If you want to change or cancel your holiday I suggest you speak to your travel agent, if you booked through one, or Island Cruises if you booked direct.

Thanks. My husband and I are going there this afternoon. I jam concerned I don't know where I stand, or even if I am over-reacting.

Let's look at what you're written

YOU have been with them before and YOU loved them. But now you're prepared to cancel on the unverified word of people you've never met? Yes, I'd say there may be a touch of over reaction.

What we need to know is where the dodgy reviews appeared and how reliable that source is. How many were there, can the source check that they weren't all posted by one person using multiple names (HT does).

Which cruise are you going on?

Its the April Canaries one. The reviews here, and just about any site you care to look at are awful for the same cruise over Christmas. Food & staff are great but blocked toilets overrunning, 2 feet of water in cabins and not being able to go into ports worry me. The ship is tired (aren't we all) but it was clean and looked cared for.

There was definetly a push for spending money since the amalgamation/takeover by Thomsons but no-one can get money out of me I don't want to spend so I don't care about that. I do care about not getting into ports due to weather (when other ships can, not generally) and being scared to death if the maintenance is not up to scratch. A blocked, overrunning bog would do for me.

Unless you have had a bad actual experience, I don't think there is anything you can do other than make them aware of what you have read and make it absolutely clear that if that proves to be the case on your holiday you will take them to the cleaners.

That hopefully should result in either a re-assurance by them or them letting you change free of charge / refund you without penalty.

Mark

I think that they will most likely tell you that if you want to cancel normal booking conditions will apply i.e. loss of deposit or higher depending on the current cancellation charges. I hope you manage to get something sorted. Perhaps they will let you change it to a Thomson cruise seeing as they are all the same company now?

hi......Im a bit puzzled....I was interested and went on HT cruise reviews...I read some reviews which matched what you seem to have read....there was a review from january last year which said the ship had been sold and was to be decommisioned in march.... so how come your booked on it now....another review mentioned another ship they had been on in the same group and it was exellent ....said they expected this one to be same and so had booked it .....so maybe yourve been getting your ships mixed up.....maybe youve been on the exellent sister ship and loved it same as the man who wrote that review and thats the one youve now booked too.......but your reading old reviews about the other ship , which if true should have been decommissioned march 2009, so nolonger cruising.....so take a deep breath and go read the reviews on here again....make sure it is the right ship youve been reading about.

If it is the same ship I would be worried it is still taking booking as a cruise ship after what the review said...they were told whilst on the cruise last year it was being decommissioned in march and thats why things werent being fixed ect....some where in the review it was said it was really a ferry.

Dont panic there could be a simple answer...

It did used to be a ferry as a lot of the smaller cruise ships are when you look back at their history.

Saying that we went on Island Escape in 2001 and had a great time. Cabins weren't as nice as the one we had on a previous FC cruise but on that one we had 1 of the only 2 cabins on board that had a name and not a number...

The Island cruise ship was more like a 3 star floating hotel but food was ok, cabins were adequate, entertainment mediocre but the main aspect of our cruise was to visit lots of different locations and that we most certainly did. It gave us a taste of the destination and some of those we've visited again since.

When you get a bad review I always try to find out if it was a particular date that caused a problem - ie: weather in local ports can cause an issue if you are on a smaller ship than say Ocean Village etc and sometimes it's worth trying to find out if a lot of the complaints are from people in the same party.

hi....something else Ive noticed....people are getting the ships mixed up when posting their reviews....a man posted a bad review on Island star's review site....in it he said he'd been on the sister ship the Island star which was superiour .....looks like his review posted in wrong place.....

It's Island Escape and specifically the Christmas cruise. Spent a few hours with the travel agent yesterday. She hadn't heard anything personally but checked some reviews. She then phoned Thomsons twice and both times they hung up on her when she asked them questions. As it looked like we might be in for a long haul she offered to leave a message at home once she had got through. I have got an assuarance all problems have been rectified and if I want to change to any Thomson holdiday we can for £35 a head. As Laura said we have decided to go and enjoy our holiday with the proviso we will be top class complainers if need be. Thanks for all the help.

hi scottishflower.....hope you have a great time....but remember if there are any issues....a photo speaks a thousand words....make sure you get a complaint form signed at the time...insist on one....you will ned to have or they wont listen when you complain after you get home.....in your position I would ask for the reasurances you have been given to be put in writing.....as insurance.....tweetie