Hapag-Lloyd Cruises: Hanseatic nature and Hanseatic inspiration.

[English Voyager]

2 hours ago, Floridiana said:

I was shocked when they said American cuisine, but it sounds delicious and is presented beautifully.

American cuisine with a twist?

 

Less than 40 days to the Hanseatic nature being christened.

[English Voyager]

HL has posted a promotional video:

 

 

[Floridiana]

10 hours ago, English Voyager said:

American cuisine with a twist?

More than that. American ingredients prepared by European chefs with a Japanese sensibility for presentation. That's my take on it. ;-)

[steamboats]

On 3/4/2019 at 3:15 PM, English Voyager said:

Less than 40 days to the Hanseatic nature being christened.

 

As of today HL Cruises announced that the christening ceremony on April 12th has to be cancelled. The maiden voyage so far still is going but passengers will have the right to cancel (full refund plus 50% future cruise credit). Due to delays in the shipyard they try to focus on getting the ship ready for the maiden voyage but it will be a challenge.

 

I´ve checked their website but the press release is not yet available in English.

 

steamboats

[English Voyager]

2 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

As of today HL Cruises announced that the christening ceremony on April 12th has to be cancelled. The maiden voyage so far still is going but passengers will have the right to cancel (full refund plus 50% future cruise credit). Due to delays in the shipyard they try to focus on getting the ship ready for the maiden voyage but it will be a challenge.

 

I´ve checked their website but the press release is not yet available in English.

 

steamboats

I note that the count down clock has been removed from the, German language, website.

[Floridiana]

Among our HL mailings yesterday:

Brazil cruise from Buenos Aires to Belem March 6 - 27, 2020 on the inspiration

No single supplements in categories 1- 8!

 

[steamboats]

News today... maiden voyage and second voyage had to be cancelled as the ship won´t be ready in time. First cruise will be now May 5th out of Hamburg (Hamburg Harbor Birthday).

 

steamboats

[Floridiana]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 10:58 AM, steamboats said:

the ship won´t be ready in time

 

 

The nature?

[Catlover54]

8 hours ago, Floridiana said:

 

 

The nature?

Yes.  I was booked on the second cruise, Lisbon to Dublin, disappointing.  I got a confusing set of emails 3/29, late Friday PM in U.S. so no time to call Germany,  the day final payment was due, first one in German saying they were sorry   I cancelled and I would reveive a refund less penalties (!) and one in English saying my cruise is cancelled and all would be refunded for free ( no comment about why, did not say ship not ready). After the German one I thought maybe something had gone wrong with my final payment and was planning on trying to fix it.  After the English one I realized something was wrong as it was inconsistent.  Then I saw online the cruise had disappeared from the cruise list, and research showed seatrade notices that the early March maiden voyage was cancelled, now also the second.

Now I have to cancel my prebooked flights and rearrange my schedule or find a new itineray on which I could fly into Lisbon and out of Dublin back to USA.

 

Notification should have been clearer and not used the boilerplate cancellation form suggesting I was the one who had cxd. I will likely need a clear cruise cancellation statement to invoke Travelguard insurance reimbursement on my flight penalties.  Very un-German customer communication, not orderly, not clear. Seatrade said pax would get 50% off a future cruise through 2021 on a new booking, so if true, that would be a consolation.

[steamboats]

9 hours ago, Floridiana said:

The nature?

 

Of course Hanseatic nature. That´s the one which was scheduled for April 12th.

 

@Catlover54 Sorry to hear that you are affected by the cancellation (and the miscommunication).

 

steamboats

[English Voyager]

4 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

 Seatrade said pax would get 50% off a future cruise through 2021 on a new booking, so if true, that would be a consolation.

As yet no press release on HL's English language website.

 

On it's German language website is the following press release which states, if I have understood it correctly, that the offer of 50% discount is on any HL cruise up to September 2021.

 

https://www.hl-cruises.de/presse/pressemeldungen/detail/verzoegerung-bei-der-werft-auslieferung-der-hanseatic-nature-verspaetet-sich

[Floridiana]

Catlover,

What a disappointment! 50 % off, if true, is a great bonus.

[steamboats]

4 hours ago, English Voyager said:

As yet no press release on HL's English language website.

 

On it's German language website is the following press release which states, if I have understood it correctly, that the offer of 50% discount is on any HL cruise up to September 2021.

 

https://www.hl-cruises.de/presse/pressemeldungen/detail/verzoegerung-bei-der-werft-auslieferung-der-hanseatic-nature-verspaetet-sich

 

No, not a 50% discount. All passengers do get their money back plus a 50% future cruise credit based up the price of the cancelled cruise.

 

steamboats

[Catlover54]

I finally got an official “cruise is cancelled notice” 10 days ago and comments that I would get full refund on my credit card “soon” and  a discount equal to 50% of my cancelled cruise value, as steamboats said ( even though less, it is still thousands of dollars off an HL cruise and I think is fair).

That will help offset my $300 United airline cancellation credit fee not covered by Travelguard insurance I bought when I booked the flight months ago ( that does not cover cruise cancellation by cruise line, which I did not expect,  only illness and family emergency issues, which I could not predict), and more.

I will have to use the airline credit, did not get a full refund ( will likely use it for another ex Europe HL cruise :).

I waited a few days for a credit card refund of my deposit, then again on a  late Friday afternoon a week ago got an email saying they need my bank account number, cannot refund on credit card after all. I had paid my deposit with a wire transfer, but they also have my credit card on file so I had not questioned the first email.

Am still waiting for my refund into bank account number which I gave them immediately. They are a bit confused and seem not in a hurry to refund, but maybe more than two weeks in is normal for cancelled cruise refunds. If I hear nothing next week, will start contacting them again.

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by Catlover54

[vistaman]

I am feeling sorry to hear all the above - I was intending to book the original maiden voyage however as I am a "german speaking" but no resident in a German speaking country , I got the information too late and I did noit intend to book the second cruise.

I was once booked on a cruise with Europa's beste on the Ms Europa - I think in 2010 - when the entire cruise was cancelled due to engine problems and elementary repair in Singapore . ( Hapag Lloyd was not so generous in that period : 15 % discount on a next cruise - was another CEO in that period  ) - the problems with the flights I had to resolve by myself -  i think twice some 80 € - ( on my own account )

It must be terrible for all the people who were looking very forward to this experience

as the christening of the Inspiration is announced in Antwerpen there is already some fear for the next expidition ship ...on time or not ??

[Host Jazzbeau]

Catlover – if the Trip Insurance policy isn't paying out anything for this cruise, they should be willing to roll the coverage over to your next trip.

[English Voyager]

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has posted a video featuring the official handover of the Hanseatic nature:

 

 

 

 

 

[steamboats]

The Hanseatic nature arrived in Hamburg early in the morning today. Here´s a nice video by Unimedien.

 

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

There has been a media event today onboard. And by now the ship should have been christened. The ceremony was held with crew only as a private event. The godmother is also a staff member of HL Cruises.

 

steamboats

[English Voyager]

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has posted a video featuring the christening of the Hanseatic nature:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by English Voyager

[steamboats]

My DH had the pleasure to visit the Hanseatic nature on Saturday. Here is his article (3 parts, German - try google translate) including 360° photos of certain areas (12 360ies in part 2). And here´s the full photo gallery.

 

steamboats

[English Voyager]

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has posted a video charting the construction of the Hanseatic nature:

 

 

 

 

 

[vistaman]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 8:57 AM, steamboats said:

My DH had the pleasure to visit the Hanseatic nature on Saturday. Here is his article (3 parts, German - try google translate) including 360° photos of certain areas (12 360ies in part 2). And here´s the full photo gallery.

 

steamboats

many thanks  for posting the above

in my hometown we all hope the Inspiration will be ready on time ...

are you going to Beste on ms Europa ?

[Catlover54]

Hanseatic nature looks very petite, and beautiful, thanks for all the pictures and links! I look forward to trying her sister inspiration in 2020. One article is  obviously referring to Scenic Eclipse when they talk about why HL  did not go for the gimmick helicopter and submarine on board.

 

I did finally get my deposit refund back, wire arrived last week, half the delay was due to  some problens with my account numbering.

Have not yet planned when to spend my compensation credit with HL. I already have several cruises booked with HL on Europa, but have to sort out if  they will let me use the discount credit towards final payment on an already booked cruise.

 

I was keen to cruise anyway during my reserved vacation time so threw caution to the wind and did a one-week main stream line cruise on Holland America Zaandam (1400 pax) in a veranda cabin, solo,  to New England/Canada, Boston to Montreal.  What a difference! I always make the best of things so enjoyed the scenery and ports ( especially eating in the ports rather than on board). My cabin was surprisingly nice except for the TV and DVD,  but I lost track of how many times I wished the Hanseatic nature had come through for me on time so I could have instead enjoyed  HL wonderful luxury service, food,  and respect for true luxury quality in whatever they touch at sea instead of what I had to settle on ( though of course my per diem plus expenses fare on HAL was much, much cheaper than on HL).  

 

The only good thing about the nature being late to launch and my having to change my vacation plans was that I learned that what would have been my end of cruise flight from Dublin back to the U.S. was cancelled the day of flight — so I again would have been forced to spend  yet another night in an airport hotel and gotten stressed scrounging for rebooking ( I have already had to “enjoy”  airport hotels in Munich, London, and New York short notice due to cancelled flights, since 2016, that is three too many) .  So I dodged a flight nightmare.

 

I look forward to seeing reviews of the nature in action.

 

I keep wanting to capitalize Nature.

 

 

 

 

[steamboats]

21 hours ago, vistaman said:

are you going to Beste on ms Europa ?

 

No, I won´t be there.

 

steamboats