Looks quite homely to a Norwegian though... 🗻🏞🚢🏘 🐻❄️🐳🦀🦭🦅 The thing is, to most Germans blonde wood and light colours are considered exotic. And costly. Their traditional home décor is dark heavy wood. Often with carved patterns. Some times with religious influences. And Tirolean. 🥨🌭🍖🥗🥒🧈🍳🥑🧀🍷🍷🍷🍷🇩🇪🍺🍺🍺🍺 To Scandinavians blonde wood simply means "IKEA" ! Wich of course make us feel right at home... 😘🇳🇴😁🇸🇪😄🇩🇰
HAPAG -Lloyd if anyone has an ounce of liner and Atlantic crossing knowledge knows is the remnants of the once 2 great German pre-WW2 lines. Lines that ran such express liners such as the Bremen, Europa, Vaterland and Imperator and were direct competitors to Cunard, White Star and the French lines.
Maybe, in this situation of going alone on a cruise, you'd need to get out of your comfort zone and approach some German travellers, and with a little luck, you could join them for dinner and chat with them on excursions. Because, as long as they have the impression that you want to be left alone, they won't approach you.
I knew instantly which line you were talking about. I’ve told people about them but truth is, most people can’t afford them, much less get past the language barrier. Having and traveled and worked around the world alone or with maybe a couple of coworkers, I’m used to being in the minority of the crowd. So it wouldn’t bother me. But I might take a friend who spoke German just to make it easier.
Gotta admit, even though I spend time looking at foreign (ie non-American) cruise lines, I’ve never heard of these guys. Thanks for taking us on a trip that, quite frankly, few of us will ever take.
My husband's original family is from Germany. He speaks a little, took German in high school, but I have non. We have been looking at this cruise line recently. The kids thing put me off, I will stay with Viking.
Oh Gary I’m a bit annoyed the large English speaking group didn’t go out there way to include you, they definitely lost out there, I often find that groups on ships act like big school cliques 😂 deliberate or not, I could probably bet they didn’t mix with any of the German passengers either. Interesting change of ship for you and for us to see, cabin looked fab to me as did the food. Interesting re the water, I always find it funny that NCL charge for sparkling water too even though we always have the premier drink package 😁 I’m not keen on still water so ended up with club sodas instead! I think it would really need to be an exceptional itinerary for me to try this line, I rightly or wrongly would feel a little marginalised, I’m embarrassed not to having a true working knowledge of other languages, our European cousins certainly put most of us to shame. One goal in my new retirement- learn another language! Thank you Gary great content as usual. 🥰🏴🇬🇧
I always have to grin a bit about the English language being the predominant language question. I as a non native English speaker have to adapt every where since my mother tongue is not a major language. I and many others adapt.
I was thinking that those of us who are first-language English are pretty spoiled. I hope those of you who have to ‘get by’ in English don’t feel like second class customers!
@@mouselovinladyNot at all, but sometimes I think some people should expect that not everyone is fluent or comfortabele using the English language, especially if 'you' visit a country in f.i. Europe or South America.
I know in some areas you can charter Yachts which honestly the cost can be about the same for first class cruising. I would *love* to see you do one or 2 chartered Yacht reviews. For example a few years ago you could charter one from LA to Catilina for like 20k (this is the whole boat so you could split cost with friends) - and with that you had basically everything you wanted and it was very personal. For people like me who are not good with social situations I prefer the private get always and money is not really a factor for me personally.
I'm in the same boat. Crowded cruise ships do nothing for me, although Silversea, Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas work. I like very upscale hotels with towel and pool service so people can't hog all the chairs, which seems to happen on cruise ships.
Very popular in the Virgin Islands where a 2-person crew (usually a couple) and their ship might sleep 4~8 and can rent out for a week pretty competitively vs the same time at a big, all-inclusive resort. Depends on one's group and whom one charters with. My cousin and her husband would do this . . . exceptional privacy, customized meals, not too many lectures or theatre entertainment.
The east coast New England Canada cruise season is relatively short. Late July to early November. I live in Portland Maine and we get one or two cruise ships a day in August to October. Europa 2 made two stops here. I hadn’t heard of them either. There may have been more from that line which stopped at Bar Harbor.
I love your videos! I've only been on two; Seaborn and Paul Gauguin--I loved them both. I d on't consider myself a cruiser per se, but I might go again. This cruise line seems right up my alley. I don't shy away from different languages because I feel they're more immersive. I speak French, enough to feel comfortable, and a little German. But again, keep up the great work! I may go cruising again!
As I recall, Hapag LLoyd had a ship that sailed the Great Lakes during the summer months some years ago. You could sail between Toronto and Chicago or reverse. The ship called at ports on both sides of the border. I think it was called the Christopher Columbus 2. Interestingly, there was a ship called the Christopher Columbus that also sailed the Great Lakes and was a sister ship to the Andrea Doria.
Not much to do with H-L, but I've been on bilingual cruises (sort of). The sailings out of San Juan, PR had a significant Spanish-speaking minority and most overhead announcements were in both that language and English. A bit of the entertainment was catered to them - they're bigger dance fans and night owls than folks from the mainland.
One factor to consider as an English speaker ever dealing with Germans is that a very high percent of their population speaks good english, I've only met 1 German so far doesn't speak English, every other german I've met speaks English and I love their accent.
I used to work in Germany, and many Germans who are older, and not using their English have forgotten much of it or are unconfident in using it. I met two younger Germans who were too shy to use their English so it’s good that I could speak. German as a strong second language
We are trying Hurtigruten for an Alaska expedition next year. We wanted something that had more activity and went beyond the standard Alaska seaports. We also like smaller ships. We will see how it goes as I expect it to be much different than our Holland America trip we took to Alaska years ago.
Passengers on the forecastle?! My parents are going to take me on one of these cruises when I graduate. I’m going to start learning to speak German so this might help accelerate my progress? I’m not surprised that most spoke English if needed though because it’s the international business language.
The language issue I could cope with if I did not have all people feeling sorry for me and wanting to ‘rescue’ me! I had thought that HAPAG Lloyd was a cargo line. So interesting to hear this information about them. A cargo ship cruise would make a great video! Thank you for this one.
Thank you for another very informative and enjoyable video. I am not cruising again anytime soon. However, the details provided continue to help me think about future cruises. I loved the ship interior design. We went on a Viking river cruise last year and enjoyed the ship interior very much. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
This is kind of the opposite of what happened on the Queen Mary 2 when my wife and I recently sailed. They had about 300 or so German speaking guests because the ship was sailing from Hamburg to Quebec. The German speakers ended up having basically their own entirely different program and I couldn't help but wonder if they felt isolated amongst all us English speakers. The ship had a German interpreter to translate all the announcements, but once we hit really high winds and the Captain had to come on and give the bad news that a port call was cancelled. The woman doing the German translation didn't come on until 30 mins later to announce the German version. From her voice, it almost sounded like they woke her up or something. So for that 30 minutes, many of the German guests probably didn't know what was going on. I saw a few other times when German passengers had trouble communicating with the mostly English speaking crew.
Hi Gary, You mention that during Lunch and Dinner beers and wines were included. Until now, I took three cruises in total with Hapag-Lloyd and I am afraid to Tell you that you are wrong. These drinks are not included, you have to pay extra. The only included drinks in your fare is the minibar, which is replenished twice a day, all coffee and tea drinks incl. iced tea and when there are special Events like Lunch barbecue or cocktail or welcome/farewell parties. Then drinks are also complimentary.
I dated a lovely German man and was honestly surprised my preconceptions of what Germans would be like was wrong. I thought they'd be stiff, serious all the time and workaholics. Heck! They can teach any of us how to enjoy life: they prioritize health, vacations, rest, pleasure, and yes, efficiency. So personally, I'm drawn to Germans and their culture. I even love the sound of the German language.😊
Actually, it sounds wonderful! I speak more than enough German to get me into trouble, but eating and sleeping would not be an issue. I'll be doing some homework, thank you.
I would bring along my ginormous battery pack and use Google translate to translate conversations on the fly, into text, or I could use some headphones. These days you can translate spoken language on your phone without needing an internet connection so it would work even on expeditions. The huge battery pack would be so I could use the translation the entire day without worrying my phone would run out of power.
That's alright. No one considers the UK a culinary center of the world either. On a separate note, I feel like if one goes with a friend who speaks German, it might be a better time.
Choosing an "expedition ship" for your test guaranteed an apples vs. oranges problem that limits the value of this review to average cruisers. Cruises of this kind are highly specialized regardless of the line. I still don't have an idea of how this German line would compare to one of the better-known lines on a more conventional leisure cruise.
I'd have to be that person who asks, on the excursion, "Was ist das in Englisch?" and just keep asking so I could hear what I was missing, if possible. Even if the guy manning the skiff/excursion boat didn't speak much English, the fellow passengers on board might then jump in to translate. As I get older, I'm actually learning to not suffer in silence but speak up more. Maybe nobody would help out with translation then I would have to talk about how rude they were. lol! (I'm from the southern U.S. so courtesy is a THING.)
Gate 1 has Norway land cruise tours including a 5 day Hapag-Lloyd Lloyd fjord tour which sounds really good. How would that compare to your windstar Norway tour?
I'm a bit surprised. I have extended family in Germany and they all speak English. English is commonly taught in school there, or at least it once was. Maybe it depends on the region, but I'm going back to before the wall came down and the country was extremely unified in the way it operated. Things may have changed, but even if they have, anyone over a certain age should be able to converse in English.
@@sharonm.2453 That's not my point. Gary had some thoughts about being an english speaker at a cruise with only few english speaking people at a German Based, good rated cruise line. For German speaking people their are two main cruise lines (aida and Mein Schiff) and lots of other lines, some didn't provide no german programmes, lectures etc
Gary has not. I have been on their Prima ship, that class is a resort style line. It was a pre maiden cruise, in covid times and things where a bit different. Also it varies per class how the ships are. But loads of kids and I as a vegetarian was not impressed by their food. I think 90+% was German speaking. The Very Unofficial travelguide did Aida in 2021.
@tipsfortravellers to be fair I only knew thanks to the cruise show event where they had a stall, a recruitment process I went through and the Berlitz guide.
As an English speaker the prospect of going on a cruise where I don’t have to listen to Americans or Brits is extremely enticing. I realize that Germans can be just as tiresome and pompous but not understanding much of what they’re saying should solve that problem.
Just remember that they will understand almost everything that you say. Or at least get the gist of it. Knowledge of English is pretty wide spread amongst Germans.
It all sounds quite lovely to me. I wouldn't care about being in the minority at all. I'm less interested in socializing than I am the activities, the accommodations, and the service.
Sooo I am a paid subscriber here and you want me to also be a Patreon subscriber? 🤨 What do I get for being a Patreon subscriber that I don't get as a RU-vid subscriber?
The H-L cruise division was divested from the cargo operator of the same name a number of years ago. I believe the cruise entity was owned by TUI. They kept the H-L name but it no longer part of the global container shipping company.
Gary, you are refreshingly animated in this video. Your enthusiasm is contagious and actually makes me want to go on this cruise!! Maybe I should brush up on my German!
Dear Gary, German cuisine is comprised of more than pretzels, sausages, Sauerkraut and Beer. Just as British food isn't only fish and chips or bangers and mash. We've even got some decent wine. Although I can relate to your expectations of the food perhaps not meeting your expectations/preferences.
@@Lderuddere I doubt our mr Bembridge grew up on jellied eel and pickeled eggs for breakfast... He's a well travelled globetrotter. Used to fine International cuisine... 🍽🍷 👨🍳👩🍳🧑🍳👩🍳👨🍳
As a Native French Speaker, I’m used to resort to English or the local language when needed. I’m back from a land trip in Bayern/Tyrol area and my limited German knowledge was handy from time to time. I do also like try the local food so that schnitzel and pretzel looks lecker. That’s a very intriguing line so I’m glad you’ve made a video about it.
I'm a Brit & some people may accuse my next statement as being racial profiling, but on going on holiday having the option of being in a predominantly British/American area or a German dominated area I'd take the German area any time. Certainly no one is perfect but generally they seem more civilised than many of us Brits abroad (less up-selling, less nickle & diming, sensible tipping culture). Regarding the language barrier it can be good to challenge yourself & it highlights you are properly on holiday somewhere different not just "home with the thermostat turned up"
Hold on it depends what socioeconomic group the British elements is aimed at because you generally find the more well healed the better the experience . 100% avoid American because its all,about money where as British of a certain back ground don't tip they are polite but expect good service. They might atvthe end of a holiday give financial rewards for exceptional service but tip is something not done . I often see hard working working classes tipping very generally for not very good service. They seem to think tipping is required. Its not
@@keithnewton8981 unfortunately I have found many “well heeled” brits I’ve cruised alongside to be rather rude and entitled, sadly rude and entitled passengers seems to be a growing feature in many cruise lines recently. Sadly money doesn’t buy class in the broadest sense.
Pretty cool! Have you tried things like Google translate on foreign speaking cruises? I'm curious if its helpful or if it ruins the immersion experience
A few years ago I did a tour in Africa with a company called Nomad where apart from the crew who were African I was the only non German speaking person on the tour. Nomad do run tours with a German translator on board but this was not one of them so the situation was unusual. I was blessed that all the other guests apart from a young child were fluent in English and were happy to switch to English when I was present. I was very grateful.
That moment when Gary was recalling on the Zodiac where no translations were done and the Q&A was done in German would be a moment where anyone of us would have felt alone and isolated. If you're going to pay a good amount of money for a cruise, you want to at least not have a language barrier between you and the staff. However, it sounded like even for the bilingual tours, there will many moments where you are just feeling lost and not part of the conversation because those are also conducted heavily in German and it really not all that international. I assume from looking at their web site that English would be the main language in their international tours, but it is still considered a secondary language to German. That is an important consideration...
That's the important part in every plan of vacation. That's why I love these channels. It helps us anticipate most of the troubles. However, it always amazes me how english-speaking people always feel like there's some sort of injustice whenever someone isn't speaking english by default. The rest of the world faces this situation everytime they left their country 🙂 Gary was also lucky as for the germans speak really well english most of the time. On any "french majority guest" line, he would have had more difficulties to interact. We -french- and I'm not proud of it, are mostly baaaad at other languages. On my last cruise, I was ashamed as I heard a french woman and her whole faimily complaining at the reception desk without making the slightiest effort to speak anything else than french (on MSC, which is widely known international, so I don't understand how you go there with no notion of basic english...) Anyway, thanks to the cruise channels to help us organize memorable vacations 🙂
@@thewoode1050 To be totally honest, I'm french and, being born from a german mom and a french dad who travelled a lot, I'm quite fluent with english and not to bad with german (although I understand it far better than I speak it). But my fellow French people are usually quite bad at foreign languages. Many time on a ship have I witness (with shame for my country) the french equivalent of a Karen complaining at the reception desk, not trying to make the slightest effort in english, only speaking french louder and louder. Come on, we are on international cruise lines, how can you sail on one and expect that many crew will speak french ? That's so annoying...
Nah, that’s a safe bet. Best comedy show I ever saw on the seas was in Allure otS. The really funny guy had incorporated an incident at night with some emergency message over the PA system that woke up half of the ship into his regular standup routine. He was savagely ripping into those folks who caused it, really funny. Halfway through he semi-confronted some folks who were talking amongst themselves. Turns out they were the cause for the nightly incident and he became quite pale. The he ripped into them directly while the grandmother of the group shot back and gave him a run for his money. But it never derailed. It got hilarious, they were good sports and the rest of us got a comedy night to remember.
Thanks. Just a comment of German food. I worked in Stuttgart area for several months a few years back. The food was SO good. Smaller portions than in the US, but the quality was better overall. The produce was great. Pork products were really good. And I missed the taste of the bread for months when I left. I’m not surprised about the charge for water, that seems normal. Yes it is surprising tiring to be surrounded by a different language all the time. The tip about traveling companions is a good one. But instant translation with the google app has become indispensable for me when in a non English country. You can see the translation, and you can talk and it’ll repeat your words out loud in the desired language. Not perfect, but it cuts the stress.
They are reasonably well patronised by UK cruisers and the company seem to have more English cruises and some cruises are only German.Excellent quality
Two days ago, I saw the Europa II docked in Baltimore MD, USA. You can see the cruise ships easily from the interstate highway. Pretty ship. Perfect timing to find out more about her. Only googled a little info.
As an American, I'd love to give Saga a whirl. Their two new ships Spirit of Discovery & Spirit of Adventure look very posh, boutique-ie. Saga seems like the British equivalent of Viking.
I've listened to 5 minutes of this and all you have done is moan about is the lack of English spoken on the cruise. I wonder did you make any preparation or effort to speak German?
I knew right away which line the video was about. My parents ended up on a Hapag cruise because "all their friends had gone and they had to too". There was obviously no language barrier for them but, overall, they didn't feel they fit in with their fellow cruisers. Probably because we are Germans from South America and thus grew up in a totally different environment. They enjoyed their cruise but it ended up being a "one of" and they spent most of their cruising life on Silverseas (yes, they ended up in the "free laundry" category - hahahaha).
Have cruised on Europa 2. Staff initially assume that you are German but quickly and happily change to English and many of my fellow passengers were quite at home speaking English. It is an expensive cruise experience but it is of very high quality. Even the entry level cabins are exceptional and have the beating of Regent, Seabourn and Silversea. If it is within your budget for a special occasion then I don't think you will regret it.
Hi Gary, I know you have traveled with Ponant before, but I highly recommend you try their icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot. We have traveled with Ponant multiple times because of the expedition itineraries they offered. But because of Le Commandant Charcot’s ability to break ice, it takes passengers to places no other cruises can reach. We cruised to geographical North Pole in 2022. In 2024, we will travel half-circumnavigation of Antarctica from New Zealand to Ushuaia. Even though it’s a French company, but there were always a good number of non-French speaking passengers. A lot of Americans. All crews are bi-linguals. When we went on zodiacs, they always have English speaking guides with non-French speakers. All presentations on board will have separate French and English sessions. Even though it is more expensive than other luxury lines, but everything is included. I can’t even find ways to spend my onboard credits.
Just a small (or maybe not so small) correction: You say that beer and wine were included at lunch/dinner. They are not! All beverages (alcoholic and otherwise) at all mealtimes are EXcluded and have to be paid extra. Coffee (& variants), tea, iced tea, etc. are exempt and always INcluded. The only exception to this is if you're dining at a hosted table (on invitation by an officer or other crew member), then all the drinks are included for that occasion. That being said, I think you're right and it IS kind of bizarre that not even non-alcoholic drinks are included especially considering that they ARE included in your own in-cabin minibar. This is an issue we raise in the comment sheet every time we sail with them. Little strokes fell big oaks. 😉
MSC proved more of a challenge for language. Twice we booked English speaking tours and twice they overrode the language choice once on the bus and choose German on one and French on the other despite the majority of passengers on the coach being English mother tongue.
I heard of them and also researched them and the "good" itineraries are all German-only language. Oh well.... However, this does open up and opportunity for other cruise lines to replicate some of their itineraries, provide a similar level of service, pricing and done in English. Right now, only specialty expedition ships or small luxury cruise ships have similar itineraries and they generally a lot more expensive. HL fits a good niche pricing category.
You should try Ponant. They have more expedition cruises than any other cruise lines. And it is also all inclusive. You don’t have to pay for anything on board. Even though it’s a French company, but they market heavily to US market and all crews are bilingual.
You should take a trip to Germany. Beautiful country, lovely people, excellent food. I came over here after findhing school in Ireland in 1981 and am still here...
Gary, Antarctica travelled has changed since you did the last video on it. The avian flu rules mean you can't sit, kneel, or put a tripod or bag on the ground. Unbelievable views of the ice, seals, whales, and penguins but the new rules can be a little frustrating.
As for hapag-lloyd maybevits my age but this company has always been greatvto travel with we have flown on there airline many times at very reasonable price the cew are great we sailed within them on the passenger cargo, ships again aoways very good. Its very well known in shipping and transport
I’m trying to learn German and this would be a safe “total immersion” that when I got lost in the flow I could get English life line thrown. Would the crew get annoyed at me, do you think?
I so enjoy your channel and was telling my husband about it. He asked me a question I never gave a second thought to, especially when I mentioned you've been on over 100 cruises. He asked if these cruise lines invite you to cruise their line to critique it or do you actually pay your own way for way for each cruise you showcase? Again, a great fan of your channel and its wonderful content. Thank you.
If he’s invited on a paid-for cruise, he will always say so. Also, even if paid for, they cannot censor what he says. He can express his honest opinion.
Others have told me that when in Europe; if you don't know the native language, find someone under age 35. Most countries teach English-as-a-second-language much better than we teach foreign languages to our kids. Younger Europeans tend to speak English just like you and I.
I would love to see some true euro reviews like croisi river cruises. Many small euro cruiselines who dont have the spending on ads like scenic emerald and the reviews seem good...are they? Can be huge price savings and they seem good value but are they?
