Karl WP Beyer October 1, 2025 – 127 itineraries vary from luxury to expedition: EUROPA & EUROPA 2 focus on the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Orient, while the HANSEATIC fleet focuses on Antarctica, the Kimberley, and the Great Lakes. Reserve your itinerary now!
Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has just released its itinerary preview for the 2028 cruise year. A total of 127 cruises are spread across the luxury ships EUROPA and EUROPA 2, as well as the expedition ships HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration, and HANSEATIC spirit. Reservations are now possible – online, via the customer service center, or at a travel agency. Binding bookings will begin in December 2025, when prices and detailed information are published.
How the reservation works:
- Online viewing of the cruises and non-binding reservations at hl-cruises.de/vorschau
- Printed folders for luxury and expedition areas available
- Booking start: December 2025 (with prices and full details)
- Luxury: EUROPA and EUROPA 2 with coordinated timetables
EUROPE (max. 400 guests)
Jan–Apr 2028: Far East focus – including two trips around the Philippines; Japan during cherry blossom season; Southeast Asia with well-connected interchange ports (Singapore, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Yokohama).
Return via the Indian Ocean and Cape Town to the Canary Islands.
summer 2028: Intensive Mediterranean (5–13 days) – short trips to the Côte d'Azur, North-South Italy, island hopping to Corsica/Sardinia/Balearic Islands.
Aug–Sep: Western Europe & Baltic Sea from German ports.
Oct–Dec: via Greenland to Canada (Indian Summer), then the US East Coast, Southern States and Caribbean; Christmas in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama.
Long-distance travel: combinable from 54 to 108 days.
culinary delights: including THE GLOBE (Kevin Fehling, 3★) and Pearls (caviar restaurant).
EUROPE 2
Europe 2 - Dubai
January 2028: Central America with Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia.
February 2028: Travel from/to Miami – Southern flair (New Orleans, Galveston), Caribbean beaches, Mayan sites in Mexico.
Atlantic crossing from ABC islands via Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Azores to Hamburg (April).
Until mid-July: from German ports to Western Europe, the Baltic Sea, Norway – including Spitsbergen (St. Jonsfjord cruising) and the North Cape.
Summer/Autumn: Western & Eastern Mediterranean.
Pre-Christmas (9 days): UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman.
Christmas: Dubai – Singapore with Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia.
Expedition: Warm water premiere & new short routes
HANSEATIC nature:
Until March 2028: Indian Ocean with a focus on Madagascar and the Seychelles; landings on Aldabra (strictly limited, only for small expedition vessels).
Winter 2028 / 29 Back to the North – classic routes plus shorter trips (Baltic Sea, Northern Lights expedition with North Cape/Geiranger), which can be combined into longer tours.
On board: three restaurants (one as a specialty restaurant), OCEAN SPA (~235 square meters) with sea view sauna/steam bath, fitness room with classes, pool with counter-current system.
HANSEATIC inspiration & HANSEATIC spirit
Winter until Feb 2028: Antarctica. New: two 14-day short cruises to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula; plus classic itineraries including the Weddell Sea, Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Circle. The semi-circumnavigation from Tierra del Fuego to New Zealand is back on the program.
From November 2028: return to Antarctica again.
Spring/Summer 2028 – new travel areas:
HANSEATIC spirit: Indonesia (three routes) with Raja Ampat and for the first time Kimberley/Western Australia (18 days) – Zodiac trips King George River, Montgomery Reef Houtman-Abrolhos.
HANSEATIC Spirit – Photo © Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
HANSEATIC inspirationTwo Amazon voyages starting in April, followed by the Great Lakes. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is the only company in the world to combine all five lakes in one voyage. After receiving an award at the 2025 Cruise Guide Award (Routing category), the ship will set further trends in 2028 with premiere calls (including Cleveland and Alpena), expedition days on the rarely visited Lake Superior, and new combinations to Labrador, Newfoundland, and Greenland.
Important dates at a glance
- From now on: non-binding reservation of your desired route
- December 2025: Booking start including prices and full details
- Travel period: January–December 2028 (with transitions to winter 2028/29)
