Hapag-Lloyd offers most unusual of all South African cruise departures in 2018

Germany’s luxury cruise line Hapag-Lloyd will be cruising from Cape Town twice during the 2018/2019 South African season, with one cruise featuring no port calls whatsoever.

Hapag-Lloyd’s new flagship Europa 2 will cruise from Cape Town first, on November 4^th, 2018 to Mauritius on a 12-night voyage that takes in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Richard’s Bay, as well as Fort Dauphin in Madagascar and Reunion on the way to Port Louis.

The port call in Durban is interesting as it is a rare overnight stay alongside, reflecting the interest German cruise passengers have in South Africa’s wildlife and cultural attractions.

No other cruise ship visiting Durban will be staying overnight at the cruise terminal this season.

RELATED: Top 10 largest cruise ship suites

RELATED: Europa 2 specials for 2018 cruises

Hapag-Lloyd’s second Cape Town cruise departure is the most noteworthy, however, as it is the only cruise from South Africa during the coming cruise season that features no port calls.

The cruise line’s slightly smaller, but no less luxurious, Europa cruise ship will cruise from Cape Town, on December 10^th, 2018, bound for Buenos Aires in Argentina.

The 10-night voyage will see the ship cruise straight out into the South Atlantic and guests won’t see land again until she arrives in Argentina the following week.

Hapag-Lloyd says that the cruise provides “endless scope for limitless relaxation”, which is certainly true. With 10 straight days at sea, it’s not only the sole cruise from Cape Town with no port calls, but also the one with the longest stretch of consecutive sea days.

RELATED: Hapag-Lloyd target international cruise market

RELATED: Europa 2 gets refit ahead of Dubai and Cape Town cruises

If you do decide to go for this itinerary, you’ll be doing it aboard arguably the most luxurious cruise ship in the world.  The famous guidebook Berlitz has ranked Europa as its top-rated cruise ship for a decade.

In fact, Europa’s the only cruise ship in the guide that has consistently merited a five-plus star ranking every year for more than a decade.

At 28,890 gross tons and carrying just 408 passengers, she’s a small ship compared to the goliaths of the mainstream cruise industry, offering a traditional cruise experience with few bells and whistles.

Hapag-Lloyd has made an effort to better accomodate English-speaking passengers such as North Americans, Brits, Australians, Kiwis, and on these Cape Town cruises in particular, South Africans.

It offers specially designated bilingual voyages in which menus, daily programs, some on-board entertainment and enrichment, and a handful of shore excursions are offered in English, as well as German.