MS Hanseatic’s Northwest Passage Cruise Chosen as one of CruiseTrick’s “Top Ten Most Unusual Cruises of the Year”

The German web site CruiseTricks has chosen the Hanseatic‘s Northwest Passage as one of its Top Ten Most Unsual Cruises of the Year. The whole story, in German, can be found here and details of this exciting voyage follow:

MS HANSEATIC – Your Personal Expedition

Expedition Northwest Passage: On the Trail of the Great Discoverers

From Nome to Reykjavik (HAN1215) via Alaska (Point Hope, Barrow Strait), Canada (Herschel Island, Cambridge Bay, Jenny Lind Island, Beechey Island), Greenland (Uummannaq, Illulissat, cruising in Disko Bay, Sisimiut) and cruising through Prins Christian Sund

14 August – 8 September 2012, 25 days

From £11,540 per person in a guaranteed two-berth outside cabin Category 1, double occupancy, cruise only including charter flight Vancouver-Nome

Highlights:

§ Hike across the Holman hills near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with experts
§ Legendary Northwest Passage with polar bears, whales and numerous testimonies to the culture of the Inuit
§ Greenland: Enjoy the unforgettable views of drafting icebergs while cruising the Disko Bay

Early Booking Reduction: Book by January 16, 2012 and receive a 5% reduction!

For further details please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk

MS Hanseatic – Expedition Northwest Passage: On the Trail of the Great Discoverers – Summer 2012

MS HANSEATIC – Your Personal Expedition

Expedition Northwest Passage: On the Trail of the Great Discoverers

From Nome to Reykjavik (HAN1215) via Alaska (Point Hope, Barrow Strait), Canada (Herschel Island, Cambridge Bay, Jenny Lind Island, Beechey Island), Greenland (Uummannaq, Illulissat, cruising in Disko Bay, Sisimiut) and cruising through Prins Christian Sund

14 August – 8 September 2012, 25 days

From £11,540 per person in a guaranteed two-berth outside cabin Category 1, double occupancy, cruise only including charter flight Vancouver-Nome

Highlights:

§ Hike across the Holman hills near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with experts
§ Legendary Northwest Passage with polar bears, whales and numerous testimonies to the culture of the Inuit
§ Greenland: Enjoy the unforgettable views of drafting icebergs while cruising the Disko Bay

Early Booking Reduction: Book by January 16, 2012 and receive a 5% reduction!

For further details please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk

MS Hanseatic Receives New Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Colours And Cabin Renewals During Major Refit at Blohm & Voss

MS Hanseatic received full Hapag-Lloyd Cruises colours in here recent drydocking at Hamburg's famous Blohm & Voss shipyard

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has decided to unify the colours carried by all members of its fleet. After a 13-day stay at Hamburg’s famous Blohm & Voss shipyard, the Hanseatic has re-appeared in Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ distinctive colours, an orange and blue band, as well as the orange funnel with the cruise line logo. Her comprehensive drydocking included more than 780 items, among them, the renovation and modernisation of two decks of cabins, the buffet restaurant, and the sauna and pool area. The ship returned to service today.

“With the charter contract for the Hanseatic extended until 2018, we opted to add the visual unification of the fleet. Nevertheless, the legendary former logo of the Hanseatic will be retained as a product logo on board“, said Sebastian Ahrens, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Until now, the expedition ship Hanseatic had carried the colours of the former North Atlantic liner of the same name, which had operated for the German Atlantic Line.

More than 400 shipyard workers in three shifts carried out the modernisation, which included substantial renovation of cabins on Decks 5 and 6. Plenty of wood, new fabrics, furniture and carpeting help to create a warm atmosphere, and now present a contemporary design for the Hanseatic . The Columbus Lounge buffet restaurant also features a new color design and has been renamed the “Bistro Lemaire.” Further items included the modernisation of the pool and sauna, with a new steam sauna, as well as a multi-mode shower. More than 11,482 sq ft of carpet, 621 gallons of paint and 3,937 sq ft of fabric were used in these renovations.

New service options now available on the Hanseatic include worldwide mobile telephone reception via OnAir, Wi-Fi in all cabins, an extended selection of international newspapers in full editions, as well as headsets for passengers during the excursions for better clarity for the experts to be heard.

Shining in her new splendour, the Hanseatic set sail today on a four-day cruise from Hamburg via List (Sylt) and Binz (Ruegen) to Travemuende on the Baltic.

Upcoming 2011 Expedition Cruises on the Hanseatic :

NORTHWEST PASSAGE – A SHORTER ROUTE:

For the first time ever, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will offer guests the opportunity to discover the fascination of the Arctic and the Northwest Passage on a shorter, 19-day cruise with MS Hanseatic. Sailing through a portion of the Northwest Passage, guests will follow the tracks of Amundsen and Franklin and explore the ice coast of Greenland as well as the untouched island world in the north of Canada. The short itinerary departs from Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on August 14, 2011, and ends in Reykjavik, Iceland, on September 2nd.

MAIDEN CALL – THE INDIAN OCEAN:

Guests will experience the heavenly and exotic island world between the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius onboard the Hanseatic in November/December 2011, with a new stop in Nosy Lakandava in Madagascar. This 14-day itinerary departs from Victoria, Mahe, on November 22, 2011, and ends in Port Louis, Mauritius, on December 5th.

MS Hanseatic, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ small and beautifully-appointed ship, rated the world’s only 5-star expedition ship by the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruise Ships & Cruising, was designed to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings for a maximum of 184 passengers. The Hanseatic is known worldwide for her unsurpassed ability to navigate and explore the difficult waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, with the highest ice class for passenger vessels, E4. The Hanseatic cruises the world year round, landing in unusual and remote destinations. A shallow draft and high manoeuvrability allow the ship to enter waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach.

For further photos and details of this latest modernisation please click here. For bookings, enquiries or to request a brochure, please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Expedition Cruises: Hanseatic and Bremen offer travel to the world’s best-kept secrets in their new 2012/2013 program

Expedition Cruises: Hanseatic and Bremen offer travel to the world’s best-kept secrets in 2012/2013

•     Twelve international cruises 2012/ 2013 (English/German)

•     First Time: Sea of Okhotsk

•     Environmentally conscious travel

MS Hanseatic

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises announces the arrival of its March 2012 – May 2013 expedition brochure. Their small and beautifully appointed expedition ships, MS Hanseatic and MS Bremen, will offer fully a dozen international (English/German) itineraries next season. These include travel in Antarctica, the Northwest Passage, Greenland, Spitsbergen, Norway, the Amazon, the South Seas and New Zealand.

In addition, the expedition itineraries feature new ports of call in Madagascar and Mozambique and a maiden voyage through the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East. The Hanseatic , the world’s only 5-star expedition ship and the Bremen, a 4-star expedition ship, were created to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings for a maximum of 184 guests on the Hanseatic and 164 guests on the Bremen.

Expedition Highlights 2012 – 2013 on the Hanseatic and Bremen:

SEA OF OKHOTSK – PREMIER EXPEDITIONS:

For the first time, the Hanseatic sets out to circumnavigate the Sea of Okhotsk, in Russia’s Far East, taking guests to volcanoes, geysers and glaciers. Zodiac stops on the Sea of Okhotsk include: Iony, a tiny island populated by sea lions and Shantar Islands and Malminskie Islands, natural sanctuaries for songbirds, birds of prey, seals and sea otters.

Details: from June 13-30, 2012, rates for this itinerary start at £6310 per person based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

 ISLANDS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN – MAIDEN CALLS:

Guests will experience lemurs in pristine nature, animals in the wild, and wonderful beaches on romantic coasts on the Hanseatic through Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa. This tropic 16-day adventure will make stops at six new ports along the route, which include stops in the following ports in Madagascar: Maroantsetra, Nosy Hara, Morondava, Nosy Ve, and Toliara and a first time stop in Mozambique, at the picturesque city of Ilha dos Portugueses.

Details: from December 3-19, 2012, rates for this itinerary start at  £4520 per person based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

 THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE:

In 2012, the popular Northwest Passage will be offered onboard the Hanseatic . It starts in Nome/Alaska amidst impressive testimonies of the Inuit culture before the Hanseatic sails through the Canadian Arctic, the heart of the Northwest Passage and ends in Reykjavik/Iceland.

Details: from August 14 – September 8, 2012, rates for this 25-day itinerary start at £11,540 per person/based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

MS Bremen

THE ANTARCTIC:

Glaciers, icebergs, deep fjords and bays offer the setting for an unforgettable Antarctica expedition. In addition to observing bird colonies, guests will also have the opportunity to explore the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, bath in the hot springs on Deception Island and observe whales in the Antarctic Sound. All departs include round-trip airfare from Buenos Aires/Argentina to Ushuaia/Argentina.

Dates and rates for the Antarctica cruises’ in late 2012 and early 2013:

Details: November 30 – December 15, 2012, on the Bremen, rates starting at £5380 per person based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

Details: January 3 – 18, 2013, on the Bremen, rates starting at £6010 per person/ based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

Details: February 13 – March 3, 2013, on the Hanseatic , rates starting at £7440 per person based on double occupancy for an outside cabin

Expedition Travel At Its Best:

Both ships are well equipped for travel in difficult waters, holding the highest ice class ranking for passenger vessels (E4). Also shallow drafts and high manoeuvrability allow the ships to enter waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach. Guests explore the world’s best-kept secrets in zodiacs (small motorized boats) with only 10-12 guests. Onboard experts include a team of experienced scientists, expedition leaders and specialists who guide landings and offer guests the rare opportunity to observe plant and animal life up close. However, what makes these expedition adventures standout for guests is the security of knowing that highly experienced captains are guiding the vessels and have together already traveled to the Arctic and Antarctica more than 200 times.

Educational experiences are the ultimate goals of the expedition trips. Thereby also, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is committed to promoting a responsible way of dealing with nature – among other efforts as a co-founder of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). In addition, the Hanseatic and the Bremen use low-emission diesel oil rather than heavy fuel oil on cruises to Antarctica, and have been doing so long before the introduction of the current, stricter regulations.

For further details please call Gay Scruton at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk.

Brave The Northwest Passage in Luxury Vessels Designed To Sail Polar Waters

Story by Aaron Saunders, Postmedia News April 20, 2011

The MS Bremen, courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

Even among cruise destinations known for their unique and obscure ports of call, this one is guaranteed to turn heads: the Northwest Passage.

Convinced of its value as a shipping route, the list of those who tried – and failed – to conqueror this waterway on behalf of their country is legendary: John Ross, Sir William Parry, George Back, Sir Robert McClure, John Rae and perhaps most famous of all, Sir John Franklin.

It was Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who finally discovered the fabled passage in 1906. Despite his discovery, it was far from the open waterway many nations fantasized about.

Choked with ice for much of the year, the route opens briefly during the summer months.

Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, a leader in five-star expedition and ultra-luxury cruising, has been taking advantage of this small window for the past few years by operating extremely rare Northwest Passage cruises -a decision which has proved to be very successful.

This year, the line will operate a full transit of the Northwest Passage aboard the 365-foot long, ice-strengthened MS Bremen. She was specifically designed to sail these notorious waters, and boasts the highest ice class safety rating available to a passenger ship. A four-star expedition vessel, the Bremen is as much a working ship as she is a floating palace.

On-board, passengers have access to multiple lounges, a library, an expansive dining room, a spa, and even a sun deck complete with a swimming pool. Each and every public room boasts plenty of windows to ensure you never miss the passing scenery. Twelve Zodiac rafts are also located on-board, and allow for passengers to be put ashore in some of the most remote areas of the World.

The itinerary includes stops at notable places like Beechy Island. This remote, barren blip in the middle of nowhere played host to one of exploration’s greatest disasters: the Franklin Expedition. Sir John Franklin and the men of his ships HMS Erebus and Terror wintered here in 1845-46, and it was on this desolate island that the first of his men succumbed to illness.

Although this year’s transit is sold out, cruisers wanting to take this incredible voyage would do well to start planning now for the next one in August, 2012. Full itinerary and pricing information will be available later this month from Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Visit www.fromthedeckchair.com for more cruise information, including voyage reports, phototours and daily news.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News – from The Gazette, Montreal

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The Cruise People Ltd in London have been booking guests through the Northwest Passage every summer for the past few years. For further details on the 2012 voyage please call Gay Scruton on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk