Cruising the Mediterranean - docking at exotic ports of call - Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez, Monaco, Genoa, San Remo and Portofino - sounds like a student travel dream come true. Sounds expensive.
Meet Easy Cruise, a discount Mediterranean cruise line touring European coasts (and now the Caribbean islands and the easy Cruise Brussels-Amsterdam ferry, too). Easy Cruise cabins start at less than 60 Euros per night (based on double occupancy). Sounds good!
How Easy Cruise Works
Easy Cruise trips differ from those of other discount European cruises in that you can hop on and off anywhere along the Easy Cruise Mediterranean route (two night minimum booking required - that means two nights in a row; you must return to the boat each night). Easy Cruise is a seven day meander leaving Nice, France, each Friday. You needn't leave from Nice, though - choose your embarkation port and book an EasyCruise online.These discount European cruises are a great lodging and transportation idea for non-tour group travel. Teachers can book a block of cabins; students can leave belongings on board while checking out the port towns, making logistics easy on the teacher. Passengers sleep while the ship shoots to the next destination: dare we say, "Easy?"
What's the Easy Cruise Ship Like?
Discount European cruises aren't totally Spartan with Easy Cruise: each Easy Cruise cabin has air conditioning, comfy beds and a wash basin, toilet, shower, towels and soap. Meals and beverages, including alcohol, are not included but may be purchased at a convenience store, two bars and a coffee shop. You'll start your Easy Cruise trip with a clean cabin; any other housekeeping must be paid for separately.No-frills does mean no pools or spas on the Lido deck. Easy Cruise is meant for young people* on a budget - if you fit that bill, you probably wouldn't fit in with passengers on an expensive cruise line hunting down seafood buffets and the shuffleboard court anyway.
Who Takes Easy Cruises?
*Easy Cruise defines "young people" thusly: minimum passenger age is 18; Easy Cruise says, "We have not, however, set a maximum age restriction, as people older than our target range (20-40 years old) might be young at heart!"Your EasyCruise shipmates will probably be under forty and planning for dawn patrol. Calm, quiet sea-gazing is not a big part of the EasyCruise magic; cosmos and moonlight deck dancing are more the order of the day (or evening).
The Easy Cruise Mediterranean Trip Details
The Easy Cruise ship usually pulls into port about 1:00 p.m. and you're then free to disembark and explore, eat and frolic until 4:00 a.m. when you must be back on board - 4:00 a.m. is the witching hour and the boat will leave without you and with your gear. On the first day of your cruise, check in between 3:00 p.m. and midnight (my advice - check in at 3:00 p.m. so you can stow your stuff and grab 13 hours onshore).Read EasyCruise's FAQ carefully. You'll find links to port city maps as well as regulations you'll need to know; for instance, no guests are allowed aboard the ship and - backpackers carrying cookware take note - you must check household cutlery.
A last tip: remember that you will be on the Easy Cruise boat for at least eight or nine hours between ports. If your budget doesn't allow for chowing in the onboard coffee shop, bring energy bars or other non-perishable foods with you (refrigeration is not available).
Easy Cruise Mediterranean Itinerary
EasyCruise's European ports of call:
- Friday: Nice
- Saturday: Cannes
- Sunday: San Tropez
- Monday: Monaco
- Tuesday: Genoa
- Wednesday: Portofino
- Thursday: Imperia (for San Remo)
- Friday: Nice
EasyCruise the Caribbean
EasyCruise also offers a sunny Caribbean trip -- so cheap it's almost like a floating hotel. The Caribbean itinerary: Barbados, St. Vincent, Martinique, the Grenadines, Grenada and St. Lucia. All for $16.20 per night. Caribbean cruises work just like the company's Mediterranean trips, though onboard hours are a bit longer.
More Easy Travel Options
Want to know more about easy.com's no-frills world domination? Check out these orange (easy.com's signature color) deals.
"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe." --Anatole France
