Cleanliness----------5++++++++
EVERYTHING was spotless, When we got off in one of the ports of call one of the cleaners came outside and cleaned the windows!!!! No-one got ill OR seasick.
Fresh towels everyday.We were on the bottom passenger deck(bargain basement!!!!) and it was just as nice as the classier decks!!!

Ship food -----4
Ok so it did get a little repeatitive after 2 weeks onborad but everything was nicely prepared and put together>Very well presented!!


Staff-------5+*++++++******+++++++++++++********++++++++++*
Wow everyone was so friendly i am only 10 but i was treated like royalty. So yeah most of the staff were asian and south americans but sooooooooooooo freindly

Entertainment
.1 show a night
.pub
.first day sailaway party.
NOOOOOOOO DISCO so dont be disappointed





I LURRRRVE tHis SHIP SHIP AND ITS STAFF espicssily archie prisscilla george and missy to name a few!!!!

First impressions of the ship are positive. My wife uses a wheelchair so we are reliant on the lifts, obviously at meal times they can be quite busy but no real problem. With nearly 1800 passengers there are always some who will let the side down e.g the heaving obese sun burnt sweating male in his Speedo’s squeezing into the lift, the lady in the Beachcomer wearing some very thin dressing gown to cover her bathing costume which it didn’t, but overall not bad at all. I think it is as well to remember that your fellow passengers are what make the cruise comparatively cheap. Everyone we spoke to was friendly and happy to spend time small talking, however, the ship is so large and with so many people it can become a bit impersonal.
Cleanliness 4.5 out 5 some towels a little threadbare, some of the carpets could do with renewing as could the sun beds.
The shows in the theatre we found were quite good, however the finals of the talent competitions is not for the faint hearted. Only the back of the theatre is really suitable for wheelchairs, i.e. some steps down, however, providing you got there 10 mins before the start there was never a problem getting a back seat.
Food. Beachcomer Restaurant good & plentiful, tries hard. I have no problems with the chap who had four breakfast's, we all try and get different things from our holidays, however, a lot of human flesh on view, if you prefer more tasteful surroundings then the Island restaurant is a bit more up market. We tried the Oasis Restaurant on our second evening, I thought it would be rather empty but it turned out to be very busy, which it remained throughout the week. I am told other than the first night where passengers are still sorting themselves out the paid restaurants get full quite quickly. We tried the Steakhouse on our last night. Both very good. There are various offers throughout the cruise for each restaurant. Dress code for the Oasis and Steakhouse. The impression given by the advertising blurb is that these are more formal restaurants (which they are). I dressed in a suite with shirt and tie, other than the waiters I was the smartest male there. Most men had open shirts hanging over there trousers, they ladies made more of an effort.
The staff in the restaurants tried extra hard to make the evening pleasant. If you have a celebration and are not too timid let the manager know when you book and you will probably be serenaded by the manager and the waiters sometime during the evening.
Beach towels seemed to get plenty of sun on the loungers whilst their owners were doing other things, did not see any evidence of staff removing them as reported elsewhere.

Make sure any electrical equipment you take can be used/charged with 110 volts. There is an efficient hairdryer in the shower room and the TV is limited in channels (though all English). I took a camera which takes rechargeable batteries only to find the charger would not charge them on 110 volt's, though all the lights showed as normal.
FM radio on MPG player none existent on ship. There is only one 110 volt outlet in the bedroom and 2 in the shower room (for electric razors).
We had Cabin 5090 on Coral Deck, I thought I had done my homework re noise, we were situated about a third of the way from the stern of the ship on the starboard side, yet we still had a continuous whine even when the wife was not there. We spoke to passengers above and below our deck, generally the nearer the bow the better. May pay to seek advice when booking if you are especially sensitive to this sort of thing, though I understand if you complain that earplugs are given out.
Be aware that the organised trips start early, normal meeting time is 08:15 though breakfast can be had in the Beachcomer Restaurant beforehand. We had three trips out all involved little or no walking. I don’t think they represented bad value for money and the commentary is good. We went to Corsica (Prunelli Gorges) Santa Margherita, for Portofino, Rome and Monte Carlo. A little cloud cover on our Rome trip otherwise perfect weather and good sea’s. The gorges were worthwhile though at the break there was a very step short walk to the restaurant and toilet. Rome was disappointing due to the abundance of graffiti and litter, interesting historical buildings. Monte Carlo interesting, clean, loads to see, many celebrity’s houses pointed out, Nice also nice, lovely beach, clean modern city.
Disaster! I took over 200 digital photos only to find when I got home I had nothing on the memory card. Went on the Internet and it is stated that the x-ray equipment does not harm digital memories, however the hand held scanner may. My camera was in the wife’s hand bag and she was scanned with this device as she was in the wheelchair and could not go through the normal walk through scan, either that or I wiped them out in error. If any one has got any shots of the above ports, Saint Margherita etc, I would appreciate a copy my email address is johnben@ntlworld .com
Remember there could be 1,800 points of view about this cruise this is only one of them.

First impressions of the ship are positive. My wife uses a wheelchair so we are reliant on the lifts, obviously at meal times they can be quite busy but no real problem. With nearly 1800 passengers there are always some who will let the side down e.g the heaving obese sun burnt sweating male in his Speedo’s squeezing into the lift, the lady in the Beachcomer wearing some very thin dressing gown to cover her bathing costume which it didn’t, but overall not bad at all. I think it is as well to remember that your fellow passengers are what make the cruise comparatively cheap. Everyone we spoke to was friendly and happy to spend time small talking, however, the ship is so large and with so many people it can become a bit impersonal.
Cleanliness 4.5 out 5 some towels a little threadbare, some of the carpets could do with renewing as could the sun beds.
The shows in the theatre we found were quite good, however the finals of the talent competitions is not for the faint hearted. Only the back of the theatre is really suitable for wheelchairs, i.e. some steps down, however, providing you got there 10 mins before the start there was never a problem getting a back seat.
Food. Beachcomer Restaurant good & plentiful, tries hard. I have no problems with the chap who had four breakfast's, we all try and get different things from our holidays, however, a lot of human flesh on view, if you prefer more tasteful surroundings then the Island restaurant is a bit more up market. We tried the Oasis Restaurant on our second evening, I thought it would be rather empty but it turned out to be very busy, which it remained throughout the week. I am told other than the first night where passengers are still sorting themselves out the paid restaurants get full quite quickly. We tried the Steakhouse on our last night. Both very good. There are various offers throughout the cruise for each restaurant. Dress code for the Oasis and Steakhouse. The impression given by the advertising blurb is that these are more formal restaurants (which they are). I dressed in a suite with shirt and tie, other than the waiters I was the smartest male there. Most men had open shirts hanging over there trousers, they ladies made more of an effort.
The staff in the restaurants tried extra hard to make the evening pleasant. If you have a celebration and are not too timid let the manager know when you book and you will probably be serenaded by the manager and the waiters sometime during the evening.
Beach towels seemed to get plenty of sun on the loungers whilst their owners were doing other things, did not see any evidence of staff removing them as reported elsewhere.

Make sure any electrical equipment you take can be used/charged with 110 volts. There is an efficient hairdryer in the shower room and the TV is limited in channels (though all English). I took a camera which takes rechargeable batteries only to find the charger would not charge them on 110 volt's, though all the lights showed as normal.
FM radio on MPG player none existent on ship. There is only one 110 volt outlet in the bedroom and 2 in the shower room (for electric razors).
We had Cabin 5090 on Coral Deck, I thought I had done my homework re noise, we were situated about a third of the way from the stern of the ship on the starboard side, yet we still had a continuous whine even when the wife was not there. We spoke to passengers above and below our deck, generally the nearer the bow the better. May pay to seek advice when booking if you are especially sensitive to this sort of thing, though I understand if you complain that earplugs are given out.
Be aware that the organised trips start early, normal meeting time is 08:15 though breakfast can be had in the Beachcomer Restaurant beforehand. We had three trips out all involved little or no walking. I don’t think they represented bad value for money and the commentary is good. We went to Corsica (Prunelli Gorges) Santa Margherita, for Portofino, Rome and Monte Carlo. A little cloud cover on our Rome trip otherwise perfect weather and good sea’s. The gorges were worthwhile though at the break there was a very step short walk to the restaurant and toilet. Rome was disappointing due to the abundance of graffiti and litter, interesting historical buildings. Monte Carlo interesting, clean, loads to see, many celebrity’s houses pointed out, Nice also nice, lovely beach, clean modern city.
Disaster! I took over 200 digital photos only to find when I got home I had nothing on the memory card. Went on the Internet and it is stated that the x-ray equipment does not harm digital memories, however the hand held scanner may. My camera was in the wife’s hand bag and she was scanned with this device as she was in the wheelchair and could not go through the normal walk through scan, either that or I wiped them out in error. If any one has got any shots of the above ports, Saint Margherita etc, I would appreciate a copy my email address is johnben@ntlworld .com
Remember there could be 1,800 points of view about this cruise this is only one of them.

I had a really fantastic time on this cruise, I have cruised once before with another ship which wasn't as good. Everything was really well organised from arrival to departure, really couldn't be better.

The cabins were really nice and much larger than expected, I had an inside cabin midship on Coral Deck and experienced no noise problems at all. The TV was really good all English channels plus 3 films to watch each day. There are safes in the cabins but you do have to pay £14 a week.

The food was good, spoilt for choice, I ate breakfast,lunch, afternoon tea at the Beachcomber - you could also take food up on to sundeck and eat it wherever you wanted. There was tea and coffee and water available to help yourself all day too. For dinner I went to the Island restaurant as I liked the atmosphere there and although you didn't have to dress up at all it was a bit more formal than Beachcomber, I drank wine which at £2.40 a glass I thought very reasonable.

The shops on board were surprisingly well priced, cheaper than the duty free at the airport! Also the bureau de change was offering good rates £1 to 1.41 euros.

All the staff were always happy and very helpful.

At each port I went ashore and did my own thing, maps are handed to you by each island's tourist office which was really useful.

I would definitely go on Island Star again.

There were plenty of Island Cruise reps at Palma to direct me to the desk to pick up my info envelope & direct me to the coach. On arrival at the port i had my photo taken and my Boarding/charge card updated. This was my first Cruise so i was not sure what to expect. A cabin steward led me to my Cabin 5146 on Coral Deck. This is near the back of the Ship. My Case arrived soon afterwards. My Cabin had plenty of room. The Ship looked clean and tidy. I ate mainly in the Beachcomber. There were lovely Breakfasts and being buffet style you can eat as much or as little as you like and being an English company, a good fry up was available as well as cereals, porridge and Fruit. I went off the Ship every Day,mainly on excursions. The cut off time in the Beachcomber was 6.30 so i had a choice of the Lunch or Dinner menus. There was always The Grill at the Back of the Ship for Burgers, Steaks and chips if required.
I thought the Excursions were reasonable value for money.
I went to Mt Etna and Taomina in sicily. i only had about 15 mins free time on Mt Etna and we only went half way up. I would have liked more time to explore.
Naples the next day and a visit to Pompeii and Sorrento. once again we only had 2 hours in Pompeii. I went on my own a few years ago and was there for 5 hours and still did not see everything. Just over an hour in Sorrento was fine.
Puccini and Pisa the next Day. The timings were good on this tour.
Marseilles the next day and very scenic drive from Toulon. only half Day so some spare time in Toulon in the Afternoon. A small Scenic Train takes you to the Beaches.
Barcelona the next day. The Ship docks about a 10 minute walk from the Ramblas and the Metro is really cheap so it is easy to visit Barcelona yourself.
The Ships staff were really good and helpful. The tables were cleared as soon as you had finished your meal and Drinks were very easy to buy. Coke was expensive at £1.40 a can but most Beers were reasonable. Stella £2.65 a pint. Cans were £2.40 for other Beers. I was lucky as Budweiser (my favoutite) was buy one get one free in most Bars for the week.
I went to all the shows in the Ocean Theatre. The best ones were the Island Stars own Showteam ones. There was also a Robbie Williams Tribute act and a Comedian. Other live entertainment was available in the Bounty Club or The Pub.
I would recommend getting a Cabin near the front as there is alot of Engine noise and vibration when the ship is manouvering.
I would definately cruise on this Ship again.

We travelled last September on the Island Star when it broke down and left us drifting 13 miles off the French coast from 22.15 to 9.00am the next day.
So anyone thinking of taking a holiday with Island Cruises just realise that whilst everything is going OK you will be fine although the food is not very good in the beachcomber bar. But when things go wrong don't expect any help from anyone with a uniform (the waiters and entertainment staff were fine) the captain ignored our pleas for information and the Hotel Director was Obstructive to the point of rudeness.
I asked from day 1 why soot was falling on passengers from the funnel and was ignored. As stated for the price when things are going alright it was a fairly good cruise. But the Managing director promised us a 100% refund when on board (infront of 1500 passengers) but renaged on the offer and we only received 50%! He has nevber returned my correspondence.

This was our first time on a cruise ship, we weren't quite sure what to expect before as we had heard mixed reviews about cruises but having taken this holiday each one of us in our party of five can't wait to go on another cruise!

Getting on the ship and to our rooms went smoothly, there was plenty of staff to direct you and tell you what to do and the process of getting your security passes was quite quick. The security pass is what you need to get on and off the ship as well as any purchases you make on the ship.

We took the cruise for two weeks, the first week we did 'Essence of Mediterranean' and the second week we did the 'Spirit of Mediterranean'. We had two adjoining outside cabins on Diamond deck (6) which were positioned in the middle of the ship so we felt the motion less and there was no noise whatsoever from the engine. However, at night time we could hear singing from the bars and pub on seventh floor but that was expected and it wasn't so loud that you couldn't sleep!

The ports of call were more relaxing in the first week and more scenic. First week we went to Corsica, Mahon, Las Margeritas, Villefranche, Rome. I strongly suggest you take the full day tour of Corsica, it's beautiful. Mahon isn't all that, don't bother taking an excursion just look around yourself. Las Margeritas also has little to see so best not to take an excursion there and save those pennies for a more worthwhile trip! The day we went to Las Margeritas we had the most awfull weather, there was a storm and we had to take a tender boat from the ship to the port and the waves were massive!! It was fun though... We just walked around the town for a while and had a coffee then came back to the ship. As the weather was so bad not many people came off the ship so they put on movies in the Ocean Theatre which was nice. Villefranche was superb, take the excursion there, there's a lot to see! Rome is also great of course, although as we have already been to Rome we took the 'Rome alone' excursion which quite litearlly meant roaming around Rome on your lonesome. However, the price of the trip was extortionate considering there was no tourguide so we were only paying for the bus ride there. It may be wise to check the prices of a taxi or train to see if that works out cheaper!

Second week we stopped at Messina, Naples, Livorno, Toulon and Barcelona. Messina (Mafia town) was like a ghost town, there was no one in the town except my family and two shady guys sitting at a cafe... No shops were open but thats because we went in the afternoon and everyone was sleeping! In the morning we went to see Mount Etna which was quite cool to see it letting off steam.... Naples was nice, actually it was a bit of a dump, we went on the Pizzas and Piazas tour so saw how they make pizza and then got to eat one! It was tasty... Not as nice as Pizza Express though ;( Two of our party went to Pompei and Sorento and they said it was amazing, I think that's the better excursion to do if you don't mind walking a lot. Livorno was the dock for Pizza and Florence and we did the excursion to Puccini's lake which was fab! We also saw the leaning tower of Pizza but you don't get much time in Pizza so just quickly take some pictures of the tower and then run back to the coach! Toulon is a relaxing place, just sit have a drink and watch the traffic pass you by.... Barcelona is fantastic and the ship docked ten minutes from the main shopping street 'Las Ramblas' so it was great.

The ship itself is very well kept and clean. The reason I gave it a 4/5 is because the Beachcomber Restaurant and The Grill were sometimes a bit dirty and the Beachcomber smellt, I think this was due to the combined factor of dirty dishes constantly being piled up and the more stomach turning problem of the passengers coming into the restaurant in their swimwear straight out of the pool. If that isn't enough to put you off eating there then I would say go for it, apparantly the food was the same as in the Island Restaurant and the Beachcomber even had themed nights which the Island Restaurant didn't have.
We always dined at the Island Restaurant and the food was fantastic with a lot of variety, there really was something for everyone! The staff were very good, always at your service and very friendly. There was a man making fresh pasta too by the name of Archand, he is a lovely fellow, always smiling!

Entertainment on the ship was fantastic, we had a different programme for each of the weeks, the showteam put on the best performance, in my opinion they were better than the singers and comedians that got flown in!

The housekeeping staff were amazing, we had a lovely man called William that used to tend to our cabin and make us animals out of towels. The bed was made so often and the cabin cleaned so many times a day!

In conclusion, I would definately consider going on a cruise again, it was not at all how I imagined, it was a fantastic experience and I can't wait to go again!

This was our first try at cruising and as it was our 25th wedding anniversary, we thought we would give it a go and booked a balcony cabin on the gold deck. The ship was clean and the cabin was spotless. Special thanks to the lady who looked after and cleaned it.

The on-board food varied between restaurants but was generally ok. Sometimes it could have done with being a bit hotter. Well worth paying the supplement and trying the steakhouse.
The ship staff are excellent and work very hard to make your cruise enjoyable.

Now for the bad bits.. The pool area and sun deck get very busy,not much chance of getting a sun bed, the usual trouble with people leaving towels on them all day. We ended up dragging the chairs from our room and putting them on the deck at the back of the ship.
Ok, I don't want to sound like an old misery, but below our cabin was a bar. At midnight,every night this bar became a late night disco and the music was loud. The floor of our cabin thumped with every beat until 3am. It was impossible to sleep until the disco finished. Not much fun if you need to get up early to do the excursions! We were offered ear plugs by the staff on the relations desk.

Entertainment, this varied from "Butlins" type stuff to some really good shows in the theatre. There were lots of children on board and they seemed to be kept well entertained, this seems to be a good cruise ship for families.

All in all I enjoyed the cruise but the lack of sleep put a downer on it. I would like to cruise again but I don't think it will be on this ship and I would be very careful where the cabin was located.

We have just enjoyed the most fantastic week's holiday aboard the Island Star. We went because my 12-year-old daughter, as one of a group of 10 from her dance school, had the opportunity to dance in some of the entertainment shows on board, so we travelled in a group with the other girls and their families.
The flight (my daughter's first!) was fine, and the transfer and embarkation procedures at Palma were efficient, and your luggage is delivered to your cabin door. The 'swipe card' system is also very efficient - it's used when you go ashore, so you don't have to take your passport; and instead of cash for anything you buy on board. (Your statement/bill is delivered to your cabin on the last night...!)
We were very impressed with the ship ( which seemed huge to us!) - all the facilities were excellent, and our cabin (Diamond deck, outside) was spacious and comfortable, and quiet, too. Our lovely cabin steward, Ramon, tended the cabin twice a day, and my daughter loved the towel animals he made for us!
We thought the ship's cleanliness was very good; and there was anti-bacterial gel at the entrances to all the restaurants for everyone to use to clean their hands. Staff reminded you if you forgot. Even the waitress folding the napkins around the cutlery wore disposable gloves.
Meals : we used the Beachcomber for breakfast (sitting out on deck), and the Beachcomber or The Grill for lunch. The Island Restaurant was nice for our evening meals, as it had a rather more formal atmosphere. The food for all our meals was super - buffet-style, with a huge array of different dishes, hot and cold, and beautifully presented. It was very convenient to be able to eat when and where we wanted.
The ship's staff were lovely, very friendly and helpful everywhere. They work so hard! Captain John seemed very nice, too - we often saw him around the ship.
The evening shows in the theatre were excellent, very entertaining, and of a high standard. My daughter's dance group performed in 4 of the week's shows, and this was a brilliant experience for them. The ship's resident show team were great, singing and acting as well as dancing. We were especially impressed with Hugo ( Mr Flexible!).
Our itinerary was Mediterranean Spirit, and we enjoyed visiting all the different ports of call, usually on a coach excursion - like everything else, very efficiently organised, and your tickets are delivered to your cabin. On board, there was an amazing variety of activities, talks, demonstrations, etc. We didn't have enough time to do many!
This was our first proper holiday, and it certainly lived up to expectations. We had such a fantastic time, we would love to go again, if we were able. (I suspect that this will probably have to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though!) We will always have many happy and special memories of our Island Star cruise.

This was our second cruise, our first was on the Ocean Village four years ago. We found The Island Star embarkation process and reception to be much smoother than on the Ocean Village. This was the case for disembarking too, but we were left at the airport to clamber into the underside of the bus to retrieve our own suitcases (!). This did seem a bit much, particularly for the wee old pensioners!

Our first impression of the ship was good. It was, like others have said, a bit worn out looking. It needs a good refit! Where the Ocean Village has a flow to it, with one area running into the next, The Island Star has lots of seperate areas, on different levels. This was probably more inconvenient for us with the buggy though. It does lack the waow factor of atrium area of the OV, but this really didn't impact on our enjoyment of the cruise.

We booked a cabin on Sapphire deck (10), a 'deluxe outside cabin'. We tried to book a cabin with a balcony, but weren't allowed as we have an infant. The room was spacious and clean, and the beds were comfortable. The houskeeping was spot on. We did experience some unpleasant sewage smells from the bath when we pulled the plug out, and once it did linger for a few hours (yuck). Also, we did smell cigarette smoke a number of times, but they never figured out who it was.

The food was good. We would strongly recommend going to 'The Island' buffet restaurant, rather than the 'Beachcomber' one (the one next to the pool). The Island restaurant was really good. The staff were attentive and interacted really well with our daughter. The food was fresh, hot and prepared well.

The other buffet restaurant had the same food each night (except on themed nights - The Island one doesn't have the same variety on these nights). However, the Beachcomber just wasn't the same. The staff were just as cheery and just as helpful, but they seemed to cover wider areas and so were much busier. It was difficult to order a drink/get a high chair at times. There was also the stench of the washing up machine wafting through one section of the seating area.

There was also 'The Grill' restaurant, at the back of the Beachcomber. It was great for us - burgers and grilled chicken, salad and daily specials. Oh, and chips :) So it suited us to go there for lunch after a morning off ship. The lunches in the other restaurants weren't very varied, and 'The Island' restaurant shut quite early in the afternoon giving us little choice anyway!

The entertainment on the ship was a bit of a let down. The shows were low budget - no spectacle at all. The staff did their best and really were talented, but there is only so much you can do with a backing track and fancy lighting. The theatre is a great space, but they seemed to use it for solo singers/comedians/kids' activities. This was the main act on a huge stage - seemed a bit strange. The stage could have hosted really top class performances, so it seemed a bit of a waste. In the OV the singers and comedians performed in the bars and other social areas, and it was a great atmosphere.

Also, 'sailaway' was a non-event most nights. There was entertainment on the top deck on the first and last nights. It was fine but nothing compared to the laser shows and acrobatic feats of the OV.

Overall the staff were fantastic. They helped however they could and grinned most of the time! They were really cheery. My husband did NOT complain about being offered a drink every five minutes, as it saved him moving his backside to the bar (it was not harrassment at all - how can you complain about attentive service?). Thee was a rumour going round that the bar staff were paid commission only - reckon it was started by the staff. Our cabin steward (Himawan) couldn't do enough for us. We also saw the Captain a few times - he seems down to earth and happy to socialise, although his dancing leaves much to be desired, tee hee.

We went on one organised excursion, to Pisa. It was well organised but, like most organised tours, left us little time to explore on our own.

For the other ports we toured independently. Genoa was good - you can walk from the port to the town centre, but make sure you get a map.

Marseille was disappointing. If I went back I would aim for a definite tourist attraction, rather than wandering the centre. The town had few pedestrian areas and was infested with mopeds. The shops were mainly the same as the ones at home - so no novelty there either.

Barcelona was Barcelona. Fab. Wouldn't get the tour bus again though - the queues are awful. You spend the same amount on speedy taxis which are plentiful. There is a lovely beach there which I didn't know about until the bus tour, however.

We went to the beach in Valencia. It's a 20 minute walk from the ship. It has lovely cafes where you can buy tapas and the beach is clean and long. You can hire a shade and bed for less than 10 Euros a day.

I wouldn't say don't go - we had a fantastic holiday! I would say check out the availability on the Ocean Village first though ;)