The Luxury Network International Magazine Issue 10
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
What did you do onboard that’s different from other lines?<br />
We wanted to create a space that was more like a contemporary<br />
boutique hotel rather than a cruise ship. Everywhere<br />
you go you’ll notice how much light and space there is. <strong>The</strong><br />
ship feels stylish and elegant in a very modern way. We also<br />
worked to make sure the ship never feels full even when it is.<br />
What language is spoken on board?<br />
EUROPA 2 is a bilingual ship and all crew speak both German<br />
and English fluently. In fact, most of the guests do too. I know<br />
people have often wondered if they’re going to be able to<br />
mix with people on board and then are surprised to find we<br />
attract a very well-travelled clientele who love nothing<br />
more than switching into English for a good chat. All staff<br />
members have to be fluent in English.<br />
Cruising tends to fall into two camps, those who do cruise<br />
and those who vow they never will. How do you reach<br />
those who say cruising is just not for them?<br />
It’s a good question and one the entire cruise industry keeps<br />
asking! <strong>The</strong> fact is most who do take a cruise love it and<br />
then continue to do it but it’s important to do your research<br />
and choose the right ship. I think it’s fair to say most of our<br />
guests are not those who would do just any cruise, they<br />
cruise with us because what we do is very different. Our<br />
guests are very varied in their holiday choices and they<br />
might do a two-week cruise with us in the spring, rent<br />
a villa in Tuscany in the summer and then ski in Gastaad<br />
in the winter. <strong>The</strong>y’re well-travelled and very cultured.<br />
A lot of cruise lines in the ultra-luxury sector have switched<br />
over to the all-inclusive model where everything is included<br />
in the price. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises don’t offer this. Why is<br />
that?<br />
It’s not for us. We attract the type of clientele who want to<br />
be able to order a bottle of Château Mouton-Rothschild and<br />
who don’t mind paying for it, so we want to give them that<br />
choice. We have one of the largest wine and spirit collections<br />
at sea ranging from around 20 euros a bottle to 1,000 euros<br />
so there really is something for everyone and we carry over<br />
40 varieties of gin on board.<br />
What about destinations, where does EUROPA 2 cruise to?<br />
Everywhere! No two years are the same. EUROPA 2 traverses<br />
the world and we are always looking for emerging destinations<br />
which we can build into our itineraries plus being a small<br />
ship we are able to visit places larger ships cannot.<br />
What makes EUROPA 2 special for you?<br />
For a luxury ship I love that it’s so casual, yet so chic on<br />
board. We don’t do formal nights but guests do make an<br />
effort to look nice for dinner. I love the caviar nights that<br />
are held on every cruise. <strong>The</strong>n there are the little things that<br />
happen quite spontaneously that really leave you with special<br />
memories such as the time we were cruising off the coast of<br />
Brazil and the captain saw a couple of small fishing boats.<br />
It turns out they had just made a huge catch, so the head<br />
chef and the hotel manager took boats out to see them and<br />
bought everything! It was so wonderful to see them jumping<br />
up and down with excitement. <strong>The</strong>n there was the time we<br />
were cruising in the British Virgin Islands and we dropped<br />
anchor at this tiny island with the most beautiful beach. <strong>The</strong><br />
ship organised a party with free-flowing champagne and<br />
a barbecue and there was a band playing as we swam. <strong>The</strong><br />
year before last I finally managed to cruise into New York<br />
on the transatlantic voyage and seeing Manhattan appear<br />
in the distance like a tiny dot just getting bigger and bigger<br />
was really exciting. <strong>The</strong> ship had flown in a band from New<br />
York and as we entered they started playing New York, New<br />
York and the champagne corks started popping and people<br />
were getting really emotional not just because we were<br />
arriving into New York, but because the ship had made it<br />
such a memorable event.<br />
So, what’s next for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises?<br />
Well 2019 is going to be a busy one for us. We have our two<br />
new expedition ships being delivered, HANSEATIC nature in<br />
April and for the international markets, HANSEATIC inspiration<br />
in October. We were pioneers in the field of expedition cruising<br />
and have seen a huge surge in those wanting to visit the Arctic<br />
and Antarctic regions. <strong>The</strong>y are certainly on my list to visit.<br />
53
Change language