MY WIFE AND I HAVE JUST COME BACK FROM A CRUISE ONBOARD THE ISLAND STAR THE SHIP AND CREW WELL EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS VERY CLEAN IN ALL AREAS THE FOOD EXCEPTIONAL GOOD VARIETY AND PLENTY OF IT, STAFF AND CREW COULD NOT BE MORE HELPFULL AND CURTIOUS YOU WILL NEVER BE BORED OR HUNGRY OR NOT HAVE A GREAT TIME ON THIS SHIP, FIRST CLASS ENTERTAINMENT PARTICULARLY THE SHOW TEAM WE WOULD DEFINATELY SAIL ON THIS SHIP AGAIN.

This was our first cruise, so high expectations but nothing to compare it with. We had chosen Island Cruises based on the informal and friendly atmosphere that was promised. We drove south to fly from Manchester - one of the disadvantages of a late booking. Our flight to Palma was delayed, as they always seem to be these days. Flights apart, the service level was soon set by a team of folk leading us to the bus, where we had a couple of forms to fill-in. This was effectively the last red-tape we saw, with the room key taking the strain for the rest of the trip. The embarkation process was again new to us, with friendly staff at every turn. We were escorted to our cabin on Coral deck, where our bags were waiting for us. Our outside cabin was certainly spacious and clean, with loads of storage space. I'm not sure what's to be gained by paying extra for a cabin on a higher deck.
With other flights being late, we went up to the Beachcomber (buffet-style) restaurant, where we selected our first meal, which was eaten on the open rear deck, watching the sun set over Palma. Great food and an even greater view. The waiting staff bring you drinks, which reportedly included a 5% tip. It was still t-shirt weather as the Island Star left port at 9pm, with upper decks full of high expectations and high-spec digital cameras.
Like most newcomers (there were a lot who had been on the Island Star before) we explored the ship over the next few hours, to discover a layout which remained slightly confusing to the very last day.
The itinerary included Palma, Levorno, Genoa, Marseilles, Barcelona, Valencia and back to Palma, but the first day was at sea.
We had read reviews on this site suggesting a shortage of loungers on the upper deck, and due to being at sea all day, and presumably a few secret Germans, there were periods of shortage. This problem did not recur during days in port due to excursions etc.
We soon got used to the room being tidied in our absence, and begun to look forward to the odd animal fashioned from towels, a treat which we now realise isn't restricted to just Island Cruises, but fun non-the-less.
There are five main food outlets.
Beachcomber - open 24 hours, with a wide selection of food, and the choice in indoor or outdoor consumption.
The Grill - on the open rear deck. With the ready-to-eat food in the Beachcomber, we never felt inclined to wait for burgers, chips etc.
Island Restaurant - A bit more up-market, with waiters to show you to your table and get drinks. Gents asked to wear long trousers in the evening, to keep the standards up. You can ask to sit on your own, or with random others. We really enjoyed meeting new friends at every meal! A great opportunity to swap notes and get advice.
Oasis Restaurant - we only splashed out the extra £30 for two (including a bottle of wine) on our last night. Fantastic service and superb food.
Steakhouse Restaurant - we never tried it, but heard only good stories from other passengers.
I'm not sure how many bars there are on board, but I know we didn't get to see all of them. You effectively have to stay in your cabin to avoid being offered a drink, not that they are pushy in any way, just attentive.
The entertainers were very talented, from their efforts to get folk dancing around the pool, to the shows in the Ocean Theater. I've seen a friends video from Royal Caribbean, and with double the number of passengers, you can see it in the productions, but just how many entertainers do you need on a stage at any one time!?
I'm not one for watching vocalists, but the "History of Soul" and the "Robbie Williams Tribute" were brill!
Being a lover of all comedy, I had high expectations for Rudy West, and I WAS NOT disappointed! We were soon scanning the daily ships newspaper to ensure we didn't miss any of his other performances, which were all unique. Not the kind of guy you walk in front of when he's performing!
Excursions: Being new to every port, we booked excursions at Levorno, Genoa and Barcelona.
Florence "at your own pace", was just a bit disappointing, as we seemed to have too much time on our own (each to his own) although we did see filming for the sequel to "Room with a View" being filmed on the Cathedral steps. Massive queues prevented us from entering.
Genoa was a very short hop across the harbour by ferry, followed by walking tour. The girl was very knowledgeable and helpful - a great tour! The largest aquarium in Europe is at the harbourside, and as a bit of a "fish geek", I really really enjoyed it.
Barcelona had lots of excursions to chose from. We opted for Montserrat and Cava, which proved to be a real highlight. At £45 per head it seemed steep, but was so worth it. Trying to describe it would not do it justice. Not to be missed!
Marseilles was a bit like any other big city away from the central harbour, but a quick train ride up to Notre Dame de la Gare is well worth it for a spectacular view. After a cheap shuttle into town, we took on a hop-on-hop-off bus, but with only one bus every 2 hours, it didn't really do what it said on the tin. Go for the wee train.
A lot of people get trains, buses and taxis at the port, to see things at there own pace or further afield, but we were told by the girl booking the excursions that the best photo you'll get on any cruise, is the view from the harbour as your ship leaves without you. Well she would, wouldn't she! Anyway, that thought stayed with us, and I'd still be loathed to venture far under my own steam.
We were all excurshioned-out for Valencia, so stayed on board for a change. By this time, I'd figured out just when the large bowls of trifle were introduced at the Beachcomber ;-)
Bags are packed and left outside your room after midnight, to be unloaded for you at Palma. A list of all our purchases was posted under our door on the last morning, and didn't turn out to be too much of a shock at all. With a late flight back, we had a whole extra day on board (minus the cabin if you don't pay a small supplement), so we worked on adding that 8th pound on a 7 day cruise, just to break the pound a day rule.

Bearing in mind that this was our first cruise, we were thoroughly impressed by boat, staff, food and itinerary. We would enthusiastically recommend Island Star to anyone, particularly if they are not so keen on the formal or semi-formal nature of many other cruises we investigated. I honestly don't know what was missing, that would make me want to pay much more for it on another ship and can see why there were so many cruisers returning to the Island Star.

We booked this cruise four days before sailing to get away from the rain there were only three cabins left so we had a outside in aqua deck. As this was our 4th cruise on the Island Star we were a little concerned regarding the cabin. From start to finish it was a fantastic trip very organised transfer to the ship, luggage waiting outside .The cabin was a little smaller than we had before but was excellent it appeared brand new and had all we needed, it was kept spotless by the staff.I wrote a review in June where I thought the food was not as good as it had been, on this trip the food was excellent plenty of everything hot food was hot and the cold food was cold, the ship was kept spotless.Unlike in June , the pool area had far more youngsters, and the Captain did appeal to parents to control the kids due to complaints, During some of the shows i saw very young children running up the aisles and onto the stage during the acts, the parents just seemed to switch off and let the kids run riot.
The old chestnut about sunbeds always appears, despite a first day appeal from the Captain people still hogged the sunbeds with towels, one member of staff timed the beds for an hour then removed the towels allowing people to use them, well done island star.
The weather was hot the ports of call ok but we did not park up at Nice as we thought we were but four miles down the coast. Mahon harbour has got to be one of the best to sail in and out of it is really stunning.
The shows were good with a motown singer Steve Simone really something, the ship staff put on fair shows but if you want better you have to pay Royal carribean prices.
Captain John Brocklehurst was a very friendly man he bought us a drink at the bar and was interested in our opinions of the product. We both like casino's and the Island star has a good one however the manager Nic was forever trying to get young kids out who were running around in there. I may be biased about the casino as on the second night a slot machine was kind enough to present me with £3000 jackpot which is a nice start to any vacation and no, I didnt give it back.
A point of interest was the Captain announced they were ceasing the winter Brazil trips and going to the Carribean next year.
In conclusion the cruise was excellent value for money the best staff we have known in over 15 cruises, we were made to feel welcome and special I would recommend this cruise to anyone, and if it is your first cruise you will love it.

We have just returned from a fantastic weeks holiday on board the Island Star

Just like every holiday there were a few little things that slightly annoyed us £1.40 for a can of fizzy juice was a bit on the steep side, however all other drinks were very well priced. As with other comments, we agree that there are not enough sunbeds, however as the capatin said there is no ship that has the deck space for a lounger for everyone.

Well thats the bad bits, now for the good bits.

Arrival at the terminal and then to ship was pretty slick, we were welcomed with an orange juice whilst we waited in the queue and had the obligatory photo taken before we got on board.

We had been in the cabin for no more than 5 minutes when our cases arrived

We booked an outside cabin on Diamond deck and we had very little engine noise, however we met some people during the week who were below us and nearer the back and they felt like they were part of the engine room staff (very noisey)

Our cabin attendanat was Eddie and he was a complete star. The room was attended to at least 3 times a day with clean towels every day for both showering and pool side use.

The ship was very clean and in our view was very modern, we were on the Thompson Destiny last year and the Star is definately much more modern and the rooms are much bigger than the Destiny

The staff, like most ships, are fantastic and have a superb sense of humour and fun,One little off put was the amount of times you were asked if you wanted a drink. They may work on commission who knows, however you can just say no.

We took in a few shows in the Ocean Theatre and these were extemelly well planned and presented. There is tons going on within the ship. As well as the main theatre there is a club at the stern called the Bounty which had all the usual fun and games going on. There are some nice quiet areas too, The Captains Club / Card Room and the Harbour Cafe which had a chap playing the piano and there was the Pub which had a variety of music playing each night.

During the day there is the usual pool side games together with cocktail making, napkin folding etc demonstrations. A good tip if you dont need to be beside the pool for the kids is to get a bed up at the front of deck 12 it is lovely and quiet and you dont even get to hear the tannoy anouncements.

We had Captain John Brocklehust as our master for the week. He works 8 weeks on and 8 weeks off which aint a bad gig. Capatain John is also full of fun and you see him quite a bit during the cruise talking to passngers etc. If you can do the bridge visit (£2.50 extra) it is well worth the extra cash.

Our trip was the Mediterranean Discovery which took in Olbia, Rome, La Spezia, Villefranche and Mahon

Olbia is very nice to sit on deck and watch the ship arrive however the town itself was described my our 13 year old as "a bit of a dump" He was right. We would advise you to take the organised trip to the beach. It is a wee bit expensive however looked worth it. If we went back that is what we would do.

Civitavecchia was next and this is where you take in Rome. Again the trips are a wee bit expensive. We went on Monumental Rome however, on reflection, it was well worth the price.

La Spezia, Dont take a trip at this port as you will miss one of the gems of the Med. We went on a boat trip to Portovenere which was only half an hour away. It cost us about £25 each and was good however you can get a bus from La Spezia for about £3. We would suggest that you have a good look round La Spezia in the morning and then hop on a bus to Portovenere in the afternoon. Both places are a must for a vist.

Next it was Villefranche where you can get the train (a five minute walk to the station from the pier) to either Nice or Monaco. We just stayed in the town and crashed out on the beach however others we met went on trips or made there own way. Whatever you do this is a great port.

Mahon next and you have to get up early and watch the ship sail into this magnificent harbour. Threading the eye of a needle comes to mind. We bearthed right at the town and within 5 minutes we were in shoppers paradise.

Despite the few mumbles mentioned at the start we could not fault this ship and could not sign off without mentioning the food.

Plenty, Plenty, Plenty and of a superior qulity we ate in the Island resturant which is self service however whatever your likes are you will find something to eat. There is another self service called the beachcomber which is open 24 hours and the food is just as good.

There are two other restuarants where you can pay a suppliment however we never felt the need to eat there so we cant comment.

We met some great people on this trip, Brad & Mandy from Engerland and Brian, Sheena and Emma from Scotland.

We had a ball and yes we will go back

Great flights, great ship, great ports (Olbia was nice to look at from the ship), great entertainment, staff,food and great passangers and some new friends.

Roll on next July

the island star curise ship was amaising .
Our children enjoyed it so much as the had the aracade and kids club .
Us adults loved it cos we got a break away from the children so we could do our own thing it was wonderful.
The staff was excellent and the food was perfect.
And the shows in the ocean theatre was also 5 stars very very good as they all put in so much effortinto the shows .
And our cleanyer that done room 6175 was excellent at tindying the room .
All our family would go on it again.
thank you for the wonderful stay on your ship 4 2 weeks .
good uck in the furture.
xxxx

We booked this cuise just a week before we sailed. This was our very first cruise and can I say will not be our last! It was fantastic! We flew into Palma where we boarded the ship, as we arrived at our cabin so did our bags. The only downside of the holiday would be the noise in our cabin, but I doubt they can help that.

Ports of call were: livorno and genoa in Italy, marseille in France, barcelona and valencia in Spain.

They were fantastic, we only did two excursions as they very highly priced.

Everything about the ship was brilliant, the cleanliness, the food, the staff.

The entertainment team put on shows each night which were amazing and a joy to watch.

We hav just got back from our mediterranean explorer itinerary on board the island star and we loved it.

We ate mostly in the beachcomber restaurant but also dined in the island restasurant and both were excellent. The downside being that for the island restaurant you have to queue up to 15 minutes to get a table we thought this a bit unnesscery as there was always plenty tables they mainly serve the same food anyway so we avoided queues by dining in the beachcomber.

The staff on board were all very friendly and always wished you a good day or a have a nice evening and they could not do enough to help you.

The entertainment onboard was excellent with robbie williams tribute act and the uk comedian leading the way for me but there was also shows of grease and broadway which were both great.

The only downside to the cruise was that on our day at sea the sea was very rough and many people including my family were seasick however this was not island stars fault.

overall we had a fantastic time and will definitely be cruising again!

This is our fourth cruise, having sailed with Royal Caribbean, MSC and Carnival previously. We picked this cruise because of the itinerary as we hadn't been to any of the ports of call, and we certainly were not disappointed with any of them. Having read loads of reviews after we booked it we were a little apprehensive about what to expect, but we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise.

It is certainly the shabbiest ship we have been on, but the largest cabin, it was huge, although I think we just got lucky as we didn't see any other cabins like it on our deck. We had an inside cabin on Bronze Deck.

Some of the public areas could do to be refurbished, especially the carpets.

Some of the sun loungers are way past their best and it was also difficult to get one on the day at sea. We didn't manage to get one until later on in the day, although this didn't bother us, as we are not great sun worshippers.

My husband and I are vegetarian and this ship had by far the best choice of any ship we have been on. We ate in the Beachcomber Restaurant all the time as it had everything we needed. It was great not having to clock watch as we have had to do on previous cruises, especially when you are on first sitting for dinner. We loved being able to eat when we felt like it. Having done the formal dressing up for dinner on all of our other cruises we loved the 24-hour buffet and not having to get really dressed up. If you like fine dining and silver service then this ship is probably not for you.

The entertainment was good, definitely not West End standard as some reviewers have said, they have obviously never been to a West End show, but it was very good. Everything was geared to the Brits and they did have bingo, karaoke, quizzes and all the tacky game shows but there was always plenty going on.

The staff were excellent as they have been on every cruise, always smiling and very helpful, we couldn't fault them.

We are not really big drinkers, but the drinks prices were the cheapest of any ship we have been on. There was no 15% service charge on top of the prices quoted. Our only gripe would be that the soft drinks are expensive in comparison to the alcoholic drinks, £1.40 for a can of coke.

We went on two organised excursions to Mount Etna and St Tropez, as these places were a long way from the port. They were both excellent. In Naples we did the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour for 22 Euros each, which covered you for two tours lasting about 1 hour 15 mins each. In Livorno we went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa by ourselves on the bus and train and it cost 15 Euros for the two of us, it would have cost us £68.00 with the ships excursion! In Barcelona we went to the Nou Camp on the Metro and it cost us 30 Euros, the ships excursion would have cost us £60.00! The excursions are expensive, but I think that if you are going a reasonable distance from the port then you are safer doing them.

We booked this cruise in February and were annoyed to find the price coming down quite considerably as the departure date got nearer. We could probably have saved about £400 on the total price of our holiday if we'd waited until about 4-6 weeks before booking.

We would definitely travel on the Island Star again, but wouldn't book as early next time.

Our first real cruise (previously did a Mini-cruise Newcastle to Amsterdam on DFDS Ferries) so we have nothing really to compare with but anyway:
The ship was very neat and tidy and the only reason I have given 4 stars instead of five for cleanliness is the state of one of the ¨public¨ gents toilets near the bars. It stank to high heaven on the night I went there. This may have just been a temporary problem - I didn´t go back to check.
The food was very good but we only visited the self-service buffet restaurants. We used the Island Restaurant most evenings and it was on a par with a good four star tourist hotel. The Beachcomber was slightly more down-market, no table-cloths, find your own table, but the food seemed just as good.
The staff were very friendly and efficient.
The entertainment was a mixed bag and, overall, slightly disappointing. There was a Broadway-style show on every other night which was quite excellent but there was no orchestra/band so everything was performed to backing tracks. This was OK for the song-and-dance material but poor when used as backing tracks for solo singers. Sorry, but professional singers using karaoke tracks is a pet hate of mine! There were two guest singers ¨flown in from the UK¨ on different nights but the singers from the ship´s own team were actually better than them when they did their own cabaret spots. There was a decent pop/rock band and an acoustic duo who played in the bars and they were reasonable.
We didn´t get involved in any of the games and activities so I can´t comment on those.
The organisation at Palma and on the ship itself was first rate.
I suppose that seasoned cruisers might think the ship a bit down-market but there are premium restaurants and quieter bars etc. which probably have more of a stereotypical ¨cruise¨ feel to them, and where you could feel more exclusive. Case in point - a certain Daniel O´Donnell was holidaying on the ship the same week as us but we never saw him at all.
I would certainly travel on the Island Star again and it definitely represents excellent value for money

We arrived at Palma airport about an hour late from Manchester, and were quickly directed onto our coach to take us to the ship. We had been due to sail at 2100hrs, but due to the flight delay, this was put back to 2200hrs. No biggie, but this seems to be a regular delay on the Manchester flight (was late 2 weeks earlier, as well as the week we flew home).

We were processed through check-in very quickly, credit card details recorded and the kids wristbands given out with very little queuing. Once we got our photos for the ID card, and the first of many boarding photographs taken, we wandered out to dockside, where we were very impressed by the Island Star. Our luggage was waiting in the cabin as advised. We were on the Bronze deck (Level 4) in an inside cabin for 4. Was fairly impressed by the size of the facilities and we were well looked after by Frankie, our cabin steward. Kids wouldn’t let use use any of the towels that’d he’d made into animals !

After a quick stop in the Beachcomber for a bite to eat (very impressed by the range and quality of the food) , we took a stroll around the Star before settling in at the Sailaway Bar. Service was excellent (which continued to be obvious throughout our week) and prices reasonable.

Over the course of the week, we ate mainly in the Island Restaurant for breakfast and dinner, with lunch either in port or the Beachcomber and Grill. Food was so good, and such a good choice, that we decided not to bother with either of the “pay” options.

Our ports of call were Livorno (did the trip to Pisa – docks are NOT pleasant), Genoa (wander along the seafront, visit to the top-class aquarium), Marseilles (shuttle bus into Port from docks – plenty of shops and cafes but very busy), Barcelona (open-top bus tour, visit to the Gaudi park, tapas on the Ramblas) and Valencia (service bus into town centre, nice stroll round the alleys and cathedral then service bus back to docks).
An excellent introduction to cruising, I felt, and great mix for the kids.

Sailing was, for the most, smooth, with only 1 really rough night crossing the bay from Marseilles to Barcelona. Facilities on board were excellent – didn’t have time to do everything we wanted, which is always a good complaint. Spent most evenings in the Ocean Theatre or Bounty Club, and the kids were having a rare time at their Kids clubs. Entertainment was very good - Theatre shows very well done and the Club shows were a laugh. Did the Bridge tour (taken by a VERY enthusiastic cadet) and wine tasting (well worth the £4.50 cover) during our day at sea. Managed to get sun beds near the pool most days with no great effort.

Disembarking was well organised, with 2 or 3 groups going every 15 minutes. We left at 1015, bang on time. Our cases were located where they were meant to be, and we were directed onto our coaches efficiently.

No complaints at all about our time – we all had a great time thanks to the helpful and friendly Island Star crew and we’d go back like a shot.