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Editorial Cruise Ship Wiki's take on MS Europa 2
MS Europa 2 entered service in May 2013 as Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' answer to a problem its older flagship could not solve: how to keep the standards of MS Europa while opening the ship to guests with no German. Built by STX Europe at St Nazaire, it runs to just under 43,000 gross tons across eleven decks and carries 500 guests in 251 suites, looked after by 380 crew. Unlike MS Europa, every sailing is run bilingually in German and English, which is the most consequential difference for an English speaking traveller. Berlitz has since ranked it the top ship in the world, ahead of that fleet mate.
The tonnage buys room rather than berths, with the industry's highest ratio of public space per passenger by Cruise Critic's reckoning and 1.32 guests to each crew member. Seven restaurants and six bars serve 500 guests: Serenissima for Italian cooking, Sakura for sushi, the Yacht Club for the buffet. The bars include Herrenzimmer, a Jazz Club and a piano bar on deck 4, Collins for cigars, Belvedere as a library bar on deck 9, and Sansibar open to the sky on deck 8. Ocean Spa, a fifteen metre pool under a retractable roof and 890 commissioned artworks fill out the rest.
The fare is the first objection and the largest. It sits at the top of the market and still excludes most alcohol, beyond welcome Champagne and minibar beer, though gratuities and the specialty restaurants are covered. The bilingual promise is also only half kept: lectures, cabaret and evening shows lean heavily German, with inconsistent translation. Around 93 percent of passengers are German speaking, and that market books far enough ahead to leave suites scarce for everyone else. Reviewers report occasional lapses in service and upkeep.
It suits well travelled adults who want quiet, space and serious cooking, and who are content to be a minority voice in the room. It is markedly more tolerant of children than MS Europa, with clubs for ages two to three, four to ten and eleven to fifteen, though the play offering is calm rather than busy. Anyone chasing nightlife, English language production shows or an inclusive bar tab should look elsewhere.
**What this means for choosing a cabin.** Every room is a suite with a balcony. Veranda Suites, the largest group at 141, and Ocean Suites both measure 301 square feet with a 75 square foot balcony; the Veranda adds a walk in wardrobe, the Ocean a whirlpool tub. Above them sit Grand Ocean and Spa Suites on deck 6, Penthouse Suites at 452 square feet, two Grand Penthouses at 840, and two Owner Suites on deck 10 at 1,066. Seven Family Apartments pair two 215 square foot rooms around a balcony that locks on the children's side. For quiet, avoid aft Veranda Suites 762 to 769 beneath the late night Sansibar, and 501 to 513 above the Jazz Club.
Sources
This is Cruise Ship Wiki's own editorial summary of published reviews and reference sources. It is not a guest review and does not describe a stay aboard. Member reviews appear separately below.
Photo: Brian Burnell, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
MS Europa 2 was designed to extend Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' luxury franchise to a younger, more contemporary clientele without displacing the classic MS Europa, offering a relaxed, informal counterpart to that ship's more formal traditions. She was built by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique yard in Saint-Nazaire and delivered in 2013 at a cost of roughly US$360 million. At around 42,800 gross tons yet carrying only about 500 guests, she was conceived from the outset as an all-suite, all-veranda ship, pairing generous private space with one of the highest space-and-crew ratios in the industry.
The design brief emphasized modern luxury over grandeur: light-filled contemporary interiors, an extensive collection of contemporary art displayed throughout the ship, and a spread of specialty restaurants offering open-seating, no-fixed-times dining. Family-friendly amenities and a more casual dress culture were built in deliberately, broadening the appeal beyond Europa's traditional audience while preserving the line's uncompromising standards of food and service. Like her elder fleetmate, Europa 2 quickly earned the top tier of Berlitz's ratings, and the two ships came to share the distinction of standing at the summit of the guide's rankings, reinforcing Hapag-Lloyd's five-star-plus positioning.
Europa 2 was christened by Dana Schweiger, and she entered service catering primarily to the German-speaking luxury market while also welcoming international and English-speaking guests on selected voyages, a bilingual approach that widened her reach. Registered in Valletta, Malta, under the call sign 9HA3283 and based in the German market at Hamburg, she was built for worldwide deployment.
Since her debut, MS Europa 2 has sailed premium itineraries across the globe, ranging from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean to more far-flung and exotic waters including West Africa, favoring the kind of flexible, discovery-oriented routing her size permits. She remains in active service with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises as the modern face of the line's twin-flagship strategy, complementing MS Europa and demonstrating that contemporary informality and top-rated luxury need not be at odds.
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Onboard Highlights
Signature attractions, dining, bars and entertainment aboard MS Europa 2.
Specialty dining
- Restaurant Weltmeere
The main dining room with daily-changing international menus and flexible seating. - Serenissima
An upscale, romantic Italian restaurant showcasing regional specialties. - Elements
An Asian-fusion restaurant with Vietnamese and Pan-Asian dishes. - Tarragon
A French brasserie serving upscale fare, including tableside beef tartare. - Sakura
A casual sushi restaurant with freshly prepared tuna, salmon and more. - Sansibar
An aft casual venue modeled on the German beach bar, home of the signature currywurst.
Bars and lounges
- Collins - Gin Bar
A specialty bar dedicated to gin and gin-based cocktails. - Piano Bar
A lobby piano bar with live music and drinks.
Specifications
| Status | In service |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 2013 |
| Cruise line | Hapag-Lloyd Cruises |
| Class | Europa class |
| Gross tonnage | 42,830 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 500 |
| Crew | 370 |
| Est. annual guests | ≈ 15,000 / year (estimated) |
| Length | 225 m (738 ft) |
| Beam | 26 m (85 ft) moulded |
| Decks | 11 |
| Staterooms | 251 |
| Shipyard | Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, France) |
| Build cost | ≈ US$360 million |
| Christened by | Dana Schweiger |
| Flag | Malta |
| Port of registry | Valletta, Malta |
| IMO number | 9616230 |
| Call sign | 9HA3283 |
| Home port | Hamburg, Germany |
| Region | Worldwide / West Africa |
About the Europa class
Hapag-Lloyd's luxury flagships, MS Europa and MS Europa 2, consistently rated among the world's top luxury ships.
Ownership & loyalty
Part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL).
Sister brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises.
References
Descriptions on Cruise Ship Wiki are original write-ups paraphrased from public sources; facts are compiled from the references below and cross-checked. How we source our information.
- Photograph by Brian Burnell (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons - Primary ship photograph