On the track for great moments

Here you can find questions and answers relating to arrivals and departures by plane, train or car, as well as optional transfer services.

By plane

Select the travel package to and from departure and arrival points and enjoy a relaxed all-round service. We will book your outward and return flights, and our tour guide will accompany you on your transfers to and from the ship. Hotel stays, tours and other programme activities are often also included.
Please see the table showing the itinerary on the relevant page in the catalogue.

The advertised travel packages to and from departure and arrival points that are available to book via Hapag-Lloyd Cruises include Economy Class flights. You can also book First Class, Business Class and Premium Economy Class flights at a surcharge.

Naturally, you can also book the packages individually – for example, only the travel package to the cruise departure point.

We would be happy to advise guests from Austria and Switzerland on available connections and prices (phone +49 40 307030-70).

Naturally, you can also book connecting flights to the flights offered by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, subject to availability. Please let us know which connecting flights you require at the time of booking.

Depending on the flight operator, flight connection and booked class of carriage, there may be a surcharge for the connecting flight you require, even in Economy Class. We will be happy to advise you on possible connections, classes of carriage and prices.

Our employees from the HLC Services team would be happy to provide you with recommendations, ideas and advice relating to the individual planning of your arrival and departure. Please let us know your desired travel dates, connections and/or airline. We would be pleased to provide you with an individual offer today.

Please note that individual travel information does not correspond to the arrival and departure services advertised by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and are therefore subject to different conditions regarding cancellation, changes, etc.

Your flight requests will be distributed by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises approximately 10 months prior departure date. Deviated flight connections which contain a different feeder airport could be charged with an upselling fee. For a relevant fee, we also offer a reservation in premium economy, business or first class (provided the airline offers those service classes). In that case please do not hesitate to contact your travel agency or Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

We allow about two hours for you to transfer between two flights. In the winter season, experience tells us, this is often not enough due to the uncertain weather conditions. We therefore extend the transfer time to up to four hours.

The additional booking of a "train to flight" ticket is currently not offered by Hapag Lloyd Cruises. We will be happy to check the availability and prices for an additional or connecting flight or a possible rail connection from/to your home airport.

Flight bookings with integrated rail connections under Lufthansa flight number are fares on the part of the operating airlines.

Our Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Services Team will be happy to advise you on booking your flights from or to your desired home airport.

A paid seat reservation for your flight can usually be arranged directly through the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Services Team with the operating airline. In some cases, it may be necessary for the flight ticket to be issued, and there may be different costs for changes or cancellations to the flight connection. Please note that there are increasingly also costs for seat reservations in Business Class, while in Premium Economy and Economy Class, seat reservations are usually subject to a fee. In some exceptional cases, seat reservations may not be available for all flight connections or on all airlines. Additionally, please be aware that there may be changes to the assigned seats at any time. Also, please consider that any fees already paid for seat reservations will not be refunded by the airlines if you change your flight booking. Further information regarding this can be found on the website of the operating airline. Separate conditions apply to reservations at the emergency exits.

You will find the valid baggage regulations for your flights in the “Flight information” details that we will send to you after booking or flight clearance.

The baggage allowance for the outbound and return flights may differ, and is based on the flight or partial route with the lowest baggage allowance limit.

On flights booked via Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, the applicable baggage regulations are those of the relevant airline that are valid on the departure date. (Please note that this may change after you make your booking.)

International labour laws generally restrict the maximum weight per item of baggage to 32 kg and the maximum dimensions to 158 cm (width + height + depth). Hand baggage must also not exceed the stated dimensions for passing through the airport security check.

Please register larger, heavier or additional pieces of luggage as excess baggage (subject to a charge) via the website of the relevant flight operator (pay directly by credit card) at least seven days before departure.

Regulations for taking baggage allowance per person when combining schedule and charter flights

An upgrade can generally be requested for flights booked via Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Please note that only selected booking classes allow an upgrade. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises may not have access to these special booking classes with selected airlines. If applicable, a surcharge may also apply for upgradeable booking classes.

Procedure: Prior to the issuing of tickets, the travel agency or the guests enquire at the airline whether there is still availability for an upgrade. Should this be the case, you can request your ticket to be issued by contacting Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in writing or by telephone. After your ticket has been issued, the upgrade can be arranged with the airline. Please note that once a ticket has been issued in the upgradeable booking class, free cancellation is no longer possible.

Please note that more and more airlines are replacing their check-in counters at airports with self-service check-in machines. Checking in at airline counters is no longer possible; these are now only used for bag drop.

We recommend that you check in online from 48 hours before your departure on the website of the airline that you booked with. Once you have done this, you will no longer need to check in at the self-service check-in machine and can bring your luggage to the luggage drop-off points of your airline on the day of your departure.

Dropping your luggage off is only possible with a valid boarding pass. Please have this ready for inspection at the airline’s bag drop.

To check in online, you will simply need your full name (as used to book your flight) and your destination. If a BOOKING REF (booking reference) is required and you have booked your flight via Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, you will find this reference in the booking code field in your personal flight information. Once you have selected a seat on the interactive seating plan, you can print off your personal boarding pass or have it sent to your mobile phone. Please contact your travel agency or representative for assistance if required.

Please note that you cannot check in online for charter flights of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

You need to inform us before commencing your journey as to the exact nature of your disability and its severity so that we can, for example, order an appropriate service for negotiating the passageways at the airport. We will then pass this information on to the airlines and the latter, in turn, to the respective medical care facilities at the airport. Please note that this request is non-binding and a corresponding service cannot be guaranteed.

For further information about travel for passengers with a disability, please see Travellers with disabilities.

By train

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer rail travel for our ship departures/arrivals in Germany for all departures from 01 October 2023 due to new system requirements on the part of Deutsche Bahn. We are currently working flat out to adapt our reservation system accordingly. As soon as the new interface to DB has been created and it is possible to book DB offers, we will inform you via this page.

Luggage service

It is very easy to set out on a cruise without carrying lots of suitcases. If you are looking for a carefree start to the best time of the year, we recommend the luggage transportation service offered by TEFRA Travel Logistics GmbH.

Your luggage will be collected from the door of your home and delivered to any German port as well as selected European ports and Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Munich Airports (also Hamburg on request) and subsequently collected again from those same points.

Reservations and payment should be made directly with TEFRA:

TEFRA Travel Logistics GmbH
Obehauptstr. 2
22335 Hamburg
Phone 0800 5002-352 (Freephone)

For guests from Austria and Switzerland
Phone +49 40 59362560
E-mail info(at)tefra-log.de
www.tefra-travel-logistics.de

Transfer services

If you let us know the times of the flights you have booked, we will be pleased to check whether we can offer you a transfer for an additional charge. If you have similar or identical flight times, this transfer may be together with our group. Alternatively, we will organise a transfer especially for you.

Depending on the destination and availability, the driver may speak German or English. Please contact us if you have further questions at:

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises,
a TUI Cruises GmbH company
Heidenkampsweg 58 
20097 Hamburg 
German
Phone +49 40 307030 - 70
Fax     +49 40 307031 - 70
E-Mail  salesteam@hl-cruises.com

For cruises starting or ending in a German cruise departure point (Hamburg, Kiel or Travemuende), the bus transfers to/from Hamburg airport and to/from Hamburg main station are included.

You will receive more details about this with your travel documents.

We created our "Welcome Points" and "Farewell Points" at the time in order to make the time until official embarkation or disembarkation as pleasant as possible for our individually arriving and departing guests and to create an easy way to drop off luggage. We would like to optimise this procedure from winter 2023 and adapt it to the needs of our valued guests.
From now on, there will no longer be a separate "Welcome Point" or "Farewell Point", but you will be able to drop off your luggage easily and conveniently directly in the cruise terminal. You will find the address of the terminal in your travel documents at a later date. Embarkation will probably be possible at an earlier time than usual. Please note that despite the earlier embarkation time, the suites can still only be occupied from 4 pm. We are pleased to be able to welcome you on board earlier than before and are sure that we have found a pleasant solution for you as our guests.

Cruise only

Embarkation normally begins at about 16.00 hrs on the scheduled embarkation day and ends at 18.00 hrs, provided the ship is not scheduled to depart at an earlier time according to the itinerary. After booking, please refer to your travel documents for precise information, particularly which pier you need to be at.

Disembarkation normally takes place until 10.00 hrs on the scheduled disembarkation day. Earlier disembarkation may be required in exceptional circumstances (e.g. early flights home or subsequent ship docking period). For more information, please refer to your travel documents after booking and the on-board information on the evening before your departure.

If you have booked flights independently, please let us know your flight times. In this way, we will be able to establish which guests are affected in the event of flight delays or cancellations.

When planning your individually booked flights, please note the arrival and/or departure times of the ship and allow sufficient time for transfers to and from the port. We recommend that you follow the official embarkation times. Please let us know if you are going to arrive at the port later than 18.00 hrs. Departure from the pier can take place only once official approval has been granted – normally 90 minutes after the arrival of the ship or by 10.00 hrs at the earliest. Please be aware that regulations vary from port to port, and there may sometimes be unexpected delays.

If you have any further questions, please contact your travel agency or Hapag-Lloyd Cruises at:

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises,
a TUI Cruises GmbH company
Heidenkampsweg 58 
20097 Hamburg 
Germany 
Phone +49 40 307030 - 70
Fax     +49 40 307031 - 70
E-Mail  salesteam(at)hl-cruises.com

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