sceptic
April 6th, 2007, 01:33 AM
Easy Cruise review, Mar 26 - Apr 2.
This was our second review of a cruise on easyCruise One. The itinerary this winter was different (really not better or worse) than the cruise out of Barbados last season. The primary difference was the distance between islands. In Barbados, the ship was at sea for far longer than this year between islands. In fact, if the weather was crystal clear you could always see your next destination in the distance.
My wife and i travelled with our two kids, age 14 and 17. There were a few other teens on board, but not many. They had a great time and, as best I can tell, didn't annoy the other passengers. Whether your kids would have an equally enjoyable time is something for y'all to decide. My daughter (17) would often just take a book and read it by herself in the evening, which pleased her mightily.
SHIP - Okay, it's not all that orange any more. Tell you the truth, I miss it. The ultra-dark gray is sort of minimalist classy, especially the exterior, but they really weren't thinking outside the box. I do like that their website URL isn't plastered everywhere, like the side of the ship or the end of the cabins like it used to be. Understated, and rather classy.
There was a slight odor near the reception area that wasn't exactly off-putting, but odd. Sort of like a pleasant cabbage smell. It wasn't detectable just about anywhere else.
The Cafe Rizatta, immediately next to the reception area, is not in service. However, the space was still available for relaxing, reading, etc. The cruise director, Dario, gave talks about upcoming ports of call there, and the muster drill for those arriving on Monday at St. Maarten was held in that space. I was informed by several crew members that the Cafe space was going to be replaced by cabins before their Greek cruise season begins. It's a bit of a loss for me, but the space was huge and very underutilized when it was the Cafe, so I understand their logic. Plus, just about everything you could get at the Cafe was now available in the restaurant on deck 4.
This deck 4 restaurant is called Fusion On 4. It used to be the sports bar, and the change is remarkable and MUCH improved. What used to be a dark, dreary space with claustrophobic faux wood panelling and weird sports equipment on the walls is now bright and cheery, with white and turquoise being the two major colors. It was used far more than the old sports bar. A definite improvement. The waiters were friendly, the service fast, the food actually quite good.
The Sun & Moon bar is the new official name for the outside bar next to the hot tub on deck 5. It's pretty much the same as whatever it was calledbefore the new name. On many nights the partying would begin around 10 or 11 and continue for many hours. The prices were $4 (all prices on the menus were in US Dollars) for the drink specials, $5 or 6 for mixed drinks. The new DJ, Just-In, was terrific. He had great party mixes and kept the dancing going for lonnnggg periods of time.
This is also where events took place. On St. Kitts they brought on board a steel drum band that played from 7 to 10 PM, and on St. Martin there was a band for the same time period. Great music (although we missed most of the St. Martin band because the restaurants ashore beckoned.)
There were also cruise games like crab races - Dario used to be on Windjammer, so we kind of know where the crab races came from - plus battles of the sexes trivia games, Karaoke (called Scareoke, with prizes for best and worst). Most nights were theme music nights, like 70s or 80s. In all, easyCruise did a fine job in keeping people who stayed on board reasonably entertained. And what with the small size of the ship (there were about 140 pax for our week) we got to know a lot of our fellow passengers at the Sun & moon.
CABIN - We had two. Ours was dinky. But we had a window, and it did make a difference - at least no nightlight was needed. Our kids were in a cabin for 4, with two bunkbeds and MY GOSH they are a LOT bigger! Only 5 square meters larger, but it seemed much bigger than that. 15 square meters is roughly 166 square feet - not bad! If you are claustrophobic, or want space for two people to dress, move around, etc. at the same time, you might want to consider a cabin for 4 in lieu of the pricier suites. No window in the cabin, but really no big deal for the room you get.
Cleaniness: Excellent. 'nuf said.
Crew: Very friendly, perhaps more than last year. There was something a bit off-putting about the TV crew last year, and I didn't realize it until the cameras weren't around. They didn't bother me too much, but I now realize that if they're in your face basically 24/7 while you're at your job you might sort of change how you react to people. It was more laid-back this year. The people at reception (like Leanne) were incredibly cheerful and eager to help. Dario was funny and a lot more laid-back than Neil last year, but was a great cruise director for the laid-back passengers. The Captain and new Hotel Manager were approachable and very nice to talk to.
ITINERARY: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Nevis, St. Maarten, St. Barts, Anguilla, St. Maarten. Exhausting!!! Slightly less "adventurous" than last year's, and more beach-oriented. Not that our kids complained. When asked what they wanted to do each day, they basically had a one-word response: Beach!
My favorite was St. Barts - great food, great people, amazing roads, spectacular beaches. The only reason St. Kitts was my least favorite was that it rained. But even some locales on St. Kitts like Turtle Bay simply do not come close to the hype. It was a lousy, stinky place with literally tons of seaweed on it and not much sand. Cockleshell, right down the road, was far better. If folks want I can write a detailed review of what we did on each island.
KID FRIENDLY??? It totally depends on the kids. Like I said, my daughter didn't mind just quietly reading at night. But she did tie for first in the Karaoke contest, winning a virgin daquiri (in lieu of a bottle of champagne, which I had some objection too...) My son, 14, loved the ship also. He liked being able to go into the restaurant and order something and paying with his room card. He was also appointed the team captain for the "battle of the sexes" trivia contest, so other guests didn't think he was too irritating.
But they might be considered a bit more adventurous than most. Did they look on the mega-ships docked near us with envy? Not really. Although they did note that there did seem to be a lot of familes on the Royal Caribbean ships.
PROBLEMS: Only one, and although it didn't ruin our cruise, it did put something of a damper on it because it could have been so easily rectified. The philosophy behind the time in port for easyCruise was to be able to party late into the night/early morning before departing. This certainly made sense when the ports were St. Tropez, Nice, or Monaco. But Basseterre? Sandy Bay on Anguilla? There were really only two ports on this cruise that warranted the "party all night" concept, and those were St. Maarten and (to a lesser extent) Gustavia. But at most places the towns were deserted, except for a few small joints, after 11 PM.
Everyone was on board in several place by midnight (and the tender boat stowed a little after that) but we didn't get going until 6 AM. What this meant was that we didn't get ashore at some islands until well after 10 AM, and by the time we got transportation or whatever it was nearly 11.
This was frustrating, because we'd just have to wait until late in the morning before starting our day ashore. They could have easily adjusted their departure time to, say, 3 AM and then get us to the next port at 7 AM or so, to give us a complete day on each island. Yes, I love the fact that easycruise doesn't set sail at 5 or 6 PM each day, and I love the idea of enjoying the night life on the islands rather than on board a ship. But nobody was bar-hopping Anquilla or Nevis or St. Kitts at 3 AM. Nobody.
This complaint is actually rather minor - it's more of an improvement they could make. Yes, there philosophy makes perfect sense in the Mediterranean, but in sleepy Caribbean ports where the "life" is either beach or adventure-oriented, arriving earlier would have been far more preferable.
Would we do it again? ABSOLUTELY!! In a nano-second. There were a surprising number of easyCruise vets on board, and compared with the sheer fun of this sort of cruise the one complaint seems trivial and mundane.
They're going into their last week in the Caribbean, so I'd like to thank Stelios et al. for bringing that funky ship back to the Carib for a second season. If they come back again, we'll do our best to spend a week onboard.
This was our second review of a cruise on easyCruise One. The itinerary this winter was different (really not better or worse) than the cruise out of Barbados last season. The primary difference was the distance between islands. In Barbados, the ship was at sea for far longer than this year between islands. In fact, if the weather was crystal clear you could always see your next destination in the distance.
My wife and i travelled with our two kids, age 14 and 17. There were a few other teens on board, but not many. They had a great time and, as best I can tell, didn't annoy the other passengers. Whether your kids would have an equally enjoyable time is something for y'all to decide. My daughter (17) would often just take a book and read it by herself in the evening, which pleased her mightily.
SHIP - Okay, it's not all that orange any more. Tell you the truth, I miss it. The ultra-dark gray is sort of minimalist classy, especially the exterior, but they really weren't thinking outside the box. I do like that their website URL isn't plastered everywhere, like the side of the ship or the end of the cabins like it used to be. Understated, and rather classy.
There was a slight odor near the reception area that wasn't exactly off-putting, but odd. Sort of like a pleasant cabbage smell. It wasn't detectable just about anywhere else.
The Cafe Rizatta, immediately next to the reception area, is not in service. However, the space was still available for relaxing, reading, etc. The cruise director, Dario, gave talks about upcoming ports of call there, and the muster drill for those arriving on Monday at St. Maarten was held in that space. I was informed by several crew members that the Cafe space was going to be replaced by cabins before their Greek cruise season begins. It's a bit of a loss for me, but the space was huge and very underutilized when it was the Cafe, so I understand their logic. Plus, just about everything you could get at the Cafe was now available in the restaurant on deck 4.
This deck 4 restaurant is called Fusion On 4. It used to be the sports bar, and the change is remarkable and MUCH improved. What used to be a dark, dreary space with claustrophobic faux wood panelling and weird sports equipment on the walls is now bright and cheery, with white and turquoise being the two major colors. It was used far more than the old sports bar. A definite improvement. The waiters were friendly, the service fast, the food actually quite good.
The Sun & Moon bar is the new official name for the outside bar next to the hot tub on deck 5. It's pretty much the same as whatever it was calledbefore the new name. On many nights the partying would begin around 10 or 11 and continue for many hours. The prices were $4 (all prices on the menus were in US Dollars) for the drink specials, $5 or 6 for mixed drinks. The new DJ, Just-In, was terrific. He had great party mixes and kept the dancing going for lonnnggg periods of time.
This is also where events took place. On St. Kitts they brought on board a steel drum band that played from 7 to 10 PM, and on St. Martin there was a band for the same time period. Great music (although we missed most of the St. Martin band because the restaurants ashore beckoned.)
There were also cruise games like crab races - Dario used to be on Windjammer, so we kind of know where the crab races came from - plus battles of the sexes trivia games, Karaoke (called Scareoke, with prizes for best and worst). Most nights were theme music nights, like 70s or 80s. In all, easyCruise did a fine job in keeping people who stayed on board reasonably entertained. And what with the small size of the ship (there were about 140 pax for our week) we got to know a lot of our fellow passengers at the Sun & moon.
CABIN - We had two. Ours was dinky. But we had a window, and it did make a difference - at least no nightlight was needed. Our kids were in a cabin for 4, with two bunkbeds and MY GOSH they are a LOT bigger! Only 5 square meters larger, but it seemed much bigger than that. 15 square meters is roughly 166 square feet - not bad! If you are claustrophobic, or want space for two people to dress, move around, etc. at the same time, you might want to consider a cabin for 4 in lieu of the pricier suites. No window in the cabin, but really no big deal for the room you get.
Cleaniness: Excellent. 'nuf said.
Crew: Very friendly, perhaps more than last year. There was something a bit off-putting about the TV crew last year, and I didn't realize it until the cameras weren't around. They didn't bother me too much, but I now realize that if they're in your face basically 24/7 while you're at your job you might sort of change how you react to people. It was more laid-back this year. The people at reception (like Leanne) were incredibly cheerful and eager to help. Dario was funny and a lot more laid-back than Neil last year, but was a great cruise director for the laid-back passengers. The Captain and new Hotel Manager were approachable and very nice to talk to.
ITINERARY: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, Nevis, St. Maarten, St. Barts, Anguilla, St. Maarten. Exhausting!!! Slightly less "adventurous" than last year's, and more beach-oriented. Not that our kids complained. When asked what they wanted to do each day, they basically had a one-word response: Beach!
My favorite was St. Barts - great food, great people, amazing roads, spectacular beaches. The only reason St. Kitts was my least favorite was that it rained. But even some locales on St. Kitts like Turtle Bay simply do not come close to the hype. It was a lousy, stinky place with literally tons of seaweed on it and not much sand. Cockleshell, right down the road, was far better. If folks want I can write a detailed review of what we did on each island.
KID FRIENDLY??? It totally depends on the kids. Like I said, my daughter didn't mind just quietly reading at night. But she did tie for first in the Karaoke contest, winning a virgin daquiri (in lieu of a bottle of champagne, which I had some objection too...) My son, 14, loved the ship also. He liked being able to go into the restaurant and order something and paying with his room card. He was also appointed the team captain for the "battle of the sexes" trivia contest, so other guests didn't think he was too irritating.
But they might be considered a bit more adventurous than most. Did they look on the mega-ships docked near us with envy? Not really. Although they did note that there did seem to be a lot of familes on the Royal Caribbean ships.
PROBLEMS: Only one, and although it didn't ruin our cruise, it did put something of a damper on it because it could have been so easily rectified. The philosophy behind the time in port for easyCruise was to be able to party late into the night/early morning before departing. This certainly made sense when the ports were St. Tropez, Nice, or Monaco. But Basseterre? Sandy Bay on Anguilla? There were really only two ports on this cruise that warranted the "party all night" concept, and those were St. Maarten and (to a lesser extent) Gustavia. But at most places the towns were deserted, except for a few small joints, after 11 PM.
Everyone was on board in several place by midnight (and the tender boat stowed a little after that) but we didn't get going until 6 AM. What this meant was that we didn't get ashore at some islands until well after 10 AM, and by the time we got transportation or whatever it was nearly 11.
This was frustrating, because we'd just have to wait until late in the morning before starting our day ashore. They could have easily adjusted their departure time to, say, 3 AM and then get us to the next port at 7 AM or so, to give us a complete day on each island. Yes, I love the fact that easycruise doesn't set sail at 5 or 6 PM each day, and I love the idea of enjoying the night life on the islands rather than on board a ship. But nobody was bar-hopping Anquilla or Nevis or St. Kitts at 3 AM. Nobody.
This complaint is actually rather minor - it's more of an improvement they could make. Yes, there philosophy makes perfect sense in the Mediterranean, but in sleepy Caribbean ports where the "life" is either beach or adventure-oriented, arriving earlier would have been far more preferable.
Would we do it again? ABSOLUTELY!! In a nano-second. There were a surprising number of easyCruise vets on board, and compared with the sheer fun of this sort of cruise the one complaint seems trivial and mundane.
They're going into their last week in the Caribbean, so I'd like to thank Stelios et al. for bringing that funky ship back to the Carib for a second season. If they come back again, we'll do our best to spend a week onboard.