MIAMI — Celebrity Cruises has announced the debut of Celebrity River Cruises, offering European itineraries.

Bookings are set to open this year.

Jason Liberty, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, said: “We’re thrilled to announce our entry into the river cruise market through our Celebrity Cruises premium travel brand. Our guests and travel partners should expect us to do what we do best – innovate and elevate the river cruise experience as we meet the growing demand for intimate, culturally enriching travel experiences.”

Liberty added: “With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to vacation on a river cruise, we know they will enjoy Celebrity’s elevated offering on the river. By leveraging our valuable loyalty programs across our three brands, we will deepen customer engagement and further our ability to keep guests within our ecosystem of vacation offerings.

“We are the best in the world at delivering the vacation of a lifetime, and this is the latest example of how we are building the capabilities to deliver a lifetime of vacations.”

Billed as a premium river cruise line, Celebrity River Cruises has an initial order for 10 ships.

“Celebrity River Cruises will bring the quality and sophistication of our Edge Series ocean ships to the most iconic rivers, starting with Europe,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, President, Celebrity Cruises.

“We’ve redefined travel on the ocean with our best-in-class hospitality, award-winning food and beverage experiences, and elevated design and style. We are thrilled to bring these experiences to the river and combine them with authentic, destination-rich itineraries that will give our guests an experience unlike any other,” she added.

More details including booking opportunities, destinations, fleet size and ship info will be announced in the coming months, according to the cruise line.