Hapag-Lloyd Cruises · German Luxury, Now Bilingual
Two all-suite luxury ships and three Polar Class 6 expedition vessels, from a line most American travellers have never been offered. The reason to look now is simple: from January 2026 every ship in the fleet sails bilingual in German and English, which opens the whole calendar rather than a handful of sailings.
All-Suite Europa & Europa 2 · Polar Class 6 Expedition · Bilingual Fleetwide from 2026
The Advisor’s Edge
Hapag-Lloyd has long been the answer for travellers who wanted something other than the American ultra-luxury trio, and just as long it came with a caveat: the ships sailed in German, and only some departures were bilingual. From January 2026 all five sail bilingual in German and English.
That is worth saying plainly, because the reputation lingers. Some clients will love the cultural register and others will find it a change they would rather know about first. We will tell you which you are likely to be before you book, not after.
Europa and Europa 2
Europa carries 408 guests in 204 suites and keeps a classical, formal register. Europa 2 carries 516 in 251 suites, every one with a balcony, and is the more contemporary and more casual of the two — it has been bilingual since 2013 and is usually the easier introduction for an American traveller.
Both hold a five-star-plus Berlitz rating. Which of the two suits you is a question about how you like to dress for dinner as much as anything else.
The Hanseatic Trio
Hanseatic nature, Hanseatic inspiration and Hanseatic spirit each carry 230 guests and hold Polar Class 6 — the highest ice classification carried by passenger vessels. On Antarctic sailings the count drops to 199 to meet the landing rules.
That combination is the technical case for them against the other expedition ships now on the market. Each carries a fleet of Zodiacs and a water-sports marina at the stern.
The Elevida Layer
What we bring here is access and candour rather than a coupon: the right ship for how you actually travel, an honest read on the bilingual experience sailing by sailing, the right suite on the right deck, the nights either side, and one person who knows your booking from first enquiry to disembarkation.
Begin Your Voyage
Tell us roughly when you would like to sail and what kind of trip you have in mind, and we will come back with the ships and departures that fit, and a straight answer on whether this line is right for you.
Where Hapag-Lloyd sails with us