Booking start for the 2026/2027 season with 120 new routes: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offers luxury and adventure at sea

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is launching the 2026/2027 season. Whether relaxed or adventurous, near or far, or to warmer or colder climates – the diverse programme comprises 50 cruises with the two luxury ships EUROPA and EUROPA 2 as well as 70 expedition cruises with the three sister ships HANSEATIC inspiration, HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC spirit. From September 2026 to October 2027, guests can look forward to unforgettable cruise experiences on all seven continents. Binding bookings can be made with immediate effect at www.hl-cruises.de[AG1] , by phone through the customer centre or in travel agencies.

With over 130 years of experience, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises stands for a unique variety of routes and true pioneering spirit. For the 2026/2027 season, the leading provider of luxury and expedition cruises in German-speaking countries is relaunching 120 impressive routes. With a diverse mix of premiere destinations, popular format cruises and beloved classics, the programme fulfils any travel desire with the ideal route or even longer cruise in multiple stages.

“We enable our guests to discover the world in a way that is second to none,” explains Isolde Susset, Managing Director Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “In order to secure one’s dream cruise, we recommend booking early, especially for exclusive routes such as the Amazon or the top destination of Japan.” All the details and prices for the 2026/2027 season are now available on the website and can be booked online, by phone through the customer centre or in travel agencies. The printed route brochures, which are popular with guests and travel agencies, will be published in March 2025. For the first time, the EUROPA and the EUROPA 2 will be combined in one brochure.

New dream destinations with MS EUROPA

In autumn 2026, the EUROPA will extend the summer with six Mediterranean cruises before crossing the Atlantic to soak up the unique festive spirit in the city that never sleeps. From New York City, the small luxury ship will then head south to spend the Advent season and Christmas holidays in the Caribbean filled with idyllic moments. For those who enjoy island-hopping and dream beaches at Christmas and New Year’s, the festive Christmas cruise is perfect: it combines the highlights of the Caribbean with Christmas Eve in St Barts and the turn of the year in Barbados. The winter months will then bring a diverse South American itinerary and a very special premiere: on a previously uncharted route along the coasts of South, Central and North America, the EUROPA will sail from Valparaiso to San Francisco, visiting eight countries in 29 days. After a few years’ break, the ship will explore Canada’s west coast again in March 2027. In spring, a short Mediterranean season beckons, followed by an extensive range of summer cruises in northern Europe. For those who wish to enjoy a longer break at sea, the new season also offers exciting cruises with the EUROPA comprising multiple stages that can be booked as desired. Guests can choose from four cruise combinations between 42 and 111 days in length.

Cruise examples – MS EUROPA 

• Idyllic festive days in the Caribbean, from Miami to Miami, from 20 Dec 2026 to 6 Jan 2027 (17 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 11,390 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUR2700
• Premiere route: The diverse west coast of the American continent, from Valparaiso to San Francisco, from 17 Feb to 18 Mar 2027 (29 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 17,590 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUR2703
• Mediterranean island-hopping, from Palma de Mallorca to Nice, from 17 May to 27 May 2027 (10 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 5,990 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUR2708 

MS EUROPA 2: a wide range of destinations for every taste

The new destinations of the EUROPA 2 range from dream locations in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans to the idyllic worlds of Oceania and the picturesque landscapes of northern Europe. Named the best cruise ship in the world by Insight Guides 2025, the EUROPA 2 has surprising new calls in store: in autumn 2026, the ship will set sail from the Mediterranean and head to the Canary Islands, from where it will cruise around the African continent, calling at new ports such as Dakar, Banjul, Sao Tome and Zanzibar along the way. On its Christmas cruise, the EUROPA 2 will combine tropical beaches with the Asian megacity of Singapore as well as the Seychelles and Maldives and the island worlds of Thailand and Malaysia. New to the programme for the subsequent cruises are Western Australia, Papua New Guinea, Palau as well as a return both to Japan and China. 

Cruise examples – MS EUROPA 2

• Premiere route from Mount Teide to Table Mountain, from Tenerife to Cape Town, from 29 Oct to 18 Nov 2026 (20 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 11,890 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUX2626
• Indonesia and the west coast of Australia, from Singapore to Fremantle (Perth), from 24 Jan to 10 Feb 2027 (17 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 10,690 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUX2702
• Japanese culture and Chinese cities, from Tokyo to Hong Kong, from 15 May to 2 Jun 2027 (18 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 11,490 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/EUX2708  

Adventure with the expedition class in warmer to colder climates

The three structurally identical sister ships HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit offer nature lovers and those thirsty for knowledge challenging expedition cruises in the footsteps of pioneers. The varied route leads to unique landscapes in some of the most remote regions on earth. The focus is on unforgettable polar nature experiences in the Antarctic and Arctic, impressive winter cruises to the Northern Lights in Scandinavia and the Gulf of Bothnia as well as the natural and cultural riches of the Atlantic islands and African coastlines.

In autumn 2026 and spring 2027, the HANSEATIC inspiration will explore the coasts of South America, fascinating its guests with the Panama Canal, Chile’s fjords and two cruises on the Amazon up to Iquitos and back. The small expedition ship will spend the winter in the Antarctic. In addition to thrilling experiences and a deep understanding of the fascinating beauty of the Antarctic, the focus here is on challenging expeditions with plenty of time for adventure in the Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Circle. The Great Lakes of North America are also on the programme again, with the HANSEATIC inspiration sailing as far as Lake Superior on three cruises and exploring the region intensively. Zodiac rides and extensive hikes in the Canadian wilderness ensure unforgettable moments. The expeditions in the Arctic around Svalbard and to Greenland provide memorable experiences as well. Guests can look forward to a special premiere route from Reykjavik to Kangerlussuaq, as this cruise combines a circumnavigation of Iceland with south and west Greenland. 

Far beyond the well-known cruise routes, the cruises with the HANSEATIC spirit take guests to the extraordinary natural habitats of Madagascar and South Africa, including the Nosy Hara Archipelago and Mayotte. In the Antarctic, the programme offers two legendary routes: an expedition from cape to cape and a semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica from the tip of Tierra del Fuego to New Zealand. The route through the Japanese South Seas, with its little-known island worlds, including the Kerama Islands, also sets new accents. The crossing of the Northwest Passage rounds off the diverse range of cruises with the HANSEATIC spirit – an extraordinary and seldom-travelled route.

For those who prefer shorter adventures, the HANSEATIC nature offers exciting insights into the world of expeditions closer to home. The autumn and winter programme from and to Hamburg reveals the magic of the Northern Lights in Norway and Lapland, an Advent season with plenty of hygge and a Scandinavian winter wonderland. The programme also includes two routes that are particularly popular with guests: on the cruise from Hamburg to Seville in April 2027, the HANSEATIC nature will explore seven rivers along the coast of Western Europe before combining all nine islands of the Azores on one cruise in May. The programme is rounded off by a long Arctic summer with a variety of routes around Svalbard – whether a classic circumnavigation of the archipelago or a combination of routes comprising Norway or north-east Greenland.

Cruise examples – expedition fleet 

• Expedition Madagascar and South Africa, from Mauritius to Cape Town, from 3 Dec to 21 Dec 2026 (18 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 12,390 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/SPI2624
• Winter adventure Lapland, from Hamburg to Hamburg, from 5 Jan to 20 Jan 2027 (15 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 9,990 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/NAT2701
• Expedition semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica, from Ushuaia to Christchurch, from 1 Feb to 5 Mar 2027 (31 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 30,190 per person, double occupancy, incl. charter flight, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/SPI2702
• The Great Lakes of North America, from Milwaukee to Milwaukee, from 20 Aug to 3 Sep 2027 (14 days). Bookable in the PLATINUM fare from € 10,690 per person, double occupancy, excluding travel package to and from departure and arrival points. For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.de/INS2715 

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