This Ain't Your Grandma's Cruise Line

First there was easyJet, easyHotel and EasyInternet. Now there's easyCruiseOne, a bright orange, 170-passenger cruise shop for budget travelers. A four-night Mediterranean cruise costs only $375.

If you expect to be pampered, think again. Few of the typical amenities exist on this no-frills cruise. There are no porters to cart your luggage around. The standard, 90 sq. ft. staterooms have two twin-size mattresses on the floor and a teensy bathroom with a combo shower stall, sink and toilet. You pay for your own food, housekeeping and towels. Instead of a Vegas-style show, you get deckside DJ.

Understandably, easyCruise caters to a younger set than most cruise lines – the average age of travelers is 32. And, boy, do they like to party. So much so, that the ship leaves port in the morning so that guests can stay ashore all night, if they wish.

You can embark and depart at any port on the route as long as you agree to stay on board at least two nights.

The cruise is getting rave reviews from passengers, with 98 percent of this summer's passengers indicating that they would consider cruising with easyCruise again.

For an interesting first-person account of one reporter's easyCruise experience, read Stephanie Allmon's article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

For more of my articles, visit www.laurachristianson.com.