Bare Bones Cruise Ship

Found this article about a bare bones cruise ship.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...y?coll=3Dla-t=
ravel-headlines&ctrack=3D1&cset=3Dtrue

May 29, 2005

A EUROPEAN UPSTARTNew kid on the Med=B7 Hop on, hop off. Everything is
a la carte with a new low-cost cruise line based on the Riviera.By
Susan Spano, Times Staff WriterNext to the sleek sailboats and fat-cat
yachts on the C=F4te d'Azur, easyCruiseOne looks like a big, orange
rubber ducky in search of a tub.Beautiful it is not, but easyCruiseOne
has other virtues, starting with its gold-plated French and Italian
Riviera itinerary, which I sampled on its second sailing after its
launch this month. The cruise ship, started by the same "serial
entrepreneur" who created EasyJet airline, calls at a different port on
the fabled Mediterranean coast every day of the week. On Fridays, it
calls at Nice, Saturdays at Cannes, Sundays at St.-Tropez; followed by
Monte Carlo in the principality of Monaco on Mondays. After that, the
ugly orange boat crosses to Italy to visit Genoa (Tuesdays), Portofino
(Wednesdays) and Imperia (Thursdays). Then the schedule is
repeated.ADVERTISEMENT

Easy's idiosyncratic approach to cruising is another attraction.
Instead of being locked into one- and two-week itineraries, as they are
on most cruises, passengers can join the ship or leave it at any stop
they like, as long as they stay on board for at least two nights.Also,
unlike most cruise ships, which dock early in the morning,
easyCruiseOne pulls up around noon and stays in port until the next
morning so shore visitors can see the sights, go to the beach, and eat,
drink and make merry until the sidewalks are rolled up. And perhaps
most important, Easy's fares are not inclusive. That may not sound like
an incentive to cruise devotees who are used to paying one price for
everything. On Easy, shipboard activities, meals, even daily room
cleaning aren't part of the package, just accommodations and
transportation. The upside: Prices are low compared with most cruises,
partly because of Easy's reliance on Internet booking instead of travel
agents. Twin-bedded cabins start at $50 a night, although rates vary
throughout the cruising season. During the Cannes Film Festival this
month, when the French Riviera was booked tight and hotel rooms cost a
small fortune, I stayed on the ship for four nights for about $425 (and
there was no single supplement, an added boon for the solo
traveler).Transportation to and from the ship is not included, so I
booked an EasyJet flight from Paris, where I live, to Nice for about
$125 one way. After arriving at the airport, I followed instructions
from the cruise line on getting to the ship by public bus. The cost:
about $5. *Bare-bones roomsPainted emergency-life-jacket orange,
emblazoned with the company's Web address, easyCruiseOne wasn't hard to
spot in Nice's pretty port, east of the old town. The ship was built in
1990 and began life as the Renaissance II, but it got a top-to-bottom
refurbishment last year, transforming the once luxury-class vessel into
a ship for the masses. It has a reception area, convenience store and
sun deck with a hot tub but no pool. There's a cafe on Deck 3 and a
sports bar on Deck 4, where passengers pay for meals as they go, using
credit cards issued at check-in. Eighty-two cabins and four suites are
scattered over four decks, accommodating 170 passengers.As on the
outside, everything inside is enervating orange, which is why I packed
eyeshades (and earplugs for good measure). My third-deck cabin was the
cookie-cutter clone of every other twin-bedded chamber on board: Aside
from two mattresses on a platform that were covered with soft white
comforters, there was no furniture. It also lacked windows, pictures
and lamps. There were no cupboards or closets, only a few hooks and
hangers, so my clothing and gear tended to accumulate in piles on the
cold metal floor. Greek entrepreneur and Easy founder Stelios
Haji-Ioannou calls it "minimalist chic." I call it early college dorm
=E0 l'orange.Either way, bare-bones doubles like mine - about 100
square feet - are not for the claustrophobic. The suites at $280 a
night are roomier (about 220 square feet) and have terraces. Part of
the space is taken up by the bathroom, a glass-enclosed rectangle
containing a shower, sink and commode. The loos are surprisingly
functional, even though the floor stays wet because the shower doesn't
have a door. You can get fresh towels for $6 a day or a complete cabin
cleaning for $17.While the ship was being refitted in Singapore,
Stelios (as he likes to be called) slept in one of the twin-bedded
rooms and, at a March news conference in London, proclaimed it
palatable. He was on board during the first few nights of my mid-May
stay, holding court on the sun deck. But the baby-faced, 38-year-old
tycoon lives in Monaco, where he undoubtedly has access to more upscale
accommodations. You've got to hand it to him, though. Scion of a Greek
shipping family, educated at the London School of Economics, Stelios
has made a career of launching feisty start-up companies - EasyWatch,
EasyMobile, EasyInternetcaf=E9, EasyPizza. Like EasyJet, these companies
undercut the competition, driving consumer prices down. Bored on a
Caribbean cruise a few years ago, he created EasyCruise to attract
young budget travelers, with whom he plans to fill a gap in the
traditionally oldster-oriented cruise market.*Not your average
passengerAt first, the ship was full of reporters and photographers,
interviewing and taking pictures of one another. Gradually, though, the
media left and Easy's true beneficiaries started boarding. It did my
populist heart good to see American college students in T-shirts and
flip-flops, a middle-aged English couple uncorking a bottle of wine
purchased at a grocery store on shore, and two young English women
right out of "Bridget Jones's Diary," dressed to the nines for a night
at Monaco's Monte Carlo Casino. The average Easy cruiser is 35,
preliminary reports from the cruise line say, which is 15 years younger
than the average American cruise-ship passenger.About half the
passengers who booked in the spring were from Britain, where Easy has
been heavily advertised, 13% were from the U.S., and the rest were from
30 other countries, including Germany, Italy, Australia and Canada.Like
other new arrivals, I settled into my cabin, explored the ship and then
went ashore for a walk in Nice, the lovely capital of the C=F4te d'Azur,
discovered in the early 1800s by wan English sun-seekers. Queen
Victoria and her playboy son, Prince Bertie (later King Edward VII),
were frequent visitors, and British residents paid for the construction
of the town's lovely waterfront park, known as the Promenade des
Anglais. I climbed to the top of the Colline du Ch=E2teau promontory for
the view, window-shopped in the old town, sat at a sidewalk cafe
drinking a $10 gin and tonic. Later, I had a four-course prix fixe
Italian dinner at La Zucca Magica near the port, which cost about $50
with a half carafe of the house red wine and bottled water. Prices are
high on the Riviera, which is why many Easy cruisers eat in the ship's
sports bar, where the food is reasonably tasty and inexpensive. A glass
of wine costs about $4, a cheeseburger platter $8, a full English
breakfast about $9.50. Late at night, a DJ spins loud pop tunes. Once,
I saw a woman boogie across the dance floor, but if any more partying
than that took place while I was on board, I wasn't aware of it.As it
turns out, the Bridget Joneses were in the cabin next to mine. It was a
good thing I had my earplugs because the ship is poorly soundproofed
and they seemed to have a lot to talk about when they returned from
shore excursions, generally around 4 a.m. I was on the sun deck early
the next morning to see the ship leave Nice, headed for Cannes.
Cigarette butts and empty wine glasses around the hot tub suggested
that someone had been up late. But at 7 a.m., I was alone as a pilot
boat came alongside to guide the ship out of the port, into the
beautiful Baie des Anges. The sun was shining, and the wind was in my
hair. It was then that I remembered the real excitement of cruising -
the vibration and hum of the engine, the sight of the port turning
toy-sized as we retreated from shore.Wobbly and bleary-eyed, passengers
started showing up in the cafe for cappuccinos and croissants around 10
a=2Em. Some moved from there to the sun deck for a soak in the hot tub.
But with no entertainment or planned activities, there was nothing much
to do beyond attending the obligatory lifeboat drill.Around noon, we
were greeted in Cannes by a black sailboat bearing the Hugo Boss logo,
doing figure eights around easyCruiseOne, and yachts almost as big as
the cruise ship presumably inhabited by celebs. At the reception desk I
found a map of Cannes but no information about the film festival.
Fortunately, I knew about the tourist bureau at the Palais des
Festivals near the dock, which I visited after taking a tender to
shore. If you don't have an official Cannes Film Festival badge
admitting you to screenings, you may as well be scrounging in ashtrays
for half-smoked cigarettes. But at the tourist bureau, I discovered
that people without festival accreditation could buy tickets for a
director's showcase film series in a theater just off the waterfront
Boulevard de la Croisette, which is how I managed to see the new Matt
Dillon movie "Factotum" that afternoon. The famous Croisette was a
gallery of gigantic motion-picture posters, jammed with limos and
sports cars, gawkers and film people rushing from flick to flick,
mobile phones plastered to their faces, saying things like, "Oh,
bummer. I have to leave 'Star Wars' early to make the Paris Hilton
party." The doorman at the Louis Vuitton store looked like Richard
Gere, and I'm pretty sure I spotted Danny Glover on the terrace at the
landmark Carlton Hotel, which was so crowded that I couldn't find a
table. It was a scene I'm glad to have experienced, though for me, once
was enough. Back on the ship, I had a late dinner in the sports bar -
the filling fajita platter for about $10 - and got to know my waiter,
a nice young man from Goa, India. The ship's 54 crew members were an
international mix, including an English captain and Filipino
housekeepers. They all spoke variously accented English and were
enthusiastic, like the staff of a semiprofessional summer theater. At
my cabin door one night, a staff member came up behind me and said,
"Boo." I shrieked, then laughed. "Scared you, didn't I?" he said,
making his way down the hall.I didn't mind the crew's lack of starch
and polish, but I was more annoyed by such glitches as the out-of-order
elevator and skittishly flushing toilets. When the ship couldn't dock
in port, tenders to shore were crowded and infrequent. There were no
telephones or computers. Not to mention the total lack of furnishing
and d=E9cor, especially apparent on the sun deck, which had just two
tables and about 10 hardwood chaise longues, sans cushions. The day
before I left, I was pleased to see a staff member hanging photos in
the hall, but there was just a handful of selections so I kept seeing
the same vintage print of C=F4te d'Azur sunbathers every time I turned a
corner.*Hits and missesSome of these problems will probably be remedied
as the cruising season continues. A more pressing concern is the need
for better information about portside activities, events and logistics.
A few shore excursions - walking tours, visits to wineries, a
helicopter ride - were offered, but during my stay the trips were
canceled because there weren't enough takers. Budget travelers tend to
be resourceful, but passengers I talked to coming back from shore
seemed to have missed interesting sights, suggesting that they didn't
know how to make the best use of their time in port. Before
disembarking in the sun-struck fishing village of St.-Tropez, they
would have benefited from knowing some of the things I discovered on my
own, such as the operating hours of the marvelous Annunciation Museum,
full of French Post-Impressionist paintings, and where to rent a bike
for a ride to the beach through the pretty Proven=E7al countryside.On my
own in Monaco, I learned where to see the late Prince Rainier III's
incredible collection of vintage cars and that on weekdays after 6 p.m.
entrance is free at the glorious Belle =C9poque casino.Such a small
effort would make easyCruiseOne seem less like a ferry, which is how
seasoned cruise lovers are likely to see it. I expect people who have
no cruising experience or expectations will be more receptive. So too
will those who have tried cruise vacations before and come away
unenthralled by Vegas-style entertainment, round-the-clock gorging and
canned shore excursions.Call it what you like - ferry or cruise ship
- easyCruiseOne gives hoi polloi a chance to see the ritzy C=F4te
d'Azur, with minimum expense and maximum flexibility. I'd welcome more
big orange boats calling along Spain's Costa Brava, hopping among the
Greek islands, steaming through the Panama Canal - a whole gaggle of
them, in fact, opening up otherwise tough territories for budget
travelers.*(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) Easy access to the Riviera GETTING
THENice airport provides access to easyCruiseOne in St.-Tropez, Nice
and Cannes in France, and Monaco. From LAX, connecting service (change
of planes) is available on Aer Lingus, Air France, British, KLM,
Lufthansa and Swiss. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $917. To
Genoa, connecting service is offered on Air Canada, Air France, KLM and
Lufthansa. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,060. Be sure to
check low-cost European airlines as well if you're staying elsewhere.
For a list, see
http://www.johnnyjet.com/popup/europ...tairlines.html .
ITINERARY:EasyCruiseOne visits St.-Tropez, France, on Sundays; Monaco
on Mondays; Genoa, Italy, on Tuesdays; Portofino, Italy, on Wednesdays;
Imperia, Italy, on Thursdays; Nice, France, on Fridays; and Cannes,
France, on Saturdays.RATES AND BOOKING:Prices fluctuate during the
cruising season, based on demand, generally ranging from $50 (two-bed
cabin) to about $280 (two-bed suite) per night, per cabin, including
accommodations and transportation only. Though some travel agents
handle reservations for easyCruiseOne, passengers are encouraged to
make reservations on the Internet, http://www.easycruise.com ; for
inquiries, 011-44-1895-651-191.TO LEARN MOFrench Government Tourist
Office, (410) 286-8310 (for brochures) or (310) 271-6665,
http://www.franceguide.com/us . Italian Government Tourist Office,
(310) 820-1898, http://www.italiantourism.com . - Susan Spano

Another link to a different story:

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/thep...87f579c&page=3

Thus spake :

Another link to a different story:

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/thep...87f579c&page=3

And you just thought you were being nickel & dimed.

Easy has a definite "cheap" clientle. But I've so much bitching about
the service they get on the airline. A friend said "I was half
expecting to be asked to haul my suitcase to the baggage compartment".

Basically, you get what you pay for. If you want a youth hostel on a
ship, that's what you get.

--
dillon
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

wrote:
Found this article about a bare bones cruise ship.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...ck=1&cset=true


Like Nice to Cannes is a real cruise.
Does the ship cruise all night, or does it just go direct for the 20 or
so miles and then just stop?
It sounds more like a floating hotel that just moves a short distance up
the coast.