Hapag-Lloyd’s new ship goes bilingual

Unique in the German line’s trio of boutique expedition ships, Hanseatic Inspiration is bilingual – 
meaning all crew, expedition leaders and guides also speak English, with menus printed in English, and lectures, port talks and excursions also conducted in the language.

The line could also open a dedicated UK sales office in the “next two to three years”, it says, if the UK market starts to grow.

“Going forward, over the next two to three years, depending on the increase in ex-UK volume, we will look at our sales structure with the possibility of a dedicated UK office,” Michael Steffl, head of international sales, told TTG during a two-night preview cruise from Hamburg to Antwerp.

He admitted Hapag-Lloyd Cruises currently has low brand awareness in the UK when it comes to expedition cruising but insisted the size of the ships was “our trump card”.

“From a revenue perspective, international passengers currently account for 10 to 15% on our cruises, of which 30% comes from the UK,” he said.