebration.
Skillmaster Series: Included, hands-on experiences invite guests to actively participate in local culture
Celebrity River Cruises’ Skillmaster Series includes locally led experiences that go beyond sightseeing. Guests craft, cook and create alongside the artisans and makers who shape the cultural identity of each destination.
In Budapest, for example, a local Mamika (grandmother) will guide aspiring culinarians through generations of old Hungarian recipes from her own kitchen. After selecting ingredients at the local Central Market Hall, guests will discover the dishes that bring the soul of Budapest to the table through each of the Mamika’s treasured family recipes and cooking secrets.
In Amsterdam, a local artist leads a painting class that immerses guests in Van Gogh’s imagination. After exploring the famous painter’s works at the iconic Van Gogh Museum, guests will discover the environment that influenced some of his greatest pieces, while learning some of the techniques he used to transform emotion into color and movement into meaning.
Keys to the City Series: Includes independent digital discovery tools with free behind-the-scenes access and stationed local hosts
Celebrity River Cruises’ Keys to the City Series offers guests an included, technology-enabled way to explore ports of call on their own, based on their personal interests. Through an innovative digital platform, guests can access curated route maps tailored to specific interests such as art, history, food and architecture.
Interactive maps, audio guides and video content take guests off the beaten tourist path to interest-based locations where stationed local hosts provide behind-the-scenes access and exclusive experiences in working studios and craft locations to create moments of surprise and delight.
Architecture buffs in Bratislava, for example, will follow their curiosity to St. Martin’s Cathedral, where they can listen to a local historian bring Coronation past to life, before walking to Bratislava Castle to see how the fortress has seen centuries of change, then pausing under the modern span of the UFO Bridge with an architect explaining his bold vision.
Or discover the city’s authentic Slovak flavors, from raising a glass in a traditional Slovak pub as a generational brewer pours his stories into every artisanal drop, to tasting delicate sweets at a family-run pastry shop where the baker shares recipes passed down for decades. Guests will curate their adventure and set their own path to discover the stories of cities, just the way they want.
Celebrity Takeover Series: Included, unique experiences for bucket list memories
The Celebrity Takeover Series offers exclusive, tailor-made experiences once per sailing, transforming must-see European attractions and unassuming plazas into elevated private events available only to Celebrity River Cruises guests. Each Celebrity Takeover Series indulgent bucket list experience is designed to be the defining memory of a guest’s Celebrity River Cruises vacation.
Pre- and Post-Cruise Stays: Experience The Celebrity Way before and after each sailing
Celebrity River Cruises guests can extend their voyage with multi-day pre- and post-cruise stays, which bring the same locally-led, small-group discovery philosophy as every sailing. Each stay is available in Prague and Budapest from 2027, and also in Amsterdam in 2028. It includes daily small-group tours with local hosts, first-class hotel accommodations, a dedicated concierge service for dinner reservations and private experiences, daily breakfast and airport transfers.
The result is a seamless, end-to-end journey from arrival to departure, with no interruption between the Celebrity River Cruises onboard experience and the destination discovery that defines it.
Bookings for 2027 and 2028 pre- and post-cruise stays open this summer, and all other destination experiences can be booked in 2027. Celebrity River Cruises sailings are now on sale. To experience Europe’s rivers The Celebrity Way, visit www.celebritycruises.com/river, contact a Celebrity River Cruises expert at 1-833-474-8803, visit Future Cruise onboard or contact a trusted travel advisor.
