When Celebrity River Cruises launches in 2027, the brand is setting a high bar for what "included" really means, and nowhere is that more evident than in their excursion programming.
The line has built out four distinct destination series, each designed to offer something different. The Storyteller Series pairs guests with local experts for intimate, often off-the-beaten-path experiences like private museum access and hands-on street art tours. The Keys to the City Series takes a more independent approach, offering self-guided, app-driven tours tailored by interest, including art, food and more. The Skill Master Series leans into immersive, hands-on workshops like cooking or craft classes. And Celebrity Table rounds things out with destination dining and curated culinary experiences tied to each locale.
Street art from around the world is displayed throughout the museum. (Photo Credit: Janeen Christoff)
I got an early preview of one of the line's new Storyteller Series excursions in Amsterdam, and it was genuinely one of the more memorable travel experiences I've had.
Alex Pope leads the Celebrity River Cruises group on a tour. (Photo Credit: Janeen Christoff)
We dove deep into the city's street art culture alongside Alex Pope, an educator at Amsterdam's Straat Museum. Alex didn't just walk us through the art, he brought the entire movement to life, sharing his own personal connection to it while showing us real street art in context and explaining its history as a legitimate, recognized art form. At the Straat Museum itself, works are displayed in a way that gives visitors an entirely new perspective on the craft, spotlighting the histories, backgrounds and artistic vision of street artists from around the world. There's a rawness to seeing street art in its natural environment, and the museum beautifully preserves that energy while adding depth and context.
But what sets the Storyteller Series apart isn't just the seeing—it's the doing.
Lessons in graffiti art at the STRAAT Museum (Photo Credit: Janeen Christoff)
Guests don coveralls, pick up a can of spray paint and actually get to create. We learned how to tag, draw and stencil, collaborating on a mural and getting our hands genuinely dirty in the process. It's one thing to admire street art. It's another to try it yourself under the guidance of someone who has devoted their career to it.
The author used stencils to create graffiti art at the STRAAT Museum. (Photo Credit: Janeen Christoff)
That learn-and-do spirit carries through the broader excursion lineup. Other guests on the preview had the chance to paint like Van Gogh, visiting a curated selection of his works at the Van Gogh Museum before heading to a local artist's home and personal studio to paint like true impressionists themselves.
Each journey ran around three hours and included snacks and lunch, but more than that, they delivered a genuine sense of place—the kind that's hard to manufacture and easy to remember.
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