We've just opened a new cruise review section....maybe you can copy and paste the report into hte new section and fill in the approriate ratings

OK I will add it to my list of things to do and maby add a bit as well.
I have been thinking about creating a review checklist that could be used to record facts about a ship of the the things that come up a lot, like prices, that are not available in the brochures. There would be additional sections for the subjective stuff but in a way that tried to bring structure so you don't miss stuff that others may have an interest in.

WJ
I hope you dont mind but I have passed the link for this excellent review onto a couple of peeps on the Ship Happens site I have found reviews for the IE very few and dated so if anyone has any links to other reviews on her please pass them on
Thankyou
Lind@

No probs, I post over there as well but try to only do one full review per trip. It is importand that we all share and hopefully with correct research people find the cruise that fits them. We have noticed that as we get older and do more cruises the little things that make the difference have changed. EG: On the Caronia getting moring tea and muffins in the cabin by just popping the head out the door and calling the steward was wonderfull(the stewards have bleepers so we could have phoned) : IE, £4:50 for cont. breakfast fixed time room service.

Is Tea & Coffee available 24/7??? and are there any iced water macines. I am not a very big alcohol drinker but hate having to queue at the bar if it is just iced water i am wanting.Is there fruit juice machines? at meal times????
Thankyou in advance for any replies
Lind@

Beachcombers 24/7 with coffe/tea, I seem to remember the water urn not being there all the time. Only regular coffee with meals so no specials included as with some lines. If you don't mide pints then iced water from the bar in real glass is probably your best option. Juice by the small glass at breakfast and did not notice at other times. I guess that is one thing about US ships, lemonade(still) and Ice tea.

Sorry - have read reviews on the Island Cruises as well as the Destiny and they are very good! Anyone any views?

Hi there.

I worked on the Island Escape last year and enjoyed it thoroughly..

Island offer a very different style of cruise as everything is very relaxed and informal.. You can do as little or as much as you want and eat at any time of the day... There is no formal Captain Cocktail and the dress code is Casual...And of course the entertainment is second to none..

I found it to be a very enjoyable atmoshere on board..

xx

Edit - Please do not use bold font in the main forums. Thanks, luci - HT Mod

http://www.ssmaritime.com/savealiner.htm

<Updated 16 December 2004>

<Our frequent visitors will have noticed that the list of classic ships still in service, and those on the market, which are suitable for cruise duties are dwindling rapidly. However, in spite of the tragic announcements below, there is one item of good news. It has been reported that Royal Olympia Cruises has sold MS Odysseus to Island Cruises and that she will commence cruising in the near future.>

Hi

been on the Island Escape twice now and absolutely loved it couldn't fault anything. If you read cruise books they tend to write really snobbily about it but it advertises itself as relaxed informal cruising and that is exactly what you get - we loved every minute of it and had a right laugh. I was crying on the plane home because i didn't want to leave the ship - it felt like home to me.

the only advise that i would give to someone who hasn't booked before is be careful about the cabin that you book. We just booked the cheapest deal the first year and got bunk beds - which meant for a very unromantic holiday - we upgraded to an L shaped cabin this year and go a very good price from a website called cruise1st.com.

Everything about the Island is fantastic have already booked to go again in 2005 (twice actually) try it you will love it

I have recently booked my honeymoon on Island Cruises, but after watching the series Cruise Ship on Sky Travel I am slightly concerned! Any words of warning or advice? Is this ship suitable for a honeymoon?

hi there, i havent been on islansd escape, but my sister. my mum, and my brother with there wives husbands etc all went this year and had a fab time . my sister loved it so much she went back on in october, the 1st time was august. i think im right in saying that the filming of that programme about the ship was actually done in 2003 and as far as im aware there were no problems of any kind while my family were onboard. we cruised for the 1st time this year also and had a wonderefull time. go and enjoy im sure you will

I'm sure you will have a wonderful honeymoon on the Island Escape- it bears very little resemblance to what you saw on tv (thank goodness!)
Make sure you have picked a "suitable" cabin for your honeymoon- there are many cabins that cater for family groups and some of then have beds in strange configurations! I am not sure if they have doubles- but parallel twins can be made up into a double- our cabin stewardess was very anxious to do that in our cabin- but after 30 years it isn't that important!
If you have not pre booked a particular cabin I would advise you to do so, and the staff on the phone can help you choose a suitable one. Also- in the restaurant there are only a few tables for 2, most are for 8. The head waiter usually allocates the tables for 2 to honeymoon couples, so make sure he knows if you want one.

Thank you so much for putting our fears at rest. I feel much better and more confident about joining ship on 5th July 2005. i am sure we will have a great honeymoon. We have already reserved a room - which we did on booking. Our beds will be made into a double - exactly what you would want on a honeymoon!

Thanks again for your reassuring words.

Gemma xx

The Sky travel stuff is from when they launched the cruise line so lots of teething problems which are now sorted. We were on the ship in June and the only real warning is some of the rear cabins are very noisy so if you are a light sleeper this could be a problem. You should have a great time there is the small ship atmosphere so everyone is friendly. In the main dinning room there was(is) a waiter service area which has different items to the buffet and when we were on the ship was not used much so you could avoid the small queue that used to form for the buffet at peak times and the waiter service adds to the cruise experience.(you can still get food from the buffet) Most days the waiter menu included items from the extra charge dining room. We like the personal service so used it nearly every day.

Do not fear, Island Cruises should get their legal team onto Sky Travel. This was filmed about 3 years ago when they started for the first time. It is nothing like that which they portray!

The cruise, and everything about it is absolutely brilliant. We were on for 2 weeks last June (celebrating Silver Wedding) and many who were on a "cruise and stay" were wishing that they were on board for the second week.

We befriended a couple who were on honeymoon, and there were many others honeymooning, and they like us had a fantastic time. If you are looking for your own space you can have it.....if you want to be socially involved with everything onboard you can have it....and anything in between....the choice is yours alone.

Enjoy, believe me you will!

hi all

was looking at island cruises this morning and i can't suss what you actually get food wise ? can someone enlighten me ? are any drinks inc ? if not are drinks expensive ?
is it formal ?
was looking at the med spirit
is it good for kids ?
if we cruise and stay which should we do 1st ? stay then cruise ?
is there a better company i should look at ?
and who is best (cheapest !) to book thru

many thanks

Hi- we have had 2 holidays on the Island Escape and thoroughly enjoyed them. We first did a stay then cruise, but felt we were twiddling our thumbs for the week waiting to go on the ship. People who have done it the other way round say the hotel was a bit of a let down after the ship.
The Beachcomber restaurant is open 24 hours and you can get anything from a cup of coffee and a cake to a burger and chips or a four course meal- they serve many of the dishes that are in the main restaurant, which is open at set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner- no set times- just turn up anytime within the 3 hour slot for dinner, same for breakfast, not sure of lunchtime opening times. Oasis restaurant is reservation only, and only in there will you pay supplement for most, but not all, the dishes.
Tea, coffee, and chilled water are free in the beachcomber, but otherwise you pay for all drinks (believe AI is available now). Prices are about the same as UK , think a pint of Stella was £2.30 last year- prices are all in pounds, not euros.
The pool is tiny, but that doesn't seem to stop the kids on board having a great time. Lots of activities organised. Haven't travelled with kids on a cruise so can only go by what we observed. They all seemed to pal up together according to age groups.
It's certainly not formal- long trousers at dinner in the main restaurant, and covering up swimwear in restaurants during the day, is about the only dress code. There are certain formalities to observe on a ship- mainly safety procedures- not running on the stairs, compulsory to attend lifeboat drill, being careful what you put down the toilet! However, it's as easy going as it comes, and a very friendly ship.
Booking- we booked with Eclipse, but not sure if you can do that now, as they have their own booking agency- Cruise1st. Depends when you want to go and what sort of cabin you want as to whether you will get a good deal with one of the other cruise agencies.

IE is a budget cruise and if you get timing right has been one of the cheapest. The ship is very friendly and kids seem to do OK. Food is actual pretty good but I think it is on a 7day menu which means you will repeat if you do 2weeks which would be recomended over a cruise/stay unless you really like/know the place you are staying.

All food is included and 24hours there was plentty of choices to keep most people happy . There is a small waiter service area in the main restaurant which has items not on the buffet. Drinks prices are ok but more expensive than some other UK based cruise lines. THey are doing AI this year but not looked into pricing.

You ask is there better well yes there are but at a price having said that you can get good deals on other ships which are well worth the upgrade it depends on budget and when you are travelling because the summer hols are usually more expensive.

When booking the prices seem to be about the same most places but if you keep an eye on TXT for the deals. Late booking textaabroad/www.cruise1st.co.uk

It seems you CAN still book with eclipse- I just downloaded the cruise pages from their ebrochure. If we were going again it would save us £600 between 2 of us in high season. It's the cheapest I know of unless you can wait for last minute deal.