One of the threads refers to the Peter Deilmann Cruise Ships.
The Hapag Lloyd ships are highly regarded,and the Europa is rated 5+ stars by the Berlitz Guide.
Does anyone have experience of this line in general,and the Europa in particular?

I would love to sail Hanseatic to Antarctica. It was researching Hanseatic, which used to sail charters for Radisson, that I found Radisson. Ngaire has a wonderful report on Hanseatic.

I can't add anything about Europa or Bremen. Its interesting that Berlitz always rates Europa the best but you never see it on other lists. I wonder if there is some connection to the publisher.

You can check out their website at hlkf.de. Hope your German is fluent!

Some years ago a friend (German) took the Europa and said it was great -- wonderful food, cabins, etc., but was really oriented to the German market. i.e. announcements in German, etc. All that may have changed. Also, I believe it is quite formal -- dress code, service in the restaurant and attitude of fellow passengers.

Can you post a link to Ngaire's review of the Hanseatic?

Thanks!

I don't know link. I'm sure Ngaire can provide. Until then, I'll just copy the review here (and then delete later).

M/S HANSEATIC - GENERAL INFORMATION
2002 CRUISES TO ANTARCTICA – JANUARY 16 AND FEBRUARY 2
FROM NGAIRE (NIREE) KEENE

GENERAL INFORMATION
Your tickets will be full of information regarding your cruise. Please read these instructions carefully. Be sure to tag all the bags with the tags provided by Radisson. If you are an air/sea guest a Radisson representative will meet you at the gate upon arrival in either Buenos Aires (January sailing) or Santiago, (February sailing) and direct you to the transportation to the hotel. Shipboard Book & Deposit Credit of $100 per person is automatically applied to your shipboard account you do not receive anything in your tickets. It will show up on your bill.
Travel Agent Gift. I just wanted to mention that due to the highly discounted price, that saves you hundreds of dollars on your cruise, I do not send the “normal” travel agent bottle of wine. I am sure you can understand that and prefer the savings instead of a bottle of wine.
Airline Seating: I advise everyone to recheck their flights and seat assignments and also that your frequent flyer number has made it into the airline’s computer. Often airlines change flight numbers without notifying passengers and seats assignments and frequent flyer numbers do not always make the transfer. If it is important to you where you sit, and that you get credit for your miles, reconfirm a few days before departure and always check your number is in the system on check in.
NightTime Flights: Ask your doctor for a product that works well for night time plane flights. There are now sedatives that put you to sleep almost instantly. When you wake up you do not have the normal “drugged” feeling that is often a side effect of Excedrin PM etc. I have found it makes all the difference in the world for me. These are usually prescription drugs so you will need to call your doctor.
Motion Discomfort The patches for motion sickness have been improved recently and seem to work. Also, you can purchase wristbands, which also appear to work by pressing on pressure points. No drugs this way. If you were to be uncomfortable the ship always has appropriate medication at the front reception desk, I suggest you get some and have it in your cabin ready if you think you may need it. Also taking a sedative on the first night is a good idea. The ship sails that night, you are tired and if you were ever going to feel the movement it is usually the first night. Take a sedative and have a good night’s rest.
Email and Calling Home. The ship has email available to the passengers. There is no charge to send or receive emails. Simply send an email to whomever you wish to contact and they respond to you by simply doing a reply. The messages are delivered to your cabin. Phone is expensive.
Gold Points Program. If you wish to earn gold points for your cruise you need to register at 1-800-285-1835 and get a gold points number. Call me and I will enter the number in your record.
Reservations. At the time of this printing the January cruise is already sold out. There is still space available in February. Please do not procrastinate on booking this sailing. There are only two trips a year and they sell out. If you cannot go in 2002 and are interested in this trip seriously consider putting this trip in your plans for next year (2003) and let me know to contact you as soon as this sailing can be booked. How long Radisson will continue to charter this ship for these Antarctica sailing’s no one knows. This is the only way to see the Antarctica, the comfort of the ship, the quality of the expedition leaders is so superior to any other ship offering this destination.


THE HANSEATIC
9000 tons – 180 passengers

THE SHIP: A very well laid out and luxurious ship. For those of you who have sailed on the Song of Flower she reminds me a great deal of the Song. She is newer of course with great public rooms and cabins. She is beautifully designed with wide halls, a fantastic observation lounge, attractive dining room and good lounges. Every night everyone gathers in the Explorer Lounge and our expedition leader (who none of us will ever forget) recaps what happened during the day and gives us information for the plans for the next day. No one misses these “recaps” as this is always very interesting and full of information.
OPEN BRIDGE: I have sailed on ships with an open bridge policy before but I do not believe I have ever spent so much time on the bridge. Incredible views, interesting chitchat amongst the crew and the whole thing was quite fascinating. It is NEVER closed. One night we went up there and the snow was coming down in the giant lights they have on the ocean and it was really a unique experience. Watching the wildlife from here is great because the naturalists are up there and you get so much interaction and it is amazing how they can spot things from so far away.
THE CABINS: All the cabins are basically the same the only difference being the deck and location on the ship. The lowest category has portholes rather than windows. I would encourage you to consider upgrading to a window as we were looking out of the windows all the time. We saw whales outside our windows!! Full size bathtub, lots of storage space, well designed cabins of 236 square feet. There are only a few king size bed cabins. The others are twins and they cannot be put together. If you want a king bed you need to book early or you will miss out.
TELEVISION: The television was great. They ran a long mini series with a part each day of the Shackelton story. Other special videos about the Antarctica region on a variety of subjects ran on another channel. We found ourselves so busy and also found the series on the television so interesting we had trouble fitting everything in.
THE FOOD: The food was not up to the normal Radisson standards. However it was good and considering where we were no one minded. The quality of the buffets they scheduled on our two days at sea were excellent. The alternative Asian dining was enjoyed by many; I do not care for Asian food so I cannot give you an opinion.
THE DRESS CODE: This is the first time I have been on a ship where there was no suggested dress code for the evenings attire. There was a lot of confusion on everyone’s part because cruise lines have us trained to “follow the daily program”. Dress was never mentioned. Bottom line was on the Captains Welcome Aboard Party (2nd night out) the Captains Farewell Party (2nd to last night) people did dress up. There were tuxedos, dark suits and the normal “formal” attire. The other nights it was like anything goes. Most of the women wore pantsuits and the men wore a sports jacket or just a nice shirt and slacks. I would call it country casual with an emphasis on the casual.
CLOTHING REQUIRED OTHER THAN ZODIAC ATTIRE: Everyone over packed because none of us knew what to expect. Basically the attire I outlined in detail for the zodiacs in the zodiac write up below, the country club casual for dinner, coupled with normal daywear. During the day we all just wore tracksuits, very casual attire. We seemed to spend a lot of time in the zodiacs or up on deck with our orange parkas (supplied by the ship) so nobody paid much attention to what we were wearing anyway. I bought a new coat, lined and warm and never put it on. I bought way too many fleece tops etc thinking it would be cold even on the ship. It was not. In fact people wore short sleeves and tee shirts during the day on the ship. They had the ship very warm and it was well insulated. Just normal everyday wear, short sleeved and long sleeved shirts for men and twin sets or light sweaters for women is all you need. Just bring one warm fleece top for going in the zodiacs. I also bought hiking boots picturing myself walking across the meadows in the Falklands. Wrong – never put them on. You have to wear the rubber boots because of the zodiac landings. A pair of tennis shoes or comfortable shoes for walking around the ship during the day is all you need.
TEMPERATURE: Every trip will be different. We experienced snow, wind, rain, sunshine, and absolute calm. The temperature hovered around 40 degrees most of the time. It was cold on the zodiacs but once ashore it was usually fine. In fact we were so bundled up we often were very hot.
THE DRAKE PASSAGE: Yes, you have to cross the Drake Passage. This is a notoriously rough stretch of water. Both our crossing were considered normal. It was rough and some people did not fare well. However, there is no other way to get there. Everyone I talked to that had experienced motion sickness said it was worth it to have the experience of Antarctica and the Falklands. Of the entire trip this is only two days crossing the Drake Passage. If you are concerned I would suggest getting the patch. Several people who normally do not wear a patch did so and I think it is good insurance. I can honestly say it did not affect me at all.
DAY’S AT SEA: This ship did a fantastic job of filling the days at sea. Each day they have about four lectures, which are really interesting. The lecturers they have on board are really top notch. A wonderful combination of expertise coupled with great people skills. These lectures take place in “Darwin Hall”. Very comfortable, theatre style seating with TV’s mounted on the ceilings so everyone can get a good view. These are also broadcast on television so if you want to stay in your cabin and be lazy you can do that too. Couple this with the great programs they show on television along with time to eat and the day just seems to fly by.
NATURLISTS: Our cruise had four naturalists and the expedition leader. The credentials of these people were really quite amazing. On every landing they were there to greet you, show you where to go, answer any and all questions about the animals and surroundings. By the time you leave you feel like they will be your friends forever and the knowledge you gain is very insightful and interesting.
THE FLIGHTS: The charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia was on a jet and quite comfortable. We did get a tour of Ushuaia on arrival and it is a beautiful little town surrounded my mountains.
THE WILDLIFE I ENCOUNTERED: Penguins: King Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin, Adelie Penguin, Magellanic Penguin, Rockhopper Penguin. Sealions and Fur Seals: Antarctic Fur Seal, Falkland Island Fur Seal, South American Fur Seal, Southern Sea Lion. True Seals: Crabeater Seal, Weddell Seal, Leopard Seal, Southern Elephant Seal. Whales: Fin Whale, Humpback Whale, Minke Whale, Southern Right Whale. Dolphins: Peale’s Dolphin, Commerson’s Dolphin. Birds: Way to many to mention the key bird being the huge Wandering Albatross, and other varieties of Albatross.
REPEAT PASSENGERS: My image of this trip is that it would be a once in a lifetime experience. Once you had done this trip you would not need to go back. It is surprising how many people are repeaters. Since the weather can change the mood and look of this region I think each trip can be a completely different experience. One of my favorite days it was cloudy, overcast and misty and it suited the environment.
PERSONAL NOTE: I really had to drag my husband on this trip and he came along to please me. On our return I think he is even more excited about the prospect of going back than I am. It is truly a unique and life changing cruise. The beauty of nature here is over whelming. I hope you decide to take this trip I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

ZODIAC LANDINGS

The following is a report on the landings that I made and general information on what to wear and how the Zodiac landings work. Please feel free to call me if there is anything you would like to know that I have not covered. I will do my best to assist you. After reading this over I realized how many times I used “thrilling, fantastic, awe inspiring etc”. This was not to make the landings sound more enticing this is exactly how I felt about these experiences. I wrote this quickly and from the heart so please excuse the excessive use of adjectives in my descriptions.

WHAT TO WEAR FOR THE ZODIAC EXCURSIONS.

PROVIDED CLOTHING.
The ship will provide you with a polar parka and rubber boots. Even though the parka does not look very thick it is surprisingly warm and works great. I bought a new warm coat for this trip and never even put it on! Make sure that the boots you select are big enough for your pants and your sock layers. This is important as they are hard to get on and off, particularly if they are too tight.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU BRING A PAIR OF WATERPROOF PANTS. The cheap type works best, the ones that have rubber inside. The expensive new materials do not work as well as this plain rubberized pants. Sporting goods stores carry these. Lots of people actually had rubber overalls and they worked well but pants are sufficient. These are very ugly but do not worry everyone looks just the same.

These are my recommendations others may think differently but this is what I would suggest.
FIRST LAYER
First you need a layer of long underwear, top and bottom. The silks are highly touted but I found that the cotton “duofold” sold at Oshman’s and sporting goods stores worked the best. It is a personal choice. The silks are thinner but believe me everyone looks like a “rolly polly” so it really does not make any difference. Then I would also buy “liner” socks. These are either silk or cotton very thin to wear under the thick socks. This makes quite a difference in the warmth and comfort factors. Another thing I found very helpful was the “liner” gloves. This makes it much easier to slip on and off your leather gloves.
SECOND LAYER
For the top I would simply wear another tee shirt or if it appears to be cold a layer of fleece, light yet warm. This is plenty with the polar parka that Radisson will provide you. NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THIS CLOTHING. The parka covers up everything so just buy a cheap fleece top you can wear it every time. For the bottom you need a pair of pants to go between the long underwear and the rubberized pants. If you do not have an extra layer and you perspire you can get cold. I would suggest something that thins out at the ankle. You need to stuff all this in your boots so it is too full at the bottom it can be a problem. My husband just wore blue jeans; I wore a pair of fleece pants. Then you need one or two pairs of wool or ski socks. I wore two pairs and never had cold feet; my husband wore one pair and was fine.


THIRD LAYER
You need a hat. The ones that worked the best were fleece light and warm. The only problem is if the hat rides up you can get very cold ears. The people that had hats with earflaps or had earmuffs were very smart These looked so silly in the store but they really work well. Next time I am bringing a hat with flaps. The parka the ship gives you has a hood but you need a warm layer under that. Then you need leather gloves. Fleece gloves get wet very quickly so they do not work well. Once you take off those gloves it is hard to put them back on without the glove liners. Then you put on your waterproof pants, your parkas, and your rubber boots and away you go. Always put the first pair of pants inside the boots and the rubberized pants on the outside of the boots. This way when you step into water you stay dry.

CHANGING ROOMS.
At the level that you exit the ship to board the zodiacs there are changing rooms to put on your rubber boots, parkas and life vests. You wash off your boots and leave them in your locker along with your life vest each time you come back from a landing. The parkas are kept in your cabin. You will use these all through the cruise.

LANDINGS
Each cruise will be different depending on the weather and where the ship schedules the landings. There are multiple sites and the captain and expedition leader will change the schedule constantly to ensure that you get the best possible conditions and landings possible. These are brief outlines of my experiences from my trip on the landings we made.

THE FALKLANDS
HOPE HARBOR – WEST FALKLANDS
Our first experience of the zodiacs and the landing came on a very windy day. We all got drenched on the way in but that was fine because with our clothing we remained perfectly dry and warm anyway. There was a 1-½ mile uphill walk to the penguin and albatross rookery. If you did not want to do the walk, land rovers were there to drive you to the top and bring you down again when you were ready to leave. It was amazing when we got there. Hundreds of rockhopper penguins, incredible large albatross flying overhead and lots of albatross chicks – large bundles of fluff. The sea was in the distance with giant surf and the whole area was magnificent. Everyone starting taking pictures as these adorable little penguins came close to investigate us. Afterwards we were welcomed into the home of Roddy and Lily Napier for tea and cookies. A charming addition to our morning and we came back energized and ready for more.
VOLUNTEER BAY – EAST FALKLANDS
This was the highlight of the trip for many people. Going in to the beach dolphins were playing all around the zodiacs and it was a great experience. Then we landed on a beautiful beach it looked like the Caribbean, beautiful water, and white sand and Magellanic penguins everywhere. We took a walk along the beach, with lots of the Magellanic penguins making their way into the water until we reached the area where we went to the green meadows and then we saw them. Literally hundreds of King Penguins. A sight I will never forget. These are the second largest penguins and they were absolutely beautiful standing on this green grassy meadow. There were chicks, and so much activity it was spell binding. They came right up to you and once again the cameras were clicking and everyone was running out of film. They were almost human in their behavior and I did not want to leave I could have stayed there forever. It was a magical experience.

PORT STANLEY – TENDER
The only “port of call” where we used the ships tenders rather than the zodiacs. An interesting little town with pubs and tearooms and pretty gardens and shipwrecks everywhere. It was nice to see this capital of the Falklands and surprisingly we purchased quite a few items in the little shops. It is very English and they had some nice things to buy as mementos of the Falklands.

ANTARCTICA

DECEPTION ISLAND
A calm and sunny morning. The sea was like glass inside the cove. Today was the seal day. Seals everywhere along the beach. This is an abandoned British Antarctica Survey Base that was quite interesting. This was also “swimming day”. This is a volcanic area and the crew dug a pool on the beach. Due to the volcanic region the water was warm and it became a hot tub. The plan was to run into the ocean and then run back to the beach and jump in the hot tub. A surprising number of the passengers engaged in this exercise. I think seeing people peel off polar parkas and long underwear to their swimming trunks was a spectacle I will always remember. The seals did not seem to care.
HANNAH POINT.
Now it was windy and a little rainy. However, it did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm as we were all wondering how the landings could get any better than what we had already experienced. Off to Hannah Point to see elephant seals and Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins. I was very grateful for the waterproof pants as we did get splashed in the zodiacs going over. Once there it was another stunning scene. Thousands of penguins, Gentoo’s on one side and Chinstrap’s on the other. After walking up a slight incline you look down on this incredible scene. Lots of elephant seals lying on the beach piled on top of each other and surrounded by penguins going into and coming out of the water. Rugged cliffs, raging sea it was really fantastic. Showed the wild side of the Antarctica.
PARADISE BAY AND ALMIRANTE BROWN STATION.
The first zodiac cruise of Paradise Bay. How awe inspiring this experience was. Huge glaciers, beautiful icebergs in every shape and size. We saw whales penguins and seals in the water and moved our zodiacs very close, it was thrilling. The beauty of our surroundings was hard to believe. After the cruise we stepped on the Antarctica continent and visited Almirante Brown Station. You could climb up the hill and slid down the ice to the bottom. The surroundings were really spectacular and everywhere you looked were mountains and glaciers and of course Gentoo penguins.
PETERMAN ISLAND AND THE ICEBERG GARDEN.
I thought the icebergs at Paradise Bay were fantastic and then we went into the “iceberg garden”. How anyone can explain what we saw I do not know. Pictures cannot do this justice. Incredible large icebergs every shape and color of blue you can imagine. Seals everywhere of many varieties. It was amazing, actually everyone was quiet because it somehow it was very mesmerizing and special and you did not want to break the absolute peace and tranquility of the surroundings.
Then onto Peterman Island. Here we saw a new breed of penguin the Adelies. Lots of snow on this landing and a lone penguin sitting on an ice flow right where we landed. Once again “click click” of the cameras he looked like he was orchestrating the landing. Gentoo’s and Chinstrap penguins in mass. The mountains around the island made the landing even more dramatic.


PORT LOCKROY
A British Station where we went “shopping”. The two men manning the station sold tee shirts, stamps, postcards etc and you could mail something with a “South Pole” post mark. This was a lot of fun. It was also a beautiful spot with Gentoo Penguins absolutely everywhere with a backdrop of glaciers in every direction. Some of our best pictures came from here because the surroundings were once again spectacular. I did not want to leave this area as the little penguin chicks seemed to be particularly inquisitive at this spot – perhaps they were even more comfortable with humans because the station was there. We also saw a variety of birds and small chicks wandering around among the penguins.

THE NEUMAYER CHANNEL
We had a day with brilliant sunshine and absolutely no winds. The Neumayer Channel will always be in my memory. The mountains mirrored in the water and the channel was clogged with ice and ice bergs. We tested the Hanseatic ice rating as we made our way slowly through the ice, avoided the icebergs that often held seals, spotted whales, and once again the cameras clicked away furiously as everyone tried to capture this magical moment. The water where there was no ice was mirroring more than I have ever seen anywhere in the world. We even took a shot in the water where the name of the ship “Hanseatic” was mirrored in the ocean. The captain opened up the front of the ship and everyone was leaning over the ship in amazement as the ice parted and we moved forward. When I show people pictures of this afternoon it does not seem real. Picture postcard perfection in every shot.

CUVERVILLE ISLAND
Our last landing!!! We did not want this experience to end. I was sure that nothing could top what we had already experienced and then off we went. First for another zodiac cruise among the ice berg garden. Once again absolutely magnificent icebergs in every shape and size and this time in brilliant sunshine. They looked so different from the other iceberg garden. Both were beautiful and I was so glad I had seen them in an overcast sky (the blues are brighter) and then in the sunshine. Then onto Cuverville Island. Our last visit with our new found friends the penguins. This scene is hard to describe. Thousands of penguins, very active, with all their funny behaviors which we now understood so much more. The ships nestled in the background with a huge mountain behind it and then in front the magnificent iceberg garden. Everywhere you look there is a picture opportunity. I stayed until they forced me to leave.

CAPE HORN – SOUTH AMERICA
The final wondrous event was the opportunity to land at Cape Horn. Once again we had calm conditions and we visited a Chilean Weather station. A few tee shirts, postcards and small items were available for sale. Several monuments grace the top of the hill. On one side you have the Pacific Ocean and on the other side the Atlantic Ocean. Incredible picture opportunities with “green grass” something we had not seen for a while. On returning down to the landing site the crew had champagne waiting for us and we sat on down and drank “champagne on the rocks” at Cape Horn in the sunshine. A perfect ending to a perfect cruise.

Wow -- what a trip! Thanks for posting the review.

My husband, our 9 month old son at the time and I cruised on the m.s. europa in June of 1985. We left from Bremerhafen, to the Faroe Islands, Reykavik, up around Iceland and into the fjords of Norway on a two week cruise. The average age on board was about 70 and almost all were europeans, germans dominating. They expected the very best of the cruise line and got it. All of the daily menus and daily events programs were in german, some poor soul must've stayed up every night translating everything into english for me because each morning I had several pages of menus and activities delivered to our cabin. The possible offerings for just one meal were almost endless and every word painstakingly and sometimes hilariously translated. (we still have some of the menus in our albums.) During a tour of the kitchens and wine cellars we saw a refrigerated room full of caviar and were told that if the temperature deviated by just a small amount, the caviar would no longer be served. (that impressed us, let me eat what they don't want!) At that time the guest list with names of country of origin were still published. We were afraid our son would be frowned on since no other babies or even children were on board, however he has always loved traveling and was so well-behaved that at dinner persons from other tables would present him with little gifts that they had purchased for him on shore excursions. He continues to love traveling and booked both our alaskan cruise on the mariner last year and our baltic cruise coming up in august. We thoroghly enjoyed our cruise on the europa, the standards and quality were of the highest degree. My husband is German and the cruiseline didn't realize that they had only one american on board (me). That is why all the programs and menus were translated for me personally.

The Europa is a new ship perhaps Barbara sailed on an older Europa that was replaced.

I can tell you that in my opinion the Europa is the finest ship sailing right now. I toured her in Dublin with the Captain of the ship he was also the captain of the Hanseatic. He was on board the Song eating dinner with Captain Dag, saw us, recognized us from our trip on the Hanseatic and asked us if we would like to tour the ship. GOOD MORGEN all over the place. Totally German clientele. In fact the Captain said they dont like to have Americans or Brits prefer to cater to the German market exclusively.

We toured with him for at least 1 1/2 hours he showed us everything could not have been nicer. Cabins very similiar in size and layout to the Voyager and Navigator. EVERY cabin had its own computer - oh joy to the world - with access to email and I think also internet although I am not sure about that. Incredible decor and art work aboard an exquisite ship. They shut down the casino and turned it into a meeting room as the Germans did not use it. Definitely fixed seating he said that open seating would not work as it had on the Hanseatic when Americans were onboard.

I had dreams of RSSC buying both the Europa and the Hanseatic that would be a wonderful dream BUT it is ONLY a dream not even a rumor about the matter to give a girl hope!!!

Actually, Ngaire, not to contradict you, but...the current Europa is the same Europa as quite a few years ago. Perhaps she has had a facelift.

I am fairly certain about this as I used to work for Hapag-Lloyd (in the container end of things not the cruise ship -- too bad!)

Interesting that the captain you met confirmed my friend's conclusion -- very definitely slanted to the German market.

I stand corrected! A google search showed me that the current Europa is #4, while the one I knew was #3 -- what happened to her I don't know. The current one was built in 1999. Much as I hate to be wrong, I must defer to Ngaire's superior knowledge!

Many thanks for all the input.
I have been advised by an English TA that certain cruises are run as bilingual cruises,but even on those that are not,certain announcements are made in English.
My enquiry was prompted by the "ecstatic" review of the Europa by Berlitz,and the interesting itineraries that are run by Hapag Lloyd.I wondered how non German speaking passengers had felt about their cruise experience.
It should be noted that the Europa is not all inclusive.

For anyone seeking further information try:
www.hapaglloydcruises.co.uk