The Future of Europe River Cruising for 2027 and Beyond—My Predictions
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
The low water problems as of August 26, 2026, have concerned many folks about the validity of European River Cruises, as understandably many just don’t want a glorified bus tour.
While this dominates the current news cycle, so much is happening about river cruising in Europe that will have far greater implications than this temporary river levels problems.
So, I thought I might provide some thoughts and future predictions about European River cruising and what it means for our clients.
Explosive Growth and Demand
In 2025, there were 386 river cruise ships in Europe, and they provided 1.49 million passengers with a river cruise vacation (source IG River Cruise, a trade group).
There is a lot of incentive for companies to expand. One projection is that revenue of 5.4 billion earned in 2024 will double to 10 billion by 2030 (source Global River Cruise Market Report).
There are only so many navigable rivers in Europe, and with the growing demand, the experiences onboard the ship will become more important to potential guests.
My bottom-line prediction is that the explosive growth will lead to significantly different choices among lines as competition increases.
Here are just a small sampling of new experiences:
· AmaWaterways Cities Escapes (extended port time) and Smithsonian Journeys (enhance tours and lectures) are quite popular with guests.
· Tauck has expanded its excellent unique special venue dinners at unique shore locations.
Tauck Palace Dinner in Vienna. Photo Anne Schrader
Most river cruisers are very experienced travelers. They are usually very knowledgeable about the value of river cruising and the relaxed pace and small ship travel. They are willing to pay more for comfort and unique experiences. Not all companies will do well in this hyper-competitive environment. The difference will be the quality of the unique experiences, and the winners will be companies that create experiences that will leave their guest raving about their options.
One clear trend is that the older generations want to share their love of travel on a river cruise with their children and grand kids. They want to share the history, culture and food without the hassle of extensive travel planning.
I think this trend will be highly successful, as long as the diverse age groups find experiences they desire and clearly some companies will do this better than others. Already we have a couple of clients who have adopted this concept and will pay for most of their family members as a special gift to them.
Another trend I predict is cultural depth, story-telling and unique experiences will help make lines stand out. Combine this with excellent scenery on a cruise during some key sailing segments and comfortable cabins and good food will be the combination of highly successful lines in this ever-increasing competitive environment.
I predict there will be some failed attempts in the experience trend. It is probably too early to determine who will be most successful in these options, but not all will be well received.
As many of my fellow agents remember Unworld’s experience with the A and B aimed at the younger demographic (20- to 30-year-olds) with nighttime activities folded after a couple of years. One report I read said that more travel agents went on these cruises than guests.
Uniworld’s A. They are no longer sailing Photo Anne Schrader
Another example includes the 7 Rivers cruise for a long 46-day or so river cruise (AmaWaterways). Logistically it was very hard to move guests between rivers and the different size and style of ships caused stateroom challenges. It was just too long for most and was only offered twice.
7 Rivers Journey only went twice. Map from AmaWaterways
I predict the lines that adapt quickly to their failed ideas and some experiences will thrive. I don’t think it will lead to bankruptcy of any lines, but it probably will curtail expansion and eliminate some new builds. There are too many players to even guess how it will ultimately be resolved but I think it is clear that some plans will be altered.
Despite a Push from River Cruise Companies, More Port Locations will Limit Access to Balance Quality of life for Residents and Tourism dollars
While this has happen in several locations, I predict more will join this trend.
Amsterdam has already led this trend by restricting the number of river cruise yearly visit in the city docking locations.
Portugal has stopped allowing more river cruise ships to sail on the Douro (there are 30 sailing ships at present). A battle is brewing as 4 river cruise companies have already announced new builds coming in 2027 and beyond slated to sail on the Douro. Since these take a year or more to construct and test, there is some real money on the line. I’m not sure how it will all shake out, but it is clear that locations fear overtourism.
Already highlighting these concerns, the German Travel Association (DRV) in their 2025 study, noted some of the challenges facing cruise ship expansion. The study said that there is a need for more modernization along the inland waterways, including new moorings. Other problems include the locks and their capacity, hydraulic structures on the waterways and lack of shore power connections and insufficient berthing capacity.
Congestion is a real problem for the river cruise industry, as double and triple rafting (tied up to other riverships) is very common and can even lead to itinerary changes due to overcrowding. To put it bluntly, there is a pressing need for more docking infrastructure to accommodate the river cruise ship expansion.
3 AmaWaterways ships rafted. Photo Anne Schrader
More rafting. Photo Anne Schrader
I have been told by some industry executives that lock and docking locations often need to be scheduled as far in advance as 2 years prior to a sailing date.
I hope there is considerable investment to help solve these problems by host port authorities and the various river cruise lines. There does seem to be some positive interactions with all stakeholders, as long as there is adequate balance by all concerned.
New Ship Building is at an All-Time High
Viking is always building more ships and will put another 7 in service this next year. They already have 50% of all sailing vessels in Europe and have so many identical ships, they actually have 3 ships they exclusively to train new crew before having them sail with guests! They report 24 additional river cruise ships will be built by 2028, with options for another 16 ships by 2032.
AmaWaterways will have 50 total ships by 2032, with 15 planned for Europe.
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has started river cruising in 2026.
Riverside in 2028 will add two 135-m sheets to their fleet but they are currently leased to Uniworld and not new builds.
Riviera will launch an industry first with the MS George Eliot, designed exclusively for solo travelers in 2027.
Another new entrant into river cruising is Trafalgar with a 128-passenger ship.
Tauck has already added 2 ships in France.
Uniworld plan to add 3 new ships in 2027 in Europe.
It is quite possible to have 50 or more ships sailing in the next five years in Europe. I predict that this will degrade quality of the river cruise experience, as overcrowding is inevitable.
While many river cruise executives are confident that expansion is the key to more profits, I predict it will be similar to the water level problems that will cause past guesst to feel the lacking quality and high prices do not justify the money they are paying.
I really hope I am wrong!
New Companies Entering the Market
Celebrity will start sailing in 2027 with 2 new ships. With their huge database, they sold out on opening day all slots for 2027 in 7 minutes. Their first two river vessels are the Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker. The are trying to replicate their edge class ocean ships with unique designs and expanded land extensions.
In 2028, they will add 3 ships. They are the Celebrity Wanderer, Roamer, and Celebrity Boundless. They plan to have 10 river cruise ships in this new venture. I have also seen reports that there are as many as 20 being considered.
MSC is considering entering the river cruise market.
Our Final Thoughts
There is no doubt river cruising is changing. Is it for the better?
I hope so, but there may be a period where expansion will be too much. As with all change, it may be a rocky period that may temporarily hurt the industry, and some companies may find they are expanding too quickly.
I can’t think of a time when our advice is more need by you—the changes and opportunities for unique experiences are going to increase so rapidly, it will be hard to keep up. Rest assured, we will always be on your side, so you don’t miss out!
We hope you find this blog interesting and meaningful to you. The better we can connect with you, the better we can serve you. Please reach out to us with news of your life, any travel dreams even if you are not quite ready to travel and, of course, a trip you want us to plan.
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.
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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 30 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 55 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
