Plantours announces Hamburg’s return with sailing from SevillePlantours announces Hamburg’s return with sailing from Seville

Sailing August 10-21, the 400-passenger vessel will sail Seville to Piraeus calling Marbella, Almeria, Formentera and Malta.

Voyages in the Aegean will follow, before a repositioning cruise that will see Hamburg depart from Piraeus bound for Kiel on September 27. 

Back in home waters, the vessel will sail a further itinerary from Kiel to Hamburg calling Denmark, Stralsund, Travemünde, and Heligoland. 

The vessel will leave Hamburg southbound on October 19; the line aims to return to its original schedule in the same month and commence a 64-day itinerary from Hamburg to Antarctica.  

Itineraries off the beaten track – and no ‘blue cruises’

Plantours' MD Oliver Steuber said on June 29 that sales have been 'thoroughly positive' for what is Germany's smallest ocean cruise ship, in particular as Plantours will continue operating itineraries off the beaten track and refrain from ‘blue cruises’ that are devoid of port calls. 

New routes replacing Great Lakes and Greenland itineraries  

Originally, the Hamburg had been scheduled to operate itineraries around Britain, to Iceland and Greenland and to the Great Lakes this summer. Aegean, and West and North Europe sailings now replace those.  

Plantours, which has not been present in the Med for several years, will aim to visit 13 Greek islands in just 11 days having chosen South Europe to relaunch its operations - and present the upgraded Hamburg to the wider market, as well as its German source market. 

Modernisation at Blohm + Voss

Shortly after the pandemic started, Plantours awarded Blohm + Voss, Hamburg with an extensive contract worth several million euros that included refreshing the vessel’s public rooms and installing new lowerable panoramic windows. 

The work was originally set to be carried out at a Portuguese shipyard but transferred to Blohm + Voss at the last minute; in summer 2020, the ship was eventually transferred to Portugal for layup at Setubal. 

Hamburg has not sailed with passengers since the modernisation.