Hapag-LLoyd Europa 2.

I don't know what the system is for storing unfinished bottles of wine in the Weltmeere, but on more than one occasion they had difficulty finding mine when I was eating in there.

 

I did enjoy my cruise, and it is gratifying that Hapag-Lloyd is currently investigating my observations re shortcomings, and their impact upon wait staff.

 

 

With regard to your cruise on the Europa, on the formal night were there many men wearing black tie and dinner jacket? Or is a dark suit now permitted?

 

 

Catlover54 is due to sail on the Europa for the Ocean Sun Music Festival in September, and I look forward to her review.

I am very much looking forward to my first MS Europa cruise with the classical music fest, Lisbon to Nice, though I will be solo. Still fondly remember the Cape Town E2 cruise last Xmas with DH. Am currently on SB Quest with DH in beautiful Norway ( neither of us is feeling 100% and we have poor internet, so we are not taking energy to post live, but will write a review post-cruise), and there is not a single night of classical, not even an aria potpourri, and food quality is surprisingly not nearly as good as on SB Odyssey last September when I did my first two BTB SB cruises. The "Baltic" and "Japanese" meals in the SB Quest Colonnade were an embarassing joke this cruise, have had better Stouffers frozen dinners, and the breakfast buffet does not hold a candle to that on the E2. So I am craving a proper HL ship breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet, and also hope the Weltmeere service gets better than English Voyager just described, especially as traveling solo can enhance any service gaps there may be. Of course I know no line can be perfect all the time and have adjusted expectations accordingly.

i wrote a very severe review last year after a not so good - better said VERY POOR -cruise on the sojourn - i will not return to SB anymore

no fresh orange - or other juices - and last 2 days they ran out of the grapefruit "mix" :p very poor cheeses and cold cuts in view to the fact SB calls itself luxury

and than a lot of stupidities : special wines by the glass were only served in the Colonnade for dinner - i could not drink a rosé champagne by the glass in the bar ( very willing to pay ) i call the "parties" 3 starred gatherings ! with prosecco :eek:

back to hapag asap ...

at a very stupid price i am still willing to go on other ships as Europa and Europa 2 - like in november a Queens Grill on Queen Victoria :cool:

catlover 54 - remember you can book a table in the Lido on ms Europa on on some evenings this is a must !! see the ass maitre as soon a possible!

English Voyager ,

i did the cruise with Europa's beste in Antwerpen twice as it was great to sail into my hometown - despite the first time i had to wake up at 3 am

i even was in the newspaper in 2008

it was cancelled once due to problems with engine and it was once done in Bordeaux where i did not assist

later i was able to catch a paid invitation for Antwerpen what was 150 € and i think last year 180 € - but it increased i think

aside the chef on MS Europa and mr Dieter Muller there are usual some 10 starred chefs - in Antwerpen last year it was the very well known Stéphane Buyens as belgian - his restaurant is on the Belgian coast - De Panne - last village near France.

With 12 chefs doing a dish you cannot eat all of it - you like some items and may dislike others - the famous cheese monger Antony is always there , and caviar , and some 10 wine producers - they change every year and coffees licors spirits , last year the most expensive German Gin ...

during those years , there use to be champagne from Ruinart , Pommery , Veuve Cliquot , Moet and of course Duval leroy

higlights in wine were Ch Angelus Burgund wines of Louis Latour even including Corton Charlemagne and italian Jermann including Dreams and the best Spanish chardonnay Milmanda

special ice cream of Giovanni , and last year the best pastry Chocolatier in Antwerpen Del Rey

and of course a firework - all the drinks are free - also on the bar ( with certain limits - not XO cognac )

if you do not like to assist that event - passengers can go to the restaurant for a special dinner with decent complimentary wines .

This year it is for the first time in Palma , next year in Hamburg ...

The organisation is always great

When the event was in Antwerpen some 80 passengers were always able to go to the Town Hall for an informal party offered by our vice mayor. That was in the afternoon prior to the event.

vistaman,

Thank you for such a mouth watering description of the Europa's gourmet food festival.

No expense seems to be spared in arranging the event.

at a very stupid price i am still willing to go on other ships as Europa and Europa 2 - like in november a Queens Grill on Queen Victoria :cool:/QUOTE]

Even in the 'lowly' Britannia Class, I enjoyed my January cruise on the Queen Victoria.

 

It will be interesting to read your opinion on your Queens Grill experience.

 

 

I have booked an eight day cruise for next May, with Azamara, departing Venice,cruising along the coast of Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia, and ending with an overnight in Venice.

at a very stupid price i am still willing to go on other ships as Europa and Europa 2 - like in november a Queens Grill on Queen Victoria :cool:/QUOTE]

Even in the 'lowly' Britannia Class, I enjoyed my January cruise on the Queen Victoria.

 

It will be interesting to read your opinion on your Queens Grill experience.

 

 

I have booked an eight day cruise for next May, with Azamara, departing Venice,cruising along the coast of Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia, and ending with an overnight in Venice.

 

Beautiful itinerary you have booked on Azamara, (DH and I did a Regent cruise in 2012 following part of this route, we loved Dubrovnik and Montenegro, but not Regent, and in hindsight agreed we should have allowed more time to just walk the main towns there rather than do excursions). But were you able to get any kind of discount on an advance single rate? I had looked into doing a short solo with Azamara to try them out (i.e., testing the waters before bringing DH onto a new line, like I recently tested on a short first Crystal cruise) but they offered no reductions. I would have had to pay 2x price per person for a solo cruise in the cheapest cabin.

 

A fellow-cruiser from the UK on the SB Quest cruise I just finished said he much preferred the food on Oceania to that on SB. He said in a PH on Oceania the pricing and size was the same as on a SB base suite (for him and wife, so not solo) but with better food, and it worked well for them as they are not heavy drinkers so do not need "all included" alcohol. I also tried to tell him about the Europa 2's excellent food but he was frankly not very interested in trying cruising surrounding by German-speakers, even if the staff do speak English (and he said he generally likes Germans, loves doing business with them, so it is an odd thing why he would not risk it given he is food-focussed). I have looked into Oceania to do a solo test cruise but they are not solo-friendly on prices.

 

Beautiful itinerary you have booked on Azamara, (DH and I did a Regent cruise in 2012 following part of this route, we loved Dubrovnik and Montenegro, but not Regent, and in hindsight agreed we should have allowed more time to just walk the main towns there rather than do excursions). But were you able to get any kind of discount on an advance single rate? I had looked into doing a short solo with Azamara to try them out (i.e., testing the waters before bringing DH onto a new line, like I recently tested on a short first Crystal cruise) but they offered no reductions. I would have had to pay 2x price per person for a solo cruise in the cheapest cabin.

 

A fellow-cruiser from the UK on the SB Quest cruise I just finished said he much preferred the food on Oceania to that on SB. He said in a PH on Oceania the pricing and size was the same as on a SB base suite (for him and wife, so not solo) but with better food, and it worked well for them as they are not heavy drinkers so do not need "all included" alcohol. I also tried to tell him about the Europa 2's excellent food but he was frankly not very interested in trying cruising surrounding by German-speakers, even if the staff do speak English (and he said he generally likes Germans, loves doing business with them, so it is an odd thing why he would not risk it given he is food-focussed). I have looked into Oceania to do a solo test cruise but they are not solo-friendly on prices.

 

With regard to Azamara's pricing, with regard to my cruise, for a couple there was a, time limited, offer of pay for one and the second person pays 50% of the normal fare.

 

Even so, from Azamara's website,for a solo traveller, in a V2 Balcony Stateroom, the fare was approximately 2x the per person of a couple occupying the stateroom.

 

However, I don't know how it worked, but via my TA the fare they quoted for the same category Stateroom was £700 cheaper than that on Azamara's website.

 

Even so, for such small accommodation the fare is far from cheap, so, as a first timer on Azamara, it remains to be seen if the overall experience represents value for money.

 

Certainly, for a solo traveller on Azamara contemplating one of the suites the pricing does become close to that of an entry level suite on either the Europa 2, or the Europa.

 

 

As for Oceania, the food may be superior, but for larger entry level accommodation one would need to consider one of their larger ships.

i never did azamara so far - single fares are double :eek:

however i did twice a Caribbean cruise on Riviera - in a PH the prices were so low a few years ago - last time i had a very obstructive butler and a nearly sordid stewardess

the food is very OK on Oceania especially in the Italian and French speciality restaurant

however the prices of the drinks and the wines are outrageous - i took the full package - but i do not like to pay 100 $ + 18 % service "added for your convenience" on a duty free ship for the cheapest bottle of champagne.

This summer there were some Medit cruises on O with "only" 50 % sup:D

Aside for Hapag the best value for non complimentary wines is still on SS

I do wonder at Hapag-Lloyd's strict adherence to their rule of only 8-10 suites for any given cruise being made available for solo occupancy.

At the moment Hapag-Lloyd are running a promotion, valid up to the 30 November, of discounts of up to 30%, for double occupancy, on certain 2017 cruises on the Europa 2.

Suites for solo occupancy are neither available nor being made available.

It just forces one to look elsewhere.

Yes it is annoying especially if we want to plan well ahead like I must and cannot risk hoping for a last minute solo offering if the ship has not sold out

And we also know it is inconsistent as there are 44 solos on my current MS Europa cruise

We're looking at a cruise on Europa 2 next autumn. We're not particular to cabins and often take guarantee suites. That is not offered for the cruise in question. V4 is sold out. Anything specific we should know about V1 or V2?

Thanks for your inputs.

We're looking at a cruise on Europa 2 next autumn. We're not particular to cabins and often take guarantee suites. That is not offered for the cruise in question. V4 is sold out. Anything specific we should know about V1 or V2?

Thanks for your inputs.

If you go to the English language website for the E2 and then start a simulated booking for your cruise, you can actually pick a cabin on a map in the category desired and see what is available. If there is anything weird about the cabin, HL indicates what is odd in a visible footnote, e.g., if there may be noise, or partial balcony obstruction, or whatever (most cabins have absolutely nothing funny marked). The cheapest cabins are not dead center so as with any ship might have more roll in tempestuous waters -- what location will your cruise be in?

If you use a TA, you can also confirm/specifically ask her to check with the NY office HL rep about anything odd for a particular cabin

We're looking at a cruise on Europa 2 next autumn. We're not particular to cabins and often take guarantee suites. That is not offered for the cruise in question. V4 is sold out. Anything specific we should know about V1 or V2?

Thanks for your inputs.

In terms of overall size of the suite ( 301 sq.ft.), and it's veranda (75 sq.ft.), there is no difference within the Categories 1-5.

The determinant will be the deck, and the suite's location on that deck.

However, within the categories 1-4 there is a choice between a Veranda Suite, or an Ocean Suite ( which does have a veranda).

Personally, I have enjoyed being in a Category 2 suite on deck 6.

Unless you are particularly susceptible to rough seas, I have found the Europa 2 to be very stable in very rough weather conditions.

Although this cruise has taken place in May 2015 you might enjoy my (German - use google translate for the text) review. Lots of photos anyway so no real need to read my text.

steamboats

A long time ago I read that the "lowest priced" cabin on a luxury ship would be a better experience than the top cabin in a mass market ship. We are (I am) looking at a cruise in autumn 2017 and the price for the V1 is very fair - pretty much what we paid for 2 weeks on Seabourn this summer in a guarantee.

The price is guaranteed until mid February 17 so I don't need to rush and have all the time to enquire.

Many thanks for your inputs, and many thanks to Steamboat - the level of detail in your descriptions is incredible, how to you capture all this?

Swixpat

Although this cruise has taken place in May 2015 you might enjoy my (German - use google translate for the text) review. Lots of photos anyway so no real need to read my text.

 

steamboats

However did you find the time to write such an extensive review?

The many photographs of the wonderful food on the Europa 2 are definitely hunger inducing.

Which restaurant is your favourite?

Mine is the Tarragon.

In fact it was in 2015 that it received an award for the best restaurant at sea.

Thanks, English Voyager! I do write daily during the cruise and of course I take the photos. It´s not too much work throughout the cruise, maybe 30 min per day. The main part comes after the cruise when I have to go through the photos (I save them daily on my tablet PC) and sort them. I do use Photoshop but only to cut and minimize the photos for website use.

I´m a litte too much into details :D! Which drives my DH crazy (and he´s the cruise journalist in our family). So on our recent cruise on the Europa I returned with a bit more than 2,500 photos. Slightly over 1,600 are online. DH says that´s way too much. I don´t think so :rolleyes:. I just try to give as much information as possible - especially to those who have never been on a cruise or those who a first timers on a certain cruise line or ship.

As for the restaurants on the Europa 2 - all of them are great! But I also tend to Tarragon as my favorite - and not just because they decorated our table so nicely for my birthday. The Beef Tatar was absolutley great! I usually don´t eat this but whereelse than on the Europa or Europa 2 you can get it that fresh and in such a great quality!

steamboats

Steamboats, thank you so much for linking to your professional level and informative detailed reviews and pictures! I read your linked E2 review this morning for an hour and plan to study more of your trips later today. What I found most amazing is that even on what are usually somewhat populated areas of the Europa 2, you were able to get good pictures of the rooms without people walking by in the middle of your shots. Thank you!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Catlover54,

Getting photos without people is just a matter of time... or timing ;). We do get up pretty early. Regarding restaurants we sometimes simply ask when we can go in to take photos. Sometimes when we go in the waiters tell us to return a little bit later when they´ve finished laying out the tables. And in some cases it´s just a matter of the view... there are people in the venue but you can take photo from a different angle and then it looks empty.

steamboats

A review on the Europa 2 has recently been posted by nachtergaele1:

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=553779

A review on the Europa 2 has recently been posted by nachtergaele1:

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=553779

thank you for the information

by the way : Queen Victoria : never again Cunard - even in QG

found the food "poor" and very expensive wines - parties : not stylish at all - CWC party - a search for free drinks is the best description :mad:

service : ok but pressure to get extra gratuities was strong. cheeses were supermarket level quality.

back to Hapag Lloyd asap !!!

thank you for the information

by the way : Queen Victoria : never again Cunard - even in QG

found the food "poor" and very expensive wines - parties : not stylish at all - CWC party - a search for free drinks is the best description :mad:

service : ok but pressure to get extra gratuities was strong. cheeses were supermarket level quality.

back to Hapag Lloyd asap !!!

Did you not complain about the quality of the food in the QG restaurant?

If so, what was the reaction?

Did you attempt to order 'off menu'?

Last January on the Queen Victoria, in the Britannia Restaurant I thought the food was very good.

But then, the choice, and quality, of food on the Europa 2 is stellar.

no , i did not complain i only gave "very clearly " my opinion on the far too high prices for the wines on a cruise ship - i took a package of 4 bottles - what did seem the best for me.

the only item off menu was a beef tartar for lunch

the headwaiter was friendly but did not suggest any specials to me , to my neighbours he made a few suggestions for specials.

There was only once a pasta for lunch : with seafood and cream what i dislike.

the Dover Sole was very Ok and that was maybe the best item i had

probably it was own mistake to go for that special price in a QG small penthouse - spoiled by too many cruises on the 2 Hapag sisters

one day in Marseille i bought a few nice items like French gooseliver , cheeses and 2 pastries and half a Rosé champagne ( yes i became a cabin drinker for once ;)) for lunch in my cabin...

i did 3 of my 4 cruises on the QE2 in QG - great memories !

the Carnival style of Cunard is not my item at all !!

I have it extremely difficult with all those downgrades in F and B department on various cruise lines in the "luxury " segment and I never was one of these "daily caviar " eaters neither .

Hapag-Lloyd's German website has an online, German language, copy of the preview brochure for the March 2018-April 2019 cruises.

A good opportunity for solo travellers to register an option for one of the limited single occupancy suites.

http://www.hl-cruises.de/bk/EUX-2018-19-DE-Preview/index.html?catalog=EUX-2018-19-DE-Preview#page_1

Although I have been receiving the 'time outs' emails for some months, judging by the recent video from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises it appears that they are expanding the concept.

The relevant website is:

http://mytimeouts.com/login/