This venerable German shipping line traces its origins back to the 19
th century when two mighty firms, Hamburg American Line, based in Hamburg, and North German Lloyd, based in Bremen, competed for passengers, including huge waves of immigrants, and freight. Today the combined company operates three very different types of cruise ships that cater to the German market and or the German and English-speaking charter market.
Fleet & Itineraries
The top-rated Europa, a mid-size ship, continuously travelsthe globe catering toupper income Germans, though the company is trying tobreak into the North American trade. For middle-class Germans, the C. Columbus,a smaller and more moderately-priced ship, also sails globally and in the latesummer, the ship moves to the Great Lakes, offering the only deep-sea cruisesfrom Toronto, Detroit/Windsor and Chicago. The ship is then marketed in North America and the on-board product is bilingual, including announcements, menus, theprogram, and shore excursions. Two expedition-sized ships, both offering a veryhigh standard of accommodations, either cater mainly to German-speakingpassengers or to North American charterers, such as alumni and museum groups.They both receive high marks with the Hanseatic the more luxurious of the two.
Dining and Decor
Aboard the Bremen and C. Columbus, dining will be at onefixed sitting in formal surroundings with a continental menu and Germanspecialties such as wild boar, venison and reindeer steaks. The Bremen and Hanseatic are often chartered for the American market and dining will be openseating with continental menus and lighter meals available at lunchtime.
Programs
North Americans are few aboard the Europa and are limited to Great Lakes’ cruises aboard the C. Columbus. Bilingual shore programs andprinted materials are the norm. The Bremen and Hanseatic, when under charter,will have a top-notch enrichment and shore program.
Onboard Experience
On the Europa and C. Columbus it will be a German atmosphereand Americans, if interested, will likely have to make the first contact overtures.On the Bremen and Hanseatic, when chartered, it will be a shared experiencewith like-minded soft adventure or destination travelers.
Competitors
Peter Deilmann’s Deutschland will have an atmosphere similarto the Europa and a bit more high-brow German than the C. Columbus. TheHanseatic and Bremen are larger and more luxurious than most other destinationand expedition-style ships but the on-board enrichment programs would besimilar to A&K, Lindblad and Travel Dynamics.
