Five ships, five stars: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises once again named best fleet worldwide

Germany

The new edition of the Insight Guide Cruising & Cruise Ships (formerly Berlitz Cruise Guide) has been published.

The testers evaluated over 340 ships and gave all five of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' luxury and expedition ships top marks. For the second year in a row, the brand has secured five stars for all ships and bears the proud title of the "best fleet in the world".

The new Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships for 2025 has been published. In the 40th edition of the renowned travel guide for cruise ships and cruise experiences, the ships and shipping companies of the current cruise world were again examined and evaluated in all facets by independent testers. The Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet clearly led the field with five star rankings for all their ships.

From the fleet, the MS EUROPA 2 that has been named the “best ship in the world” again with the highest score of all ratings in the category of small ships (251-750 passengers), closely followed by its sister ship the MS EUROPA. Since their respective commissioning, both ships have set the top standard on the world's oceans in the luxury segment, defending their top positions unchallenged. In the category of boutique ships (50-250 guests), the three expedition ships shine with five stars each, led by the HANSEATIC nature, and the HANSEATIC spirit tied with her sister ship the HANSEATIC inspiration.

“These awards bear the name of the ships, but they represent every single crew member on board and on land, who deserve this recognition with their extraordinary dedication and professionalism. I am therefore very proud to thank them for their commitment. At the same time, this is an incentive for all of us at Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to continue to create an excellent travel experience for our guests now and in the future,” said Isolde Susset, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

“It is a great pleasure for me to once again award the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet top marks. Guests can expect a truly outstanding and unforgettable cruise experience on board these luxury and expedition ships and a quality of service that impresses with finesse and attention to detail.”, says Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2025 author and global expert on cruises and cruise ships Douglas Ward. He has completed more than 1,130 cruises, 160 transatlantic crossings as well as countless shipyard visits, ship christenings and maiden voyages.

Reservations: International guests, as well as travel agencies, can make use of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ free-of-charge phone numbers when requesting or booking a cruise. United Kingdom: 08000 513 829, United States & Canada: 877 445 7447, Belgium: 0800 79 421, Netherlands: 08000 220 459; all other countries, please call +49 40 30703070 (English-speaking hotline) – or send an email to service@hl-cruises.com or visit www.hl-cruises.com/contact/international-partners for local agents.