Catlover54

It's nice to see you posting again, EV. I hope you have had opportunity since Covid to go back on the lovely Europa2. I agree that HL certainly is not pre-WW2 in any way. HL still remains my favorite line overall so far, and the MS Europa is my favorite overall luxury ship (in part because of the regular Ocean Sun Festival outstanding classical music). The Europa 2 sadly does not have such a festival, though depending on the voyage, she may have classical music guests. But I also like the Europa (as you know, German only officially, though staff speak varying degress of English). This is because despite loosening in the evening dress code on Europa to match the business casual style on Europa 2, which I'm ok with, there are still some old style luxury features. I also like that there is on average an older clientele (since I belong to the latter group 🙂). Some Europa pax I talked to say they would not set foot on the Europa 2 because it is "too modern" in overall style (though they do like the food and the wine list of hundreds of wines, even more expansive than on Europa). I am fine with and appreciate the modernity there (especially the decor), but the itineraries are often to very hot places which I have trouble tolerating, and the AC on HL overall is sometimes not as strong as I would like, i.e., not like that on English/American focussed lines. I am currently in a very nice suite on Holland America with my DH, and though it is not a "ship within a ship" and there are sometimes lines and odd rules, I am also enjoying that experience, but in different ways (e.g., the specialty Japanese and French restaurants on board are very good, as is the "blues" club, and the option to easily get simple good hamburgers and pastrami sandwiches in the casual venues, which I often miss on HL when I eat one fancy meal after another, is welcome! ). It is fun to mix and match and have good food, service, and attention, regardless of what is called "luxury".

The crab are impressive in their size, however! It is good that HAL provided some credit for the botched excursion. In Bodo (ship there today), we had beautiful weather. We engaged a private guide (who works as an air traffic controller in his day job), and who took us around and about town for six hours, to the fortress above town for great views, and to see maelstrom currents (HAL did a RIB boat excursion there). He had his own key to an old WW2 bunker we toured with him in town (currently right next to a children's playground), which was cool. There is also a very large aviation museum. In case you or others are interested in going private when/if you stop in Bodo, his name is Ola Sakshaug, ola@opplevnord.no, +4790192636. He also organizes e-bike tours.

The second floor of the museum has sobering WW2 history exhibits, including information about the hundreds of Soviet POWs and Czechs who had been kept near Harstad and died of hunger and poor care by their German captors, roughly 40-50% mortality (this of course doesn't compare with the roughly 2 million Soviet POWs who died on the eastern front due to poor care when masses of Soviets surrendered during the initial phases of Operation Barbarossa).

The majority of pax are Dutch (per the roster), so it is not surprising that they offer Dutch menus. I didn't know about the Dutch language excursions. Anyone tall, and/or large-boned and with whitish hair is Dutch until proven otherwise (or maybe it is just a good bet statistically on this cruise). 🙂 If you go back to the Asian restaurant (Tamarind), ask for the waitress named "Apple". She is from Thailand, has an accent, but is understandable and very sweet. I am enjoying your posts and pictures.

I am pretty sure you won't have to go "ugly American" on them, because I think you're right that my case was in outlier. Everyone who has main speaking parts *can* speak in English if they want to or are alerted they need to or have to (the captain, the expedition leader, the expedition team members), and they are nice people, who want to do the right and proper thing, once politely alerted if there is a problem. So even if you're the only Americans on board, once they know that's the case and you say that you want full service English, my guess is it will happen (but it would of course be nice to have it happen starting with check-in and have staff already expecting you, with English menus etc.) I never asked them when I was on board to start doing English as well as German, because at that point it would have been just to run an experiment and report about it on CC rather than to understand. Just in case, there is a "customer relations" (i.e., complaints) person on board with an office near reception. The expedition leader made a point at the beginning of the cruise (appropriately) to let them know if something is not to your satisfaction early on, so they can try and fix it. There is no 'cruise director' per se. Staff hours for different departments are announced in the written daily program towards the back -- you should get yours in English (paper and TV -- stewardess can show you key things on TV), after you get your safety briefing in English). If you have an elective issue, be there 5 minutes before they open, otherwise there may be a German already in line in front of you. No one will likely be there in off hours, and staff expect to leave when their hours are up. But receptionists are there 24/7 officially for whatever you need, including urgent issues, deck 4, which also has the Hanseatic main Restaurant. Keep in mind the stewardess (likely a Filipina with better English than German though it helps to avoid slang and jargon and speak clearly and slowly), is not a butler or general problem solver like on Silversea. Her duty, other than orienting you initially to your cabin, is to clean 2x/day (unless you put the do not disturb sign out) and keep the mini-bar stocked with your requests (I had my list of requests and preferences written out in advance, to keep the first day flow going quickly for her). Everything else goes through reception triage. One more thing I didn't mention: Germans value and expect punctuality. So don't be late for Zodiak rides, spa and other appointments. This may mean coming a couple minutes early (in case the elevator is slow -- which it often is). Then there is just a general politeness expectation , e.g., "hello" when you enter a venue (like the boutique, a restaurant if there is a host standing there or line-up of waiters etc.), and goodbye. If you talk to other guests, if they're older, don't immediately go first-name with them (if at all), that is not customary (i.e., no, "Hi, I'm Jeff from Texas"), but if you get seated close to someone, either nod or say "Guten Abend" (Good evening) before you sit down. One older couple I sat next to landed up asking me about the Japanese venue and though we talked for 20 minutes, we never exchanged names, and the wife still felt she had to semi-apologize and say "I hope we didn't disturb you". Immediate boistrous familiarity is not the norm, but there are friendly people curious about foreigners.

🙂 If you booked through a TA, I suggest calling her and having her confirm with HL that you are an English-speaker (and are thus relying on the dual language presentation). On HL's other dual language ship (Europa 2), the English speaking started right in the boarding line when they see your foreigner passport (typically at 4PM, all in a mass). If it's not happening, speak up immediately, because Sargent Schultz isn't going to be on board. Also get to know the expedition team as quickly as you can, they speak English, so they can organize you. Have a wonderful trip!

Below is my very long review of my recent experience on this Hapag Lloyd (HL) luxury expedition ship. Unfortunately I accidentally submitted the review before I was done fixing spelling errors and typos, so many apologies for that. But it can still give you an idea how the ship was. One very positive thing I forgot to mention is that unlike on most English language luxury ships, out on the decks, unless there is a party going on, *there is no pumped in pop music*. That way one can enjoy the sound of the sea from the many comfortable outdoor perches that are available. I truly dislike pumped in music, usually thumping or wailing, on outdoor decks, and am happy it is not present on HL. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask me on this thread. https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=715896&stay=1&posfrom=1

DH and I are on the verge of booking a panorama veranda suite to Antarctica, but the only ones available on the cruise we're interested in are on deck 5. It is of course good to be low in a storm/Drake Shake, but I'm wondering if deck 5 is *too* low, i.e., so low that crew would often have to seal off the windows during such storms (which would defeat some of the purpose of paying extra for the awesome views, including views from the bath tub which appeal to me a lot). Of course I understand that it is unlikely one would have a severe storm the entire trip, but I wonder if it is typical, or if anyone knows how often deck 5 windows and balconies (be it in a panorama or a regular veranda) have to get sealed off for protection. Thanks in advance!

Thank you for clarifying the rule and it does help inform me what is mandated. However, if all your gear is "checked" (at least macroscopically) before a landing, including pants and jacket and pack, it would be interesting for me to see the data and scientific analysis (if there is any) indicating that setting the same "checked" pants, jacket, and pack on the ground for a few minutes actually spreads bird flu, and that banning such activities helps preserve "one of the most unique places on our planet". Alternatively, maybe dousing everyone's exterior in a disinfectant spray (like is used on the boots) would be even better? If it is just theory, i.e., that there is potential harmful microscopic spread which *might* infect wildlife if one sits down (despite having been "checked") then arguably there could also be spread of disease just from the jiggling and shaking of a human's body while moving, mouth (while talking -- maybe better to remain silent?) and nose secretions (while sniffing or breathing), and hairs and skin cells shaking off that occurs while walking across the landscape, and frankly maybe people simply shouldn't be there at all, no matter how much Antarctica travel contributes to Argentina's and Chili's economies. Or perhaps wearing a "clean suit" (like in some science labs) is the way to go, to protect the continent even more? Also, if there is documented microscopic risk of disease created by sitting or resting packs, then definitely people should not be "camping" overnight there, as some expedition trips offer to potential customers, as it is impossible to camp without putting things on the ground (such as your body). In any event, I think the cruise companies right now, with this season's new rules, should make *very clear*, *in advance* of booking and putting down often irreversible down payments, that one is not allowed to put anything on the ground, or sit down, if on land when walking around as long as 2-2.5 hours. This is especially important, in my view, since these trips are mostly marketed to older people (not all of them fit and vigorous), and sitting down and putting packs down when tired or dizzy from exertion used to be allowed, and/or a reasonable person not informed otherwise will assume it is allowed). I've been to Antarctica marketing presentations on luxury cruise lines where they did the opposite (as late as fall 2023) i.e., push how *easy* it is to go to Antarctica, e.g., that seniors don't really need to worry about getting in and out of the zodiaks, and also no mention of the "no rest" rule.

I have seen periodic comments implying that visitors are not allowed to sit down or put down their packs during their Antarctica landings (which typically last 1.5-2 hours), not even to change lenses on a camera. But I've also seen periodic comments from visitors advising that to get the most out the landing, and for people who don't want to hike a long way, one option is just to sit down at the landing site or nearby, and slowly just visually take it all in. So which is it? Or is it in theory forbidden but no one cares because on a practical level, it doesn't really matter? Or was it originally allowed, and now with bird flu concerns is not allowed? I assume that all of the visitors, including their packs, are sprayed with disinfectant before they are allowed to board the Zodiak to go land, and vv. I'm trying to understand both the logic and rules, regardless of rationale, so I can properly comply (different preparation is required if I can't periodically sit or rest my pack). I brought up the question with one of the luxury lines cruise consultants recently when I was on the verge of booking this season and he'd never heard of such a rule (but he'd also never been to Antarctica), so he knew less than I did.

Thank you for your review. I understand you booked another cruise, so it was more than 'good enough' for you, but it was disappointing to read about the issues you reported, especially given the prices charged (even with adjustments for a lot of inflation). Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt are set up so that usually regular tenders from cruise lines can dock there. So why did the Pursuit have to use Zodiaks to get pax to shore there? Do they simply not have a regular tender available in addition to their Zodiaks (like some expedition ships do, and those ships use tenders for "normal" ports and Zodiaks for more "expedition" oriented landings). It isn't a deal breaker for me if one is primarily interested in the expedition destination that one reaches by Zodiak, but logistically, it is a bit of a pain to have to put on the whole open air Zodiak costume just to then get into a hot bus or van that takes you on a regular excursion after docking. Did you also embark and disembark using Zodiaks?

I am delighted you had a great time! I'm also glad to hear that a Crystal team member accompanied you on excursions, and refunded money where the excursion was not good. Have you ever sailed on any other luxury line before this, for an equivalent comparison? If so, which one? Or, if not, when you were on X and HAL, were you in a "suite", or just in regular cabins? The " suite" service experience on premium or high mainstream lines (depending on how you classify X and HAL), would be closer to a luxury line experience than just a regular cabin on those lines, especially on X where suites have their own dining room access and where you can mostly avoid the rude "people who pile food" problem. But of course when you leave your suite area, you still have to mingle with the masses. I see you have another luxury line, Regent, scheduled next year, so you are branching out. Generally (though not always), the more you pay per square foot of public space, and private space, the better your experience. The thing I like most about luxury lines is that there are, with rare exceptions, almost never lines (for dining, for tenders, and for entertainment venues), and generally fellow pax are more polite (again, with exceptions). I wish you further happy sailing.

On the Nova in November, in a base veranda suite, there was no tote.

Is there at least a *box* that one can step down unto when boarding the zodiac (like some lines have for zodiacs) , before then stopping unto the zodiac's floor, or is it straight from the ship exit down unto the floor of the zodiac (the latter requires more sense of balance and puts more pressure on sick knees, which is my concern)?

Thank you for your report. Some odds and ends questions: 1. Were you required to provide a letter from your doctor before SB agreed to allow you on this cruise (some lines that go to Antarctica require this)? If so, what requirements had to be met? 2. I heard a rumor that during landings on some lines, if you have a pack with you , you are not allowed to rest your pack on the ground due to some concern about "contaminating" the area. Is it true you are not allowed to set your pack down at any time? 3. I know it is quite clear that there are no outhouse or toilet or bush options of any kind during landings. What is the longest period of time you had from ship to shore and back, i.e., the longest period of time one would be without toilet access of any kind? 4. Were the people who had "colds" on board (and hopefully also sequentially tested for Covid) then restricted to their cabins until cleared by the doctor, or did they mingle with others? 5. Was there a face mask requirement at any time on your trip (airline, airport, lounges, boarding, on board), and if so, when, and was there a requirement it be a certain type? Thank you in advance!