Expedition Cruises - HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES gets two new expedition ships

HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES recently has announced plans for two new expedition ships.
by Earl of Cruise

The new vessels, which will launch in spring and autumn 2019, will expand the TUI-owned lxury line’s fleet to a total of five ships.

The new HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES expedition cruise vessels, above and below © HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES

GT/BRZ

Length/Länge

Width/Breite

Draught/Tiefgang

Decks/Passagierdecks

Cabins/Kabinen + Suites/n

Max Passengercapacity/Maximale Passagierkapazität

Crew/Besatzung

high balcony ratio/Hoher Anteil Balkonkabinen

Restaurants

modern fitness and wellness area/Moderner Fitness und Wellnessbereich

Interior Design/Innendesign - Architektenbüro Oceanarchitects

16.100

138 Meter

22 Meter

5,4 Meter

120

240 Personen

up to/bis zu 170

At present HAPAPG-LLOYD CRUISES has two expedition cruise vessels, the aging BREMEN 1993, ex FRONTIER SPIRIT 1990 and HANSEATIC 1993, ex SOCIETY EXPLORER 1991 (laid up till ´93), which soon will leave the fleet. Besides the TUI owned cruise operator is offering the EUROPA and the EUROPA 2. The new ships show quite a family resemblence, similar as in the automobile industry ...

ms HANSEATIC 1993, ex SOCIETY EXPLORER 1991, owned by billionaire from Hamburg © HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES

ms BREMEN 1993, ex FRONTIER SPIRIT 1990, only by HAPAG-LLOYD owned vessel © HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES

Both will have the highest Polar Class designation. Both will be build in Norway at VARD WERFT of VARD HOLDINGS Ltd. a portfolio company of the Italian FINCANTIERI GROUP. This means they can cruise in polar regions, in the Arctic and Antarctica. One of the ships will serve especially the German speaking markets only, and the other will be for intenational for German speaking markets and also the UK, US, Netherlands, and Belgium.

Onboard zodiacs and a water sports marina will also be a feature on both ships. But a Marina at the stern, can be critical if a wave is running under vessel and rising the stern, and then diving back ... Side Marinas would have been a better solution.

Sebastian Ebel, member of the executive board of Tui Group in charge of cruises:

“The cruise business is one of the key elements of Tui’s growth strategy. Our ambitions are underpinned by our investment in the two new ships for HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES. HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES’ luxury and expedition cruise segments serve as world-class benchmarks.”

Karl Pojer, chief executive of HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES:

“HAPAG-Director Albert Ballin did invent 125 years ago the modern. With our EUROPA and EUROPA 2 we are at best positioned in the luxury market. We are charting the course for the future. We already operate successfully in our expedition segment, which offers growth potential for five-star cruises. Our newbuilds will help us to further develop the expedition segment and offer a modern interpretation. They will also serve to strengthen our leading position in this market, in particular at the international level.”

ms EUROPA, 1999, one of the first mega yacht cruise vessels, when inaugurated a real benchmark © HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES

The "international level" is the critical point in the HAPAG-LLOYD offer as it is seen abroad of Germany. For UK customers HAPAPG-LLOYD is seen as "the German" offer ... It will a challenge getting this prejudice out of the minds. But elsewhere the HAPAG-LLOYD cruises are seen as this "German offer" ... If the vessels are still crewed by members which hardly can speak English, the challenge will be a real big one.

The real 5star complement of passengers is ending to me at a max of 400 to 420 passengers, and deserves min a crew/pax ratio of 1:1. Further the cabins should start at a certain minimum of sqm or sqf. As for the EUROPA and EUROPA 2 it is 27m²/29m² ... And these big staterooms are sold all over the cruise industry as suites, only for the better service. But a suite is consisting of more than one room - simple definition. Anything other is a fake created by marketing departments.

ms EUROPA 2, 2013 © HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES

Compared to the expedition newbuilds of SCENIC CRUISES and CRYSTAL CRUISES with less or quite equal passenger numbers, but on bigger ships, the new HAPAG-LLOYD expedition cruisers with their 240 passengers, to my opinion, are aiming for the top end of the mass market, but are not 5star.

The days when passenger vessels, the Tranatlantic liners and "Ships of State" in the golden Era, had been at the peak are gone. today the 5star offers don´t even meet the land based hotels in their 5star level.

A new HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES?

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