River Cruising in 2026
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
There is a lot happening in the river cruise sector of travel. 3 new companies are offering their take on trips in a crowded marketplace in 2026 and 2027. The new companies are Trafalgar (2 new ships); Lindblad in partnership with Transcend Cruises, and Celebrity (2027) and now Waldorf Astoria is planning to sail on the Nile.
There are going to be new ships from AmaWaterways, Emerald, Tauck, Uniworld and Viking (it’s never ending with them ever year). For most, the new ships will just add options with the established river cruise lines (usually only 2 new ships per line) except for Viking which just pushes more ships out almost every year and has oversaturated the river cruise market in our opinion.
So, let’s look at these trends and help you decide if these increased offerings are right for you.
Our First Rule—Look for Quality and Value over Price
New offerings certainly increase competition but how does their value and quality increase your vacation satisfaction? I’m always a little skeptical about new lines without knowing exactly about their product, so I tend to take a wait and see position.
I am sure of one thing—all newcomers and ships will offer something of value to the marketplace. I just recently listened to a webinar of multiple river cruise lines during which one cruise line pointed out that the various lines rated between 4.7 to 4.4 out of a max 5 scale on Cruise Critic (pretty darn close scores).
This is no surprise to me, as one of my maximums is There Are No Bad River Cruises; All are Very Good!
Kinderdijk Windmills Netherlands 2025 photo Anne Schrader
Kuekenhof Gardens Neterlands 2025
Rhine Gorge Castles. Anne took this photo in 2009 on our first river cruise on AmaWaterways. We have been on 29 total since then,
Bamberg (Germany) Town Hall on the Main River
Watchman of the Wachau Valley on the Danube River
Budapest Parliament at Night on the Danube
Iron Gates on the Lower Danube
Hotel Dieu in Beaune, France
The Famous bridge of Avignon France
Entrance to the underground church St. Emilion France you could see on a Bordeaux Cruise
Omaha Beach Statue you could see on a Seine River Cruise
So, where does that leave us when they all seem similar? It really boils down to the subtle differences between lines. That alone is a reason for me to not jump into the fray of new lines—I’m not sure we can properly evaluate them right now. For trips costing between $15,000 and $25,000, we can’t say the quality and value is there yet with all these newcomers.
You’ve Never Had a Friend Like Us
Okay, I stole this from the Disney film Aladdin (the genie sings this to Aladdin) and another travel sales guy, but the message to you is just that—you need a trusted friend to help guide you and it is not going to get any better than us—you’ve never had a friend like us!
The real reason is transparency and trust. We run our business on the premise that we do what is best for you and we really care about the quality and value of your trip.
Since we don’t charge any fees, you basically get our services for free, as you will pay the river cruise lines the same amount if you use us or not. I just can’t understand why folks think they can do it better on their own.
So, How Do You Decide Which Line to Take?
One huge advantage we have is superior knowledge of the routes and ships that sail on the 8 lines we follow. We have 162 day-by-day routes on the website from 8 different companies. The key is our pictures of these trips added in to their excursions—you get to see it through our eyes. We also know special routes that are seasonal with a company you may not even know about.
This just happened this week—we helped new clients book an Oktoberfest Cruise with Tauck for 2026. Even though they were extremely knowledgeable and had done significant research, they didn’t know about this possibility.
Combine that with 140 blogs about every topic in river cruising and we now are your trusted resource for accurate information. We are unaware of any other travel professional that has this much in-depth resources along with ships tours on their website.
Can I say, You’ve Never Had a Friend Like Us!
We Help You Tell Your Story
I think we all value experiences and want to have memories that tell our trip story. The story is different for all of us. The story is about our values, and personal experiences that reflect our passions. Bucket lists, cooking food in a new way, amazing gardens, active excursion by bike, canoe or kayak or a hike in a different country, seeing important sights and cities, viewing art or other museums—I could go on and on, but you see the flexibility of a river cruise.
It is also about great food and wine and spirits, wonderful accommodations, and service in the style you desire. It could also be just to relax and get away from our hectic lives.
Anne’s Birthday 2025 on the Riverside Debussy
It might start out as a trip or vacation, but I am pretty certain that it will develop into your story and feeling like you were and are part of the family due to the amazing crew that takes care of you. We believe you will want to go again to help make the story longer and better and create more memories that will last a lifetime.
River Cruise Expo 2025 with Hotel Manager Andrea on the AmaSonata. We have sailed with her several times.
Anne with her wonderful AmaWaterways Staff at the River Cruise Expo 2025
If you are matched to the right river cruise line for your cruise style, it will be quite a story and maybe multiple stories.
Our Final Thoughts
To say the least, river cruising is not static. More ships are coming; new brands are entering the marketplace with ideas that may or may not be successful. The destinations really can’t change much on the 10 possible river systems currently in use in Europe. The Elbe has so many low water situations, that specialized ships with paddle wheels are the norm. Uniworld changed from using the Po in Italy in late 2023 and now only sails the Venice Lagoon (more a floating hotel than a real river cruise). That leaves the eight river systems available that we recommend—the Rhine and its tributaries (Moselle and Main); 3 river systems in France, the Danube and the Douro in Portugal. The early pictures in this blog highlight some of these rivers.
Let us help you match the right trip on one of these 8 river systems—You’ve Never Had a Friend Like Us!
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com . We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 53 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Riverside Luxury Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Brit Agent
