Trip Bacon — The secret ingredient to the perfect getaway logo

I Cruised The World's Top-Rated Line No-One Knows About

Tips For Travellers
Tips For Travellers
🥈Expert
👁️ 109K views📅 2 years ago⏱️ 14:02

Key Moments

Editorial Summary

The creator evaluates Hapag Lloyd, a German cruise line partially owned by Royal Caribbean, to determine if its high ratings translate to a quality experience for English speakers. Traveling on the expedition ship HX Inspiration to the Canadian Arctic, the creator explores the challenges of navigating a primarily German-speaking environment. While the crew made efforts to accommodate English speakers through bilingual announcements and translated ear pieces, the creator experienced feelings of isolation during excursions and informal social interactions. The review covers several key aspects of the cruise, including the service style, which was found to be more informal than expected, and the ship design, described as having a modern Scandinavian aesthetic. The creator also examines the food, noting that while German influences exist, the cuisine is largely international and high quality. Although the pay-as-you-go model for amenities like Wi-Fi and drinks differs from some American lines, the creator concludes that the line is worth trying for travelers with the appropriate budget who are willing to step outside their comfort zone.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.

How This Review Compares

This review's score for Crystal Cruises
No strong opinion
All-time creator consensus for Crystal Cruises
A Nibble

This review is more critical than the all-time creator consensus.

What This Creator Said
Creator RecommendsFull Ship Review🥈Expert Creator
🧍 Best for SoloOtherVeteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

the cruise Bible the authoritative berlet's complete guide to cruising and cruise ships has for years said this line has the very best ships in the world

I did feel that they tried really hard to make me feel included to make us English speakers feel welcome

the food was great the main dining room was really good had really attentive service

I do think they are really worth a try now if you want to push yourself out of a comfort zone and you have the budget

Creator's Tips & Advice

Go with a traveling companion or group of friends to avoid isolation on foreign language lines
Be prepared for a pay-as-you-go mindset for Wi-Fi and drinks

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Feeling like a second-class citizen as an English speakerThe crew tries hard to include English speakers, but traveling with companions helps
Food being overly GermanCuisine is mostly international with some German influence, and food quality is high

Questions This Creator Answers

QIs Hapag Lloyd worth the premium price despite being a lesser-known line?
QHow does the bilingual experience affect an English-speaking cruiser?
QWhat is the food and service like on a German-focused luxury line?

Topics Covered

Ship Condition2 Happy BaconKids Family3 Happy BaconService Crew2 Happy BaconValue Pricing1 Happy BaconWifi Connectivity1 Sad BaconDrink Package1½ Sad BaconItinerary Route2½ Happy BaconLanguage Isolation2 Sad Bacon

Port Highlights

Canadian Arctic2½ Happy Bacon
Greenland2½ Happy Bacon
Top: Zodiac ride around the Cocer Bay Glacier
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology

Video content sourced from the creator's original upload. Watch on YouTube