On 29 April 2013, the vessel was handed over to Hapag Lloyd, with Wolfgang Flägel, managing director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Laurent Castaing, general manager of STX France, signing the takeover protocol.

[6] The art collection aboard Europa 2 is one of the largest at sea, with 890 originals commissioned exclusively for the vessel.

The collection's focus is on contemporary pieces; it includes works by Ólafur Elíasson, David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Adam Fuss and Hans Hartung.

[5] Europa 2 has 251 passenger cabins, seven restaurants and six bars, a 15-metre-long (49 ft) pool, a gym, a spa and two golf simulators.

[7][8][9][10] Europa 2's 14-night maiden voyage departed from Hamburg, Germany, and stopped at Amsterdam, Antwerp, Honfleur, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Bilbao, Leixões and Lisbon.