EasyCruise

EasyCruise was a budget-oriented cruise brand associated with easyGroup and founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, whose shipping background and involvement in easyJet influenced the concept. The brand sought to apply the low-cost airline model to cruising by reducing the package price, limiting onboard amenities, and charging separately for services that were commonly bundled into traditional cruise fares. Its intended customers were relatively young travelers who wanted to spend most of their vacation visiting ports rather than remaining aboard a large resort-style ship. The first vessel, initially known as Neptune 2, was acquired in April 2004 and refurbished before being renamed EasyCruiseOne. The ship began commercial service on 9 May 2005. Its operating concept was deliberately different from conventional cruising: vessels generally traveled between ports at night or during the early morning, allowing passengers to use daylight hours ashore. The initial itinerary operated in the Mediterranean, while the ship also served the Caribbean during the winter season. EasyCruise later experimented with a second vessel. EasyCruiseTwo was a converted river freighter that operated a regional itinerary around the Netherlands and Belgium, calling at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels. This service ended on 17 August 2007. The brand subsequently remained centered on EasyCruiseOne, although the company announced in February 2008 that it intended to sell the ship because it lacked sufficient space and replace it with a vessel of a size comparable to EasyCruise Life. The planned expansion did not restore the business. In August 2009, EasyCruise was sold to the Greek ferry operator Hellenic Seaways for a reported £9 million. The cruise operation was discontinued quietly sometime in early 2010, and customers with future reservations were refunded. EasyCruiseOne was later transferred to Blue Ocean Cruises, briefly operated under the name Ocean Life, and ultimately sold for scrap. The original EasyCruise website was subsequently abandoned and later removed, with the address redirecting to the easy.com homepage. The brand’s development was documented in the observational television series Cruise with Stelios, produced by Twofour. The program followed the cruise venture across three series and was shown in the United Kingdom and the United States, with a localized broadcast in Flanders under the title Cruiseline. In December 2024, the easyCruise name was reported as being used for a cruise-selling website, marking a shift from operating ships to presenting cruise-booking services. The available reference material does not establish the ownership structure, operating scale, or geographic scope of that later website.

EasyCruise emerged from Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s effort to extend the low-cost philosophy associated with the easyGroup brand into the cruise industry. Drawing on his family’s shipping background and his experience founding easyJet, Haji-Ioannou developed a cruise model intended to appeal to travelers who regarded the ship primarily as transport and accommodation between destinations rather than as the main resort attraction. The initial vessel was acquired in April 2004. Formerly called Neptune 2, it underwent refurbishment and was renamed EasyCruiseOne. The ship’s design and service proposition emphasized simplicity. The company sought to advertise inexpensive headline fares by providing fewer onboard facilities than established cruise companies and charging separately for selected services. Routes were organized around overnight or early-morning travel so that passengers could spend more of the day in port. EasyCruiseOne made its maiden voyage on 9 May 2005 and initially operated in the Mediterranean. During the winter season it moved to the Caribbean. The brand also tested a second-ship model with EasyCruiseTwo, a converted river freighter. That vessel operated in northern Europe on a route connecting Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels, but the service ended on 17 August 2007. By February 2008, EasyCruise had announced a plan to sell EasyCruiseOne, citing inadequate space, and replace it with a ship of similar size to EasyCruise Life. The proposed fleet development did not lead to a sustained expansion. In August 2009, Hellenic Seaways acquired the single-ship cruise line from Haji-Ioannou for a reported £9 million. EasyCruise’s own operations were discontinued sometime in early 2010, and future passengers were refunded. After the sale, EasyCruiseOne was transferred to Blue Ocean Cruises and briefly operated as Ocean Life. The vessel was eventually sold for scrap. The original brand website was abandoned, later removed, and redirected to easy.com. EasyCruise’s story was also featured in Cruise with Stelios, a three-series observational documentary produced by Twofour and broadcast in several markets. In December 2024, the brand name was reported in connection with a cruise-selling website, indicating a possible transition from ship operation to travel retail. The available sources do not provide enough information to determine the current corporate structure or whether the website represents an active operating business.

• 2024

  Brand used for cruise sales

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  The easyCruise name was reported as being used by a cruise-selling website in December 2024.

• 2010

  Cruise operations discontinued

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  The cruise operation ended during early 2010, with refunds issued to passengers holding future bookings.

• 2009

  Sale to Hellenic Seaways

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  Hellenic Seaways acquired EasyCruise in August 2009 for a reported £9 million.

• 2008

  Replacement-ship plan announced

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  EasyCruise announced plans to sell EasyCruiseOne and replace it with a larger vessel because the existing ship lacked space.

• 2007

  EasyCruiseTwo service ends

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  The second vessel’s northern European service ended on 17 August 2007.

• 2005

  EasyCruiseOne enters service

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  The refurbished former Neptune 2 was renamed EasyCruiseOne and made its maiden voyage on 9 May 2005.

• 2004

  Initial vessel acquired

  [1]EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org

  EasyCruise acquired the vessel that would become EasyCruiseOne and began developing its low-cost cruise concept.

A no-frills, low-cost cruise proposition designed to keep fares low by reducing onboard amenities and charging separately for selected services, while emphasizing time spent in destination ports.

• Cruise ship and cruise service · 2005

  EasyCruiseOne

  EasyCruiseOne was the brand’s first and principal vessel. Formerly known as Neptune 2, it was acquired in 2004, refurbished, and entered service in May 2005. The ship supported EasyCruise’s no-frills model, in which the headline fare was kept low through limited onboard amenities and additional charges for selected services. It operated in the Mediterranean and Caribbean before the line was sold.

• Cruise ship and cruise service

  EasyCruiseTwo

  EasyCruiseTwo was a converted river freighter used for a regional northern European itinerary. Its route connected Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels, offering a shorter-distance interpretation of the EasyCruise concept. The service represented the brand’s attempt to broaden beyond its Mediterranean and Caribbean operations, but it ended on 17 August 2007.

• Travel booking service · 2024

  easyCruise cruise-selling website

  In December 2024, the easyCruise name was reported as being used for a website selling cruises. The available reference does not establish the site’s operator, commercial scale, geographic coverage, or relationship to the former cruise line beyond the brand name.

• 2024

  Use the name for cruise salesStrategy

  Background

  The original cruise operator had ceased activity years earlier, while the historical brand name remained associated with the easyGroup naming system.

  Action taken

  The easyCruise name was reportedly used for a cruise-selling website.

  Aftermath

  The available material does not confirm the website’s ownership, operating status, or scale.

  Source

• 2009

  Sell EasyCruise to Hellenic SeawaysM&A

  Background

  The cruise line remained centered on a single operating vessel after the second-ship experiment and the proposed replacement.

  Action taken

  EasyCruise was sold to Greek ferry operator Hellenic Seaways in August 2009.

  Aftermath

  The cruise operation was discontinued in early 2010, and future passengers were refunded.

  Reported acquisition price. £9 million (August 2009)

  Source

• 2008

  Plan to replace EasyCruiseOneGeneration change

  Background

  EasyCruise stated that EasyCruiseOne did not provide enough space for the business.

  Action taken

  The company announced plans to sell the ship and replace it with a vessel of similar size to EasyCruise Life.

  Aftermath

  The replacement plan did not result in a documented sustained fleet expansion before the company was sold in 2009.

  Source

• 2005

  Launch EasyCruiseOneProduct launch

  Background

  After acquisition and refurbishment, the former Neptune 2 was prepared as the first EasyCruise vessel.

  Action taken

  The ship was renamed EasyCruiseOne and began its maiden voyage on 9 May 2005.

  Aftermath

  The brand began Mediterranean service and later used the ship for winter Caribbean operations.

  Source

• 2004

  Adopt a low-cost cruise modelStrategy

  Background

  The venture was conceived as a cruise equivalent to the low-cost airline approach associated with easyJet, targeting passengers more interested in destination time than extensive shipboard facilities.

  Action taken

  EasyCruise reduced included amenities and planned overnight or early-morning movements between ports, with separate charges for selected services.

  Aftermath

  The model became the defining proposition of EasyCruiseOne when it entered service in 2005.

  Source

1. 1EasyCruiseen.wikipedia.org