Europa in Sydney
This is a ship that exudes old-world class and understated style and our tour certainly started on the right note as cruise direct
New Spa Suite
or Alexander Thurein offered us glasses of champagne as soon as we stepped on board. “Prost!” Europa takes a maximum 408 passengers and while the ship is German, all staff speak fluent English and on any cruise when the majority of guests are English-speakers, the ship turns bi-lingual. Culture is key on board Europa; you can enjoy young opera singers’ competitions, mini-Viennese Opera Balls, classical and contemporary music concerts. There are two Steinways on board – we saw the resident piano tuner doing his stuff on one while the passengers were offshore, strolling through Sydney. Regular art exhibitions are held in what was once the casino – there can’t be many cruise ships in the world where the casino was closed due to lack of interest! And you can rest assured that there are no art auctions here. Traditional German culture extends to a nude sunbathing area on Deck 11, KKK (‘free body culture’); the ‘strandkorb’ beach basket chairs; the very cool Sansibar; and a fabulously atmospheric cigar bar. Aficionados of traditional Bavarian food can get their fix at the Lido Cafe but the cuisine served in the other three restaurants is very haute Continental. Gerd Wilmer of Landmark Travel, our host for the day who happens to be an expert in German wines, says the wine list is second to none. You do pay for wines and spirits, but beer is considered a soft drink and is therefore included in the tariff. Europa is 10 years old and all the suites were refurbished six months ago, so the decor, furniture and fittings are fresh, modern – and of course, extremely luxurious. She’s off on her world cruise now and bookings are hard to come by. However, you may not have to miss out: in 2012 a new Europa will be launched.
–Sally Macmillan, editor, Cruise Passenger magazine
Cruises Australia