On Friday July 6, four months after the keel was laid, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa 2 left the drydock at the STX France shipyard in St Nazaire. In a festive ceremony, the drydock was flooded and the new addition to the Hapag-Lloyd fleet took to the water for the first time. Now that the Europa 2 has left the drydock, the next construction stage has begun – the interior outfitting.
The new ship has 251 all-balcony suites, eight restaurants and a modern theatre as well as bars, lounges and public areas. Some 835 shipyard workers are involved in building the new ship – until delivery in the spring of 2013. They will dedicate around 2.5 million hours of labour to the project, and 10,000 tonnes of steel have already gone into the Europa 2. She is expected to be delivered to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises at the end of April 2013 and her 14-day maiden voyage from Hamburg to Lisbon will take place from 11 until 25 May 2013.
The new sister ship of Europa will be positioned in the luxury segment as a lifestyle-oriented, casual alternative. Europa 2 will offer a maximum of 516 guests more space per passenger than any other cruise liner, in all-balcony suites. All the suites have a veranda and a minimum size of 280 square feet. Eight restaurants and six bars offer culinary diversity, and a large spa and fitness area take into account the trend towards health and well-being.
Source: http://hapaglloydcruises.wordpress.com/