At a glance: 400 guests · 204 suites · 5 restaurants · Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and transatlantic crossings
The EUROPA is the flagship of the fleet and the ship most closely associated with Hapag-Lloyd’s classic style of luxury cruising. Carrying around 400 guests, she is built for travellers who want a more traditional, elegant cruise experience paired with a thoughtfully curated itinerary.
All accommodation on board is suite-style. Most suites include a private veranda, and those that don’t still offer a generous picture window rather than a porthole. At the top of the scale, the Penthouse Grand Suites and Penthouse Deluxe Suites add extra space and personal service.
Dining on the EUROPA runs across five restaurants, all included in the fare. The standout is THE GLOBE by Kevin Fehling, a specialty restaurant created in partnership with three-Michelin-starred chef Kevin Fehling, who began his career on board the EUROPA as a sous chef. THE GLOBE is a permanent feature of the ship, serving a menu inspired by his travels; Kevin Fehling himself joins the ship in person on a limited number of sailings each year, when guests can meet him and experience his cooking first-hand.
The EUROPA’s itineraries cover Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and transatlantic crossings, giving guests access to a broad spread of classic cruising regions across the year.
At a glance: Up to 500 guests · 251 suites · 8 restaurants · The Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, and Asia
The EUROPA 2 takes a more contemporary approach to luxury cruising, with a relaxed, open-seating dining style and one of the highest space-to-guest ratios in the cruise industry. She carries up to 500 guests across 251 all-suite staterooms, every one of which includes a private veranda.
Food and drink on board is a genuine highlight, with eight restaurants covering everything from the main dining room, Weltmeere, through to specialty venues serving French, Italian, Asian and Japanese cuisine, plus the more casual, alfresco Yacht Club and Sansibar. Six bars round out the offering, including a jazz-style lounge and an outpost of the well-known German beach bar Sansibar.
Wellness facilities are similarly generous, with an Ocean Spa spanning several hundred square metres, multiple sauna styles, a whirlpool and two golf simulators for guests who want to keep their swing sharp between ports.
The EUROPA 2 sails across the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, into Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, and through Asia, making her one of the more regularly seen Hapag-Lloyd ships in this part of the world.
At a glance: Maximum 230 guests (199 in polar regions) · All-outside cabins and suites · 3 restaurants · Antarctica, the Arctic, the Amazon, Asia, the South Pacific and the Kimberley
Hapag-Lloyd’s expedition fleet is made up of three near-identical ships: HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit. Each carries a maximum of 230 guests (reduced to 199 on Antarctic and Arctic voyages, in line with polar visitor guidelines), and each is built with an ice-strengthened hull rated for Arctic and Antarctic waters.
Every cabin and suite is an outside room, ranging from 21m² to 71m², with either a picture window or a private veranda depending on category. Dining is arranged around three restaurants per ship, including a signature specialty venue that varies by vessel:
HANSEATIC nature: Hamptons, serving East Coast North American-style cuisine
HANSEATIC inspiration: Nikkei, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant
HANSEATIC spirit: L’Esprit, serving Mediterranean and French cuisine
Two bars and 24-hour room service are available fleet-wide on the expedition ships.
Each vessel carries an expedition team of scientists, naturalists and historians who lead lectures and shore excursions, supported by a fleet of Zodiacs for landings and on-water exploration. Snorkelling equipment, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are also available for hire, depending on the region.
Between the three ships, itineraries reach Antarctica, Greenland, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, the Amazon River, Japan and Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, the Kimberley and the Great Lakes of North America, covering some of the more remote corners of the world that larger ships simply cannot access.
Learn more about HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit >>
Across all five ships, the philosophy stays consistent: keep the ship small enough to reach the places bigger vessels can’t, without giving up the comfort and service expected of a luxury cruise. Whether the appeal is the EUROPA’s classic elegance, the EUROPA 2’s contemporary style, or the HANSEATIC ships’ access to Antarctica and beyond, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offers a genuinely different way to see the world by sea.
For Australian and New Zealand travellers exploring Hapag-Lloyd Cruises for the first time, a recommended cruise expert can help match the right ship and itinerary to your travel style and preferred destinations.
How many ships does Hapag-Lloyd Cruises operate?
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises operates five ships: the ocean ships EUROPA and EUROPA 2, and the three expedition ships HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit.
Which Hapag-Lloyd ship has the Michelin-starred restaurant?
THE GLOBE by Kevin Fehling is on board the EUROPA. It’s a permanent restaurant on the ship, though Kevin Fehling himself is only in the galley in person on select sailings each year.
Do the HANSEATIC ships visit Antarctica?
Yes. All three HANSEATIC expedition ships are ice-strengthened and sail to Antarctica, along with other polar and remote destinations such as the Arctic, Greenland and the Amazon.
Is English spoken on board Hapag-Lloyd Cruises ships?
Yes. The fleet operates bilingually in English and German, with menus, daily programs and much of the onboard experience available in both languages.
