Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Announces Hanseatic's 2007 Bilingual (German/English) Itineraries

German cruise line Hapag-Lloyd has announced the 2007 bilingual cruises for its luxury expedition ship the Hanseatic. I cruised on the Hanseatic to Antarctica in January 2005, and found this luxury ship a perfect way to experience the challenges of this region. We were pampered and well-fed as one should be on a luxury cruise ship, but still had plenty of opportunities to go out in the Zodiacs in our bright red parkas and rubber boots to explore the continent. The onboard lecturers were superb, and everyone learned much about this mysterious continent and its wildlife inhabitants. (Oh, those darling penguins!)

Although most of the Hanseatic's cruises are marketed to the German-speaking, a few each year are bilingual such as ours was. Here is the list of the Hanseatic's 2007 bilingual cruises. Antarctica is on the list, but so is the warm South Pacific and the Arctic North. This ship is going to be busy next year!

Hanseatic at Deception Island in Antarctica (c) Linda Garrison

Discover the World's Only Five-Star Exploration Cruise Vessel in 2007
Hanseatic Presents Unique Combination of Adventure and Exploration With Luxury

Hamburg, GERMANY, July 2006 - If you appreciate five-star luxury, but you also want to discover the world by sea with a sense of adventure, 2007 is the year to consider a voyage on the MS Hanseatic. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' small and beautifully appointed expedition ship, which is only 402.9 feet long and accommodates only 184 passengers, was created to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings.

Most Americans who have experienced the Hanseatic have done so through trips featured by institutions such as The American Museum of Natural History of New York or Smithsonian. Now, because Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is offering a selection of fully bilingual itineraries in 2007, more Americans will have full access to this special ship that offers an exceptional and unique combination of adventure, opportunities for life-long learning, and luxury.

While known for its unsurpassed abilities to navigate and explore difficult waters of the Arctic and Antarctic waters due to its highest ice class for passenger vessels, Hanseatic cruises the world all year round, always landing in exceptional locations for exploration of nature, history, geography, and architecture. In recent years, it has visited the remote Gambia River, the Amazon River, crossed the famous North West Passage and sailed the South Seas. It also traveled classic cruise destinations such as the Baltic Sea, the East and West Mediterranean as well as the Caribbean. A shallow draft and high manoeuvrability allow the ship thereby to enter even into waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach.

Onboard lecturers, often distinguished experts on specific destinations, always provide thorough background on the destinations and recaps. Its 14 versatile zodiacs (small motorized boats) allow passengers to navigate closely to natural habitats and make shore landings in complete safety.

The bilingual itineraries on Hanseatic that are available in 2007 include:

• ANTARCTICA - from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires: February 25, 2007-March 17, 2007 including stops at Deception Island, Petermann Island, King George Island, South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, New Island, and Carcass Island along the way.
• SPITZBERGEN AND RUSSIAN WHITE SEA - from and to Tromsoe: June 30 - July 18, 2007 including stops in Hornsund, Ny-Alesund, Moellerhaven, Magdalenenfiord, Longyearbyen, Hopen, Russian White Sea with Murmansk, O. Anserski and O. Solowezki, Honningsvag/Norway along the way
• NORTHERN LIGHTS IN GREENLAND AND ICELAND - from Tromsoe to Kangerlussuaq: July 18-August 1, 2007 including stops at Jan Mayern, Akureyri, Isafjoerdur, Qaqortoq, Hvalsey, Paamiut, Nuuk, Sisimiut, and Aasiaat along the way.
• WESTERN ALASKA TO JAPAN - from Cold Bay to Tokyo: September 10 -30, 2007 including stops at Dutch Harbor, the Aleutian Islands, Bering Island, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Kunashir, and Hokkaido along the way
• SOUTH PACIFIC - from Noumea to Papeete: November 9-22, 2007 including stops at Ile des Pins, Fiji, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, and Bora Bora along the way.
• ANTARCTICA - from Ushuaia to Ushuaia: February 22-March 10, 2008 including stops at Petermann Island, Crystal Sound, Port Lockroy, Deception Island, Elephant Island, and Falkland Islands along the way.

For booking information, those interested should contact:

• Ingrid Schacht, Euro Lloyd Travel Group; Tel: 800-782-3924: Website: www.eurolloyd.com; E-mail: Ingrid@Eurolloyd.com

• Annemarie Victory, Annemarie Victory Organization, Inc., 136 East 64th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; Tel.: (212) 486-0353 / Fax: (212) 751-3149

• Chuck Cross, Expeditions, Inc., 20525 SE Dorchester Rd., Bend, OR 97702; Tel.: (541) 330-2454

• Lisa Wilson-Schmitt, Nonstop Travel, Alpine Village, 833 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite 111, Torrance, CA 90502, Tel. (310) 324-5500 / Fax: (310) 324-7623

Press Release Source: Lande Communications for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Dateline: July 2006