Reviews of Island Star Cruise Ship, Island Star

The staff were far too good for this ship. Always friendly, helpful and nothing was too much for them. Somehow our steward found out it was my birthday and we came back after a day in Rome to find the cabin decorated with balloons and toweling animals.
However, I did not rate other aspects of the cruise. Towels were grey and stained, the cabin (at the stern) was noisy, drinks were a rip off considering they would be duty free and there were many cynical ways of extracting money from clients - the icing on the cake for me was the raffle for the navigation charts of the trip!
I am not sure who this holiday was aimed at - the entertainment was everything from bingo to yoga (which was extra!). The backgammon sets lacked stones - all these sort of details leave one with a sad feeling.

my family and i have just returned from our seven night curise round the med, we had a lovely time and were quite sad to leave, however i do have a few little comments that i would like to make......

1, My sister and i`s cabin was so noisy that on the second night we took the duvets from our room and slept on my mums cabin floor - not really what you expect to happen when your paying lots of money for a holiday (actually my mum paid!!) Anyway either by day 3 it had calmed down or i had just got used to it, i think the alcohol helped!!

2, The staff were amazing, so helpfull and always cheerie. My cabin boy cleesman was just the sweetest, very helpefull when i locked myself out of the cabin and generally just lovely.

3, my mum enjoyed the shows at the ocean theatre, and i for one enjoyed the fact that i didnt have to que for drinks, like others have said, if you dont want one just say, i never felt preasured to buy things that i didnt want.

4, id like to say a big thank you to dan the man and hugh in the bar, you guys made my holiday - cheers.

If i could offer any advice i think it would be get an outside cabin, ours was inside and the lack of natural light was really not nice, not helped when it was choppy outside.

Anyway all in all we had a good time, i hope you do too!

good holiday but food on ship was crap and cold
got a letter last week to say island star as been taken over from march 2009

My disabled son got beaten up on board the Island Star and the crew did nothing at all, except tell us to stay in our cabin if we wanted to ensure he was safe for the rest of the cruise. Shame on you, Captain Clark. Another couple with a young baby had a flood in their cabin and had to sleep with wet carpets for the rest of the cruise. The plumbing on our deck broke down twice in seven days. The waiters hassle you to buy drinks and there is never a lift when you want one. Overall a very disappointed and unsafe experience.

Returned today from a week around the Med. Although I have only given an overall rating of 5 I would give the Captain and his crew 10. Unfortunately this is a very tired vessel which, in my opinion, is desperately in need of a complete refit.



Our cabin was shabby and the bathroom had areas of rust and grime which would defy even the best of cabin stewards and ours was superb. The towels were not great (sometimes grey and stained) and neither was the bed linen.



The food was plentiful but not of the best quality and somewhat repetitive. I personally missed the waiter service in the main restaurant.



The entertainers were very good but the sound was so loud on occasions that it distorted or there was ear piercing feed back.



Soft drinks were expensive - £1.45 for a can of coke etc.



Great cruise destinations.

Just retuned back from a fantastice cruise onboard the Island Star Yesterday.

What A grate cruise line, I have cruised 7 time before with Sun Cruises witch was abit more formal the Island cruises. The experiance of Island cruises is much diffent than Sun cruise wich i really enjoyed.

The relaxed, friendly and enjoyable feeling was grate.



The ship is excerlant lots of placesd to go in an evening, 3 bars by pool side, the pub, the bounty club, ocean therter, and the harbour cafe so much to chose from. all are excelant. the Entertainment is excerlant. the entertainment team were fantasic i was shocked to see the cruise director Noaland Sining on stage, Even the assisant cruise director joined in with the shows dancing and singign, they both have fantasic voices.



Our rooom Boy Dorrinal was excernat chatty anf friendley, cleans and makes up room everday.



looking to go on another cruise very soon.



Now everyone All Aboard

Just got back from a week in the Med on the Island Star, and had a fantastic time. The boat is excellent, the food is good, the entertainment is amazing, but the crew made the holiday that bit more special. They are so friendly and just cant do enough for you. This was my first cruise and already I am looking at fitting another one in sometime next year.

Paid for a delux cabin on deck 10. It was very spaciouse but there was nothing delux about it. The bedding gave you the impression someone was permanatly sleeping in the bed it was so old. The bathroom was run down and the smell from the drain was disgusting. The rest of the ship was clean and the entertainment was very good.However the staff should be enforcing hand washing in the restaurant. As my husband had food poisoning on a previous holiday I complianed that people were coming into this area without cleaning their hands but nothing was done about it.They seem to be reluctant to enforce, what should be strict hygiene rules, especially on a ship. It was an enjoyable holiday but if you are a couple, go outwith school holiday,s the kids run wild, running along corridors and playing in lifts and the practice of trying to sell you drinks and cigarettes every two minutes was annoying. Thomson could show them how to do it

We have just come back from sailing around the Med on the Island Star, having never been on a cruise I was unsure on what to expect as my husband had been on one before.

Let me just say that this has been the best holiday we've had so far, the staff on board were so friendly and polite and nothing was too much trouble.

The ship was out of this world and very busy with lots of things to do we were never short of things to do. The entertainment on board was very good, loved the different shows each night, had us singing in our seats and dancing.

We used the ships's excursions packages for each day, these were relaxed and very informative about the different places we visited and we found out that they were not as expensive as we thought when compared with prices off shore and looking into going and exploring on our own.

The food was outstanding the Island Resaurant had alot to offer and catered for all people even if you have an allergy or specific diet needs, again nothing was too much trouble.

We had a cabin with a balcony which was worth every penny, it was exciting to see the ship pull in and out of all the ports we stopped off at, we would definitly recommend a balcony cabin.

Having not been keen on going on a cruise, this holiday has changed my mind forever and we are even thinking of booking another one as we enjoyed it that much.

Thankyou to all the Island Star staff and crew it was a fantastic week and we shall be seeing you again very soon!!!

Our first cruise ,(2 adults 2 children 2 and 9) having read the comments i was a little worried .

These soon disappeared arrival at Palma and transfer to ship was easy and uncomplicated.



Rooms were clean but basic .Replenished ice bucket and drinks every day.



Staff . Everything we are not in the UK ,polite,helpful,genuine smile and pleased to see you.



Food . good choices lots of places to eat and varied choices.



Pool ,drained and cleaned everyday sal****er so don't forget your goggles.



Trips.expensive try to plan and do your own thing its a lot cheaper.



Entertainment. children's clubs were good and free.Lots to do all day and evening.



Newsletter everyday with lots to do and see.



We liked it so much we have booked to go back next year .

Just got back from 1 week onboard the Island Star. Having crusied on both the Ocean Village ships before this holiday was very dissapointing. Firstly the state of our cabin was rubbish, the sheets on the beds had holes in them and were stained a disgusting shade of yellow obviously where people had be sleeping on them, I even found a toenail clipping in my bed and it wasnt mine...yuk! The bathroom really stank, the shower was pretty dirty looking and the shower curtain had mould growing up from the bottom. No fridge or tea making facilities either. Having seen the condition of the cabin I complained at reception, they gave me a form to fill in and their reply was that the cabin 'looked good', if that was the case I wouldnt like to see a cabin which didnt 'look good' by their standards! You would not have bed sheets like this at home so I wouldnt expect paying guests to put up with this.



The food was ok but not as good standard or choice as Ocean Village, some food was not really eatable such as breakfast time bacon and rock hard pancakes. Entertainment was ok but a bit on the amauterish side and didnt seem to be much variety throughout the week. The ship really needs updating and seeing as Island Cruises are in direct competion with Ocean Village they need to get their act together, if you are thinking of sailing with Island Cruises do yourself a favour and go with Ocean Village instead as every aspect of your holiday will be better.

Have not long been back from holidays on Island Star Cruise - food was very good, lots of choice, staff were very friendly and helpful and cannot fault this. People cruising friendly.



Highlight of the cruise was the cycle trips to Pisa and through Barcelona, it was amazing and certainly made the holiday (a bit of exercise away from all that food).

Our two girls enjoyed the relaxing break too - at 15 & 18 its always hard to please everyone but it was certainly a good choice!



Drinks pretty much what you pay at home - if you don't want a drink just say so (not sure what all the moaning about constantly being asked is all about). The boat was clean. Entertainment fine (not West End but they certainly try hard). Had some great pictures taken which were a bargain at £9.99 each. Trips can be on the high side (especially when there are 4 of you to pay for) but try some travel on your own, its really not too hard.



However - one really BIG complaint the noisey cabin!!! The vibration was unbearable and I was exhausted for days - This would put me off cruising again - although our daughters room was great - we just drew the short straw ! But having paid all that money I did expect to be able to sleep at night. Please avoid room 4154 - you have been warned. Although a big complaint is was the only one.

Absolutly bloody fantastic. Would definatly go back and definatly recommend. Shows were out of this world, food was just like at home with loads of choice and room was nicer than the normal ones you would get in a hotel abroad.

Captain was really friendly, spoke to all, nicest crew you will ever meet and games for both adults and kids to keep you entertained.

Just got back from a two week back to back cruise.

I thought that on the first week the cruise was very good but the second week we visited ports that were only a few miles from the first ports in week 1 so be warned if you are thinking of doing this.

We also had to attend the drill exercise in week two even though we attended the first week this meant that when the drill finished on the first day at sea it was a mad rush for the sunbeds as although there was probably just enough beds there was not enough deck space when having a full day at sea and all passengers were on board. The pool area was like picadilly circus the week before christmas. If you are hoping to do the altlantic crossing cruise in september (i think) it will be hard to get a sunbed for the days when everyone will be on the ship.



Ship stability:

The ship was stable enough in the med and it was only occasionaly that i felt significant rocking lasting minutes at most. Having said that there was a notice on the medical door telling you sea sickness pills were available from guest relations



Rooms:

The rooms were pratical and kept clean by the hard working cabin staff with plenty of drawer space but may be worth taking a few hangers for the wardrobe as we had 10 hangers for two of us. The drawers were hard to open and shut. The safe is in the wardrobe and charged weekly but i do not know how they know if you have used it.

The main concern regarding the rooms were the noise. We were in 6161 and 6163 both inside cabins. You do not need an early alarm call as the whole room vibrates when aproaching the dock (usually around 8.00am) this seemed to happen when in slow mode or in reverse. It even cuased ripples on a glass of water. this hopfully gives you an indication as to the serverity.

I could have coped with the early morning earthquake if we could have got to sleep on a night but both these two cabins were under the kithchen to the steakhouse and oasis restaurant kitchens where there was constant banging and what sounded like trolleys moving all through the night. We complained to guest relations and they said they would sort it out. It became slightly better but was never irradicated .



Food and drink

Comparing it to an all inclusive holiday the food was the best we had had but if you dont like pasta the selection is quite sparce. There was always lamb or beef carvery but i was frustrated by the lack of vegatables.

Deserts was mainly the same every day with some sort of crumble and custard or chantilly which to me seemed to be there answer to whipped cream. The vegetable and fruit carvings that adorned the self service food bars were fantastic pieces of artwork (unfortunately not for consumption though)

Drinks were on a par with pub prices £2.80 for a pint of Boddingtons and can of Tango or coke at around £1.50/can Be warned the tango had never seen an orange in its life and was almost illuminous when pured no wonder the kids was bouncing of the walls with all those Enumber in them. The cans were always warm and came with a glass full of ice The coke were from cans that said "for air and martime use only" whatever this meant it certianly did not taste like the coke we get in the UK.

Be warned you will be pestered by waiters asking you if you would like another drink even when you have half a glass left. I would like to know if this is the case on the Escape where drinks are included in the price. There was rumours going round that the waiters are on commision but i can't confirm this.



Staff

All the staff were friendly and we thought the captain had a very good sense of humour in the first week ...untill he said the same things in the second weekto the new cohorts. The shows were very good with the showteam consisting of 10 people but only four sang and the rest were miming but were very good dancers

The Bounty Bar can be described as a place where cheap entertainmentt took place led by 3 resident hosts but manily involving the audience. Don't volenteer for anything if expecting big rewards from the competitions the costliest prices we saw given away was an Island Star Mug

Bingo was on every night but the prize money seemed quite low considering it cost £5.00 for four tickets.



Micelaneous bits



Tours

are very expensive it always made me smile when the shore excusions team would blurt out over the PA system that a few places were still available for the tours (not hardly surprising given the cost of between 30 to 40 pounds each)

To give an example we made our own way to Pissa from Livorno The ship was charging 32.00 each and we travelled as a goup of three indenpently

for a cost of 29 Euros return for all of us The dearest part was the taxi fair from Pissa Central train station to the tower and back (15 euros altogether) train fare was 4.5 euros each return and the bus from the port to livorno station was 1 euro.



Beauty Salon

My wife used this and had a pedicure she was not too impressed compaired to the ones the has had in the states and the staff was quite pushy with asking her to purchase lotions to keep her feet soft.



Kids Club

My daugher used this quite often and we had to sign her in and out but she was happy to go and got no bad reports She was taken to the bridge to meet the captian one day i just wished i could have gone with her but they were charging adults £5.00 for the same privledge.



Photographs

Aways on hand when you got of the ship but was not pushy to buy them.

DVDs of the cruise that was filmed during the week was £15.00 and although would not win any oscars gave a good indication of the trip

One facilty which i thought was worth it was family portrasits available on Deck8 allthough the sizes were only 10*8 they only cost £9.99 each and there is no presure to buy the pictures with seemingly no limit to how many you have taken..a lot cheaper than going to a phtographic studio which can cost hundreds we had over 15 pictures taken and bought 6 good quality family prints



The Pub

The entertainers were classic pub acts and i was half expecting Roland Rivron to appear as Raw Sex if anyone can remember them they had about the same charismatic appeal



Indigo:

Was the resident band and for the first three or four times you hear them seem very good but there is only so much "Johnny Be Good" anyone can stand before you start to become bored. To be fair they would need a massive repetiore to sing as much they they did for the whole 2 weeks without repeating songs and perhaps two resident bands should have been the answer.



Jongleurs

I may the odd one out here but i thought this was a waste of time there was two shows in the ocean theater which was officailly suitable for kids but some of the stuff was borderline and there was one show in the bounty bar for over 18s only (strictly adhered to) .

All the other bars were very busy on the night when they were showing in the Bounty Bar whether this was all the families who has been kicked out or whether a lot of people was like me and thought it was not their cup of tea but if i was in charge of the company i would think about severing the partnership with Jongleurs

I prefered the tribute acts flown in to entertain us Robbie Williams tribute was very good especially and ended up with him in the seats and ALL the audience on the stage. Not an easy task to get ALL the audience to do this. I also liked the the idea of the shows being repeated as this prevented overcrowding in the theater



So the main question...Would I do it again?

I think not. In my opinion it was too restrictive and one vital neccesity is a watch to ensure you don't miss the boat. You cannot get a taste for a place in just 4 or 5 hours

so next time i will hire a villa and a car and explore at my own pace and timescales, buy proper drinks that taste like the real thing and wake up and sleep when i decide.

back from a week on the island star what a fantastic week,food was great always fresh,the crew were very friendly,the cabin was fantastic having a fridge made it better being able to keep your drinks cool,the pool area was very good with entertainment on most of the time ,the only thing was some elderly passenger seemed to take exception to kids having fun round the pool they are on holiday as well in the school holidays so if they dont like kids having fun go out of the school holidays(no my child wasnt one of them) the excursion we took to rome was the highlight of the trip,almost everybody on board was very friendly,the entertainment was very good at night especially the jongleurs comedy nights and eddie in the pub was very entertaining if not a bit cheesy with some of his jokes,the only down side to it was the photos were very expensive at £9.99 a time if they had charged a bit less i would have bought more which a lot of other passengers said the same as 90% of them will have been thrown away ,after being on this ship the island escape seems a bit dated cant wait to go back.