For the complete report in the The Observer click on this link
European Cruising for some serious boozing
European Cruises - Stelios is back with his most ambitious plan yet - transforming river cruising from a pursuit for grannies into a funky weekend break. Tom Robbins boarded the inaugural sailing for three nights of industrial-strength partying
It's day two of our river cruise through the Low Countries. On a conventional trip this would probably mean a visit to a lacemaking workshop, a look round a gothic cathedral and maybe the odd waffle stop. Instead we're at an outdoor rave on the dockside, surrounded by 50,000 partygoers gurning and stomping in the shin-deep mud. A wall of speakers pounds out nosebleed techno, while behind the stage 100ft flames shoot into the air.Such is the culture clash created by last weekend's inaugural voyage of Easycruisetwo, Stelios Haji-Ioannou's latest brainwave and probably the most radical thing to ever hit cruising. True, he already has Easycruiseone, which was launched in May last year and brought bargain fares to the smartest ports of the French and Italian Rivieras in summer and the Caribbean in winter. That ship's bright orange colour scheme may have raised eyebrows in Portofino, but in retrospect, cutting prices to sun-soaked beach resorts was not exactly reinventing the wheel.Easycruisetwo's intended clientele are twenty- and thirtysomethings coming for stag and hen dos and clubbing breaks. The onboard pianist has been replaced with a DJ who plays until the last man is standing. Doing away with a stowing space for Zimmer frames has left room for two bars and hot tubs, and instead of sherry there are daily cocktail specials with names like 'Sex on the Boat' and 'Zombie'.
Cabins start at a ludicrous £7 per person per night, and you can book for any number of nights as the boat cruises its set route from Amsterdam on Friday, then Rotterdam on Saturday, Antwerp, then Brussels on Monday and back.
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