Having cruised many times previously, we found the Island Escape good value for money. The food was average but a good variation to suit all tastes. The entertainments team were very friendly and most of them quite talented with their one night performances in the Bounty Lounge. The ship is tired and hence her being dry-docked and upgraded when we disembarked in Lisbon. Perhaps a bigger stock of English breakfast tea-bags could be ordered for her next trip! (This is not the only ship which has run out!) We can empathise with Carole & Steve, re portions of food, but you only had to ask and unlike 'Oliver' more was given! The Hankee Pankees gave excellent shows and were very popular, overall a very good time.

This was our first ever cruise and we were a little cautious as to how it would be. We needn't have worried as it was absolutely wonderful. The ship is excellent, clean and plenty to do. The live entertainment was first class, the food was delicious -and so much of it! not good for the diet - and the crew some of the friendliest people I have ever come across. They work so hard often for many hours but manage to keep on smiling.
We were worried about sea sickness before we travelled but you hardly notice when the sea is a bit choppy, a slight sway is all you feel.
We were impressed by the cash free system in place on the ship. Makes life easier and you don't have to keep tipping the staff, even though they all deserve tips.
Would definately cruise again. Great way to see several countries in one holiday and to make your mind up as to whether or not you would bother to visit that place again.
Would most definately travel with Island cruises again. We had a great time.

This was our first cruise, only booked 7 weeks before sailing and we got a great deal. However, the only downside was that the advert in the paper led us to believe we were on the All Inclusive deal, which included drinks on-board, and we weren't, it was Full Board. Kathryn is Tee-total, and at £1.40 per can of coke, we ran up a significant drinks bill.

That aside, this is the best holiday we have ever been on, and I'm 40 in a few weeks, so I've been on a few! I have been raving about it to anyone who will listen.

We did the Mediterranean Spirit cruise. The informality of the cruise is what appealed to us, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. The brouchure is very accurate, which makes a change. There were a lot of older people on the cruise we spoke to, who were disappointed by this - they should stick to P&O or Cunard, and pay their prices!!

The staff were absolutely fantastic. Our cabin stewardess, Diana, was lovely, and nothing was too much trouble for her. She cleaned the cabin three times a day, always changing used towels and refilling the ice bucket. Diana also gave us good advice about trips, watching for pick-pockets at certain ports and had a cheery smile and greeting no matter what time of day or night.

The food choice was excellent, and we went in the Oasis twice, and the surcharge for food was well worth it. The service is full Silver Service, but again the waiting staff were excellent. Of particular note were Ronnie and Dionysiou who were attentive, very funny and made sure we had a great time.

The entertainment staff were a scream. The shows were much better than we thought they would be, but were so popular we missed two - get in there early or you will miss out.

The trips are a bit pricey, and some of them are good as a taster but to see the places properly you will need to go back.

All in all, it was superb. I wanted to book for next year before leaving the ship, but Kathryn wanted to wait for another bargain offer instead. We will definitely be returning, and I would recommend it to anyone. There is literally something for everyone to do. Fabulous!

myself and my husband went on Island Escape for cruise starting 11th October 2005(Palma de Majorca). My husband was suffering from the flu at the time but was looking forward to recovering and enjoying the cruise. When we were shown to our cabin we found the room to be boiling hot, my husband tried to turn down the Air Con but found the controls not to be working,we spent an uncomfortable night before we reported the fault to the Pursers desk the next morning and the repair was supposably carried out. Then the next night the cabin was freezing cold, so again we reported this to Pursers desk and eventually the problem was fixed. My husbands health detioriorated very quickley with sickness, dizzyness,diorea,drowsiness, no appetite,coughing up blood,and ended up not being able to leave the cabin. Eventually on saturday 15th Octoctber(Cadiz), i convinced him to see the ships doctor, so we went up to Pursers Desk. When we asked to see the doctor we were told that we couldnt see doctor until later as the medical bill would be double, only after the intervention of another passenger was the doctor called. My husband collapsed at this point and was taken to the infirmery. the doctor told me that he was seriousley ill and would have to be disembarked and hospitalised, from this point on it was panic stations I was told to go and pack, a Purcer called Marcy was forcing me to hurry up. Eventualy in 2 hrs an ambulance arrived and we were taken to hospital. My husband fell into a coma on Sunday 16th October an was diagnosed with Legionnaires disease on Thursday 20th October and the doctors couldnt save him, he died on Sunday 23rd October 2005.We have since found out that no-one was told about the Legionnaires onboard and Europe Assistance insurance was not informed of the situation until Monday 17th a full 2 days after my husbands hospitalisation. I want to know if anyone onboard the ship at this time heard of our situation or had a similar situation. All information gratefully received.

ship very clean.cabins cleaned three times aday.cabin staff wonderful.i liked the way the cabin staff made
animal shapes out of the towels.wonderful.
food brill.eat what you like .
what can i say about the staff.second to none.brill.
entertainment was very good .every night wow.
we really had a fab time .will be doing it again.
just to add .it was owr first cruise.

Well what a great time we all had on the cruise. We did a cruise and stay the ship was great we stayed on aqua deck which we were glad as we had a bad crossing from france to spain and everyone was seasick apart from us. Sometimes times it pays to be a working class commener lol. I think they could have done a bit more entertainment in the evenings as they only did one show a night in the theatre.As for the staff they were great they work such long hours. There are plenty of places on the ship to relax. We found it hard to fit everything in ,the trips are quite expensive as we went to capri which is a must but it cost us £18.00 for two sandwiches and coffees. But all the trips are great but we went of on our own and got everywhere hat we wanted to go. As for the stay in majorca the hotel was diabolicalwe stayed just outside Palma in the hotel belvedere at th etop of 200 steps or a half mile hill at 90%uphill even the fit people were struggling.We were fully inclusive we only eat there once ok if you like germans and dutch nothing to do in this resort we had to get a bus or taxi everyday to magalluf or palma lucky it was cheapbut I think we were spoilt on the ship the first week definitely going again.

The ship was kept clean all day and you couldn't ask for more from the staff. They are constantly cleaning the floors etc and even renewing any carpets paintwork that may need work done on them. They work 24 hours a day and do their best, But I must say that this ship now needs refurbishing. Some of the chairs, tables and even some the bedding is in need of renewing.

The food was excellent, if you couldn't find anything to suit you I don't know what you eat. Their was always soup, salads, meat, pasta the faithfull chips, fish, cheese, crackers, and plenty of sweet foods.

The staff were always happy even if they were working long shifts. They often work split shifts which must make it very hard to relax but they never seem to complain. They were very polite but I must say that it seems to be to an end - they want a tip. At first I didn't mind but towards the end of the holiday it does get a little bit annoying. I always leave a tip for the cabin steward and even give a tip to anyone that I think deserves it but on this ship it was very hard. They don't ask you but they make sure that you know if they are leaving the ship to go home for a holiday and if you are like us you feel that you have to give.

Entertainment - Well to me it was terrible. They try hard but the women need to either have lessons or maybe just have someone sort out the sound as they all sounded as thought they wanted to speak american and they sang out of tune. The men were much better than the women and all they need is somone to give them better dance routines. The person responsible for the dance routines needs to have lessons they were terrible.

This ship to me is Butlins on the water. If you want to go to a holiday camp on water then give it a try, you will probably enjoy it but we wanted something just a little bit different. Last year we were on the Thompson Spirit. This ship outclasses the Island Escape by leaps and bounds.

We were very dissapointed with the bars that were available. The Lookout is ok but very cold all of the time and needs work doing on it. You have to go downstairs if you need the toilet.

Bounty Lounge good if you want to join in the games like Play Your Cards Right but not much else.

Ocean Theatre you go here for the shows but not used for much else apart from showing a film.

The Pub this is put onto the end of the Sandowner Lounge ok but very small and this is where the smokers go so if you don't smoke tough you have to put up with it.

Sandowner Bar this is a lovely bar with acts changing every 45 minutes. One a man called Chas was great everone else Very Poor.

Mirage Bar by the pool to me no more to be said nothing more that a pool bar.

Sailaway Bar lovely for the day but this is closed early evening so you can't sit outside with a drink at night.

This ship is ok but go with an open mind try to join in and you will be ok.

Will I go on this ship again at this moment in time NO but may be when the time passes I might change my mind.

This was not a cheap holiday even the drinks were expensive £1.40 for a soft drink and you were charged 50p for a dash of lemonade as a mixer.

We arrived to a warm welcome from the staff ,escorted to our cabin,although small big enough,clean and tidy.We could not fault our steward who was very thorough,staff were always cleaning whether inside or outside the ship when in port.
The choice of food was good although we arrived at the same time as the new executive chef,who is very approachable and helpful,any complaints are dealt with immediately.The service in the restaurants is first class nothing is too much trouble for both the chefs and the waiters.
The beachcomber bar is fine for a quick snack and is located near the pool area.allowing you to eat by the pool if you wanted to.
We had gone all inclusive paying extra for the privilege and we were dissappointed in the restrictions placed on this,for instance I myself am teetotal but could only drink tea or coffeee at meal times or from th e beachcomber not in Cafe brasil or the shows without paying for it,also we have stayed all inclusive many times and have never had to pay for things like water,ice creams for the children,should these not be included in the price?if you are catering for children this is the expensive area.We also found that some staff did not know what all inclusive meant or covered,which meant you had to ask when ordering.
Ship staff were very helpful,we met 2 captains,Rod Hesp
John McNeill,both exceptionally friendly and approachable.Their dancing is improving;;;
Show team girls and boys and palmys pals were all friendly and would go out of their way to speak to you.
The show hosts ,Peter Gibson,Russell Donbavand,Benny Smith.Kellie, were all great,we made good friends with them during our 2 week stay and they made us very welcome would sit with us and even accompanied us off shore on their time off, to show us around various places and they would always give a warning regarding pickpockets etc.this was much appreciated.
I felt that all the entertainment staff worked very hard but did not get the recognition they derserved from their cruise director,who appeared arrogant and aloof regarding talking to guests,he never seemed to approach you,you would have to go to him I would have thought his job was to get feed back from guests re entertainment,children's club and show hosts if he does not speak how does he achieve his goals from reading the guest questionairres? The show girls and play leaders,show hosts have limited resources and equipment to work with and do their best with what is available
Previous comment I noted re the shows well is the choregraphy and music down to the cruise director what he says must go,therefore no comment,as he only appears fleetingly in any shows.
We would sail on the ship again and are seriously thinking of the Star for a trip.if the escape is refurbished as mentioned and updated it should be as good as the star.

Out of this world from start to finish!

Once we arrived at Palma airport we were greeted by Island Cruise Reps, who gave us a welcome pack which included our cabin numbers, Security passes which were also your onboard cards, along with embarkation information. This made to transfer straightforward. When we reached the quayside the atmosphere was that of carnival/party style (which continue for the whole of our 2 week stay)

Once onboard we were shown to our cabins by a lovely friendly cabin steward who informed us that our luggage would be arriving outside our cabin. With the emergency drill out of the way our holiday really began.

Cleanliness - All public areas were cleaned constantly from tables carpets mirrors toilets to all the glass that surrounded the walk ways. Our cabin was cleaned twice possibly 3 times a day with fresh cabin and pool towels all the time. (no need to pack bulky beach towels save the space in your case)

Food - What can I say! Different cuisine very time we were in a different country. And for that more traditional palet plain food was also available. This was all available 24 hours in the Beechcomber Restaurant, this is next to the pool area so was handy for tea coffee and water. This restaurant is self service, you find your own table, get your own cultery and the mugs are plastic. The Island Restaurant is one if you like a little less informal you wait to be seated. The table is set out for you with wine glasses and cups and saucers. It is the same menu as the Beechcomber and it is self service, you can have as little or as much as you can eat. There are opening and closing times for this restaurant. The Oasis Restaurant has a al a carte menu, which we found to be very nice (there is a surcharge on select course) this give us the opportunity to dress up.

Enterainment - We really enjoyed all the shows. All that were involved but a 110% into producing shows like Grease on, Rat Pack, Moulin Rouge to name just a few. Rehearing daily to keep to keep up with their high standard. (which you could sit quietly and watch) Family enterainment included poolside quiz, games, dancing and in the Bounty Lounge of an evening we enjoyed Family showtime with Pete, Ben, Kerri and Russel and Rapture a 5 piece band. This included family games like Mr & Mrs, Blankey Blank and the likes. I am certain that I have missed lots out but lets just say we were never bored.

Shore Excusions - Excellent! Even got our lunch included in one of the tours we took. We found it a great way of seeing different places of interest in each port. We did also go it alone in some ports you don't always need an organised tour. There was no pressure to book an excursion as you can get off the ship and do your our thing.

Next Year - We have booked Island Escape for the same 2 weeks (different itineraries)this time there will be 14 of us! See you than

we travelled on island escape in august, it was our first cruise, it wont be our last. the ship was great, very clean. the food was excellent. we ate in all the different places each one was very good. the staff where very helpful looked after us really well.the entertainment was good too.all in all we had a great time.did our own thing in port in the mornings, then back on board for lunch and a sunbed for the afternoon. perfect...we will be going again in 2006. all the best,,