Winters in Europe to private jet sky-cruises, Hapag-Lloyd celebrates 125 years of pleasure

The flagship of the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft company – HAPAG – would dock for the winter until that year, when general director Albert Ballin proposed sending it to southern Europe.

Augusta Victoria departed from Cuxhaven in Germany on January 22, 1891, for a round-trip cruise with a 245-strong crew and 174 guests.

Now renamed Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, the company offers luxurious small-ship itineraries on MS Europa and MS Europa 2 to Europe and the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Far East as well as luxury expedition cruises on MS Hanseatic and MS Bremen to the Arctic and Antarctic, the Amazon, South Seas and Chilean fjords on its two expedition ships.