Dec 27, 20233 min read

Meet Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

Tell us about your company.

In the German-speaking region, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is the leading cruise brand in the luxury and expedition segment. It currently has five ships in its fleet, among them two ships for the international clientele. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises ships are small, individual and outstanding in their class: the EUROPA class is made up of the EUROPA and the EUROPA 2, the world’s best luxury ships and the only ships to receive the highest distinction of 5-stars-plus* from the Berlitz Cruise Guide. Both ships offer the highest standard of cruise experiences with excellent service, varied cuisine, and exceptional routes around the world.

In 2019 and 2021, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises launched three state-of-the art expedition ships: HANSEATIC nature (5-stars as to Berlitz Cruise Guide 2020), HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit (both 5-star standard). The new expedition class has the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC 6) and a shallow draught, allowing the ships to navigate both the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as warmer destinations such as the Amazon down to Iquitos or the Great Lakes of North America.

Over the last decade, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has been focusing its marketing efforts more strongly towards attracting English-speaking guests. The EUROPA 2, launched in 2013, and the HANSEATIC inspiration, launched in 2019, were built specifically for the international marketplace.

What are your unique selling points?

Clients can search for the unknown and find themselves their inner selves in the process. Respectfully encountering nature and perceiving themselves as part of it. Appreciating foreign cultures and gaining profound insights. For more than 30 years, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has been offering expedition cruises.

Expedition spirit in all its forms:

• Small, state-of-the-art expedition ships, that combines adventure and comfort perfectly

• Spectacular routes to remote regions, where other ships have to run back

• Cruises that respect nature, wildlife and cultures

• Adventure with the 17 Zodiacs (in natural environments and where there are no ports

• Closer to nature on board, thanks to an exceptional amount of open deck space

• A small group of like-minded people (max 230 guests / 199 Antarctica and Svalbard), for more space and truly personal atmosphere

• Captains and crews with years of expertise, who bring their skills to each cruise

• See and understand more thanks to team of experts, who share their knowledge in presentations, discussions and ashore

• Committed crew with exceptional service and attention to detail for feel-good moments

• Reach new frontiers in safety, thanks to features such as the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC6)

What is your most popular itinerary/destination?

We have many popular itineraries. The most popular destination is probably Antarctica.

Icebergs sculpted in the strangest shapes and sparkling glaciers and fjords. Awesome expanses merge with mysterious silence. Unspoiled nature, home to huge colonies of penguins as well as mighty elephant seals and fur seals. On extraordinary routes, clients will experience great pioneering spirit combined with the highest level of comfort. Only the arrival and departure dates are fixed -everything else is expedition in its purest sense.

We offer numerous cruise dates each season. Cruises to the Antarctic generally run in austral summer – i.e. between November and March – with various highlights.

In November, the fauna is on the cusp of change: whales return and penguins start to mate and build nests. Fresh powder snow covers the landscape, the ice is still pristine, and there are only a few Antarctic travellers. In December, with almost 24 hours of daylight, it is the breeding season of wandering albatrosses and the time when fur seals grow into adulthood. It is also the breeding season for penguins, whose chicks can be seen everywhere in January alongside fur seal cubs. February and March are the best time for whale watching and dreamy sunsets. Young penguins become independent from their parents.

Most of the departures start and end in Ushuaia and include Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula as well as the Weddell Sea.

What is new for 2024/25?

The 2024/2025 season once again offers clients the chance to join our state-of-the-art HANSEATIC inspiration in order to experience the planet’s riches in a uniquely intensive way. With Hapag-Lloyd Cruises the route is always determined by experiences: whether it’s the premiere at Japan’s west coast, the crossing of the North West Passage, cruising the vast expanse of the Pacific, the semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica or enjoying Indian summer on the Great Lakes.

Meet the team