Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd switches up Dubai cruise with Europa in 2019

Luxury German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd is sending its boutique cruise ship Europa to Dubai in 2019, switching out its usual annual cruise from Dubai aboard its flagship Europa 2.

Europa isn’t as internationally-focused as Europa 2, but she is just as beautiful to look at and even more luxurious, in a more formal, traditional way, and she’ll be cruising from Dubai in 2019 for the first time in several years.

RELATED: Everything you need to know about cruising with Hapag-Lloyd

RELATED: Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2 gets refit ahead of Dubai and SA cruises

Europa will arrive in Dubai on April 24^th, 2019 spending a night in port at Dubai Cruise Terminal on the final night of her 15-day cruise from Singapore to Dubai via Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.

On April 25^th, 2019, Europa will cruise from Dubai bound for Athens (via the Port of Piraeus). The 11-night repositioning cruise is perfect for those with a sense of adventure, and a love for seadays.

After departing Dubai, Europa will spend a full eight days at sea cruising around the Musandam Peninsula into the Indian Ocean and through the pirate-prone waters of the Gulf of Aden, before making a sprint up the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.

While a transit of the Suez Canal is always a highlight of any westbound repositioning cruise from Dubai, it doesn’t offer the chance to actually leave the ship. On this cruise itinerary, that will come in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, a full ten days after departing Dubai.

RELATED: 5 of the coolest at-sea cruise ship attractions

RELATED: Full review of Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2 ship

After a day in Crete, Europa will then cruise overnight to Piraeus, which is the port that all cruise lines use when visiting the Greek capital, Athens.

Europa is the 4th ship to be named Europa in Hapag-Lloyd’s history and for 12 years in a row it was awarded the title “best cruise ship in the world” by Ward-Ranking and Berlitz Guide to Cruising.

At 28,890-gross tons and carrying just 408 passengers, she is a smaller, more intimate cruise ship, but she has the usual amenities you’d expect of a luxury liner, including a spa, casino, show lounge, multiple dining venues and even (in a nod to her European clientele) a nude sunbathing deck.

Reflecting the port-lean nature of this cruise itinerary, fares start at just US $3,800 for a two week voyage aboard one of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. Just make sure you take a few books with you!