The Dynamic World of River Cruising in 2026 and Beyond
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
Change is in the air—especially in the river cruise world.
So, I thought I’d try to update you on how rapidly things are changing in terms of new builds and company dynamics. There is a stampede for companies to expand and new entries into the industry. It is clear that high demand s driving the rapid expansion and river cruises are booming! My best guess is that 743,400 North American sailed on a river cruise in 2024.
Overview
The competition among lines is heating up and I have been able to sort through some of the news, to report a general overview on the booming river cruise marketplace and plans for the future. While exact number are not readily available, there is just enough information made publicly available to get a good sense of what is happening.
The primary reason for the uptick in ship building is an increase in Americans who will be turning 55+. The US census bureau reports that by 2030 1 in 5 will be 65 or older. They will control 73% of American wealth. Since the 55+ age group and above is the primary target of river cruise companies, there is no wonder more ships are being built, and new companies are trying to grab their share of this lucrative market.
Both Viking River Cruise lines and AmaWaterways report record bookings in 2024 and 2025, with a significant portion of their river cruise itineraries sold out (above 90 % for both years).
In a report I read from FMI (Future Market Reports, Inc.) it predicts a future growth rate of 6.1% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) for 2024 to 2034. CLIA (Cruise Lines International Associations), predicts a 10% growth rate annually. A Viking webinar projects a 13% growth rate annually on river cruises from 2026 to 2030.
Why is River Cruising so Popular?
The rising demand to river cruise includes smaller ships where almost all aspects of a good trip are included (accommodations, great food and drink and tours while staying on a mobile vessel) and the chance to experience the landscapes and cultures of countries for an outstanding vacation.
The intimate, small ship experience with good itineraries and more folks who can afford these higher-end cruises is driving the demand. Passengers often feel a deeper connection to the culture and destinations in these smaller groups.
Specialty cruises are very frequent among most lines, with wine and food cruises, wellness cruises (health and active options) and special themed cruises are offering more options to folks. This trend is driving the average age of 60+ down to 55 or lower.
While 7-day cruises are the norm, many 14-day cruises (or more), with combination of routes and rivers offered by most lines is expanding, and this trend will only increase as lines offer more of these types of longer cruises.
2024 Market Share by River Cruise Company
My primary source for this report is a webinar I attended on September 23.2025 from Viking River Cruise Lines. I have heard similar market share information and since Viking is publicly traded on the stock exchange, their numbers seem fairly reliable.
I will start with the largest to smallest market share to organize this blog and add any new updates from any publishing source I have encountered in our quest to provide updates on the river cruise industry passengers.
Viking River Cruise Lines
Viking has 52% of the North American market share in the river cruise market. This translates to about 385,568 passengers for 2024. It is no wonder they are so dominate—somewhere around 83 river cruise ships are presently sailing and there nearest competitor has 26 or so.
Viking has 83 river cruise ships in its fleet and plans to expand to 98 worldwide by the end of 2026 (10 are going to be added to the European fleet, according to RiverCruising.co.uk).
The ships will not have any new features, just the solid design of their popular longships and the 135-meter ships will carry 190 passengers. They have really expanded their Nile River cruise fleet in their latest push during their never-ending production of new ships to add to the river cruise market.
The Viking Baldur
AmaWaterways
AmaWaterways has 15% of the North American Market and had about 111,510 passengers sailing on their 26 ships in 20224. They started sailing in Columbia in 2025 with 2 ships. They are exclusive in the Magdalena River in Columbia.
Not to be left out of the ship building frenzy, AmaWaterways will add 2 ships in Europe, along with a new ship on the Mekong in 2026. In 2027 they will add the AmaRudi, the second double wide ship on the Danube and have orders for 8 more, bringing their fleet to 40 by 2030.
It is clear to me that the new ownership sees expansion and growth as a key part of their overall strategy to claim an even larger share of the marketplace.
The AmaMagna double wide ship. Photo Anne Schrader
Avalon
Avalon has 9% of the North American Market, with about 68,906 passenger sailing on their ships in 2024.
Avalon does not have any building plans that I’m aware about but is completing a 3-year fleet-wide refresh of its “Space Ships” in Europe that is scheduled for to be finished by 2026.
Without any real inside knowledge, one reason for the lack of expansion may be the growth is not contemplated at present, as Avalon is part of the larger Globus family of travel brands, which allows them to offer travel experiences beyond just river cruises.
The Avalon Impression
Uniworld
Uniworld has 7% of the North American Market Share, which translates to 52, 038 passengers sailing in 2024.
Uniworld plans to launch 3 ships by 2027. These are the “Super Ships” which will complete the fleet to an all “Super Ship” fleet. Each ship will be unique with custom features and will represent a well-known figure from the region they sail on. The key to this expansion is a focus on high-quality ships instead of identical ships offered by their competitors.
Uniworld is introducing an interesting new elaborate 50-night river cruise for their 50th Anniversary in 2026. It includes air, rail and routes in different rivers. I will be very interested in the results, as AmaWaterways tried this concept just limited to Europe and decided it was not right to continue this type of cruise.
They also are partnering with Seaborn to offer a luxury river/ocean cruise combination. Viking is also doing this and I predict Celebrity Cruises will also offer this by 2028.
Butlers on the Uniworld Maria Theresa Photo Hank Schrader
Scenic/Emerald
These two companies account for 5% of the cruise market and approximately 37,170 sailed on their river cruise ships.
Emerald plans to add 2 new ships by 2027. The Emerald Astra will launch in 2026 and in 2027, the Emeral Lumi will sail the Seine.
There is also a major refurbishment program going on for both its ocean and river ships—18 in total. The program is designed to elevate the brand of the fleet.
One fact I noticed about Scenic in their 2026 offerings, is an expansion of combining more 7-day cruise routes into 14-day or more sailings.
The Emerald Sun
The Scenic Opal. Photo Anne Schrader
Tauck
Tauck has 4% of the river cruise market and 29,736 or so sailed with them in 2024.
Tauck is expanding their European fleet by 2 ships each in 2026 and another 2 ships in 2027, which will increase their passenger capacity by 30 percent, compared to 2025. Capacity will be limited to no more than 130 passengers, in keeping with their philosophy “small is big.”
These new ships will sail in France and on the Douro. Of all the expansion efforts by the 8 lines we follow, I have always thought that Tauck needed more ships than the other companies.
The Tauck Savor
Riverside
I could not find any reliable numbers of passengers sailed in 2024, but with only 3 ships and basically a start-up line, the numbers are going to be low.
Riverside currently leases 2 ships to Uniworld but plan to expand their fleet of the Bach in 2027 and the Mahler in 2028. Further expansion plans will be evaluate at the end of the 2026 season to determine is expansion is warranted based on their bookings.
I have very high expectations for Riverside, as their 135-meter ships are the best sailing in Europe and the food is excellent. This family-owned company seems to think slow is better than quick, to ensure excellence of their product.
The Riverside Ravel. Photo Anne Schrader
58,472 Passengers sailed on different lines in 2024, or 8 % split between 15 or more larger river cruise companies.
Most of these lines account for 1% or less of the North American Market and some do not use English as their onboard language. For us, there is not enough interest in these lines to justify reporting on them, but it doesn’t mean they might be right for some select river cruisers.
New Companies coming into this lucrative Market
New company brands are entering the marketplace, such as Celebrity Cruises (2 ships in 2027), and National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions is partnering with Transcend Cruise with 2 ships.
Celebrity sold out their entire inventory for 2027 in about 5 hours of 33 week-long voyages. The brand recognition and their research about past guests wanting to go on a European river cruise proved to be right on the mark!
The word on the street is folks also are scrambling to book in 2028 although it is currently not available yet. This is a record sell out in the river cruise marketplace.
For me, the jury is still out on their entry into the river cruise marketplace. Some of their ship design concepts sound amazing, but I could see problems navigating low bridges and lock restrictions if any of their expanding features do not operate correctly. It will be interesting to see if they have a unique product but for sure their brand has driven demand beyond expectations.
National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions/Transcend Cruises have formed a partnership agreement to start cruises in 2026. Transcend is a charter only river cruise line. The 2026 sailings will be on 2 new state-of-the-art vessels. The agreement is currently to sail until the 2028 river cruise season. I’m not sure how you would even book these, as Transcend does not sell directly to the public.
Our Final Thoughts
I think it is certain the demand will continue in the next 5 years, but I fear the expansion could be detrimental in the quality experience that makes river cruising so special. Ther are only so many ports available for these ships and I doubt we will ever see just a single ship ported without another rafted (tied up to other ships) as in the past. You may have read some of my concerns in an earlier blog post and ways some of these problems could be solved. Here is the link if you are interested to read more about my concerns about the expansion planned in the next few years.
It is clear to me that the river cruise companies do not think the market is over-saturated and the new ships will add to their profitability and market share. Only time will tell, and I hope my fears are wrong and the overall experience of river cruising still is maintained at high levels.
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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). His last major certificate is a Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certificate earned from the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). 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
CLIA Riverview Certificate
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Riverside Luxury Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Brit Agent
