The German cruise ship EUROPA was rated again as the only five-stars-plus ship in the world for the ninth year in a row, according to the 2009 Berlitz complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships., according to the 2009 Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, to be published in October 2008. According to the book´s editor Douglas Ward, EUROPA is ranked as the only five-stars-plus cruise ship in the world with 1,852 points out of a possible total 2,000 points. EUROPA is also the only cruise ship to have received this accolade for the past nine years.
Top honours also went to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises´ 5-star HANSEATIC, with 1,740 points, the highest ranked expedition ship in the book. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises´ EUROPA is literally in a class of its own. So impeccable is the ship´s performance that Ward creates a dedicated class for it, Five-Stars-Plus, in which it remains the sole occupant for 2009.
Also honoured in the book, is EUROPA´S Oriental Restaurant, as one of the ten recommended specialty restaurants, and the new EUROPA OCEAN SPA, ranked among ten great shipboard spas.
The British author Douglas Ward, with 960 cruises under his belt, is a highly regarded expert on
cruising. The annual cruise guide now in its 24th year of publication, has become a source of independent star ranking for ocean going cruise ships worldwide. Often referred to as the `bible to the world of cruising,´ the fully revised and updated annual Berlitz Guide, with its excellent advice and hard-hitting reviews of 272 cruise ships.
EUROPA was also honoured with the coveted Six-Star-Diamond Award 2008 by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and recently voted "The Six-Star-Ship of the Year" by Fielding´s Guide to Luxury Cruises 2007. She has earned her sterling reputation for service and accommodations during her long tradition of luxury cruising. EUROPA is the first "all-suites" cruise ship, with staterooms that are never less than 27 square meters, 80% of them having their own veranda, assuring privacy and relaxation. EUROPA offers guests the largest space per passenger, as well as one of the highest staff passenger ratios, with 280 staff members for max. 408 guests. Each suite features Cruise Net, a complimentary TV information network with private email, movies, music on demand, cruise information and the internet (at an additional charge). The EUROPA experience includes a masterful blend of world-class cuisine with guest chefs on selected cruises, two specialty restaurants with fine Italian and Euro- Asian dishes, an open grill café, special light and healthy menu options, and themed dinners.
The EUROPA was built in 1999 in Finland for Hapag Lloyd and is the sixth passenger ship to bear this name in the German merchant fleet, although she sails under the flag of Bahamas.
Photo: the EUROPA cruising in the river Tagus off the city of Lisbon in 2008
Texto editado por / Imagens /Images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia
Top honours also went to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises´ 5-star HANSEATIC, with 1,740 points, the highest ranked expedition ship in the book. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises´ EUROPA is literally in a class of its own. So impeccable is the ship´s performance that Ward creates a dedicated class for it, Five-Stars-Plus, in which it remains the sole occupant for 2009.
Also honoured in the book, is EUROPA´S Oriental Restaurant, as one of the ten recommended specialty restaurants, and the new EUROPA OCEAN SPA, ranked among ten great shipboard spas.
The British author Douglas Ward, with 960 cruises under his belt, is a highly regarded expert on
cruising. The annual cruise guide now in its 24th year of publication, has become a source of independent star ranking for ocean going cruise ships worldwide. Often referred to as the `bible to the world of cruising,´ the fully revised and updated annual Berlitz Guide, with its excellent advice and hard-hitting reviews of 272 cruise ships.
EUROPA was also honoured with the coveted Six-Star-Diamond Award 2008 by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and recently voted "The Six-Star-Ship of the Year" by Fielding´s Guide to Luxury Cruises 2007. She has earned her sterling reputation for service and accommodations during her long tradition of luxury cruising. EUROPA is the first "all-suites" cruise ship, with staterooms that are never less than 27 square meters, 80% of them having their own veranda, assuring privacy and relaxation. EUROPA offers guests the largest space per passenger, as well as one of the highest staff passenger ratios, with 280 staff members for max. 408 guests. Each suite features Cruise Net, a complimentary TV information network with private email, movies, music on demand, cruise information and the internet (at an additional charge). The EUROPA experience includes a masterful blend of world-class cuisine with guest chefs on selected cruises, two specialty restaurants with fine Italian and Euro- Asian dishes, an open grill café, special light and healthy menu options, and themed dinners.
The EUROPA was built in 1999 in Finland for Hapag Lloyd and is the sixth passenger ship to bear this name in the German merchant fleet, although she sails under the flag of Bahamas.
Photo: the EUROPA cruising in the river Tagus off the city of Lisbon in 2008
Texto editado por / Imagens /Images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia
