2009 Itinerary Prices Disappointing

[llaura826]

Is anyone else disappointed by the new 2009 itinerary prices? We were planning on using EC for our honeymoon next year as a cheap way to see all the islands. At the new prices we could just as easily cruise the islands on Royal Caribbean and experience better service and food. The only thing EC has over the larger cruise lines now is the later departure times. EC mentions that daily housekeeping and half meals are now included in the price, but I'd gladly give up those perks for 2008 prices!

[helios57]

Is anyone else disappointed by the new 2009 itinerary prices? We were planning on using EC for our honeymoon next year as a cheap way to see all the islands. At the new prices we could just as easily cruise the islands on Royal Caribbean and experience better service and food. The only thing EC has over the larger cruise lines now is the later departure times. EC mentions that daily housekeeping and half meals are now included in the price, but I'd gladly give up those perks for 2008 prices!

:( I agree the prices are a bit steep and yes you would get better food on other cruise lines.I cruised with them recently and thoroughly enjoyed the cruise without having the meals.People I spoke to who'd had them weren't very impressed and said they'd do Easycruise again but would forgo the meal plan.So it looks like they won't be able to do this after all.I guess they won't re-book.
Surely the whole point of Easycruising was that you could make it what you wanted and you didn't have to avail yourself of extras your budget or inclination didn't permit?
I'm disappointed with the direction in which Easycruise is going but not surprised.They obviously make more money this way.
There's a chance,I think,prices will come down a bit as they did last year on Easycruise One.Initial prices for the Ionian cruise dropped after a couple of months.So,it might be worthwhile monitoring these prices for a bit.
I'm hoping for the launch of another ship with a new itinerary.There were rumours regarding a trip around the Sporades (Skiathos,Skopelos etc) with a new boat.This would suit me well if prices were ok.I'd like to hope I wouldn't be obliged to pay for unwanted food but this seems unlikely now!All we can do is wait and see.
Good Luck

[sirwired]

I haven't looked at their new prices yet, but it would not surprise me in the least if last year's prices were horribly money-losing... I could not figure out how they possibly could have made a dime on the 30/pp/night they charged me in March on EC1.

SirWired

[superdrews]

Or for that matter the $10 pp/pn travelzoo deal that I booked last year or my $170 for two for the week that I booked for my upcoming first trip on Life in a Superior cabin none the less. I'll make sure to spend a bit on board to make up for it but all I can say is I love the Easycruise deals!

[sceptic]

Modest rant follows, not just about prices but the entire concept of EC.

Yes, prices are higher, and I suppose for the Greek Islands their low-season prices might be somewhat reasonable.

But IMO they are simply abandoning their whole "easyCruise meta-theme" that attracted me to go on EC1 twice. Now you get some meals and daily maid service, and for that you pay double the price - sometimes much more than that.

Okay - but really, what's the difference now between them and a low-season "big ship?" Yes, they stay later, sometimes all night (why oh why don't you leave at 3 AM instead of 6 and give people more time on the next island??? Trust me - the time on my vacation between 9 AM and 12 noon is more important than the time from 3 AM to 6 AM, because no matter where the ship is (in port or at sea) I'll be asleep during the latter), but it is simply no longer a cheap, cool, and different experience. It's like "Princess/Carnival Lite" rather than its own unique and funky experience.

Their food is far more expensive than when they were in the Caribbean, and the extra cost for unneeded (by me, at least) daily maid service is surely a profit center. In the old model they'd have made both the meal plan and maid service cheap but optional; in the new EC world they're both expensive and apparently mandatory.

Maybe their original business model didn't work. That happens, and I can understand why any business would re-evaluate if they were losing money. Or, perhaps, they realized they're on to something pretty interesting and are doing what they can do to maximize income. If that's the case I hope they do fine, and I thank them for two of the best vacations I've ever had.

But recall the initial easyCruise ads and PR. It was all fun, outrageous, and brilliant, pitting the cool and new EC experience against the buffets etc. of Carnival. Carnival wasn't pleased, and Stelios was laughing.

Looks like the original concept is gone. Sad, because there is no way Stelios could use those same ads now. They'd be more like, "we have maid service too!" and "you get some meals on our ship too!"

Like I said. Princess/Carnival lite.

Will I ever go on them again? I don't know. Almost certainly "no" in the Greek Islands; we travel cheap and EC isn't in that category any more. If they come back to the Caribbean (and the way I read the tea leaves suggests they ain't), well - maybe. But it won't be a slam-dunk obvious "yes" like before. And it would be hard to recommend EC to others with the current pricing structure.

[ceejay_San Angelo]

Okay, so it's not $10 or even 30pp/pn, but EasyCruise Life still looks like a good deal to me.

I just looked at June09 for the weeklong greek islands and turkey in a standard twin inside: $776. That includes half board and housekeeping. So about $110/night.

I looked at Princess 12 night Greek Iles for June09 in an inside cabin: $2500. That includes all meals, entertainment, etc. etc. of a big cruiseship. This visits 6 Greek sites plus 5 other ports. About $210/night.

I'd say that's a pretty significant difference.

[helios57]

Modest rant follows, not just about prices but the entire concept of EC.

Yes, prices are higher, and I suppose for the Greek Islands their low-season prices might be somewhat reasonable.

But IMO they are simply abandoning their whole "easyCruise meta-theme" that attracted me to go on EC1 twice. Now you get some meals and daily maid service, and for that you pay double the price - sometimes much more than that.

Okay - but really, what's the difference now between them and a low-season "big ship?" Yes, they stay later, sometimes all night (why oh why don't you leave at 3 AM instead of 6 and give people more time on the next island??? Trust me - the time on my vacation between 9 AM and 12 noon is more important than the time from 3 AM to 6 AM, because no matter where the ship is (in port or at sea) I'll be asleep during the latter), but it is simply no longer a cheap, cool, and different experience. It's like "Princess/Carnival Lite" rather than its own unique and funky experience.

Their food is far more expensive than when they were in the Caribbean, and the extra cost for unneeded (by me, at least) daily maid service is surely a profit center. In the old model they'd have made both the meal plan and maid service cheap but optional; in the new EC world they're both expensive and apparently mandatory.

Maybe their original business model didn't work. That happens, and I can understand why any business would re-evaluate if they were losing money. Or, perhaps, they realized they're on to something pretty interesting and are doing what they can do to maximize income. If that's the case I hope they do fine, and I thank them for two of the best vacations I've ever had.

But recall the initial easyCruise ads and PR. It was all fun, outrageous, and brilliant, pitting the cool and new EC experience against the buffets etc. of Carnival. Carnival wasn't pleased, and Stelios was laughing.

Looks like the original concept is gone. Sad, because there is no way Stelios could use those same ads now. They'd be more like, "we have maid service too!" and "you get some meals on our ship too!"

Like I said. Princess/Carnival lite.

Will I ever go on them again? I don't know. Almost certainly "no" in the Greek Islands; we travel cheap and EC isn't in that category any more. If they come back to the Caribbean (and the way I read the tea leaves suggests they ain't), well - maybe. But it won't be a slam-dunk obvious "yes" like before. And it would be hard to recommend EC to others with the current pricing structure.
:( Thanks,Sceptic, for exactly echoing my feelings about Easycruise.You just express these sentiments so much better!
I'm still hoping that rumours of a replacement for Easycruise One will turn out to be true.Perhaps we shall see a new ship with another Greek itinerary.Some of the crew members on Easycruise Life,this summer, seemed to think so.Of course it would be unrealistic to expect it to be anything like Easycruise One and certainly not as cheap.The chances are I would be unable to afford it anyway.I'm a budget traveller by necessity!
Whatever happens,I too thank them for 2 fantastic holidays on Easycruise One(2007 and 2008) and a very good holiday on Easycruise Life(2008)
And, whilst I'm paying tribute, thanks to you,Sceptic, and other contributors to these boards and BOB(gone but not forgotten)for introducing me,a grecophile but confirmed non cruiser, to the fantastic experience that was Easycruise! Cheers

[Stubaby]

I am also disappointed in the places ECLife is going to. It sounds like mostly larger ports where the ship will not be in the centre of the towns. One of the attractions of EC1 was tumbing off the ship straight into a bar/cafe, without a 30 minute walk or taxi drive.

And the 14 night cruise is interesting ... it visits Rhodes twice, Kos twice, Bodrum twice, Syros twice, Piraues twice, Mykonos twice !!!!!

[avfcok]

Oh dear , that's my love affair with Easycruise over .Wouldnt want the food , nor the maid service - prices are now ridiculously high - what a shame.

[whibbles52]

I echo these sentiments. After 2 fantastic holidays on EasyCruise One (2007) and EasyCruise Life (2008), I was ready to book for 2009 but dont want the food or the maid service. I paid 300GBP in 2008 and the same holiday is now nearly three times that price. For me, the whole point of EasyCruise was to provide an alternative to the big cruise lines used by my parents but now EasyCruise has destroyed that concept. Ok the cabin prices were cheap but my wife's bar bill was high ! I sent an email to EasyCruise about this and await their reply.

[insidecabin]

We had our eyes on these, looks like we may have missed the boat as the product and pricing changes.

Time to check out the pricing again against the regular cruise lines for 2009, before Easy just becomes a regular cruise, which are available at $100pppn(cruise only) so need a differential to make Easy worth bothering with.

For $200-$300pppn you could get an owners suite on NCL med trips in early 2009. (OK these are not just the greek isles) with a 4 share in a courtyard 2 bedrooms suite were less than $150pppn.

[GreedyGreen]

I've just totalled up the price for the cruise we're going on this weekend for next year. This time round it cost us £342 for a superior double on the 7 night aegean cruise. For next year this rockets to a staggering £1,165.16!!!!!!! And that's including the 30% discount for booking early. I know food is thrown in, but really...that's an increase of over 240%... just a tad over inflation I feel.

So sadly I think this will be the one and only time I travel with Easy Cruise. I know there's no other cruise that gives you your evenings on shore life EC does, but for that kind of money (remember flights and transfers are addition if comparing to other cruises) there's a lot nicer ways to spend 7 days of holiday.

Sorry Stelios - you've blown it as far as I'm concerned.

[CoupleUK]

OH DEAR - looks like easyCruise could now be a sinking ship (or two).

The new format and higher prices are just crazy - we have travelled with Royal Caribbean etc in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and Transatlantic for a maximum of $50/night each.

Why would we want to pay more than that for a much smaller ship with zero facilities in comparison?

There have been non-stop complaints about the food quality and restaurant service on easyCruise - so why would we want every passenger subjected to that experience when they cant even manage to get it right for the few who paid when it was optional.

Why would we want to pay more for a matchbox sized room when we could have a shoebox sized one for less?

The whole point of easyCruise was to allow people to experience the food and culture etc whilst in port - if you now have to pay to eat onboard you arent going to pay again ashore are you? - even if you can manage 2 meals.

Sorry, but it looks like we missed out on the initial easycruise concept and will have to "struggle on" with the big ships and pay less for it.

RIP easyCruise.

Paul

[peabody99]

count me amoung the disappointed. I was really looking forward to this concept. I like eating in port over ship food (save a little breakfast maybe). Given what I am seeing and hearing it is highly unlikly I will take this line. What a shame I missed the boat -so to speak-when the concept would have really worked for me.

I cannot even find good info on the site about what this partial service model entails.

Any other lines planning on filling the niche?

[DaveCruises]

Wow, really disappointing. I've been interested in trying an easyCruise since they first launched, but there's just no reason to do so with their new pricing model. Oh well.

[robsvacation]

The original idea of Easycruise seemed interesting enough (a floating, nice hostel-like experience going to high-end places you would not normally otherwise go) but the cruise industry is well developed and is the way it is for a reason. I know Easycruise was targeting non-cruisers, but staying in port at night = little onboard spending which is where the cruise lines make most of their money.

However I could see tour groups (particular those for the <30 crowd) buying blocks of cabins for lower prices, and EasyCruise might be doing what all the cruise lines do: Advertise high rates to start and the discount the heck out of them. We'll see, but if pricing stays where it is I can't see the EasyCruise experiment lasting much longer.

[Mahya]

I'm in agreement with all the comments above. I thought EZ cruise would be a good inexpensive way to see the islands in 2009 - and was shocked to see the big increase in price - I was not planning to take their meals because I read how terrible they were - I was considering a land tour by a Greek travel agency and it turns out the budget land tour with guides and transfers and hotels and breakfast is the same price or a little less than what EZ cruise is now asking.
I do think I know the reason though- Easy Cruise has now turned up on the cruise line travel agencies: pricing not per cabin, but per person, two minimum. I suppose that's where Stelios was told to raise his prices. If some of the TA's go on the cruise and try his food with no food or drink allowed to be taken on board, maybe the prices will go down. :)

they certainly picked a bad year to raise their prices.

[johnvlizr]

2 FOR 1 pricing on EC cruises till Feb 17
--just booked it

[superdrews]

John,

What days did you book, what room, and what was the cost?

[johnvlizr]

jun 13- bridge deck deluxe cabin @ 959 euros for 2---
euros were cheapest after conversion as per your other post.

we were considering a closet cabin but for the extra bucks decided to go deluxe (as deluxe as EC gets lol):)

i'm pretty pleased with the price and the cruise schedule suits our 3 week greece trip perfectly...

[superdrews]

Don't forget to let us know how it goes and write a review when you get back!