LUXURY CRUISING
Europa, the Flawless Flagship
Gary
Buchanan assesses the ship rated ‘the world’s best’, and decides it earns its accolades
I
t is a bold claim, but few would deny that the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships is the undisputed ‘bible’ of cruising. Now in its 26th
year, this comprehensive almanac
of everything cruise-orientated is the world’s most trusted resource. Revered throughout the cruise industry, author
Douglas Ward has evaluated 285 ocean-going ves- sels in the 2011 edition of the guide. His authori- tative ratings are not only objective, they are the yardstick which all ships aspire to. For the 11th
consecutive year, one ship has been
peerless. Europa, flagship of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, has topped the polls yet again, achieving 1,853 points out of a maximum 2,000. This ship is also the only vessel to achieve the prestigious five-star-plus rating. Ward justifies the accolade, citing attention paid to the personal well-being of guests. Sebastian
Ahrens, managing director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, says: “Top marks for the Europa confirm we are on the right path and show we are not resting on our laurels. Thanks to consistent modernisation, Europa still meets the highest demands.” Other citations include ‘Ship of the Year’ in the
2006 Fielding’s Guide to Luxury Cruises and the American Academy Six-Star Diamond Award in 2011 – for the 6th time. Intrigued to see what sets Europa apart, I recently embarked this paragon to seek out what Ward calls the X-Factor. Constructed at the Kvaerner Masa Shipyard
in Finland and launched in September 1999, the 28,890-ton vessel conveys 408-passengers, looked after by a crew of 280, affording it one of the highest crew-to-passenger ratios in the cruise industry at 1.5:1 Equally impressive is the passenger/space ratio at a truly generous 70.4. An azimuth pod propulsion
Spring 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING
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