ms Bremen - just back from Antarctica

Just back after a 23 day holiday with 18 days on board the ms Bremen. This is a Hapag Lloyd expedition ship mainly catering for the German market - but they do some dual language trips. And we have just done one.

Ushuaia/2 days in Falklands/3 days in South Georgia/ 6 days in Antarctic Peninsular/Ushuaia

If you are planning a trip then think v seriously about this ship and it's sister the Hanseatic.

Everything included including gratuities, boots and parka.

4*+ luxury - certainly better accommodation and food than Cunard.

So after a few hours ashore in the ice and snow and wind it is nice to be looked after.

If you have any questions - fire away.

Can be booked direct with Hapag Lloyd or we got a great deal booking through Noble Caledonia.

They also do Svalbard/Greenland etc.

Worth a look.

Just back after a 23 day holiday with 18 days on board the ms Bremen. This is a Hapag Lloyd expedition ship mainly catering for the German market - but they do some dual language trips. And we have just done one.

Ushuaia/2 days in Falklands/3 days in South Georgia/ 6 days in Antarctic Peninsular/Ushuaia

 

If you are planning a trip then think v seriously about this ship and it's sister the Hanseatic.

Everything included including gratuities, boots and parka.

4*+ luxury - certainly better accommodation and food than Cunard.

So after a few hours ashore in the ice and snow and wind it is nice to be looked after.

 

If you have any questions - fire away.

Can be booked direct with Hapag Lloyd or we got a great deal booking through Noble Caledonia.

They also do Svalbard/Greenland etc.

Worth a look.

Would appreciate your further comments on MS Bremen, as we don't hear much of this ship on CC.

How many passengers? What was the passenger mix?

What craft do they use to transfer people to shore? Were they difficult to get into and out of?

What were the highlights of the cruise for you, on the ship and in Antarctica?

The ship takes 170 passengers. They split them into 4 groups and two make landings together. The order is changed around daily so first off one day will mean last off the next. Up to three landings a day and the first one will often be around 7 in the morning. Yes you will be knackered at the end of the day.

All landings are by zodiacs and all were wet except Port Stanley - i.e. you had to wade through the water but I never got wet feet - excellent boots supplied and waterproof overtrousers. The zodiacs take 10 passengers at a time and Bremen has 10 zodiacs. Very swift loading up - a bit tricky once or twice when the swell was up - but safe. A couple of pax were in their late 70s and they managed with no problem.

Food and cabins better than Cunard.

Pax mainly German but some cruises are multi lingual - check out the Hapag Lloyd / Noble Caledonia web sites for details. And for greater luxury look at the Hanseatic which is 5* ship. All announcements are in German and English. Little things make a difference - any whale spottings and the ship stopped and tried to get closer. Open bridge policy - I spent many an hour on the bridge chatting to the watchkeeping officer.

It really is hard to find any negatives. Maybe one - dont go for the suites on deck 7. This is a small ship (111m length) and deck 7 sways around a lot. Go for a deck 4 cabin amidships - they are the most comfortable.

Hello,

I wonder what they are offering during a seaday? I'm planing a trip with the Bremen next year through the northeast-passage above russia so there will be a lot of seadays. I also was going for a cabin on deck 4. I have been told that only 415 - 420 have a sofa. Others just have chairs. Is that right?

I'm 36 years and wonder if there are a few passengers arround the same age?

This is not like a traditional cruise. So no shows, quizzes, dancing etc etc.

Lectures are the order of the day !! As they carry one 'expert' per 10 passengers all the experts give talks. So we had lectures about the flora and fauna of Antarctica. Talks about each place we were going. There was a whale expert who gave a couple of wonderful slideshows. etc etc.

And an afternoon is taken up getting your parkas, boots and going through zodiac procedures.

Most passengers were German and many were your age. Amongst the Brits on board we were the youngest (mid 50s).

We were in 408 and had a sofa. But not used - we were really in the cabin purely to sleep. We literally spent hours and hours on deck, especially aft where there are outdoor heaters so that helps to keep warm.

You will have a trip of a lifetime.

Thanks for the useful informations. :) I have been on Expeditions like this and know about the lectures. But since on the trip I plan to do, are maybe 10 seadays it had me concernd a bit. I like those presentations but for so many days in a row it might be a bit tiring. :(

The ship takes 170 passengers. They split them into 4 groups and two make landings together. The order is changed around daily so first off one day will mean last off the next. Up to three landings a day and the first one will often be around 7 in the morning. Yes you will be knackered at the end of the day.

All landings are by zodiacs and all were wet except Port Stanley - i.e. you had to wade through the water but I never got wet feet - excellent boots supplied and waterproof overtrousers. The zodiacs take 10 passengers at a time and Bremen has 10 zodiacs. Very swift loading up - a bit tricky once or twice when the swell was up - but safe. A couple of pax were in their late 70s and they managed with no problem.

Food and cabins better than Cunard.

Pax mainly German but some cruises are multi lingual - check out the Hapag Lloyd / Noble Caledonia web sites for details. And for greater luxury look at the Hanseatic which is 5* ship. All announcements are in German and English. Little things make a difference - any whale spottings and the ship stopped and tried to get closer. Open bridge policy - I spent many an hour on the bridge chatting to the watchkeeping officer.

It really is hard to find any negatives. Maybe one - dont go for the suites on deck 7. This is a small ship (111m length) and deck 7 sways around a lot. Go for a deck 4 cabin amidships - they are the most comfortable.

Thank you for this helpful information - much appreciated.

Hi Simon

It's great to see a review on Hapag Lloyd.

We've been looking at travelling to Antarctic with them (along with Silversea and Hurtigruten who look to be in the same price/comfort range) but were a little put off by the fact that it mentioned that for the gala dinner guests were required to dress up. Is this so? Whilst normally I love to see my OH in a dark suit, it seems a bit much to drag a suit, shoes etc. all that way for such an active cruise.

It may be that I misunderstood, so I'm hoping that you'll put me right, especially as other than that it looks excellent.

There is no dress code on the Bremen so no suit required. I believe the Hanseatic is a bit more formal. Probably worth getting in touch with Hapag Lloyd and asking.over 18 months ago now but the memories just do not fade of this amazing trip.

There's no dress code on Hurtigruten's Fram either. Just make sure you're comfortable and have something warm to hand for the inevitable dash outside when 'something' turns up in the middle of a meal!

Hi Simon

Thanks for the review. I have now booked an Antarctica trip Jan 2017 on MS Hanseatic! Regarding the parka they provided is it one with fleece lining or just a shell? Do they have walking sticks to rent ?

Thanks

Stella