A Spectacular Serving of Culinary Excellence

Hamburg, Germany, March, 2005 – If you didn’t know you could reach Gourmet Heaven by ship, look again, as two “peak experience” gourmet happenings take place in June and July aboard Hapag-Lloyd’s MS EUROPA, while sailing through Europe. Named by Berlitz Publishing’s Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005 as the #1 ship in the world for the last five years, MS EUROPA is known not only for its superb cuisine and service, but for its imaginative events.

According to Managing Director Sebastian Ahrens, it is Hapag-Lloyd’s objective to continually provide unparalleled food and service. While cuisine takes center stage every day of the year, two days this summer are of particular interest to epicureans who are hungry for an inimitable, world-class culinary experience.

EUROPA’S BEST. Sailing Lisbon-Hamburg, June 15-24, MS EUROPA will be in dock at Amsterdam, Netherlands on June 22 when a stellar line-up of Europe’s best chefs, masters of wine, and chocolatiers will gather aboard to present their delicacies to passengers and other guests. They will line-up for a “gourmet mile” on the Lido Deck. Participants will include: Dieter Koschina of Portugal; Karlheinz Hauser of Hamburg, Germany; Rudolf and Karl Obauer of Austria; Guy Martin of France; Fromagier Phillippe Olivier of France; Chocolatiers Neuhaus of Brussels; Chocolatiers Imperial of Vienna; Wine growers Leonardo Frescobaldi, Wilhelm Haag, La Flevle; and Karl-Heinz Wolf presents the Champagne “Bollinger”. Performing artists will include the legendary Magic Platters (“Under the Boardwalk”, “Only You”) and the showband Sonic Pearls. The night will end with a fireworks display.

BIG EUROPA EVENT, 2005. Sailing from Travemuende to Kiel, July 6-10, MS EUROPA will have a special event in Heiligendamm on July 9. The first event of its kind, a gathering of renowned winegrowers especially selected by the wine experts of Hapag-Lloyd will present their rare, large-sized (27 liters) bottles and offer tastings to the passengers. Some of the bottles will later be offered by auction. Music and fireworks will crown the event.

These events are but two examples of many events to come, and they illustrate how MS EUROPA makes food into a significant experience. Every day is a dining extravaganza on MS EUROPA, and it’s a key element that helped this ship earn its reputation for its Five-Stars-Plus rating, in which cruise critic Douglas Ward summarized overall dining experience that is “simply superb.”

Onboard are four restaurants, and fare includes Haute Cuisine, Euro-Asian and Italian, as well as the Lido Café – with a new open-air kitchen where chefs provide cooking lessons.
MS EUROPA’s 33 cooks are headed onboard by its executive chefs Fritz Pichler and Peter Springer. Guest chefs with Michelin star ratings have included French Jean-Paul Bourgueil, Swiss Reto Mathis, and German Harald Wohlfahrt. It’s MS EUROPA’s policy to cater to guests’ every whim, and this is especially true with food. If you have a dietary restriction, a whim for a special dish, or you even want to have your supper on the deck, MS EUROPA staff will graciously accommodate.