Hapag-LLoyd Europa 2.

[Catlover54]

Catlover54,

 

Eight days to go until your cruise.

 

Have you started an official countdown?

 

 

Yes. I am getting nervous. Start flying SFO-MUNich evening of 12/15 on LH, then connect after just two hours MUNich-Capetown, with arrival 2.5 days before we sail on the E2 ( arrive Thursday morning, sail 10PM Saturday night). I am now worrying something may go wrong with the 2-hour connection, given all the heightened security in Europe/Germany due to terrorism concerns, or just any other kind of delay. I realize if they cannot rebook us due to full flights if our connection is delayed insurance would cover it but we would still miss the trip, which, after all this buildup, would be UNacceptable to me! Must board the E2 and, once on board, will start savouring its offerings.

[Ithaca]

Catlover54,

 

You almost have one foot on the airplane, and I'm hoping everything goes to plan. Wishing you the very best in your cruise, and awaiting your comments. I haven't asked for a brochure from HL..can one get the 2017 schedule on line?

Edited December 12, 2015 by Ithaca

[vistaman]

i hope you make your transfer in Munich - as you do arrive from the US you do not have the problems "schengen " and "extra schengen"

so i think it will be not too difficult -

however very busy Munich is much easier as Frankfurt - there is also an easy connection ex Munich to Capetown over Dubai with Emirates :)

 

enjoy the PH experience - one advice - try to make your dinner reservations for the speciality restaurants as soon as possible after arrival on the ship

there is a special counter for the PH and i do suggest to board at 16 ( 4pm )

concerning breakfast - do consider once the gourmet breakfast in your suite with gooseliver and orange sauce once . ( or a shrimp cocktail )

and try the lunch - once a cruise - wth sushi and sashimi in the yacht club

and the great ice creams from Giovanni one of the most famous ones in Germany esp the pistacchio. :D

[English Voyager]

I haven't asked for a brochure from HL..can one get the 2017 schedule on line?

 

At present, the only 2017/18 Preview Brochure for the Europa 2 available on-line is the German language one.

Edited December 12, 2015 by English Voyager

[Ithaca]

Thanks, English Voyager, I will ask for the brochure.

[English Voyager]

Thanks, English Voyager, I will ask for the brochure.

 

Although the 2017/18 Preview Brochure contains general information, and itineraries, it does not contain any fares.

[qwertz]

In Germany there is the tradition of the Advent calendar. Sometimes companies offer special deals by having their own Advent calendars, as does HL on their german website. The deals are not all about E2, but may be for other ships of their fleet as well or can be valid for all their ships (i.e. on board credits for drinks). Todays offer (free economy class air transport to Dubai / from Piräus for EUX 1609) does only apply for flights departing from Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

 

While this offer will appeal only to residents of these (or maybe neighbouring) countries, I have not found any rules on their site denying participation of other nationalities. Please note that the regulations *) state that you need to present the coupon to your TA and I am not sure whether every TA around the globe selling HL can accept these. So there might be a caveat here. If you want to be sure, you might want to check with HL before taking part.

 

Other than that the offers might well be worth a visit to the german HL-site or directly to the HL Advent calendar. While everything is in german, you should easily find your way around. Just click the "door" i.e. star symbol of the respective date, fill in your mail address (I don't recall wether you need to fill in any additional contact details the first time) and receive a coupon by E-Mail.

 

Maybe this way you'll receive just the offer you were waiting for to tip the scale for your (next) cruise on E2.

 

 

 

*) As an example I translated the rules displayed for todays offer: "This offer (Special # 4249) is not to be combined with any other rebates, coupons or OBC. It is only valid for the participant and it's worth cannot be payed out in cash. The offer is valid for one booking only and applies only for new bookings from 14.12.2015 to 29.02.2016. Availability is limited and will be handled on a first come first served basis. You will receive your coupon by E-Mail to the adress provided by you. You can print the coupon out and take it to your TA when booking or forward it to your TA by E-Mail. The coupon cannot be used for bookings made on board any HL vessel."

[cathaana]

I had to put in my full name the first time but not since.

Every few days they have 150 Euro drinks voucher that's valid on all ships/cruises.

[Catlover54]

i hope you make your transfer in Munich - as you do arrive from the US you do not have the problems "schengen " and "extra schengen"

so i think it will be not too difficult -

however very busy Munich is much easier as Frankfurt - there is also an easy connection ex Munich to Capetown over Dubai with Emirates :)

 

enjoy the PH experience - one advice - try to make your dinner reservations for the speciality restaurants as soon as possible after arrival on the ship

there is a special counter for the PH and i do suggest to board at 16 ( 4pm )

concerning breakfast - do consider once the gourmet breakfast in your suite with gooseliver and orange sauce once . ( or a shrimp cocktail )

and try the lunch - once a cruise - wth sushi and sashimi in the yacht club

and the great ice creams from Giovanni one of the most famous ones in Germany esp the pistacchio. :D

 

1. The connection in MUC became a non-issue, because when we arrived at SFO we found out the SFO-MUC LH flight was 4.5 hours delayed due to mechanical problems, so there was no way we could make the LH MUC-CPT connection!! We had not been notified by LH and it was not showing online. My initial panic that we were going to miss our E2 cruise was abated when I found out LH had automatically rerouted us on BA SFO-LHR-CPT (I was surprised there were still seats open from LHR to CPT in business class, given the holidays), so we are now happily settled in at the Cape Grace hotel in CPT for a couple nights. The Cape Grace is very nice, except the mattress is not soft enough -- my usual problem, but I brought an inflatable camping Therma-rest, just in case the E2 mattress is also hard.

 

2. A little off topic: this was our first set of flights on BA and other than the fact that both legs of the trip were like being in a nursery due to the high preponderance of unhappy and screaming infants and toddlers, despite being in bz class, I was happy enough with the product (comfortable seats, not hard!), at least compared with UA and LH bz class. Hopefully the E2 cruise will have less infants and toddlers, though I certainly expect some children on a cruise that will include port excursions and mini-safaris to see African animals.

BTW Europa 2 will be doing this same cruise CPT-CPT in January 2018.

 

3. We definitely plan to be boarding the E2 on 19. December right at 16:00 and will immediately book our desired dinner reservations dates. Gourmet breakfast in the suite and Italian Eis is most certainly on the agenda!

[English Voyager]

Thank you for your update.

 

Good to read that you have arrived in Cape Town in plenty of time to relax before boarding the Europa 2.

 

Have a great cruise.

[wripro]

Catlover54,

 

Make sure to enjoy the breakfast at the Cape Grace. Outstanding.

[ededmd]

Catlover54,

 

If you find time and have the inclination to live post during your voyage, please do. For those of us who love the Europa2, it will allow us to voyage with you until we can be sail on her again ourselves.

Regardless hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[vistaman]

catlover 54,

 

sorry to hear about the flight changes - the problem of BA in business : mostly old planes and the food ( even in 1st ) ... wines and drinks are very OK to very good

 

i hope your butler is very good and try once the great white sausages served in Sansibar for late breakfast

i wish i was already on board it is only in Dubai in April :rolleyes:

and if you like cheese : the choice is great ! 8 for breakfast, 10 for lunch and 12 for dinner:D

 

and do not forget to try the beef tartar if you like that

 

keep us informed - thanks

[Catlover54]

I started a separate thread, "Out of Africa on the Europa 2 Capetown-Capetown", and will continue for the trip as long as internet cooperates

[English Voyager]

On the German language website, today's Advent Calendar offer is a 200 Euros on board credit.

 

Europa: Beverages and Excursions.

 

Europa 2: Beverages and Spa.

[English Voyager]

With regard to the cuisine on the Europa 2, I have rediscovered an article in the February/March 2015 edition of the 'World Of Cruising' magazine which was devoted to that very subject.

 

It included an interview with the Executive Chef Martin Ohlemann who said that the concept on board the Europa 2 is modern cuisine with a light approach to classical dishes, to use great produce and preserve their authentic tastes not disguise them.

 

He has a team of 60 chefs.

 

In the Tarragon Restaurant, Chef de Cuisine Udo Grigas has a team of 4 chefs.

 

Elements has 3 dedicated chefs.

 

And all for a maximum of 516 passengers!

[Catlover54]

1. HOW MANY?

 

Of those here who have traveled solo on HL, either Europa 2 or MS Europa, did any of you go to a solo traveler get-together at the start of your cruise, and if so, how many people showed up? I tried to find out how many solo travelers there were on my recent sold-out Cape Town trip on the E2 with DH, to get a rough idea, but the front desk did not know each time I asked.

 

I realize not everyone traveling solo on a cruise will want to show up to an initial get-together as some have other things to do or do not want to mingle, just as only half the English speakers (5 of 10) showed up at the English-language get-together early in the cruise on DH's and my E2 cruise recently, but it might provide some estimate of sociable solos.

 

2. DINING issues

 

On the E2 we know seating is open in the MDR and Yacht Club at dinner. Is it also open on the MS Europa or do you have an assigned spot?

 

Towards the end of our cruise DH and I went very early to dinner in the MDR to try and get a good table for a change, and we did (right at the window). Almost immediately thereafter an elderly lady, solo, came in and was greeted by the waitress by name (this was surprising, as DH and I were never greeted by name in any dining venue -- although I don't personally care if I am greeted by name or not as long as the food and service are good, I thought perhaps with solos, HL may make an extra effort). Personnel sat her down quite close to us, and she appeared a bit uncomfortable. Then a few minutes later another similar lady was ushered in, also greeted by name, and was seated kitty-corner to the first lady (thus leaving them the option to talk, or ignore each other). Other than a perfunctory "Guten Abend" at the beginning, and two minutes of small talk later, the two ladies pretty much ignored each other the whole evening, looking uncomfortable, though they each stayed for two hours, and three courses, cleaning their plates.

 

Did any of you ever try to get MDR or Yacht Club food (not from the room service many) delivered to your suite on a tray?

 

Were any of you invited to join a table for dinner with a CD, or officer, or other personnel as a solo, like they do on SB?

 

3. PRICING AND AVAILABILITY: I ran a few online mock searches on the HL websites to check pricing differentials for solos, as I am considering doing a solo trip on HL without DH a while after we finish our SB trip to Norway in the summer. Currently there are only 4 future cruises officially marked as discounted for solos. But on some others, it still looked like the markups were still reasonable i.e., you don't pay 100% surcharge for being solo most of the time. But what was very odd is I ran a search as 1 adult with 0 children and found "not available" messages, but when I ran the same cruise pricing and suite selection search as 1 adult with 2 children under 10 (who are not charged) suddenly there were some suites available (and they were not family apartments). Same result if I changed the search to German. I wonder if that is just a bug on-line, or if they hold back suites if you are a lone adult, but not if a lone adult and with kids

[cathaana]

1. HOW MANY?

 

Of those here who have traveled solo on HL, either Europa 2 or MS Europa, did any of you go to a solo traveler get-together at the start of your cruise, and if so, how many people showed up? I tried to find out how many solo travelers there were on my recent sold-out Cape Town trip on the E2 with DH, to get a rough idea, but the front desk did not know each time I asked.

 

I realize not everyone traveling solo on a cruise will want to show up to an initial get-together as some have other things to do or do not want to mingle, just as only half the English speakers (5 of 10) showed up at the English-language get-together early in the cruise on DH's and my E2 cruise recently, but it might provide some estimate of sociable solos.

 

2. DINING issues

 

On the E2 we know seating is open in the MDR and Yacht Club at dinner. Is it also open on the MS Europa or do you have an assigned spot?

 

Towards the end of our cruise DH and I went very early to dinner in the MDR to try and get a good table for a change, and we did (right at the window). Almost immediately thereafter an elderly lady, solo, came in and was greeted by the waitress by name (this was surprising, as DH and I were never greeted by name in any dining venue -- although I don't personally care if I am greeted by name or not as long as the food and service are good, I thought perhaps with solos, HL may make an extra effort). Personnel sat her down quite close to us, and she appeared a bit uncomfortable. Then a few minutes later another similar lady was ushered in, also greeted by name, and was seated kitty-corner to the first lady (thus leaving them the option to talk, or ignore each other). Other than a perfunctory "Guten Abend" at the beginning, and two minutes of small talk later, the two ladies pretty much ignored each other the whole evening, looking uncomfortable, though they each stayed for two hours, and three courses, cleaning their plates.

 

Did any of you ever try to get MDR or Yacht Club food (not from the room service many) delivered to your suite on a tray?

 

Were any of you invited to join a table for dinner with a CD, or officer, or other personnel as a solo, like they do on SB?

 

3. PRICING AND AVAILABILITY: I ran a few online mock searches on the HL websites to check pricing differentials for solos, as I am considering doing a solo trip on HL without DH a while after we finish our SB trip to Norway in the summer. Currently there are only 4 future cruises officially marked as discounted for solos. But on some others, it still looked like the markups were still reasonable i.e., you don't pay 100% surcharge for being solo most of the time. But what was very odd is I ran a search as 1 adult with 0 children and found "not available" messages, but when I ran the same cruise pricing and suite selection search as 1 adult with 2 children under 10 (who are not charged) suddenly there were some suites available (and they were not family apartments). Same result if I changed the search to German. I wonder if that is just a bug on-line, or if they hold back suites if you are a lone adult, but not if a lone adult and with kids

 

 

I don't remember a meet-up for solo travellers on any of my Europa cruises.

 

Tables are assigned on Europa in the MDR. If you put down a larger-sized table as your preference on the booking form, chances are quite good you will be paired with other solo travellers or couples who enjoy meeting others. Whether they are willing/able to converse in English is another matter though.

 

I have tried to get food from the Italian place delivered to my suite but they didn't want to do that. I have taken a plate of food from the Yacht Club to my suite myself though one day when I was not feeling well. Dessert actually a couple of times. Nobody seemed to mind.

 

They regularly had dinner events where guests were invited to dine with some of the officers. This was not specific to solo travellers though and not everybody got invited. Supposedly its mostly for first time cruisers.

 

I have found that HL nearly never charges 100% extra for solo travellers. Mostly its between 40 and 75%. And I have also noticed funny availability regarding solo/children. I have found the website from Kreuzfahrtberater much easier to navigate to find pricings for HL cruises.

[vistaman]

on both the Europa as the Europa 2 there is a party for singles

( not on short cruises i think starting as from a one week )my first one ( in 2007 ) was a pre lunch aperitive , once there was a tea party but now on ms Europa they changed it in a party before dinner

on ms Europa 2 there is a party and a dinner together if you want to join

i am always booking modest category - being single - and i do follow the website - sometimes there is a cruise with no single sup ( last year Dubai to Limassol i think )

single sup is indeed starting around 40 % up to 100 if you want a PH

on ms Europa the restaurant is open for the 3 meals - allocated places only for dinner

i never did order from restaurant menu in my cabin - or suite - not sure but i think it is only possible in PH and in Spa suites

i did receive officers invitations - but i do excuse myself when it is for a large table - i am not so crazy of dinners lasting for hours despite the pleasant company

[English Voyager]

On the Europa 2, other than the welcome cocktail party for English speaking passengers, there was no offer made to me, as a solo traveller, to join a group for dinner.

 

However, on the second of my back to back cruises, as the only English speaking passenger on board, I was invited to join two Officers for dinner one evening.

 

It never occurred to me to enquire how many solo travellers there were on board.

 

I was seldom addressed by name.

 

On my cruises, in the Weltmeere Restaurant of an evening, I never observed another person dining alone.

 

Re the pricing of Europa 2 cruises on Hapag-Lloyd's website, I have noticed that availability for a couple becomes non-availability for a solo.

As discussed elsewhere, cruises tend to sell out quite early, so I tend to book mine at least a year in advance.

 

On my recent cruise on the Queen Victoria, I met a German lady who had boarded in Hamburg for the World Cruise.

 

We started to chat about Hapag-Lloyd, and she said that her neighbour had taken a cruise on the Europa and found other passengers to be extremely reserved.

Edited January 12, 2016 by English Voyager

[Catlover54]

On the Europa 2, other than the welcome cocktail party for English speaking passengers, there was no offer made to me, as a solo traveller, to join a group for dinner.

 

However, on the second of my back to back cruises, as the only English speaking passenger on board, I was invited to join two Officers for dinner one evening.

 

It never occurred to me to enquire how many solo travellers there were on board.

 

I was seldom addressed by name.

 

On my cruises, in the Weltmeere Restaurant of an evening, I never observed another person dining alone.

 

Re the pricing of Europa 2 cruises on Hapag-Lloyd's website, I have noticed that availability for a couple becomes non-availability for a solo.

As discussed elsewhere, cruises tend to sell out quite early, so I tend to book mine at least a year in advance.

 

On my recent cruise on the Queen Victoria, I met a German lady who had boarded in Hamburg for the World Cruise.

 

We started to chat about Hapag-Lloyd, and she said that her neighbour had taken a cruise on the Europa and found other passengers to be extremely reserved.

 

1.

In the program for 12/24 on my recent E2 cruise, there was an announcement that there would be a solos table for Xmas Eve dinner hosted by some staff (but I did not see any for New Years Eve), which was a nice gesture as statistically many people can feel a bit depressed around that time for a variety of reasons, but that was all I saw of solo activity other than the two elderly ladies mentioned, though there were likely more somewhere.

 

2.

In the advertising brochures and videos for the E2 I have seen on-line, however, HL did include views of an actress playing an attractive lady with shoulder-length hair who looks to be in her 30's smiling and dining solo at one of the restaurants, suggesting that HL in theory welcomes solos (especially with the all-important pricing), though of course I failed to see anyone resembling her, but neither did I see any handsome model-like couples like in the ads either for that matter, with one exception. Maybe to be realistic the ads should show an older lady or gent sitting alone and reading a newspaper, book, Kindle, or iPAD mini (the latter is what I generally bring with me in my purse just in case, if I travel or go dine alone and there is nothing otherwise interesting to observe :). )

 

3.

I have heard from others that on mainstream ships the solos often get stuck with the worst tables in the dining rooms, e.g., near the kitchen or without views (sometimes this happens also on land, in my own experience), but I have not seen that happen on luxury lines such as Silver Sea, where there were almost always 5-10% solos (7:1 women on my NZ cruise in 2015) and, though the reported "n" is small for HL, it appears it is not the case that HL discriminates, which is encouraging. The two times I ate lunch by myself on the E2 this trip I was promptly seated at the available window seat, the second place setting was immediately removed, service was attentive, and I did not even need to pull out the iPAD mini because I just kept staring at the relaxing waves , which are so wonderfully close to eye level on the 4th deck of the E2.

 

4. A friend of a friend of mine in Germany who is a simple straightforward older woman, a widow, is considering going solo on the E2 for the first time now. She has been going annually to the Med on MSC or Costa and enjoyed the area and weather, but felt like she was given second rate attention and service as a solo. She'd been afraid that she would not feel welcome on the E2 because although she is a very successful person financially (she and her husband built up a big agricultural enterprise over the years, starting with next to nothing), she never went to the advanced high school called Gymnasium (like lycée), much less to university, and thought the people on board would be snobby. She would likely be happy to reach out to traveling solos, and even English-speakers (she had been bringing her iPhone equipped with a foreign language voice translator app with her on trips to help with her weak English, which especially came in handy this year when she met a friendly gay Australian couple who spoke no German, but hung out with her most of the trip).

[vistaman]

as i told before the MS Europa IS a formal ship

"snobby" : not everybody is able to pay a cruise on her - so it is another clientele as on MSC , Costa ...

[English Voyager]

As a solo traveller, one of the things I liked about Cunard was the ability to request, when booking Britannia Class, a large table for the fixed seating for dinner, and the offer of a large table for free seating for breakfast, and lunch.

Additionally, there was a daily hosted coffee morning for solo passengers.

 

The German lady I met was extremely angry that on her first night in the Queens Grill Restaurant she had been placed on a table for two next to doors constantly being used by staff.

She asked if she could be moved, and had no objection to sharing a table.

She was told No, and on asking to speak to the Restaurant Manager he told her it was his decision to place her there, and effectively told her if she didn't like it--tough.

 

With regard to the Europa 2, if I was early enough entering the Weltmeere Restaurant, the Manager, knowing that I liked to eat in the same section, would always offer me a window side table if one was available.

It certainly does not appear to be the custom to share a table with strangers, as on occasions I have been shown to a table for four from which the other place settings have been instantly removed.

[English Voyager]

as i told before the MS Europa IS a formal ship

"snobby" : not everybody is able to pay a cruise on her - so it is another clientele as on MSC , Costa ...

 

Germans, with whom I have spoken on the Europa 2, who have cruised on the Europa have said that apart from the formality, the atmosphere on board was extremely reserved, which might be a polite way of saying snobby.

 

The main reason why they preferred the Europa 2.

[vistaman]

i still remember very well some of the restaurant managers on Cunard did perform an attitude and were behaving as if they were the owner

it is aside the thread but i cannot resist to mention it :rolleyes: