Advisors visit luxury ship Hanseatic Spirit in Vancouver

The expedition cruise ship Hanseatic Spirit is now sailing through the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic, enroute to Greenland, but it was recently in Vancouver as its point of embarkation.

That gave a group of cruise travel specialists the opportunity to board the ship for a tour of its impressive facilities, which have been designed to transport a relatively small number of passengers into challenging polar waters, in comfortable luxury.

Baxter Media western Canada editor Ted Davis was onboard for the tour as well. 

This also served as a preview for the planned visit of the Spirit’s sister ship, the Hanseatic Inspiration, which is scheduled to sail from Vancouver next July (July 28, 2025) on the Alaska/Northwest Passage/Greenland route. Both are under the flag of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Staterooms now available for booking

Staterooms are now being sold for that July 28 departure, as well as shorter itineraries between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska in 2026.

Although this will be the third year for a Hanseatic ship to visit Vancouver, it will be the first that offers bilingual English-German services. Only the Inspiration features this service. Otherwise, the Spirit, Inspiration and Hanseatic Nature are identical.

 “German speaking guests are avid explorers and seem to repeat their travels with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises as well as do back to back itineraries,” said Edith Beaudoin of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in Vancouver. The expedition ships are small and built for polar regions, so they can go to places that others can’t, she said.

About Hanseatic sailings

The Hanseatic trio of ships each have a passenger capacity of just 230 people (housed in a selection of 120 outside cabins/suites), and are relative feather weights, at just 15,650 gross tonnes. But they are heavyweights in terms of their ability to weather rough waters and ice, and have specifications that allow them to navigate through both Arctic and Antarctic waters.

Those seeking such an adventure can, for example, consider the so-called “emperor’s route” of Antarctic cruises. This one sails between Ushuaia, Argentina and Christchurch, New Zealand, from Jan. 28 to Mar. 2, 2025 (32 days). “It is a very unique itinerary that not many expedition operators do,” said Beaudoin. She noted that an extra 4% commission is being offered to advisors who book this cruise (INS2502) before Sept. 30 this year

For more information, visit www.hl-cruises.com.