we have just got home from this holiday we had a good time this was our fist time.the captin john was so funny he always found time to talk and even dance with use . there was plenty going on all the time some thing for every one my nan is 85 and she joined in with every thing so it suits all ages ... we had balcony rooms which was nice after a busy day to sit outside and rest.. only thing is i wish i would of booked 2 weeks not one ...so if your thinking of booking say hello to john the captin ...

Travelled on 9th of August.
3 Adults & 1 teenager.

Our initial thoughts when we boarded in Palma were that the ships decor looked tired and having booked a premium cabin it wasnt that much better than lesser grades.

However our weeks cruise was superb and that was mostly down to the hard working, friendly staff and the excellant Captain "JC"... as he liked to be known.

All the entertainment areas are superb and offer a great range of entertainment for all age groups.
Our week ranged from excellant shows from the entertainment teams in the Ocean Theatre, Jongleurs comedy evenings with 3 really funny comedians [1 night of which was an adults only show which was great],Guest vocalists, Easy listening piano music & a pub with vocalists and quizzes every night.
The poolside games were good to watch or take part in especially when the crew [including the captain] got involved.

The food was excellant.The informal Beachcomer on deck 11 was very popular but could get crowded at times. The freshly cooked pasta made while you wait was superb. Food was always hot and plenty of it.
The more formal island resturant was lovelly and again the food hot, varied and tasty with something for everyone.It was nice to be seated by waiters for braekfast & dinner but again there can be queues at certain times but the staff get you seated quckly. The outside grill bar [burgers, pork, chicken] was again excellant and very tasty.

A good selection of drinks were available and pretty reasonable although £1.50 for a can of juice is far too expensive especially when some cocktails were £2.50 !! They always have promotions on at some part of the day. eg happy hour...2 cocktails for the price of one !! with one waiters famous cry of " BUY 1 GET 1 FREE 1" or "BUY 2 GET 2 FREE 1" always having us in stitches. In the Bounty Bar you could get a pitcher of draft beer for £7.85 [thats 3 and a half pints!!]. Tea, Coffee, Hot chocolate is free and available 24hrs along with food in the Beachcomer & unlike some all inclusives the food was always hot fresh even at 4 in the morning !!!

Excursions to some places were a rip off. Having spoken to many people on board we were glad we had a bash at doing Rome ourselves. 9 euros return train ticket from Civittavechia to Rome Termini [just over an hour by train]. 18 Euros for the open top bus [all day ticket] and even a lunch near the Trevi fountain for 30 Euros for 4 of us more than beat the hefty price of the ships tours...ranging from £50 to £80.

One drawback was that our "day at sea" was ruined for a short while by the lack of sun beds to cope with everyone being onboard at the one time. We had to use chairs until some people moved away. It then meant we were back to the "get up early and put your towel out routine" even though the staff are meant to lift towels off beds not occupied for 30mins.....this didnt happen & to be honest i wouldnt want that job either.

the most important thing was that every single crew member tried to ensure you enjoyed your stay on board. Its always a good indication if staff are happy in their work and for the week we were on board thats the impression we got. Its also the first cruise weve been on where you were not hassled to leave "tips" for every bit of service you got.

Even though they advertise a relaxed informal cruise, it was nice to see that guests did make an effort to dress up for the evening on the ship.

All in all a great holiday and we would certaily reccomend the Island Star to anyone especially for a first time cruise. We would deffinately return and would love to try a 14 day cruise....especially if all the staff were as friendly as they were on this holiday.

Just got back from holiday on island star and thoroughly enjoyed it. Cabin was bigger than expected which was a bonus as there were four of us in one room (we were on diamond deck). My mum and dad were on bronze deck towards the back of the ship and it did get rather noisy especially as the ship was coming into port, however if this is a problem you can get earplugs from guest relations on coral deck. Cabins were cleaned twice a day and you are sometimes left an animal or flower of some sort on your bed made from towels. Our steward was Noel and was absolutely lovely, worked much too hard and always said good morning etc. with a big smile. We only ate in the beachcomber as we didn't feel the need to eat elsewhere as everything we wanted was there. Food was lovely, breakfasts had lots of variety from fruit, yogurt and cereals to full english breakfasts. Afternoon tea was a selection of sandwiches, sausage rolls, selection of cakes and much more, and for the evening meal sometimes they had themed nights. Actually, i tell a lie, we also ate at the grill where you could pick up a burger, fries, steak roll and other snacks, again food was beautiful. Staff were very friendly and regularly asked if you wanted a drink. Captain would regularly walk round chatting to people and also took part in the poolside games in the afternoon. There was plenty of entertainment, shows, acts on in the bounty club and pubs and the casino, but equally there were plenty of places to sit and have a nice quiet drink if you wished. I would definately sail on this ship again. The only thing i would say is if you like to lie in the sun make sure you get up early and put your towel on a sunbed as people were putting towels on sunbeds and leaving them even when they were going out on excursions. Also the first day when you are at sea the sunbeds go really early as nobody is getting off.

Just got back from our first ever cruise aboard the Island Star.

We thought it was fantastic. The staff and food was top notch and the entertainment was very well done. It is a big ship with lots of entertainment and some of it did not suit our tastes, but we just went to a different area of the ship! The Jongleurs comics were very good and we found the entertainment to be great as well.

All the off ship execursions were well organised and run.

We would get back on board in a heart beat.

I TRAVELED ON THE ISLAND STAR ON THE 5TH JULY . IT WAS A NICE WEEK I ENJOYED IT ALOT I THOUGHT THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS RUBBISH THOE THE COMEDIANS ON IN THE OCEAN THEATRE AND THEN IN THE BOUNTY CLUB MOST OF THE TIMES ROBBIE WILLIAMS TRIBUTE WAS BAD THE FOOD WAS OK NOT MUCH AS A VARIETY AS TIME BEFORE I JUST EAT PASTA EVERY SINGLE DAY. THE CABIN WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND BIG AND CLEANED TO A GOOD STANDARD . COULD OF HAD MORE ACTIVITIES DURING THE DAY AS THE CHILDREN GOT BORED BECAUSE THEY WAS SAYING OVER QUOITS ETC .. THE TABLES AROUND THE POOL WAS A DISGRACEFUL THEY NEVER GOT CLEANED BUT PART FROM THAT I HAD A GOOD TIME I WOULD GO ON IT AGAIN
BUT THEY NEED TO SORT THINGS OUT INCLUDING THE PRICE OF DRINKS THE BILL WE GOT WAS MASSIVE. AND THE EXCURSION WAS OFF THE ROOF SO THEY SHOULD PULL THE SOCKS UP X

This is the second time we have sailed on the Star ,we enjoyed every minute of our cruise ,the boat was spotless ,food great,entertainment super,and the staff were so friendly, so it came as a great shock to read that they are selling it to a Spanish Line the last cruise will be April 2009 , i was so looking forward to another great week in 2009 around the Med.
Hope they are planning a replacement ship soon.

The cruise was lovely. The main problems were the day long excursions which were a bit tiring, particularly if you did them on consecutive days.
The only slight observation is that it would have been nice if one had been given a free hat instead of the bar staff constantly trying to sell them.
Overall a very decent holiday, however do not do as we did and combine it with a stay at the Comodoro Playa hotel in Palma Nova. Supposed to be a 4* but more like a 2*. Full of Stag & Hen parties and no hotel management to speak of.

Sorry folks! Island Star needs some work. We returned this year after having a super cruise last year but my, standards have slipped. Island Cruises are obviously cost cutting. The entertainment was considerably poorer than last year. We endured three nights of the same comedian act...twice in the Bounty lounge and once in the Ocean theatre. Only two production shows in the week too. The food is good but not as good as last year...plenty of choice but things like only 2 mornings of back bacon at breakfast in a week whereas last year was 4 mornings. Bar prices have rocketed as have the trips. Crew are mega friendly of course but many will tell you that they are unhappy with Island Cruises and are looking to go to other ships. Easy way is if you haven't cruised and want informal, you'll enjoy it. If you've been on Island Star before and want to go back, we think you may be a trifle disappointed. All in all we had a great time with brilliant weather. But, come on Island, pull your finger out.

Good points , great crew and good entertainment and food

Bad points ---bedding old and has filthy valances

Cabin noise on Aqua excessive even worse when docked

Pestered repeatedly by being asked if we wanted a drink (12 times in one hour ) even asked when we had full glasses

Smoking allowed ( worse in bars eg Bounty Bar where entertainment is )

first time on cruise,first impressions was better than expected,had cabin on aqua deck {cheapest} as was late booking and found it fine very clean and comfortable.staff very friendly big difference to the surly staff we faced on our second week stay in majorca.food very good ate mostly in beachcomber as had to que for island restaurant but only ten minutes or so.always good choices of food available,drinks reasonably priced cheaper than uk holiday centres.entertainment not bad but think i would have been fed up after another week.docked in marseilles and had to pay 7.00 for shuttle bus as docks was way out of town,this isnt a lot to pay but still think it should be mentioned to passengers in brochere as you cant just get off the ship and make your own way into town,overall excellent value for money and would go on this ship again very well organised.