I cruised on the Norwegian Dawn out of New York in April 2005 and was very impressed with this 4 star ship, so when I booked for Island Star (which also has a 4 star rating) I was expecting good quality and high standards. I was led to believe that the ship had been totally refurbished which turned out not to be true. All the public areas were new and were comfortable and well maintained. The cabins, however, were a bit disappointing as they had obviously not had a face lift. Although spacious with plenty of storage space, they were bland in decor and the carpets were slightly stained. My cabin, which was towards the back of the ship, was noisy and vibrated whenever we were at sea. This did become quite annoying and prevented me from enjoying a good night's sleep.
The food could have been better. There was plenty of choice in the Island Restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the standard of the food varied and it was very often cold. We tried on numerous occassions to book a table in the a la carte restaurants, but they were always fully booked. With children in our party it was sometimes difficult to find food which suited their tastes. Twice, at lunch time, we ate out at The Grill, but had concerns over how well the chicken was cooked.
The ship's staff were very friendly in all the bars and restaurants, but service could have been a little quicker.
The entertainment was fairly good and varied with the American cruise director very entertaining. Different bars offered different styles of live music so you could always find something that suited your tastes.
Overall I had a good holiday, but doubt that I would rush back on board this cruise ship. There are far better ships out there.

We travelled on the 14 night Ancient Odyssey cruise.
Well what can we say, if you want to go on holiday on the Island Star do not book a cabin at the rear of the ship, as you will need ear plugs if you want a good nights sleep.

We booked an outside cabin on Diamond deck after a couple of nights could'nt stand the noise & vibrations, from the engine, any longer so asked to be moved, unfortunately they had already had to move so many people from the back of the ship (from all decks) that we ended up on Aqua deck in a inside cabin, which turned out to be just as noisy and with the added pleasure of the ceiling vibrating, brown water from taps and the air conditioning only ever blowing out cold despite several attempts to get it repaired, and having to use bridge cam to see if it was day or night.

Food in the Beachcomber although plentiful was either luke warm or cold, but the food in the Steakhouse was fantastic but you do have to pay extra.

SUNLOUNGERS were disgustingly filthy, broken and like gold dust.We truly are worse than the Germans for putting towels on loungers early in the morning. There was even some very sad poeple who would take the blue cushions to their cabins at night.

Water was very chlorinated, wife ended up with an upset stomach.

Now for the good bits.
All the crew from the captain down were friendly and helpful.
Rob the entertainment manager was very amusing.
The shows put on by the dancers and singers were great, and the entertainment team were brilliant.

Overall until the noise problem is sorted out we would not travel on the Island Star again.

We booked this deal on a whim and to celebrate our son's 18th in September. We went at Easter in the school holiday. I'm not a great lover of ships and went through will we/ wont we/what have i done. It was a surprise to the kids until we got to the airport! When we landed at Palma and were transferred to the ship I felt like royalty, we were on Diamond Deck, the cabin was superb, the staff superb friendly and so hard working, if you get a chance stop and ask how many hours they work. The food was out of this world and led to my first encounter with a GYM!! We slept so well and the beds were comfy. We did all the excursions available, pricey but we sailed 1600 miles and saw Sicily, florence, Naples, Pisa,Pompeii, South of France and Barcelona all in 1 week, what better way to show your children the world. The Captain even stopped by Stromboli Mountain (a live volcano) so we could see the eruptions. Pompeii was pure magic, I last went when I was 12, im now 46. We saw Michaelangelos David, The Tower of Pisa, Florence inside out, visited a vineyard in the south of France at 10am!! Memories we can keep for ever. The Boat sorry, Cruise ship was almost as big as the Eiffel Tower, the staff absolutely brill, if you have always been curious give it a go, it will be an experience you will never forget!

Have just returned from the preview sailing on the Island Star from Lisbon to Palma..what a fantastic time !!!
The staff and service on board were exceptional, something I think 'Island Cruises' pride themselves on...the cabins were clean and comfortable, I stayed on coral deck.
The food choice was plentiful - something to suit every taste - from 24 hour to al a carte.
The pool area and jacuzzis are perfect for rlaxing and whiling away the hours.
Enterainment was plentiful - never a dull moment - fab 2 tier theatre, excellent shows..
Kids Club is friendly, welcoming and would keep children of most ages well occupied - ideal for the family holiday..watch out for 'Palmy'
Would recommend this to everyone..

I travelled on the Island star from the 22nd March to the 25th March, Lisbon to Palma with a stop in Alicante. It was FANTASTIC!!!!
The one thing that struck me more than anything else was how friendly the crew were, they just couldn't do enough for you, they were by far the nicest set of people I have ever come across.
The food was fantastic in all restaurants, As was the on board entertainment!
Drinks were fairly priced.
I did think the cabins were a little basic, but clean and comfortable enough. I have to say though, as a travel agent i doubt i will be recommending paying the extra for the balcony cabins, from memory the supplement is approx £700 for a two week cruise and having been in all cabin types i really dont think it is worth it......however each to his own!

If you are booked on the Island Star you will have a wonderful holiday! ENJOY

Jane

I have just returned from the preview sailing onboard the Island Star from Lisbon to Palma via Alicante.

Overall the ship was good, the main complaints being space in the restaurants and seating areas. They have added more cabins when the ship was refurbished, but have neglected the passenger areas.

The cleanliness was fantastic and the service was good (if you could find somewhere to sit!!!!)

I would sail again, but would definately not go in peak season as you would stand all the time.

Everything went very smoothly right from the word go. We were met at Palma airport by Island Cruises reps, directed to the appropriate transfer coach and within half an hour we were onboard the ship. We were then taken to our cabin which I had previously reserved on Diamond deck number 6106. The cabin appeared very clean and tidy and the cabin steward Katerina, very friendly. We unpacked, went ashore for a few hours in Palma, returned had dinner, went to an excellent show and then returned to our cabin around 11.30 p.m. Unfortunately upon opening the cabin door I realised I had made a mistake in my choice of cabin location, the noise from the engines was horrendous! There was also a clanging noise similar to an airlock in the plumbing and the air conditioning was that cold, we were shivering! Suffered a sleepless night and the following morning reported the problem to Customer Relations. By the afternoon we had moved to cabin 9048 on Golden Deck which was heaven! Very quiet, clean and spacious and the steward Miland was extremely efficient and courteous. What he couldn't do with towels, was nobody's business - everyday we had them twisted and folded into marvellous creations!
We found the food to be good in all restaurants and particularly liked the choice and quality in the Oasis. The entertainment was of a very professional standard and the cruise Director Rob was just brilliant! The ships itinerary (Med isles) was very interesting and the pre-booked excursion we did in Rome (Monumental Rome) included a good standard 3 course lunch.
We met some very interesting fellow passengers from all over the British Isles and without exception, everyone said how much they had enjoyed their week aboard the Island Star. One couple had been on 80 cruises with various shipping lines and didn't have a bad word to say about our trip.
All in all we would definately recommend this ship to both couples and families, but I would say that Golden or Sapphire are probably the quietest decks to stay on.

Just come back from a preview cruise on the new, long awaited Island Star.
Sailed from Lisbon to Palma.
IT WAS FANTASTIC !! The ship continues Island Cruises Relaxed and friendly idea and the staff - THEY WERE EXCELLENT!
Loads of restaurants to choose from with great food ranging from burgers and hotdogs, to carvery roasts, steaks up to a la carte fayre. Great entertainment in a huge theatre, loads of bars for drinking, a pool with 2 jacuzzis and a separate kids pool, nice comfy cabins, bigger than its sister ship, the Island Escape and I think this is going to be in for a great season.
Dont worry about booking on this ship - go for it and have a great time!

As previously promised I am listing my review of The Island Star.
Our party consisted of my wife and myself.
Flight details. Managed to gain extra leg room by the emergency exits. Flight crew were excellent and couldn't do enough for us. Flight was on time and the journey was uneventful.
Transfer to ship took around 20 minutes from Palma to the port.
Processing of passengers to board the ship was good with very little waiting time.
Our cabin was midships on Bronze deck and was very comfortable. A lot bigger than Thomson Spirit.
We were supposed to leave Palma at 20.00 hours. However some passengers had flight delays and so we did not sail until 23.30 hours. Therefore the lifeboat drill was delayed until the next day at sea.
Day at sea. Sunbeds are at a premium and are fully taken by around 12.30 so I suggest an early trip to the top deck to secure yours. The lifeboat drill was a bit of a mess with no actual roll call. The weather was perfect being a cloudless sky and gentle sea breeze.
The sea was like a carpet for the whole of the 14 days aboard ship. For sea turbulence the Island Star was faultless with little or no movement felt.

Day Three. Villefrance.Tender to shore. Went to Marineland. Not a patch on Sea World and was not really worth the money in my opinion. A long day in the sun with very little breeze.
I enjoyed the coach ride through Nice and Cannes though.
Visited The Steakhouse restaurant in the evening. T Bone steak was the best I have ever eaten. My wife had the Sirloin and could not finish it. I helped her!
The deal is 2 meals and a bottle of wine for 24.99p .Very reasonable.
Day 4. La Spezia.Took an excursion to Portofino which was lovely but very tiring.
Very expensive for drinks ,meals and gifts.
Day 5. Marseille. I did not like this port very much. We found it quite intimidating and very HOT.This is just our opinion as other people on the cruise enjoyed the trips they went on.
Day 6.Barcelona. DIY trip around Barca on the open top bus . I love Barcelona and I really like seeing the mime artists along Las Ramblas. Beware of pickpockets though as a fellow cruise passenger had her purse stolen. Just a word of warning . But a lovely port nevertheless.
Port authority supplies a bus into town . Island cruises charge £2 for their bus from the World Trade Centre.
Day 7.Ibiza Town. You can get the shuttle into town . We took a cab to Cala llonga (15 euros each way) and just "chilled" on the beach. A lovely island and not at all like some of the bad press it gets.

Day 8. Palma. We took a cab to Palma Nova (15 euros each way) to do some shopping and such. Returned to Palma and walked along the promenade.

Day 9. Day at sea. Same problems as last week.

Day 10. Palermo. Too busy for our liking. Traffic does as it likes and you have to really be careful with the scooters etc.

Day 11. Citavecchia. Rome - what a city ! The history of the place makes the hairs on your back stand on end. You can catch the train from Citavecchia and do the trip yourself .
For peace of mind we always take the planned excursions. We did the "Rome at your own pace" trip.

Day 12. Ajaccio. I just love Corsica. We have been there on three previous occasions. This time we visited the Turtle Reserve which as animal lovers we both enjoyed. If you haven't been before I suggest the open top bus and not the little train as this gets packed and is uncomfortable.

Day 13. Alghero. Tender to shore. Beach a short distance from quay. Sea heavy with seaweed and the smell of the place wasn't that great. Very picturesque though.

Day 14. Mahon. Be sure to be around the deck area when you pull in the harbour as it is one the most beautiful posts in the Med.

Thoughts on the ship.
Cabins.. excellent.
Food.. Good although not very hot. Various theme evenings in Beachcomber. Italian, Mexican and Indian.
Island Restaurant.You wait to be seated. Gets very busy around 20.00 and a queue some develops. Expect a delay around this time.
Oasis Restaurant. You pay extra for certain items on the menu and you have to book 24 hours in advance. We did not experience this restaurant.
Steakhouse. Excellent . But please ensure you book early as we tried to book on a second occasion and were disappointed not get a reservation.

Bars and Entertainment. Ocean theatre is where the shows are performed . Very professional and enjoyable.
The Pub. Young Irish Duo. Saffire. Not to our taste .
Bounty Club. This is where we spent the majority of our time.They have a competition called "Team trivia" where you enter a team at the beginning of the week and they run a quiz each night and tally the scores up to produce an overall winner for the week.
Various other games such as "Who what to be a millionaire?", " No Deal or Deal", "Mr and Mrs" etc.

Overall the ship is the most informal ship we have been on. The captain is always around and happy to talk.
The bar prices are OK with the exception of the canned sodas at £1.40 which is a rip off.

Would we travel again with Island Cruises? A resounding YES!!

I hope this is of help to those who are going on The Island Star. If I can be of further assistance please let me know.
Bon Voyage.