Oceangoing easyCruise is adding its first river cruise vessel, the former Frontera; it will be renamed easyCruiseTwo and will begin operations on July 14. Weekly itineraries, operating through October, will focus on the rivers and canals of Holland and Belgium from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, Brussels and Antwerp. Like the oceangoing schedule, the vessel will arrive in destinations by mid-day, allowing passengers to get off and enjoy the afternoon and full evening of activities. Passengers can on and off where they choose, subject to a two-night minimum. The vessel will be restructured prior to its summer launch, and will be operated by a franchisee, Boonstra River Line. During that restructuring all passenger cabins will be outfitted with windows and will face the outside deck. The vessel will then have 50 twin cabins that include en-suite bathrooms with showers. Onboard amenities include a canopied sun deck with outdoor hot tub, a bar and restaurant. The riverboat is 240 feet long and carries 100 passengers and a crew of 15. EasyCruise also said it will use a new livery; the orange hull displaying the easyCruise web site address will be replaced with a refined graphite grey hull with orange beading and a new, dynamic logo. The color scheme of the cabins will also be redesigned. The line's oceangoing ship, easyCruiseOne will receive the new livery in an October dry dock; that ship is completing its winter season in the Caribbean and will return to the Mediterranean to cruise the French and Italian Rivieras beginning in May. In addition, easyCruise said passenger feedback thus far on the oceangoing product has led it to beef up the onboard dining. The line has hired U.S.-based CB5 Restaurant Group to design an entirely new onboard food and beverage concept, with an upscale, international fine dining flair. Passengers will be able to book an easyCruiseTwo voyage via the [www.easycruise.com] site beginning in mid-May with prices starting at $22 per person per night; rates are 10 percent commissionable to agents.
