Cleanliness: Excellent; the housekeeping staff work so very hard and long hours - very pleasant people too.

Food: Fantastic range of cuisine which changes daily, the Oasis Restaurant was great and the Beachcomber provided many pick-me-up snacks/meals after watching an evenings entertainment. Often sat with entertainers in the evening, again extremely pleasant people and approachable!

Ship Staff: All approachable and friendly. Even the captain was often seen walking around the ship talking to passengers, nice to be able to talk to the person in charge!

The entertainment staff (show team, band, duo and solo entertainers and cruise hosts) were very down-to-earth and talented. With regards to LINDA ? 's remarks - all of the entertainers on the ship were talented and a wide-range of genres were covered, fantastic! Ches AND the other entertainers in the Sundowner Lounge were great. I am interested to find out when you sailed - as I remember being told that some of the entertainers were replaced in August(?).
The Bounty Lounge provides great family-orientated entertainment, thoroughly enjoyed it - although not my usual choice.

I would definately sail on this ship again!

OKAY THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW!
this was our forst cruise and actually our first holiday and we were spoilt! at first we didnt know what to expect...... and when we finlaly got shown to our cabin our hearts sank.... inside cabin which was rather dark and pokey! however as the holiday wore on one day into sailing we certainly got used to it and it didnt bother us! i would advise an outside cabin though as its much more pleasant and you can wake up to prpoer sunshine rather than the picture on the tv of the port your in....

now that aside the rest is good

food....lots of it, always something to eat and if there isnt what u want the waiters make sure they produce something for you....one night the chef cooked traditional indian for our party as my mum was missing home cooked food!:P after a days excursion it was great to be able to have a nice cup of tea and cakes, and the food was gorgeous....there was always something for everyone! the waiter service in the sit down meal areas was excellent and the staff were so helpful and kind.... and there was a rather dishy head waiter!

staff on the ship were there first thing in teh morning and last thing at night and nothing was too much trouble for them to do.... they always had a smile on their faces and recognised us from across the eating areas etc... always spending time to ask how our day had been etc.... this level of service actually made the holiday what it was and we couldnt thank tehm enough at teh end of the holiday....

excursions......great but very pricey and settling teh bill at teh end of the cruise was a little shocking....however its a holiday that u will rememebr for years and its worth it...if we were to go again i would research the ports of call first to find out more cost efficient ways to sight see

the pool was tiny and overcrowded so did get much of that in, however there is a little beach in toulon which is quiet and made up for it

entertainment...great shows and dancers were good....yes seats were in demand and u had to get there early however they have two sittings and so u can go to either.....by teh end of teh night after the daytime excursions we were usually exhausted anyway!

overall the sea air and the sunset views in the evenings were incredible....one night we even saw a volcano eruption from the ship which the captain popinted out and gave everyone opportunity to view this rare site from the ship! was great!

met some lovely poeple on this holiday and would definatly go back however definatley an outside cabin and on the new island cruises ship.... just wish we could see the same waiters staff and captain who made the cruise what it was! great for all ages and an experience i still tell my friends about!

The ship was reasonable clean but we were constantly informed to make sure we washed our hands as there seemed to have been a lot of sickness on this ship.
The food was bland in the Beachcomber and the seating in the other place was chronic. Everyone we spoke to complained they had to battle to sit or pass people as the chairs were so tightly packed. They also tilted back which is not a good position for trying to eat. If you bought the water you got it quick if you didnt buy you waited. In the posh restaurant you had to pay extra if you wanted some of what they offered.
I personally didnt like hearing the heads of departments telling off the people working for them in front of the customers. This happened in the beachcomber and the lounge where the so called entertainment was to take place. I have been on many ships and this was the worst for entertainment.
The excursions were so overpriced but luckily for us we have done the Med a few times so have also done all the trips. We didnt have to waste money this time.
Other ships we have been on charged a lot less for full days out and lunch was included but not on this ship.
As has been said before the cans of drink were also well overpriced and we were not told of anything we could do ourselves if we didnt go on a trip. Its no wonder they took great pains to keep warning you not to buy drinks ashore and bring them on board. A can on shore 50p on board £1-40.
What really got me was they never mentioned that the electric points were American and so being on a European holiday we took continental adapters We soon realised the mistake. They knew this because they had thousands of the other plugs for sale at around £4 on the first day. This must be one of the biggest money grabbers since speed cameras in my own opinion. The cabins were small but clean and the staff were quite good but they all seemed to work under threat.
You should remember that nearly all the ports have tour buses which the staff dont mention and they are a great deal cheaper.
For a converted car carrier the ride wasnt too bad and if they could get over the penny pinching they might do a lot better.
The shops had the usual junk at extortionate prices.
If you want a ride from port to port its ok , just remember to take your own drinks and get your excursions ashore. We heard people with families complaining of the hundreds of pounds extra this holiday was going to cost them.
The shows were extremely poor and noise and flashing lights seemed to make up for lack of talent.
After the Topaz shows they cant compete and even the tiny Sea Wing had better shows.
If this is your first cruise then you have nothing to compare it to but i would suggest you try other ships.
I was disappointed in this ship and probably wouldnt use it again.
If you go on this ship, take your American adapter which you can buy cheaply at home rather than get there and be ripped off. We all have so many items now that need to be recharged and they know it

Forgot to mention.
Take a towel as the ones they supply are so small unlike other ships we have been on, but as the shower cubicles are so small maybe that was their way to save space.
There is NO jacuzzi and the pool is a plunge pool.
The so called shows lasted about 45 minutes and if you wanted a seat you had to get there very early as they soon ran out of seats. Loads of people were turned away, there are just not enough places.
Each time we went it was in hopes that the next show might improve. We were wrong.
The only other entertainment was the Bounty Lounge but the smoke was so thick and choking and the noise horrendous we couldnt use the place. The cabins above this place shook like hell. If you ever go on this ship please think twice about any cabin on the so called Golden Deck.
I wished they would employ a decent comedian as the one on our trip was chronic. I think i saw him on the early comedians shows and the jokes were the same. On one cruise we had Ken Goodwin and he had to ask the audiance to remind him of jokes but this guy was worse, still bad languge still gets a laugh from some.
OH yes. I forgot the trip to the bridge. This is very odd as its the only ship i have ever been on that charges and its not cheap, about £25. Imagine a couple with two kids, a small fortune.
I gave this one a miss.
If your cabin is on a lower deck and the sea gets a bit choppy you will be the first to know. I actually heard people asking what we had hit. The shape of this converted ship accounts for it so i was told.
The photographs were a joke and like all cruises well overpriced. Who buys any?
This ship is a money machine in my opinion. Everywhere you go they want more.
Stock up on water and drinks ashore regardless of what they tell you and then organise your own excursions. You will save hundreds.
There are other ships amd most actually look like ships.

This was our first cruise and we loved it. Who is "All Over" from Bristol who also sailed in July, he is talking utter rubbish - I don't think he has even been on this cruise. Yes the ship was an old car ferry but once inside it looks like any other ship. We spoke to people who have sailed on several different ships and they said they are all much the same as each other and this one was just as good as Ocean Village and the Thomson ships.

This ship was SO clean you could have eaten your food off the floor. Everything sparkled. YES, they do remind you to wash your hands, and why not, you would not want to spread any germs, you wash your hands after using the toilet at home don't you?! The toilets did get blocked up one day (the vacuum system failed) but it was sorted and most people were off the ship at the time anyway - things happen, they handled it well. As far as we knew there were no other problems.

The towels in the cabin - we had three small towels and three large bath towels and they were changed TWICE each day - what is the problem with that? The cabin was fine even for the three of us, you are only washing, changing and sleeping there anyway. You have a t.v. drinks which you can sign for, the ice bucket is filled every day, plenty of hanging space, two sets of drawers, plenty of shelves and large mirror over drawers which we used as a dressing table, small table between beds, sheets changed daily by the look of it as well....WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Is this not okay? I don't change my towels twice each day at home do you, its great!

The staff were friendly and would ask if you had had a nice day,they would carry plates for you and push chairs in for you, one waiter even made my daughter a paper rose (beautiful) on the last day and gave it to her at breakfast. She was greated with "good morning princess" (she is sweet sixteen though) and loved the attention. Waiters even waved to us from the other side of the dining room when we were taken to another table other than theirs. We only had to queue for a couple of minutes on two occasions maybe after a show etc. for a table and there was plenty of room for everyone. Tables were cleared promptly and the service was like a 5* hotel. The beachcomber restaurant (24hrs) was just as pleasent and the food presented beautifully. There was always tea, coffee, cold milk and ice cold water available in the beachcomber and you could take it to your cabin if you wished. The head chef at the moment has worked on the Queen Mary, so that can't be bad and the duck breast we had one evening was the best we had ever tasted. Believe us the food is excellent and I class myself as a good cook and am very critical of food in restaurants.

The captain kept us informed during the cruise and was often seen chatting to guests during the cruise, everyone was so friendly.

Drinks were about the same price as in a pub back home, we don't feel we were ripped off, and the cocktails were lovely and had daily specials.

The shows were okay, it depends what you like, Les Miserables was not as popular as the Grease show - for obvious reasons, it appealed to more people, so just enjoy the variety. The singers were okay too, if you want top stars you would be paying a lot more. There was usuall a couple of quizes each day and demonstrations etc but you have your Island Chat booklet each evening to plan the next day's entertainment so you can see what is on offer and time your meals around the offerings or if you felt like chilling in your cabin you could watch movies on the t.v.

We thought the excursions were expensive until we took the Monumental Rome trip - well worth the money at £55 and a three course lunch is included inc. wine and water. The half day Power of Pisa was£33, not such good value but a good day all the same, lots of information and I got my Louis Vitton bag (real of course).

The only improvement for the ship would be another pool for adults only and a few more planters and nicer deck covering towards the front of the ship but that is about it really.

The ship has a really relaxed, informal atmosphere and you dress up if you want and dress down if that suits - they did have a ladies night and most women made a real effort to dress up but its not compulsary. I would have perhaps liked one gala night were everyone was expected to dress up more but then some ships expect that every night and that's not for us so this has a good balance.

We booked this cruise 5 weeks before departure and were on deck 7, Emerald inside cabin, we paid over £400 each less than the brochure price so we cannot complain, it was a fabulous holiday and we can highly recommend it. We are looking through brochures at the moment trying to decide which cruise to take next... maybe the Island Star in the future.

All we can say is, go for it, we loved it and so did everyone we had met (even people who had been on P & O and Royal Caribean)you are treated like royalty and that can't be bad can it? Enjoy!

This was our 4th cruise but the first on the Island Escape, we have previously sailed on the Sunbird and the Carousel twice, so we have some experience of cruising. Overall the cruise was excellent and I would recommend trying it, the ship the Island escape was built in 1982 so is a bit dated inside, but also very clean and lavishly decorated.

Our itinery was sail from Palma-Ibiza-Alicante-Malaga-Cadiz-Gibraltar-Palma, Alicante and Malaga were disappointing as there is not much to see, they are big cities, noisy and dirty, but worth seeing, please go to Malaga cathedral, it is the most breathtaking cathedral I have ever visited. I find going on one of the many tourist buses helps you to find your way round, the one in Malaga is 13 euros for a 90 minute tour, 90 minutes because of the bad traffic though, but it goes up to the castle and you can get on and off all day. Ibiza ok but a little boring, lots of shops selling tourist tat and bars, but a lovely harbour. Cadiz is lovely, I like this place the more I go to it, it is full of history and little streets with nice shops selling quality goods, I recommend going into the cathedral and up the bell tower, what a view, a very nice place. Gibraltar is our favorite, a piece of England in Spain, go up the rock on the cable car to see the apes and the spectacular views, lots of good shops selling cigarettes and alcohol at unbelievable prices, 1 litre bottle of whisky 6 pounds!!! 200 ciggys 8.90 (sorry my pound key is not working) But the restaurants were pricey beware!

Here are good points and not so good points about the cruise

Not so good points: -
•Price of the onboard shop, extortion if you ask me.
•The ship was full so the entertainment venues and the deck were always full and difficult to get good seats, as usual people spoilt it, some were literally running to find seats and deck chairs, pathetic. One down side to cruising being cheap nowadays it attracts riff-raff, they know who they are, and I am not a snob, I just have highish standards.
•Food sometimes not so hot, but was good and plentiful
•You have to get your own suitcase at Palma airport, something that other cruise lines do for you.

That’s all really I am not a complainer at all, but the above needs mentioning.

All in all the cruise was brilliant, good points worth mentioning

•Entertainment in the lounges at night was brilliant, the five guys and girls put on some stunning costumes and performed flawlessly, well worth seeing although I would go early as the lounges filled up quickly.
•Staff/crew all very friendly and helpful captain John Brockenhurst keeps a very tight ship, he is very friendly and approachable.
•Food service in the Oasis was first class although you have to pay for most things, about 6 pound for a steak, which aint bad, all the food and selection of wines was 5 star quality, the wine waiters are very knowledgeable about wines. You can dress as you like but smart casual is the order of the day,

•Cleanliness is fantastic all areas were constantly being cleaned and was kept very tidy.

To summarize, this would be an ideal first cruise as it is easy to find you way into the cruise culture, there are higher quality ships at higher prices but this is a good all rounder good quality ship, good itineries and good culture, cruising has a long history and culture which has kept standards high, like I said before it is being infiltrated by the chavs as they are called and is in danger of having the culture tainted by these people, cruising is for like minded people who have high standards and etiquette and can exist without forcing their personalities and traits onto others whether they like it or not, so don’t go if you have no style or class and wear fake designer clothes and lots of bling, that’s me off my soap box now. Have a go with Island Cruises we had a great time and would go again.

We warmed to the island escape after seeing the tv programme.

My son luke, 4 at the time thoroughly enjoyed it, but myself and partner weren't so impressed. But thats the trouble when you have been spoilt by the shere magnificence of other ships!

As we all know, on P&O you don't see your luggage until you get to your cabin, but island don't mind seeing you struggle. This might have been excusable if their prices were cheaper, but they were inline with ocean village who we unfortunally couldn't get on with on that week.

The worst points of the ship were;
the swimming pool
the ships access points
Teenagers blocking staircases
Really poor kids club
tacky entertainment
ship in a poorly maintained state
Finding out about everyone getting all inclusive upgrades except us and the other guests in more expensive cabins.

Best points;
Nice staff
Generally nice food

My next comment will really make me sound like a snob but believe me i'm far from it
I'm sort of glad in a way that other ships we've been on don't do the all inclusive thing as it does keep all the scumbags away. So all i can say is Island cruises, keep doing your thing.

The main thing is that my son loved it and we met some nice people. And sometimes its the people that make the holiday.

It was still a nice cruise, just too many people for a ship of that size. and i did feel spoilt after ocean village and P&O.

PETE xx

This is the second time we have cruised on the Island Escape. Again we found it to be excellent. The cabins are functional and kept very clean ( cleaned 3 times a day and towels changed every time).

The food was superb. The choice was fantastic with everything served just right.

The onboard entertainment was great, with some thing for everyone, from quiz shows to cabaret all the presenters and compares where fantastic.

We will definately be joining the Island Escape again for more cruises in the future.

having booked my honeymoon over a year ago to go on the island escape i was quite shocked and surprised at the recent reviews left on the site.i had already been on the ship april 04 and had such a good time i wondered what had went so wrong this time.i do understand that there had been an outbreak of sickness around the ship but we were advised before we boarded that aslong as we washed our hands after touching things we would be ok.i was especially worried as i found out 3 weeks before that i was pregnant(not the best timing for my all inclusive honeymoon)but i never saw or heard anyone being ill.we always dined in the restaurant on deck 5 and found the menu just as nice as the previous year,the only problem was that out of all the choices on the menu on 2 items were without a supplement.i think they have to make some money back somewere after making the ship mostly all inclusive this year.even a chicken dinner cost you £5-8 extra and we found that at the end of the cruise we had paid over £120 on food for this restaurant.the breakfasts in the other two restaurants were good enough and had plenty of choice plus we didnt find the food to be cold like the other review.the staff couldnt have been any nicer and it was good to see that most of them had been there the previous year.we didnt go and see much entertainment as i wasnt feeling too good with morning sickness plus the entertainment was much the same as the previous year.we would go on the ship again as next year they are adding new ports of call but as im due on february i think it will be a caravan holiday from now on.the island escape is a great relaxed informal ship and anybody wanting luxury should go elsewere but it suited us and we had a great time and thats all that mattered.

I Have Just got back from Another brilliant cruise. Had a fantastic time cant wait to book up again, waiters and cabin staff were excellent couldnt do enough for you they loved the kids and the kids loved them, Onboard entertainment is 1st class they should be proud of the shows they put on we never missed a show they were that good keep up the good work and we hope to be back onboard next year, We cant wait.