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Originally posted by CGT:
Sleeping on the floor on a freaking futon? Oh man...

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Now don't be too critical, easyCruise has several similarities with some of the finest luxury ships in the world! After all, doesn't ASUKA have a tatami room ?

[ 06-11-2003: Message edited by: cruiseny ]

The renditions are still a bit unclear (at first I thought it where top views and did not understand) I think the toilet will be closed off (they better be) but the pictures don’t show clearly, probably the renditions are purely to indicate how the modular system works!

Pam could you post the earl of the site? I would like to see more of the concept.

Though I think I would not travel whit Easy Cruise (still a wrong name) as a designer I’m quite interested in it and if the product will work. I think there will surely be an audience for this kind of product especially if the product is clearly described what one can expect and what not.

In many cruise reviews you can read that the cabin is only for showering, changing and sleeping and most time is spend out of your cabin. So why not get rid of all the extra’s and make it minimal as possible so that it can provide the soul purpose of cabins. (still it is better then third class cabins old style) The cleaning your self part is only implemented to save on their own budget which else would be spend at a full cleaning staff, and what is £20, if it is that much of a deal to clean once own mess then pay the cleaning fee.

Stelios is going back to his maritime roots by launching a cruise line that will operate in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. easyCruise will adopt all of the easyGroup principles by eliminating frills and unbundling the package which currently exists in the industry. In addition the best prices will be available to customers who book at www.easyCruise.com on the basis of the earlier you book the less you pay and with peak periods costing more than off-peak periods.

At present the cruise industry is an all expenses paid trip which lasts a week (or specified length of time) where passengers embark at point A and then get off at point A at the end of the cruise. The result is that the cruise industry appeals only to wealthier, older customers who have time on their hands.

easyCruise will un-bundle this package and offer rooms on board the ship on a night by night basis, so that customers can cruise for as many or as few days and nights as they wish. If customers want a meal or a drink they will be able to purchase these services from on board concessionaires. Bedding and toiletries will be available for purchase for those customers who do not bring their own.

Rooms will be made of pre-fabricated fibreglass units as can be seen in the architect's plans (above). Each room has a shower unit, a lavatory and bedding units which will use the Japanese tatami style of floor-based mattresses. Single rooms will have one less bedding unit than double rooms and will measure 90 square feet. Due to their fibreglass construction and rounded edges without corners, the easyCruise rooms will be much easier to clean. easyCruise customers who clean their own rooms will benefit financially, but for those customers who do not wish to clean their room easyCruise will do it for them at a cost of £20. The design of the fibreglass rooms will be used first in the easyDorm project on dry land before being incorporated in the easyCruise project.

easyCruise is currently under development at the easyGroup. It will follow easyBus, easyPizza and easyDorm so the earliest date for launch will be the summer of 2004. Any new information will be posted on this website.

Source: http://www.easygroup.co.uk/easyCruise/

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When I first looked at the above images, I thought it was a spoof! In fact I’m still not sure? This idea is so radical and against the grain it will either be a tremendous flop or big success!

Just about every cruise line on the planet sells their product based on the image of luxury. Even budget lines claim comfortable accommodation and fine food. Even ferries have raised their standards to be more luxurious.

It certainly is not aimed at those people who are already regular cruisers (cruisetalkers!). This concept ‘dumb-downs’ the whole idea, a kind of floating youth hostel? Maybe, just maybe it will find a new and profitable market niche, maybe it will not?

P.S. Where does one hang ones Tux in these cabins?

[ 06-12-2003: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Onno:

....and what is £20, if it is that much of a deal to clean once own mess then pay the cleaning fee.

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Clean my own room?...dream on.

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You'll never see any Americans or Canadians on that ship

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I'm an American, and I wouldn't count me out. In fact, hearing all of the negative comments almost makes me more interested. If you've seen "Music Man", maybe you'll remember where he responds to all of the criticism of Iowa by saying “Gentlemen, you intrigue me. I’ll have to give Iowa a try”.

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Sleeping on the floor on a freaking futon?

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I've slept on the floor on a freaking futon in a very nice inn in Japan, and it didn't bother me at all. Actually, I prefer an upper berth; when one's available, I always claim it.

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With the £29 basic fee, that's £39 per night each

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Are we sure of that? First, is the cleaning fee a daily thing, or just once at the end like it is with easyCar? Second, I wouldn't assume that you couldn't get a cruise for less than £29 per day; easyCar is into yield management in a big way, and I've seen cars offered for far below the list rate (as little as £6 per day depending on the date and location). In fact, Malcolm's quote above mentions getting lower rates farther in advance and for off-peak travel.

Maybe you have to pay £20 to share a shower?

[ 06-12-2003: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

*So what ship will have these cells installed, the SS Alcatraz?

*You don't get a cruise director, you get a head of the 'escape committe'.

*If you clean your cabin well, you get to disembark a few days earlier, for good behaviour.

Not for me! There are times when I like to retire to the cabin to relax or rest, or even write a letter! I wouldn't relax well in that easyCruise cabin.

CGT

[ 06-12-2003: Message edited by: CGT ]

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Originally posted by Ðraikar:
Ok no one even said anything about a ship so im guessing they don't even have one...

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I imagine they'll have to build them. For one thing, they want a lot of ships, and knowing easy, they'll want them to all be identical. Secondly, there has never been a ship built for anything remotely like this concept, so it would cost a lot of money to convert each second-hand ship.

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Originally posted by cruiseny:

I imagine they'll have to build them. For one thing, they want a lot of ships, and knowing easy, they'll want them to all be identical. Secondly, there has never been a ship built for anything remotely like this concept, so it would cost a lot of money to convert each second-hand ship.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a bespoke design being built in "assembly line" fashion in Poland, Croatia, South Korea, or similar.

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Originally posted by Maasdam:
I don't believe this will be a succes.

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It looks as though each 'cabin' is made up from a number of different sections, each section has a designated letter A B C or D etc. If the diagram shows a typical standard cabin then an upgrade may have a couple of E sections (what ever they may be) or balcony F sections. A shower may be section G etc.
Are all 'cabins' the same price or is the £29 a lead in price for an inside cabin next to the engine room with outsides being charged at a premium?