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Celebrating Christmas at sea with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, whether in Asia, Australia or Antarctica

  • Christmas in Australia on the international, luxury vessel EUROPA 2
  • Festive Far Eastern holidays on board the EUROPA in Asia
  • Season’s greetings in Antarctica on the expedition vessels BREMEN and HANSEATIC
Christmas at sea on board a luxury cruise, or expedition ship: while the BREMEN and the HANSEATIC sail to Antarctica, as they do at the end of each year, the luxury ships EUROPA and EUROPA 2 head for sunnier climates. On 24 December 2016, guests on the EUROPA will be visiting the idyllic beaches on the Thai island of Ko Kood. Meanwhile, the international and bilingual EUROPA 2 will be sailing from New Zealand to Australia. On Christmas Eve, the BREMEN will be at anchor off the Falkland Islands. At the same time, the internationally-marketed HANSEATIC will be at sea en route to South Georgia. Guests will enjoy a truly special festive programme on board the ships.

Today many people choose to spend Christmas not at home, but on holiday. Christmas cruises, celebrating on board a ship, are particularly popular. With Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, guests can choose between Christmas in Antarctica or summer temperatures. For example, guests on the EUROPA 2 can look forward to an Australian cruise from Auckland to Sydney. The ships will be adorned with elaborate Christmas decorations to make sure that the festive atmosphere does not melt away in the heat and sunshine. The real Christmas trees in the Atrium are particularly impressive, towering up to seven metres in height. Guests can soak up the festive cheer by singing Christmas carols, enjoying freshly-baked Christmas biscuits – and of course welcoming Santa Claus, as he brings presents for younger guests. Besides the traditional roast goose, sausages with potato salad, fresh truffles and much more, there will be another culinary delicacy on board the fleet: authentic Dresden stollen.

Guests treasure the highly personal, convivial atmosphere on board the expedition ships, a fact reflected in the Christmas programme: on Christmas Eve, the members of the crew join guests to sing Christmas carols.

No less-extraordinary Christmas cruises are on the agenda for next year: in 2017 the EUROPA will be setting off on a cruise to Central America with stops in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala on its way from Progresso to Acapulco. Guests on the EUROPA 2 will visit Chile and Argentina. Due to their popularity, the Antarctic cruises from Ushuaia to Ushuaia on the expedition ships are scheduled to take place again next year.

Sample cruise in 2017/18

Christmas cruise on MS EUROPA 2 from 18.12.2017 to 06.01.2018 (19 days) from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires, from € 12,626 per person/ cruise-only (insert £9,225 and $15,153) in a Veranda or Ocean Suite, not including flights. For more information, please see online: Christmas in South America: On board the EUROPA 2 from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires: http://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/EUX1800

All cruises on board the 500-guest EUROPA 2 are fully bilingual and cater to English-speaking passengers. Selected cruises on board the 175-guest expedition vessel HANSEATIC are operated in both German and English. The luxury cruise ship EUROPA (400 guests), the expedition ship BREMEN (155 guests) and the air cruises on board the private jet ALBERT BALLIN are conducted in German only (and marketed in German-speaking countries only).

Hamburg, November 2016

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