Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: catalogue for its new international expedition ship published for 2021/22 season

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has today published the new 2021/22 season routes for its bilingual expedition ship, the HANSEATIC inspiration. Along with the 23 cruises featured in the previous cruise catalogue, 23 additional, new cruises to exciting expedition destinations have been revealed, including the icy regions of the Arctic and Antarctic, South America, South Africa and the Atlantic islands, northern and Western Europe, Scotland, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic, the South Seas, New Zealand, Japan, the Russian Far East and Alaska. The HANSEATIC inspiration will also sail the Great Lakes of North America, where its retractable bridge wing will allow it to negotiate the narrow locks. The catalogue is available to order from 24 February 2020 via the website. All cruises can be booked now through the website www.hl-cruises.com and partner travel agencies.

With 144 pages, the new catalogue for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ international expedition vessel, the HANSEATIC inspiration, presents a total of 46 true expedition routes from November 2020 through to September 2022. The 230-guest HANSEATIC inspiration is one of three ships in the new expedition class from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The trio will be completed in May 2021 when the HANSEATIC spirit joins the HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration. The HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC spirit are aimed at the German-speaking market, whereas the HANSEATIC inspiration is aimed at the German-speaking and international markets. All of the travel documents supplied before the start of the cruise and the information during the on-board experience (announcements, lectures, menus, to name just a few) will be provided in English. The ship will also be smoke-free from October 2020, which means that smoking will not be allowed in any area of the ship. The small and manoeuvrable expedition ships have the highest ice class for passenger ships (PC6), feature cutting-edge equipment and environmental technology, and travel on exceptional routes to the world’s most remote regions.
 
The polar destinations are at the heart of the new programme. Guests can choose Antarctic cruises with Cape Horn, or South Georgia, or grand expeditions beyond the Antarctic Circle. The HANSEATIC inspiration will offer a semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica for the first time at the start of 2022. The Northeast Passage is one of the world’s most challenging nautical routes and the HANSEATIC inspiration will sail to this spectacular region of the world in August/September 2022.
 
The HANSEATIC inspiration will also head for the Great Lakes of North America between September and October 2021, where the combination of stunning nature, isolated villages and interesting cities provides an unforgettable holiday experience. The ship will visit the five Great Lakes, numerous bridges and eight locks with a height difference of around 100 m (328 ft).
The early summer in Europe also heralds routes along Europe’s northern and western coasts and expeditions to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, the Azores and Madeira. Guests on these expeditions will discover and see for themselves exciting, scenic destinations, which are not typical of the more classic routes traditionally operated in these regions.
 
The new catalogue also features additional, special cruises as the HANSEATIC inspiration heads to the Russian Far East and Alaska, Asia with Japan and Taiwan, to the South Seas and New Zealand.
 
The new catalogue also devotes some special expeditions to “Young Explorers” (passengers between 10 and 17 years of age). Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has added individual concepts to its portfolio during school holidays, designed to satisfy a youthful thirst for knowledge. Three new “Voyages for Young Explorers” include following tracks in the wilderness and Zodiac rides in the ice.
 
Sample HANSEATIC inspiration cruises:
 
A cruise example for Young Explorers: Antarctica (INS2200): From 21 December 2021 to 8 January 2022 (18 days) from Ushuaia to Ushuaia, including stops at the Falkland islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, Weddell Sea, and the Antarctic Peninsula. From €15.570 ($18.690, £13.710) per person, cruise online. https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/INS2200#/
 
Semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica (INS2203): From 5 February to 10 March 2022 (32 days) departing Ushuaia and sailing to Lyttelton (Christchurch) via the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, cruising through the Bellingshausen Sea, Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea, via Ross Island, Terra Bay and Victoria Land, cruising off the Balleny Islands, Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, Auckland Islands, cruising off Snares Island. From €24.370 ($29.250, £21.450) per person, cruise online. More information online at: https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/INS2203#overview
 
Expedition South Seas (INS2205): From 26 March to 11 April 2022 (16 days) departing Auckland and sailing to Noumea via Bay of Islands, Norfolk Island, Ile des Pins, Vanuatu, Mare, and Ilot Casy. From €10.500 ($12.600, £9,240) per person, cruise online. More information online at: https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/INS2205#/
 
Expedition Northeast Passage (INS2214): From 20 August to 21 September 2022 (31 days) departing Seward and sailing to Tromso via Aleutian Islands/Alaska, Saint Matthew Island, Chukchi Peninsula, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Siberia and cruising through the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea, Severnaya Zemlya, Isachenko Island, Uyedineniya Island, Novaya Zemlya, cruising through the Barents Sea/Arctic Ocean. Franz Josef Land, Murmansk, cruising off North Cape. From €22.750 ($27.300, £20.020) per person, cruise online. More information online at: https://www.hl-cruises.com/cruisefinder/INS2214#/overview

Hamburg, February 2020