Hapag-Lloyd alcoholic beverages

I see that they are not included, which is fine by me, as I do not drink. My partner does, however, and I was wondering how expensive drinks are and what the selection of beverages is like.

When we were on the silver Galapagos, there was no dry vermouth, so no dry martinis! I don't know what the German custom is... I can assume the beer collection is very good?

Is pricing fair? Years ago, it was on all the lines, and now it is fairly predatory.

Any input would be appreciated. I think we have 19 days onboard or so. (Antartica).

On Europa 2 and MS Europa they had full bar with fair prices on drinks, and yes you could get martini, vermouth etc. There were some excellent bartenders.

There were about a thousand wines to select from with minor markups.

There were many beers.

I do not know exactly what they cut out on the expedition ships.

You also do not have to show your card, just give your suite number to get the drink. If you want to leave a tip ( not required, expected, or solicited) you can have them give you a written chit for the drink instead and add on a tip, but most people just order the drinks verbally and do not mess with tips when served ( I suppose some pax may tip separately at the end or discretely).

Given the size of the Hanseatic the available selection of wines, and spirits, will obviously be restricted when compared to the Europa 2.

The latter ship carries 19,000 bottles of wine covering over 450 varieties together with over 250 varieties of spirits including 37 varieties of gin.

I was advised that the philosophy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is to charge 30% less than one would expect to pay in a 5* hotel.

In addition there is no service charge.

Albeit on the Europa 2, the following video may be of interest:

Another consideration is what the "pour" is. In the U.S. you get a 1 1/2 oz. pour (2 ounces for martinis) while in Canada and the U.K. they are minuscule pours. Not sure what they do in Germany as we only drank beer when we were there. The same question can be asked about wine. Are they pouring 4 oz., 6 oz. or ???

Another consideration is what the "pour" is. In the U.S. you get a 1 1/2 oz. pour (2 ounces for martinis) while in Canada and the U.K. they are minuscule pours. Not sure what they do in Germany as we only drank beer when we were there. The same question can be asked about wine. Are they pouring 4 oz., 6 oz. or ???

It being a German ship the measures will be variations of the litre.

In 2015 machotspur kindly posted links to bar, and wine, lists , as well as various menus.

For the former, scroll down to his message 189, and click on the Attached Files.

For the latter, his preceding messages.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1822494&page=10

I don't remember details of my Hanseatic cruise but I do remember thinking that the drinks prices were very reasonable. Cocktails less than 8 Euro IIRC.

Dry Maritini should be available.

As for Hapag-Lloyd the prices vary by ship. The Hanseatic and Bremen have a little lower prices than Europa and Europa 2. In 2015 on the Bremen non alcoholic cocktails were 3.50 Euro, most alcoholic cocktails 4.90 Euro. Sodas were 2.20 Euro. Water was 1.60 (0.5 l caraffe) or 3.40 Euro (1 l Evian). Aperetivs/spirits were 3.30 Euro. Beers did vary from 2.40 til 3.30 Euro (depending on the size of the bottle. They had Beck´s (draft), Alsterwasser (mix of beer and lemonade), Radeberger, Königsberger Pilsener, Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Beck´s non alcoholic and Hefeweizen (haven´t noted the brand).

steamboats

Another consideration is what the "pour" is. In the U.S. you get a 1 1/2 oz. pour (2 ounces for martinis) while in Canada and the U.K. they are minuscule pours. Not sure what they do in Germany as we only drank beer when we were there. The same question can be asked about wine. Are they pouring 4 oz., 6 oz. or ???

Wine is for purchase in 0.1l, 0.25 l ( a "viertele" or a quarter of a liter, one-third of a standard bottle) or 0.75 liter, full bottle, on several dozen wines others are by the full bottle. There is a very large selection of German wines, white and red

You can ask for whatever size pour you want for hard drinks but they think on cc and litera and not in ounzes.

as said by Steamboats the prices on the Hanseatic are somewhat lower as on the 2 Europa sisters

i think the house champagne is one euro cheaper at 8.5 € - Duval - also availble Veuve C. by the glass and a rosé

i did visit Hanseatic 4 times in Belgium and the food was very good - even going to Antarctica they are trying to buy fresh items - it was once mentionned on the Falklands for vegetables

I remember for lunch the appetiser was a buffet.

I think for strong alcohol the measure is 4 cl and for items like sherry and port 6 cl ( i will inquire on the Europa 2 ) wines are 10 cl or a carafe of 25 cl. .

I am aware the "dry Martini" the brand of vermouth not the cocktail - was always available as was Noilly Prat ( even better )

i also noticed some Germans were asking to make the dry M with a drop of Martini Bianco - so the sweet white vermouth. So be careful and tell the bartender. If you want Gibson say it the first day so they can order the onions as that variety is very rarely ordered. ( and no onions in the bar unless special request )

On the 2 Europa sisters most Germans do drink champagne before dinner.

and i do recommend to ask for "very cold" as well ( i am saying on board "American style" :Dso very icy and lots of ice in long drinks )

From the 2015 Bar List, posted by machotspur, to which I referred in my message 6.

VERMOUTH 5 CL

Martini Bianco 3.60

Martini Rosso 3.60

Martini Extra Dry 3.60

Cinzano Bianco 3.60

Noilly Prat 3.60

Lillet Blanc 4.90

From the 2015 Bar List, posted by machotspur, to which I referred in my message 6.

As I said before and vistaman confirmed, there are different prices on Europa/Europa 2 and Bremen/Hanseatic ;). The prices you´ve posted are 2015 prices from Europa 2.

On the Europa 2 last October non-alcoholic cocktails were 4.50 Euro, cocktails with alcohol 6 or 6.50 Euro. Beers were 2.50 up to 4 Euro. Cheapest champagne was 9 Euro (bubbly 4 Euro). Water was 2.50 Euro (0.25 l) or 4 Euro (0.75 l) or 5 Euro (1 l Evian). That´s what I noted in my review. But I do have photos of all drink menus (Bremen 2015, Europa 2 2016, Europa 2015) in my files.

When we talk about Martini here in Germany we do mean the vermouth brand not the cocktail. And no, although I´m German I don´t drink champagne prior to dinner (I hardly drink any champagne only on social events when it´s offered).

steamboats

As I said before and vistaman confirmed, there are different prices on Europa/Europa 2 and Bremen/Hanseatic ;). The prices you´ve posted are 2015 prices from Europa 2.

 

On the Europa 2 last October non-alcoholic cocktails were 4.50 Euro, cocktails with alcohol 6 or 6.50 Euro. Beers were 2.50 up to 4 Euro. Cheapest champagne was 9 Euro (bubbly 4 Euro). Water was 2.50 Euro (0.25 l) or 4 Euro (0.75 l) or 5 Euro (1 l Evian). That´s what I noted in my review. But I do have photos of all drink menus (Bremen 2015, Europa 2 2016, Europa 2015) in my files.

 

When we talk about Martini here in Germany we do mean the vermouth brand not the cocktail. And no, although I´m German I don´t drink champagne prior to dinner (I hardly drink any champagne only on social events when it´s offered).

 

steamboats

The main purpose in my posting links to, and extracts from, the 2015 Bar, and Wine, Lists was not to illustrate the prices but the breadth, and depth, of the selection available on the Europa 2.

The Wine List in particular makes interesting reading.

I wonder if any of the drinks inclusive ships can match it.

FYI (for potential newcomers)

In addition to the above lists, Europa 2 offered free alcoholic and soft drinks.

At embarkation, you are greeted with French champagne. The international guest party also had free drinks. Every night, a bar tender stood at the entrance of the buffet restaurant and handed out an alcoholic drink (and water or juice for non drinkers). Each section of our b2b had a beach picnic with free flowing drinks: rose wine and prosecco. Everything in the refrigerator is included and replenished daily - soft drinks, juice, bubbly and non carbonated mineral water, beer.

As soon as you are a return cruiser, you get a bonus that will cover the cost for all the wine for moderate drinkers. The bonus increases with additional cruises.

In 2015 machotspur kindly posted links to bar, and wine, lists , as well as various menus.

 

For the former, scroll down to his message 189, and click on the Attached Files.

 

For the latter, his preceding messages.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1822494&page=10

From what I can see on that thread, the prices are less than half that of cruise lines that charge for drinks (thinking of Oceania - a premium plus cruise line). Wondering if these are top shelf spirits or less expensive brands.

I wonder if any of the drinks inclusive ships can match it.

Regarding any kind of mixed drinks the definite answer is no!! Fell in love with the bar tender of the Europa :hearteyes:. Great guy! We talked and after two nights he suggested what we should drink. Both my DH and I ordered from the menu and his reply was, no you won´t like your drink (in that case it was like the drink you ordered is more for DH and vice versa) and he was absolutely correct. Let´s say it like this... when one of the guest entertainers ordered a Pina Colada you could see that he didn´t like the order and he said to us that´s the first one he ever made. On AI ships you don´t have real bar tenders but people who were trained to mix the drinks on the menu. Quality of the used products is cheap and the outcome is pretty poor. With H-L you have an experienced bar tender who has worked in top notch hotel bars for years and they know their business.

steamboats

Regarding any kind of mixed drinks the definite answer is no!! Fell in love with the bar tender of the Europa :hearteyes:. Great guy! We talked and after two nights he suggested what we should drink. Both my DH and I ordered from the menu and his reply was, no you won´t like your drink (in that case it was like the drink you ordered is more for DH and vice versa) and he was absolutely correct. Let´s say it like this... when one of the guest entertainers ordered a Pina Colada you could see that he didn´t like the order and he said to us that´s the first one he ever made. On AI ships you don´t have real bar tenders but people who were trained to mix the drinks on the menu. Quality of the used products is cheap and the outcome is pretty poor. With H-L you have an experienced bar tender who has worked in top notch hotel bars for years and they know their business.

 

steamboats

With the greater emphasis on formality on the Europa I have wondered if staff are 'creamed off' of the Europa 2 to work on the Europa.

From a non German point of view it is a shame that the decision has been taken to make the Europa a German language only ship.

On AI ships you don´t have real bar tenders but people who were trained to mix the drinks on the menu. ...Quality of the used products is cheap and the outcome is pretty poor.

steamboats

This has not been our experience on all-inclusive luxury cruise lines. While some bartenders do not have as much training as what you described, if you don't "call" your brand, they pour a medium brand. However, most savvy luxury cruise travelers order the top brands available which may or may not be popular in Europe. For instance, Patron tequila runs over $50 a bottle in the U.S. and is included on Regent (as is Grey Goose vodka, etc.). You can order your drinks as strength that you wish and, of course, there is no charge. The one area that true luxury all-inclusive cruise lines have in common is their high quality spirits. Note: I would not say the same for wine which varies. Most wine is in the $10-15/bottle range.

Travelcat2,

I´m talking about Hapag-Lloyd not all luxury cruise lines ;)!

steamboats

Travelcat2,

 

I´m talking about Hapag-Lloyd not all luxury cruise lines ;)!

 

steamboats

Okay - but what did you mean by the sentence that I quoted above (and again here)?: "On AI ships you don´t have real bar tenders but people who were trained to mix the drinks on the menu. ...Quality of the used products is cheap and the outcome is pretty poor."

I may have mistakenly read "AI" as all-inclusive but it sure sounded as if you were talking about all-inclusive and I assumed that you meant "luxury" ships since that is what we are discussing. I also assumed by the post that you may not have traveled on all-inclusive luxury cruise lines but, of course, I could be mistaken.:)

It was meant all inclusive but I was more thinking about mass market ships not about luxury ships. And actually I was not talking about spirit brands but the training of the bar tender.

steamboats