We were on the Europa2 from Curacao to Havana Suite 669. This is a relatively small ship, beautifully designed with open spaces and many artworks decorating the walls. Cabins are spacious and include a dressing room and/or a separate toilet and all come with a balcony. The ship offers a culinary experience with 7 top class restaurants to choose from, ranging from Japanese, Asian, French to Italian. Most personnel is quite young, extremely friendly and helpful and bilingual German/English. The atmosphere is relaxed: no formal nights and only a jacket is desirable for gentlemen at dinner. There is no daily service charge and there is an opportunity given to visit the bridge.

Embarkation went very smoothly and the welcome included a well-staged reception with champagne. Medical service was excellent. For all these cruising aspects I would rate it 5+. Where it faltered a bit, at least on this trip, is the entertainment section that was nearly exclusively musical (although it included a well appreciated classical concert) and the lectures which were well below par for the English speaking passengers because they were given in Gerglish and lacked inspiration. As we were on a group tour with its own shore excursions I cannot really comment on those, although other non-German speaking passengers complained about the language and the price/quality of the tours (perhaps partly due to the generally limited highlights in the islands visited – Cuba excepted). Overall I would rate it a solid 5 if you are German, Austrian or Swiss and a 4.5 for those not so Goethe minded.