This year, it's all about travel brands making their entry into Europe river cruising. We’ve been surprised this year by the number of established names moving in to the Rhine, Danube and beyond: Celebrity Cruises, Trafalgar and National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions among them. 

With Lisa Fitzgerald, a river-cruise expert advisor and founder of Fitzgerald Travel, and river cruise editor Brinley Hineman, we’re exploring why each of these brands is approaching river, and how they’re doing it in different ways. We’ll also look at the popularity of emerging destinations around the world, and numbers from Viking, the biggest river cruise line. 

This episode was edited for length and clarity. Since it was recorded on May 23, more information has been published about Celebrity's foray into river cruising -- and stay tuned for even more. 

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Travel Insured International https://www.travelinsured.com

Summer series

This episode is the finale of our annual Summer Series, where we feature some of our favorite recent Folo by Travel Weekly discussions. New episodes return to the Folo Sept. 15!

Related reports

New: Celebrity River Cruises reveals room categories and first itineraries https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Celebrity-River-Cruises-room-categories-first-itineraries

New: Viking's advance bookings surge amid continued expansion https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Viking-sells-out-2025-capacity-expands-global-offerings

Lindblad, Trafalgar, Waldorf: More companies are attracted to river cruising https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/river-cruise-attracts-more-travel-companies

River cruise lines are excited that Celebrity is wading into the business -- why? https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/River-lines-react-to-Celebrity-Cruises-entry

No slowing down for river cruising: 2026 looks better than 2025 https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/River-cruise-bookings-surging-for-2026?ct=river

Dispatch, Riverside Debussy: An indulgent, fine-dining experience https://www.travelweekly.com/Blogs/Dispatch/Fine-dining-in-the-Vintage-Room-on-Riverside-Debussy?ct=river

Fitzgerald Travel https://fitzgeraldtravel.com/

 

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