The cruise liner Deutschland was completed in 1998 and measures 22,400 gt with a length of 574 ft. German officers and a largely European and Filipino crew of 260 look after 513 passengers. The Deutschland roams the world with northern Europe and Mediterranean ports always in the mix in any given year. Her interiors are the finest recreations of the early 20th century at sea.
Peter Deilmann founded this cruise line company in 1973 and after his death in 2004 his two daughters took over the business. Besides the Deutschland, Deilmann also operated the Berlin, which is now part of the Saga Group as the Spirit of Adventure. The company's major business, especially with North Americans, is the high-standard fleet of European riverboats.
The vast majority of passengers are Germans, followed by Austrians and Swiss. Americans are relatively few, so it is well to inquire when booking if that makes a difference. The numbers are substantially higher aboard Deilmann's riverboats. The crew is fully bilingual, and many German-speaking passengers know English, though they may be reticent to make the first contact.
While the Deutschland roams the world, she does keep some regular habits such as summer cruising from north German ports like Hamburg, Kiel and Travemunde to the Baltic, Norway and the islands of the Arctic Sea. As the late summer approaches, she heads south into the Mediterranean and then through the Suez Canal to the Middle East, Southeast and East Asia, returning via East and South Africa and back through Suez to the Mediterranean and northern Europe. In another year, she might aim for New York and work her way south to Central and South America and venture into the Pacific. Theme sailings are offered such as gardens, wine and golf. Shore excursions are sometimes included for North Americans as part of a package. Given the numbers aboard, there may be a separate English-speaking guide and bus or a bilingual guide and shared bus but English-speaking passengers are well-looked-after.
The Deutschland is a beautiful ship and exceptionally well-designed, with public rooms to suit many moods. The decor, unlike that of any other ship afloat, is richly Edwardian, with art-nouveau and art-deco flourishes in the art work, paneling, elevator doors and light fixtures. The delightful Lido Terrasse observation lounge provides light-filled precincts for reading on a dull-weather day, informal afternoon tea or a drink with a view out to the surrounding decks. The Lili Marleen Salon, dedicated to Dietrich, is a cozy paneled room ideal for cocktails. It also offers views to arcaded side galleries and spotlights entertainment by a very popular trio. Other lounges include a German taverna, Zum Alten Fritz, finished in dark paneling and etched glass—a unique seagoing setting—with live music, hot sausage snacks, and beer by the stein available from about 10 am. A sophisticated wine and cigar bar rounds out the options. Outside, deck chairs of varnished wood occupy ample and varied deck space, both covered and open. Passengers enjoy a lido pool and an old-fashioned covered promenade, but there is no wraparound deck for a circular walk.
Formal dining is in Berlin, the main restaurant (with two sittings), and the richly sophisticated Vier Jahreszeiten, which requires reservations for grand meals that purposely last up to three hours. Menus feature Continental fare with German dishes, such as wild game, a specialty. The lido buffet serves all three meals and has both indoor and outdoor seating. A small grill facing onto the open deck prepares meat, fish and chicken to order. For English-speaking passengers, the entertainment, performed in a grand two-level bordello-red Kaisersaal cabaret lounge, is more successful when the program is a musical group. The afternoon tea is simply grand-hotel style, whether on the main level or at the mezzanine railing.
Of the 286 cabins, 224 are outsides, 17 of which are singles, plus 50 more inside singles. Most are not especially large and only two have private balconies. All have white paneling, reproduction oil paintings, TVs, radios, safes and robes. They offer good closet, drawer and counter space. Refrigerators come stocked, and fees are charged for their use. Only the suites have tub baths.
The Deutschland provides an attractive and distinctive alternative for sophisticated English-speaking travelers who enjoy cruising in thoroughly German surroundings. The funnel above is emblazoned with "Das Traumschiff," the dream ship, referring to a German television program.
