MS Europa 2

MS Europa 2 is a cruise ship operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, a German-based cruise line. She entered service in May 2013.

Concept and construction Europa 2 was built at the STX Europe shipyard at St-Nazaire, France. Her first steel was cut on 5 September 2011, the keel was laid on 1 March 2012 and she was launched on 6 July 2012. On 29 April 2013, the vessel was handed over to Hapag Lloyd, with Wolfgang Flägel, managing director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Laurent Castaing, general manager of STX France, signing the takeover protocol. She was christened on 10 May 2013, during the 824th Hamburg Port anniversary.

Public areas Europa 2 is intended to convey a more relaxing atmosphere than that of her more traditional fleet mate, the . She has the greatest space per passenger of any cruise ship, with contemporary decor.

The art collection aboard Europa 2 is one of the largest at sea, with 890 originals commissioned exclusively for the vessel. The collection's focus is on contemporary pieces; it includes works by Ólafur Elíasson, David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Adam Fuss and Hans Hartung.

Facilities

Europa 2 has 251 passenger cabins, seven restaurants and six bars, a pool, a gym, a spa and two golf simulators.

The option to plugin whilst in port (and turnoff the engines) was added in 2020 (known as cold ironing)

Service history Europa 2's 14-night maiden voyage departed from Hamburg, Germany, and stopped at Amsterdam, Antwerp, Honfleur, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Bilbao, Leixões and Lisbon. The vessel has since been named the number-one cruise ship in the world by the Berlitz Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships, replacing her fleetmate, , which had held that distinction for more than a decade.

MS Europa 2

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