NYCSMF

I took the plunge - booked a Southeast Asian cruise on Europa 2 next year. It is an anniversary for us so the expense could be justified. It is about double what we usually pay for an overseas vacation.

 

I am beyond excited about the trip. Like you I am not daunted by the thought of spending time among non-Americans, and actually look forward to it - kind of a mini-vacation in Germany. Unlike you I do drink alcohol, but I like the Hapag LLoyd reason for not including alcohol in the price; they say the quality would be less than their customer base is known to want. The ship itself looks elegant, and service and food are reported to be superb. Finally the itinerary is unusual, and very appealing.

Like you, I took the plunge. I booked for the western Mediterranean next year. I couldn't find a better 7-day itinerary, and the ship just looks amazing. Also, I prefer not to subsidize the heavy drinking of others in my ticket price. ;)

Many thanks to the rest of you for your suggestions on the other lines, which looked nice as well.

I'm very tempted to take a 7-day western Mediterranean cruise next summer aboard this ship...

I've secured a quote from an agent, and am just mulling it around. It's not inexpensive; for even a standard room it runs about $15K for two on a 7 day cruise. That's with a 5% early booking discount.

I went on a couple cruises back in the 80s with my parents when I was a teenager. I cannot recall the names of the boats now, but they were a let-down. This ship looks beautiful and the itineraries are quite nice. Also, many of the things that I found ridiculous about those earlier cruises seems to have been eliminated from the Happag Lloyd format (no tuxedos and assigned dinner companions, "captains dinner" etc.).

Despite my preference for non-formal attire, I don't want to immerse myself into a too casual scene where people are running around in beach wear all day.

The issues cited by others as reasons for hesitating, like paying for drinks (I don't drink), and being surrounded by non-English speaking passengers actually make me like the idea all the more.

I've looked at Seabourn and am not as excited about their itineraries nor the longer duration. Jumbo ships do not interest me in the least.

While I like the Europa 2 the best so far, any insights into other small ship lines would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.