CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 01/2016

SAVOIR VIVRE CRUISE TRAVEL
TUI CRUISES
HAPAG-LLOYD
Atemberaubende Destinationen wie das
antarktische Eismeer stehen am Routenplan der
Hapag-Lloyd Expeditionsschiffe MS Hanseatic und
MS Bremen.
Breathtaking destinations such as the Arctic Sea of
Ice are on the route plan of the Hapag-Lloyd
expedition-ships MS Hanseatic and MS Bremen.
INFO
„Premium Alles Inklusive“ gilt auf den Schiffen
des Hamburger Kreuzfahrtunternehmens - für
den 25 Meter Pool ebenso wie beim 5-Gänge-
Menü oder an der Bar.
“Premium All Inclusive“ on the ships of the
Hamburg-based cruise travel company - to
experience in the 25 meter pool as well as at the
5 course-menu or at the bar.
the ships, which normally sailed the North
Atlantic route, lying unused in the roads
during the stormy winter months, he came
up with the the concept of a two-month
pleasure trip for the luxurious fast steamer.
A visit to the Pyramids of Gizeh on a donkey
was on the itinerary, an extremely ambitious
venture at the time, as was a visit to
Jerusalem or Damascus. Ballin was an eloquent
host, heading a crew of 245 men who
catered to the needs of 174 wealthy passengers.
The trip cost 2,400 gold marks – nearly
€43,000 today. Obviously not only a very
successful, but also an extremely exclusive
start to this new way of travelling.
Private balcony on the world‘s oceans
Although cruises have changed from
being an amusement for a handful of millionaires
in the 19th century to being enjoyed
by millions of people now – they can
still be a very exclusive undertaking. And
as in all booming travel segments, the players
in the luxury sector are outdoing themselves
to provide the best service: the Regent
suites on the Seven Seas Explorer,
which left Monte Carlo in July 2016 on her
maiden voyage, boast 360 m² and have
COSTA
Erst die grandiose Kulisse des Geiranger-Fjord,
dann auf dem Panoramadeck das luxuriöse neue
Samsara Spa der Costa Schiffe genießen.
Enjoy the magnificent location of the Geiranger Fjord
first, then the panorama deck of the luxurious new
Samsara Spa of Costa ships.
their own spa and two marble baths. Although
the impressive ratio of 1.4 crew
members per passenger on “Augusta Victoria”
can no longer be achieved, it is still
possible on the new flagship of the Regent
Seven Seas fleet, which has 542 crew members
catering to roughly 750 guests, to be
served by a butler on the suite‘s 89 m2 private
terrace at any time of the day while the
rocky coast of Majorca passes by.
All-inclusive luxury
Haute cuisine also knows no limits on
the high seas. Renowned top chefs have
been working in the kitchen decks of the
world‘s seas for a while now. Jacques Pépin
created the dishes for Oceania Cruises,
which unshamedly strives to be the best on
the high seas. “Duck à l’Orange with
Braised Red Cabbage and Almond Potato
Croquette” or “Nine Minute Baked Chocolate
Cake with Raspberries and Vanilla Ice
Cream” - the culinary highlights are the
trademark of the Miami-based shipping
company. The best thing here: passengers
on the Oceania fleet, which is reminiscent
of a casual country club, can savour Jacques
Pépin‘s creations, with free seating and at
no extra charge. To swim the lengths of the
25-metre pool while the seagulls and the
high mountains of the Norwegian coast
pass by the ship – this is now possible on
board, too. The large pool on “Mein Schiff
4”, the saunas and others sports facilities
contributed to Tui Cruises Liner winning
the sought-after Cruise Ship Guide Award
2015 in the Sports and Spa category. One of
the factors that impressed the jury: nearly
all of the facilities are free. The Hamburgbased
cruise company also follows an allinclusive
strategy: their “Premium all-inclusive”
concept provides stress-free luxury
on board.
Body and soul time
An Ayurveda or bamboo massage, a
Turkish steam bath and tepidarium with a
panoramic view from the highest decks.
PHOTOS: OCEANIA CRUISES (1), COSTA CROCIERE, HAPAG-LLOYD CRUISES (2), TUI CRUISES/MATHIAS KOKARTIS
(2), REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
Guests can take all the time they need in
the new, luxurious Samsara Spas on Costa‘s
cruise ships. The Costa Diadema boasts a
spa temple stretching 6,200 m² with an oriental
touch. Guests can also choose to stay
in one of the spacious Samsara cabins.
Even the greatest luxury on a cruise ship
can be topped. “It’s yachting not cruising”
is Seadream‘s motto. 95 crew members cater
to no more than 112 guests on the sparkling
white-navy blue yachts. Every Seadream
Caribbean trip ends with the
Gourmet Barbecue with champagne and
caviar on a snow-white beach. “A celebration
of the yachting experience in every deliciously
decadent bite.”
125 years after Augusta Victoria‘s “excursion”
Hapag-Lloyd has also remained faithful
to exclusive travel experiences, 125 years after
“Augusta Victoria” went on her first voyage.
A colony of walruses relaxing in the
sun on the beach on Apollonov Island, a tiny
Arctic island on the edge of Franz Joseph
Land, and not even a rubber dinghy approaching
them nor a young polar bear suddenly
arriving on the scene can make them lose
their cool. Scenes, which could easily be in
an elaborate production of an animal documentary
– but instead passengers on the MS
Bremen are close to the action. Apart from
the Bremen and Hanseatic, two expedition
ships that sail to fascinating destinations
such as Kamchatka or the Antarctic mainland,
the shipping company from Hamburg
also operates MS Europa and MS Europa II,
which are regarded as one of the 300 most
luxurious cruise ships sailing the world‘s
seas and are regularly awarded the best rating
of 5-star plus by the Berlitz Complete
Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships, this
industry‘s reference work.
How many stars does a person need to
be happy? Sometimes the starry night sky
above the panoramic deck is simply
enough, the stars then shine in abundance.
Even Voltaire knew that the superfluous is
a very necessary thing - and nothing has
changed since “Augusta Victoria” set sail on
her first cruise.
Regent Seven Seas
Cruises
rssc.com
Oceania Cruises
oceaniakreuzfahrten.com
Hapag Lloyd
hl-cruises.de
Tui Cruises
tuicruises.com
Costa Kreuzfahrten
costakreuzfahrten.at
Seadream Yachtclub
seadream.de
Seereisen Center
seereisen-center.at
Seetour Austria / Ruefa
seetour-austria.at
Aktiv
im Urlaub!
Individuelle &
geführte Radreisen
Alle Touren sorgfältig
geplant & organisiert
Rad & Schiff –
Reisen mit dem
schwimmenden Hotel
Telefon +43 (0)6219 7444
eurobike@eurobike.at
116 Cercle Diplomatique 1/2016
www.eurobike.at