Having read the glowing reports from some of your subscribers I have come to the conclusion, yes there are three Island escapes. The Shangrila Island escape the Dante Island Escape and the Curates egg Island Escape. Which one you choose to sail on depends on your travel agent. On the Shangrila you are issued with the rose tinted spectacles, the Pollyana blinkers the pat on the head and the lump of sugar and carrot. On the Dante you get the Jaggy jumper the extra lump of coal in the bucket, the naughty cabin and bread and water. On the Curate you get half and half. The only way I would go back on the Island Escape was if I could organise the nailing to the mast of the patronising git from Thomsons complaint department.Just kidding, keel hauling would be better. This would be small compensation for the poor value for money, Jim(escaper from Island escape)

Colourful Coasts - Island Escape 6 - 13th November 2009

When we arrived I complained about our cabin, the carpet was dirty and the valance was also marked and dirty. After complaining the carpet was cleaned and the valance exchanged for a clean one. Also the cabin was very small. We have sailed on the Island Escape previously about 6 years ago, and the ship certainly seemed tired and jaded in decoration etc.

However as our holiday commenced I can only say we were well satisfied with everything else, lovely, helpful, friendly staff, excellent food, good entertainment and the trips we took were well organised. Also although we were all-inclusive, the drinks to buy were very reasonable, as my husband remarked the same price as at home.

I have one very big bone of contention though. On the last morning we were offered what I thought initially was a 'courtesy' bus to the resort of Lanzorote from the ship. On the daily sheet we were told that it was dangerous to walk to the resort as the route took you through a busy motorway, which would take 50 minutes to walk. There was a charge of £4.00 return. On principal I thought that it was unfair to charge passengers for this trip. When I pointed this out on the tour desk he pointed out that it was not a 'courtesy' bus but a 'shuttle' bus - whatever the difference is. We departed on the day, after paying at the desk, and got a ticket. I handed the ticket into a Island Escape Staff member who stood by the coach. I then asked what we could show on the way back and was told that we didnt need one to come back.

When we came back to the picking-up point there were many people waiting for the return 'shuttle'. Anyone could have got on the bus without any payment, whether they had walked or taken a taxi into the resort - so what is the point of charging and issuing tickets. Also we saw first hand that the route was dangerous, no pavements round winding motorway roads, although the journey in fact took 5 minutes and not 15 minutes as I was told when purchasing the tickets. My point is that when docking in such an awkward place, passengers should have not been charged for the journey, it is the ships problem, not ours. I explained my complaints to a young lady at the tourism office where the coach stopped and she seemed embarrassed and puzzled as to why we were not issued with return tickets. Many other passengers voiced the same concerns.

A black mark to what would have been an excellent cruise, it makes one feel uneasy, and I absolutely hate being 'fiddled' and I think we most certainly were. In fact this is why I would not sail on this ship again - we were taken for mugs.

We were concerned over some of the reviews previously made but, having spent a week on the Island Escape recently, would not hesitate to go back on again.

Bad points (just a few). Rooms are a little drab, but adequate. The Colourful Coasts Itinerary is a little boring and appears to have been thrown together quickly. There was one bad night but we found it easy to go to bed and sleep through it.

Good points. I'll probably forget some as there were so many! Food was excellent, far superior to anything we've every had in travelling to resorts overseas, some of which have claimed to be 5*. Service was first class, never had to wait any length of time for a drink, and the bar staff were very knowledgeable in all aspects. Entertainment was varied at night, with the musical section in the theatre fantastic. The Captain's laid back manner was reflected throughout, but still maintaining a professional service. The ship was always being cleaned, even at night.

We would have no reservations about going back again and would give the ship our highest recommendation.

Sailed on Island Escape for 2 weeks from Sept 15th 2009

Had a great time.

Ship may be past its best, but public areas are still pretty smart. Cabins are a bit dated and could be more spacious, but you spend so little time inside that it is not a problem. Ship was always kept clean by superb staff (cabin stewards are wonderful).

Food was fine, exceptional cuisine in the "Oasis"
(for a supplement). I liked the casual style of the "Beachcomber" where you could take your breakfast "al fresco" on the many sunny days and the 24 hour food was great (midnight curries and ham/cheese toasties excellent), the "Island" restaurant
has the same food as the Beachcomber, but you had to be seated by the waiters who would "shoe-horn" you in to cramped tables.

Staff were excellent from Captain Bathgate down to the ever smiling waiters and cabin staff.

Around 75% of the passengers were 70+ and whilst the endless Bingo was obviously fine for them, there was always a place to avoid it. Something interesting was always going on in the three main entertainment areas
in addition to some great fun & games around the pool that had everyone laughing. The entertainment team work their socks off !

Main problem was the "wrinklies" who manage to block
everything up. It was not uncommon to wait over 5 minutes for a lift, only to find it full of wrinklies who seem to go up and down endlessly, without knowing
where they were and where they were going. The many on-board wheelchair users put them to shame.

My estimate that around 95% of passengers enjoyed the
ship whilst being aware of its shortcomings. You are getting a great cruise at a bargain price. Stella Artois at £2.90 a pint and Boddingtons Bitter at £2.70 are fairly priced. (Royal Caribbean Cruises charge £7.00 for 500cl plus compulsory 15% tip !).

We met some of the moaning minnies who would call this ship a "Ferry", this is a nonsense. These people are the snobs who happily announce that they usually cruise with Cunard or P & O. I wish they had stayed with them !

Shore trips are pricy but well organised. In some of the less well known locations take a mini-train or open topped bus from the quayside, these are excellent value and give you some spare time to shop/eat/drink.

If going to Cannes be sure to take the spectacular scenic tour along the Corniche D'or.

All in all a holiday at a reasonable price.

Couldn't agree more with Algys report. The staff were forever cleaning up in all areas of the ship, All staff were excellant, couldn't do enough for you and always with a cheery smile. The food was fine, we prefered the Beachcomber , to just come and go as you please. The food was always plentiful and lots of choice. The on board entertainment was fantastic and all the team worked extremly hard. The two guest artists from the UK were brill.

We took our first ever cruise with the Island Escape in September last year, starting in Palma and sailing to Sicily, Livorno, Naples, Cannes and Barcelona before returning to Palma.

We were very happy with the accomodation, we had a suite. It was clean,the bed comfortable and the sheets and towels seemed to be changed every time we left the cabin! The laundry service was prompt and well executed. I would have liked my own tea and coffee in my cabin, but managed to keep cold drinks in the cabin fridge.

The ship was quite old, but well looked after. It was big enough for us to always find something to do. We both felt that it was good value for money compared to some other holidays. Informal, friendly and charming.

We liked the Beachcomber restaurant best for convenience, my OH loved the food and I was very impressed with the choice and the quality. It was possible to eat healthily as well as be a little indulgent if we so wished.

The staff were lovely, nothing was too much trouble. They were all courteous and pleasant. One of the staff, Leonardo, made a particular impression...he always called me 'Margaret' for some reason (my name's Liz) but he was such a sweetie I couldn't bring myself to correct him. When it was my birthday we dined in the Ocean Restaurant. I was serenaded by 8 waiters... not your everyday occurence....

The entertainment standard was good, altho it isn't really our sort of thing, we preferred to sit on deck and watch the sea. OH is convinced he saw a wale!

The excursions were all very enjoyable, and didn't end up costing as much as we thought they would. The guides were very friendly and knowledgeable.

I suppose I should be objective. I didn't like the coffee. Also I found it irritating that on the last day we had to be out of our cabin by 0800 when we weren't leaving the ship until 1730. It was as if they just wanted us out of the way, when we still had a whole day's holiday left!



Yesterday we booked to go on the 'Colourful Coasts' cruise at Easter....can't wait.

I loved my time on Island Escape.
In Sept the weather can be changeable but only a bit of heavy rain. Granville went about singing to everyone when it did rain and had everyone happy.
Had an amazing lightning show one night, which was nice sitting on deck watching it.
Made new friends.
The crew were fantastic and attentive. The girl who was in charge of my cabin knocked on my door from morning to late at night, when I was there, asking if I needed anything.
If I can find a different itinerary that I want to go to, I will definately be on it again.

Dorothy Lloyd

First cruise on my own. It was fabulous. The crew were excellent in every way.
The girl who changed my towels, bedding etc always seemed to be there asking if I needed anything.
Granville was a big star on the ship always entertaining the passengers. Even when it rained! (Only once). 'Be happy' was his catchword.
Had a thunder storm 1 night & it was fascinating, pitch dark with streaks of lightening scoring the sky. It was a 'WOW' factor.
It is not too big that you can't make friends & I did.
Would recommend it to anyone.
Going on a different cruise this year (last yr gave me confidence) but will think about Island Escape for next year.

Travelled on the Island Escape for 1 week from 18th August. I have to say that although there are some tired areas on the ship that the overall experience for my husband and myself was excellent. Cabins although small were clean and adequate with ample storage (You are on holiday after all not living on board).

Food was excellent, plentiful and presented well.
All staff were extremely attentive to the passengers needs from the Captain to all cabin,waiting,bar and entertainment staff.

Was concerned on having read some of the awful reviews before travelling but have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience on this ship and would not hesitate in taking another cruise on board this friendly boat.

Don't expect luxury you're not paying for it but you do get excellent service within a clean safe environment.

Having twice before sailed on Ocean Village (I prefer the informal cruise) I was very disappointed with this ship. Although I had read some poor reviews on the ship before hand I was hoping people had just exaggerated. Sadly not. The cabins were ridiculously small with insufficient storage space and beds that looked and felt like sofa beds. We had 3 cabins and the standard of each was different even though they were next to each other. The shower in the one was quite disgusting with cracked tiles and mouldy shower curtain. The window in one was virtually impossible to see out of as it had obviously leaked at some time and was full of condensation. I agree with the previous post about the menu being the same in both the Beachcomber and the Island Restaurant but the atmosphere in the Island Restaurant was far better and not so much like a cafe. We only managed one show because we went to the theatre 1 hour before it started. If you leave it any later than this you won't get a seat. We never managed a seat in "The Pub" so spent a lot of time in the Bounty Lounge where Mick did his best to entertain us with his quizzes. I am so glad I didn't use this ship for my first experience of cruising as I would not have done it again and I would certainly suggest that if you are a first time cruiser and you want an informal cruise - go with Ocean Village although you've only one year left as they are going to Australia (I think)