The ship was tired that is the best . way to describe it. The carpets were badly stained and in areas throughout the ship were well worn and holed, especially at the pool area. At times soot was landing in big blobs on the decks sunbeds and passengers. The sunbeds on deck 12 were stained sagging canvas, well passed there sell by date,the others were white hard rigid plastic with no cushions.In fairness to the deck hands they managed to clean the soot up each evening.As there were no laundry facilities for passengers to use themselves it meant either complaining and getting it done free ,but, one only feels able to do this once .parasoles were not put out until we reached Europe and by then the real heat was gone and shade not a top priority. The corridor on deck 9 leading to our cabin stunk the carpet was stained and wet driers were on but to no avail. Unfortunately for us the people in the cabins on iether side of us smoked and the smell came through the air vents,I complained twice to reception to no avail. Food was o.k. but canteen style is not my liking.One could pay for service £30 or £35 per couple including wine. Unfortunately 10days into the cruise both my husband and myself developed the sickness and diarrhoea virus which many others had.No advice was given unlike other cruise companies we have sailed with where they have notices in the cabin asking that it will be reported and treatment given free. Not on the Star I wrote to the Captain saying please can other passengers be given advice. The tales of bills from the Dr. anything from £90 for an injection to £15 for the plaster to cover the puncture wound no wonder people were treating themselves. The shops well suntan factor 4 for mainly Brits I ask you ???? No Paracetomal nothing for indigestion and certainly no immodium for the D. and V. For the last part of the cruise I had no appitite. Our felloow passengers were lovely and we had some very good company and we enjoyed the shows.The staff were all pleasant and helpfull, it was a pity the Captain did not refrain from mentioning "The so called rumour in CapeVerdy" people are not blind and it was most insensitive to say the least.I liked the idea of a relaxed informal cruise a pity the ship was so lacking.

this ship is a bueatiful ship! the enterainment is fabulous. all the crew on board always greeting you. i find traveling with the island star is a fantastic experiance. they have clubs for all ages. they is always some enterainment happening on the ship all the time. on the ship you could never get bored on the ship with all the choices you can do.

We booked our cruise on the Island Star for September 2007, but this was cancelled due to the ship being adrift off Italy on the Tuesday, but didnt tel us until the Friday night 12 hours before we were due to leave the house for the airport. They gave us a 25% discount voucher for future travel.
We booked to travel on the first European cruise from Palma in MArch 2008.
On arriving at the airport and having collected our luggage, we queued along with about 1000 other passengers in the one queue, only to find as we got closer to the front that there were 3 queues, each representing an airport you arrived from, although no signage or staff inform you of this.
We then queue to get on a bus. Took us 2 hours to get out the airport, only to queue at the ship terminal.
The staff just were not ready to accept passengers.
We got our room 1005, Sapphire deck with balcony. The walls creaked if a fish farted close enough to the ship to cause a small wave.
We complained, they sent engineers while ship was in dock, looking at me as if i was mad.
Next day at sea, was force 9 gales, couldnt sleep due to creaking wall, so recorded it on the voice recorder on my mobile phone. The engineers came in again while at dock. I played the voice clip back to them and they confirmed that there was a problem behind the walls. Thought they would fix it but no. Due to more storms we arived in port early meaning we could sleep dock side in calm water, so got some sleep then. Engineers then state they would need days to repair it when back in Palma, so if you get room 1005, take ear plugs.
The carpets through out were stained, which could be the remains of the toilets flooding cabins and halls in September 2007, when adrift.
There was a strong toilet smell at certain decks.
The food was shocking. It was cold, the meat was stringy, very cheap. There was not one day we could enjoy a good meal, except when we went ashore. If you like salad only for the duration of your holiday, this is for you.
The bars, shops and entertainment stop as soon as you dock, and due to late arrivals at ports, shops at resorts were closed, and weather was not the best, so you go back to the ship for 8 hours of nothing, because everything is closed on board apart from buffets.
They cannot be blamed for the weather, but when it was this bad, and the passengers were on board, they could have done something to entertain us.
This is not a cruise i would take again. I liked the idea of informal, and reasonable price, but this was a company sending you on a ship that needs totally refurbished, right down to the lumpy mattress with blood on it(look under your sheets).
Save your money, or spend a wee bit more and go on a cruise that isnt part owned by First Choice.

Just returned transatlantic trip 1mar to 21mar 2008, first time with island cruises on island star

We travelled via Milan, (others from Glasgow direct, Manchester direct, hrow to Frankfurt, hrow to paris) with our flight from Newcastle we were travelling for 28 hours, it was chaotic at port, we got there 8am (1st flight in) & could not check in till passengers had all disembarked, by 10 30 there was nearly a riot as new passengers arriving were trying to check in first, however we were allowed to check in then but were warned that cabin may not be ready which it wasn’t but at least the surroundings were more pleasant & food & drink were available, people who booked late had to stay in Rio for 1-2-3 or 4 days as there were no scheduled flights available

Cabin coral deck 5021 twin inside (booked before went for £30) at front in a quiet cul de sac, near customer services, a good size, lots of wardrobe space (not many hangars) 18 drawers, 1 chair, 1 table, dressing table, hairdryer, soap, shower gel, towels changed when you want, pool towels also, mini bar (to pay for) duvet torn at bottom, blanket had seen better days was from when the ship was the horizon I think

The lounges on board were in the main comfortable except part of the pub, the theatre was spacious 2 levels, most lounges & the pool area were ½ non smoking with no smoking in any restaurants including the outdoor area the grill

There were plenty daytime activities especially at sea, evening shows + other guests ie comedian, singer, comic magician who we never saw (BA lost his props) & another comedian, the show team were professional & the costumes were vg, there were singers etc in pub & some karaoke, pianists in captains table & harbour café & tv game shows, bingo, a 5 piece resident band etc in the bounty bar, the only one of the entertainment team who created havoc where ever he went was Josh although a likable enough lad (age 18) he wasn’t really experienced, however he had a 30 min singing slot which we quite enjoyed

Food & drink – we only once went to the island restaurant because there were always queues & the food was same as beachcomber the only difference was that beachcomber had no table covers & u had to collect your own cutlery, the staff wore disposable gloves & there were material napkins for the 1st few days then paper napkins (because of all the sickness & diarrhoea on board), there were hand sanitation machines but a lot of people ignored them, island tables were set, both were buffet with same food, 2 other restaurants to pay steakhouse £35 for 2 inc bottle wine & oasis £30 for 2 inc bottle wine. 12 to 6pm the grill(outside) was open with burgers etc
Food was not very varied, similar salads most of the time, very predictable, very few veg usually only 1, 1 meat on carvery, pasta available to be made but very slow, food usually not very warm, cold desserts & every evening there was crumble & custard. Would only give food 2 & a half star rating

Dress code – I know that it is an informal ship but when people come to the evening meal in what they have been wearing all day it’s not good, I have no objections to men & women wearing smart shorts & tops but some people I think just like to see how far they can go


Drinks – similar to uk beer on tap only for 1 day then onto cans then bottles all same price £2.40
Bars had 2 for 1 but were smaller & weaker-all bars different offers pays to ask at each, brazilian beer small can £2.40 often on offer 2 for 1. bottle wine £8.50 changes daily, 150 ml wine £2.40, carafe 250ml £3.15, water litre & half £2.15 cans coke etc £1.40

Trips – we went on Rio extravaganza which was so disappointing we were up sugar loaf for 75mins & only at top of Christ redeemed for only 10 mins we did complain but were just fobbed off, we wish now we had got a taxi & done it ourselves but rio is a place you need to take care, other people went on a different trip with shopping, the shopping was cancelled for some reason, also did Casablanca trip where we were rushed round, some were left in kasbar, just so guide (who was very difficult to understand) could take us to a shop where he obviously had ‘an arrangement’, the las Palmas trip to volcano was good, the Valencia trip was very good, (except when we came to board ship, we had to stand in this hugh queue with people boarding ferry & once again there was nearly a riot), other ports of call we got off & explored by ourselves, the only gripe with that was, there was a lack of information as to how far out of town we were, some ports had free shuttle buses to port gates or to town, but we were’nt told of this

Island chat – daily newsletter, did give a lot of information but could have been more precise & included when docking, when sailing what to expect in ports ie how near or far, shuttle buses etc

Days at sea – plenty sunbeds if u want to lie on stretched canvas ones in the sun deck 12, most uncomfortable definitely need replacing, some people would reserve a chair & a sunbed & hop between the 2, not good for other people, so selfish, I used to ask if chair or sunbed wasn’t being used if I could sit on it till it was required, plenty of comfy lounges if weather inclement

Weather - 31% in brazil, becoming slightly cooler as we sailed, showers & cloud 2 days out of 4 days to cape verde, it rained very heavily the day we crossed equater everyone got wet watching Neptune ceremony. Palma, Casablanca & Gibralter hot, Valencia cloud & cold, Palma sun & cloud but very cold, we booked a night here (good Friday) & were fortunate to see the easter religious parade which was fantastic

Cashless system – a credit or debit card is swiped on check in & all you spend is put on this card, I used to get a statement regularly fromcustomer relations,because if you don’t you don’t have time to do much about any mistakes as you don’t get final statement till 2am on departure day (there were a couple of minor mistakes )

Medical costs – I tripped going up the stairs on the 7th night & split my shin, so had to see doctor on a 1 or 2 daily basis, the cost is £466 hopefully I will claim most back from insurance, 1 lady had a heart attack & had to be flown home, apparently 4 people died so goodness knows what their costs would be (there were a lot of really old people on board, plenty sticks wheelchairs etc

Gripes – hoovering round the lift area at 8pm, part of beachcomber, yellow dustbins wheeled through on a very regular basis, rubbish bags carried through while eating, not good, lots of noise from kitchen area, staff very noisy, lifts, at busy times ie trips or disembarking lifts were used for transporting allsorts, which should have been done in the less busy periods, daily quiz, entertainment team couldn’t pronounce a lot of the words it could be hilarious, theatre, clearing glasses away during finale of shows, 1 lift out of action all 3 weeks, show times not adhered to, in fact we think this is the most disorganised cruise we have ever been on.

We think the basic fact was that island cruises are penny pinching as much as they can.
Although we reckon we got value for money we don’t think we will ever travel with them again, maybe try ocean village, seemingly similar price & 100% better in all aspects

This was my third cruise with 'Island Cruises' and my second trip on my favourite of the two ships - The Island Star. Make no mistake readers - to get the best out of a trip like this you have to treat it as a huge exercise in personal and time management. If you get organised and stay organised - and healthy - you can have a grand time. The weather is of course in the lap of the Gods. On this cruise we were lucky. From beginning to end, the skies were cloudless. Nothing to do with the cruise really but some attention should be given to the number of times you show passports and sign bits of paper before you get on the ship - especially if you, like me, are a late booker. Three flights arrived at once in Palma so there was a bit of a 'log jam' at the coach park and at the side of the ship. Once on, someone might escort you to Passenger Relations to get your swipe card. I had a superb cabin 4104 on Bronze Deck, Level 4. If you have the afternoon in Palma Harbour, get off and take a walk to the Cathedral and Old Town - you have plenty of time. Before disembarking that evening a sudden gust or two of wind toppled several parasols and tables on aft sun deck sending plates and wine glasses and passengers scattering. Luckily no one was hurt. Parasols are not erected on windy days and the crew was caught out - but it should not be possible that such a thing could happen under any circumstances. Sailaway to the live band Indigo playing Quanta-na-mera and the lights of Palma in the background was breathtaking. Day at sea is time to adjust, do the emergency drill, enjoy the Beachcomber, sample the Jacuzzi. Great shows throughout the week. Comedian Phil Doyle very funny. Super Elvis tribute act Joseph King. Big 'West End-type' shows - 'The Magic of the Musicals', 'Hollywood'. An Irish group of passengers brought their own DJ and dance organiser and had pre-booked 'The Pub' 5-7pm daily. They were just great and to me, made my holiday. Clocks moved on Saturday night and one lady missed her booked tour to Tuscany.
Dial 78 for a wake-up call on the automated system. Book a wake-up at 7am daily. You will be OK then. 700 passengers left dreary Livorno port for gorgeous excursions. I did 'Florence at your own pace'. I had 5 great hours in the city - watched a pageant/parade at Vecchio Piazza, climbed the 414 steps of the campinile, bought a slice of pizza by the Ponte Vecchio and saw a huge free art exhibition in the Pitti Palace. Next day Genoa. walked around the city having taken the free shuttle bus to Ferrari Square - then took the funicular up the mountain and walked back down to the ship. Next day fabulous Mareille. The Cassis trip was great.. Then Barcelona where I walked miles and took a lift up inside Sagrada Familia - and walked to the Olympic Port for a thimbleful of cappucino at a beach cafe. Then Valencia where I too the £29 17 mile bike ride. Great fun and you see everything and have a good stop to walk around in Old Town. The City of Arts and Sciences by architect Calatrava
is stunning. Half day trips like that enable you to have a late lunch on board ship - in the Beachcomber. There were always sunbeds available and the children on board for the Easter holiday break added life. The staff/crew on the ship are helpful, friendly and cosmopoliton. Captain John Brocklehurst is charm itself. I have absolutely no complaints
about the cabin or the jacuzzis, entertainment. The food might just be served a little hotter.

John Wilkes said:

This was my third cruise with 'Island Cruises' and my second trip on my favourite of the two ships - The Island Star. Make no mistake readers - to get the best out of a trip like this you have to treat it as a huge exercise in personal and time management. If you get organised and stay organised - and healthy - you can have a grand time. The weather is of course in the lap of the Gods. On this cruise we were lucky. From beginning to end, the skies were cloudless. Nothing to do with the cruise really but some attention should be given to the number of times you show passports and sign bits of paper before you get on the ship - especially if you, like me, are a late booker. Three flights arrived at once in Palma so there was a bit of a 'log jam' at the coach park and at the side of the ship. Once on, someone might escort you to Passenger Relations to get your swipe card. I had a superb cabin 4104 on Bronze Deck, Level 4. If you have the afternoon in Palma Harbour, get off and take a walk to the Cathedral and Old Town - you have plenty of time. Before disembarking that evening a sudden gust or two of wind toppled several parasols and tables on aft sun deck sending plates and wine glasses and passengers scattering. Luckily no one was hurt. Parasols are not erected on windy days and the crew was caught out - but it should not be possible that such a thing could happen under any circumstances. Sailaway to the live band Indigo playing Quanta-na-mera and the lights of Palma in the background was breathtaking. Day at sea is time to adjust, do the emergency drill, enjoy the Beachcomber, sample the Jacuzzi. Great shows throughout the week. Comedian Phil Doyle very funny. Super Elvis tribute act Joseph King. Big 'West End-type' shows - 'The Magic of the Musicals', 'Hollywood'. An Irish group of passengers brought their own DJ and dance organiser and had pre-booked 'The Pub' 5-7pm daily. They were just great and to me, made my holiday. Clocks moved on Saturday night and one lady missed her booked tour to Tuscany.
Dial 78 for a wake-up call on the automated system. Book a wake-up at 7am daily. You will be OK then. 700 passengers left dreary Livorno port for gorgeous excursions. I did 'Florence at your own pace'. I had 5 great hours in the city - watched a pageant/parade at Vecchio Piazza, climbed the 414 steps of the campinile, bought a slice of pizza by the Ponte Vecchio and saw a huge free art exhibition in the Pitti Palace. Next day Genoa. Walked around the city having taken the free shuttle bus to Ferrari Square - then took the funicular up the mountain and walked back down to the ship. Next day fabulous Marseille. The Cassis trip was great. Then Barcelona where I walked miles and took a lift up inside Sagrada Familia - and walked to the Olympic Port for a thimbleful of cappucino at a beach cafe. Then Valencia where I took the £29 17 mile bike ride. Great fun and you see everything and have a good stop to walk around in Old Town. The City of Arts and Sciences by architect Calatrava
is stunning. Half day trips like that enable you to have a late lunch on board ship - in the Beachcomber. There were always sunbeds available and the children on board for the Easter holiday break added life. The staff/crew on the ship are helpful, friendly and cosmopoliton. Captain John Brocklehurst is charm itself. I have absolutely no complaints
about the cabin or the jacuzzis, entertainment. The food might just be served a little hotter.

We were very pleasantly surprised with the efficiency of all involved in getting us and our luggage onboard, the ship itself was very impressive, from the outside, newly painted steelwork, and the entrance to the reception area was superb, the issue of pass cards was handled very well ,we were photographed and very quickly onboard ,the security check on entry was re assuring ,your picture was displayed as the card was swiped.
Our cabin was on Coral Deck, around the section near to the AFT lift,cabin 51xx not too far back to be noisy, and within easy reach of the lift and stairs.
The cabin was a nice surprise ,the bed was a good sized double ,maybe King sized, there were four wardrobes in a row along the righthand wall, with lots of hanging space and plenty of drawers, there was a full sized dressing table with more drawers ,both sides and an illuminated full size mirror above it, the cabin had a window ,which could not be opened. The bathroom and toilet were very clean and everything worked as it should ,the hairdryer did become disconnected on the hose ,but it was immediately replaced, the housekeeping team on this ship deserve full marks ,they were excellent in every respect!! The linen was changed frequently, most days the pool towels took on the shapes of animals ,the housekeepers can make anything with them ,yes, a swan, pig, dog, elephant, chimp they do go that extra mile to make your cabin homely ,the covers are turned down each night, there is always a full toilet roll on the holder and two spares!! You could not ask for more , the only negative was that the carpet was showing signs of wear ,but they should be replaced fairly soon I was told.

The mini bar was minimal and reasonably priced ,with the exception of bottled water, which was £2.15 per litre!!!!
We tried all the restaurants, they were all good in their different ways ,we used the Island most frequently, sometimes a short wait ,or instant if you were prepared to share a table, we used the Beachcomber for afternoon tea .
The prices in all the bars were reasonable ,with Draught Boddingtons, Draught Stella, and these were often buy one get one free ,similarly the cocktails were cheap and also bogof.

The biggest negative was the constant pestering of the waiters to buy drinks, they must work on a commision only basis ,they are so hard selling, it was a good idea to nurse a drink for hours in theatre or bounty club to keep them away, and then go elsewhere to have a drink in peace.
The entertainment was to be honest not our cup of tea ,Butlins standard at best , a couple of the lady vocalists were good , the lead male dancer was excellent ,but should stay a long way away from microphones, he is a great dancer, the guitar vocalist kept the room very happy with a wide range of songs, played to backing tracks, the pianist also appealed to many of the dancing crowd.

This was our first two week cruise and will be our last.!! It just wasn't our style of holiday ,it was too restricting , a lot of travelling, and very little time at the destinations, THE EXCURSIONS WERE VERY EXPENSIVE, with a little investigative work and preparation all could be done much cheaper under your own steam.
The travel was not helped by very rough weather during the last few days ,when even crew members were turning green ,plates were flying in the restaurants ,and sleeping became impossible ,all in all an unpleasant couple of days and nights.

The staff were absolutely brilliant in every area, the food was good at every meal, the drink was cheap , the entertainment was avereage , but there was also the casino ,the coffee bar ,the library, internet cafe, gym, sauna, kids club , so it might suit a lot of people,
but it a floating hotel and if that's what you enjoy then it is fine , at this time of the year it was like a floating rest home , we are pensioners but not quite ready for this experience.

Like many of the previous reviews I cannot speak highly enough about the 14 day cruise around the Med. we have just returned from.
The cleanliness of the ship and cabins was first class, food was good although we chose to eat in the Beachcomber because we felt the Island Restaurant was very cramped.
The staff were extremely helpful at all times especially the bar staff in The Pub. The entertainment in The Pub was good with quizzes etc. and the Show Team were excellent, their singing and dancing was fantastic. Unfortunately due to bad weather on our last night, the show was curtailed, but still they did their best, with the ship rolling in all directions, and most of the cast feeling under the weather.
We went ashore every day, taking an onshore trip most days. All were excellent value for money and provided such wonderful information about all those places you had only previously heard about, Rome, Pompeii, Monaco, Venice etc.
I would certainly sail on this ship again at some time in the future - if we had won the onboard lottery we may have stayed on and sailed down to Brazil for three weeks!!!

I was very apprehensive as this was our first cruise and was not sure whether I would enjoy it. However, we had a really lovely time. The transfer to the ship was very well organised, with a nice cool drink on arrival whilst waiting to have photos taken/credit card authorised. We were very pleased with our cabin although would have preferred an outside cabin. We were on Coral deck very near the front. The cabin was very spacious with plenty of wardrobe/drawer space and kept very clean. The only downside I think is that the carpets are a litle shabby in parts.

We found the food to be varied and plentiful. We had breakfast at the Island Restaurant most of the time, with no problems whatsoever. We never waited more than a couple of minutes to be shown to a table. There was always a "special offer" white or red wine at dinner at £9.95 a bottle, which we thought was reasonable. We had lunch at the Beachcomber on the days we were on board. Again this was very good and it was pleasant to sit out on the sundeck, where we ejoyed chatting to other couples. We booked for dinner at the Oasis Restaurant on two occasions. Mid week there was a special offer of £24 for dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine, though on the last night it cost £30. However we felt it was worth it to be waited on as a change from buffet meals. The waiters were very attentive and friendly and there was a really nice atmosphere.

We found all the staff to be very friendly and helpful. They seemed to be so cheery all the time!

We found the entertainment OK but nothing special. We would generally go to the Ocean Theatre after dinner and have a final drink before going to bed. We didn't visit the Bounty Club as we are not really into this type of entertainment.

We were unaware that it was Scotland's half term holiday and there were quite a number of children on board. Although they were not a major problem, it was extremely busy and noisy around the pool deck and although they were not supposed to use the Jacuzzis without a parent, or stay in longer than 15 minutes, they were in them constantly making it very difficult to use them.

Also the ship was full, partly I think because an earlier cruise ship had had engine trouble and people had been rebooked and the ship was sailing at full capacity.

It was a little difficult at times getting a sunbed and as others have said, lots of sunbeds were left unoccupied with towels/books left on them. However, most of the time it was possible to squeeze in somewhere!

We only booked one excursion to Rome, which was really good, though tiring, but a lovely lunch was included. We just did our own thing at other ports and had no problems whatsoever.

We had a very rough crossing from Nice to Mahon and I, along with many others, was very sick in spite of taking a tablet. I think if we were to cruise again I would try seabands to see if this helps.

In general we really did enjoy the cruise and would probably do another, though I think I would prefer it to be less crowded. There were some quieter places on deck and also in the library where you could play cards/Scrabble etc. The Captain's Lounge was nice for a quiet pre or post dinner drink also.

Ship cleanliness very good, food was excellent and always hot,a lot of choices.The staff were lovely, always friendly and smiling.Our cabin steward Cintia who was brazillian was really nice, and made us the animals out of the towels.We really enjoyed the shows every night.The show team were very professional and Jay Harrison had a marvellous voice.The dancers were great too,especially Mr Flexible.Also thank you to Granville for looking after us in the pub.He is an asset to the Island Star.Yes i would sail on this ship again.A real friendly feel to the star.