Reviews of Island Escape Cruise Ship, Island Escape

This was the best holiday I have ever had. Anybody who has hot blood in their veins will love this cruise and ship. I really do not understand how people can say negative things.



The ship is big, well kitted out, is very very clean and the staff are first class. The food in all areas of the ship is to a very high standard and the entertainment that starts from morning to night has something for everybody.



The trips daily are very expensive considering you can get a taxi for a few euros at each port and they will take you anywhere.



We were all-inclusive, including drink. Not all the different drinks are on this, however If you were to calculate the bill for the week it would have hit £1000, instead we spent £100 on extra drink (cocktails).



Finally if you thinking about taking this cruise, relax it will be a first class holiday and again I cant understand how anyone can say negative things, god I wish I was back on the ship!

Found out pretty quick when we got on board why the price had seemed quite cheap when we booked, this was unfortunately for us a 14 day trip, and 7 would have been more than enough.



I am 50 years old and my wife 49 and we appeared to be just about the youngest passengers on the ship, the average age being around 80. Nothing wrong with older people having holidays but I think we should have been warned that this ship caters almost exclusively to the older generation.



The cabin was ok for what we paid, the staff were really good, the ship itself is a converted ferry and very much feels that way, in no way does it feel like a cruise ship, far too industrial, painted decks not wood etc etc.



The food was plentiful but of rather poor quality and meal times were somewhat of a bun fight with everyone fighting to get to the front of queues, obviously still suffering from their WW2 siege mentality, when in fact food was available just about 24 hours a day, so we just waited and kept out of the way.



The entertainment was total rubbish, you might disagree if you like unfunny comedians that also try to sing, bingo being the other entertainment, and suspect the entertainment would suit a 70 year old beer and cigi man.



The daytime activities at sea for us was spent in a corner on the deck reading, the pool area was taken over quite quickly every morning by the afore mentioned crowd from the eatery, so best avoided.



The ports were very good and we had 2 days in Venice which was wonderful, the excursions were poor value for money we thought, especially in comparison to what we paid the previous year with P&O.



Overall a poor experience and would of course not do this again.

Just want to endorse everything the previous two reviewers have said. It was my first cruise too, and the experience was just amazing. What a great atmosphere on board, the staff work so well as a team, and attention to detail is great. I even managed to get my Nokia charged at Guest Relations when I realised I'd left my charger behind.



Food to die for. Watch out for the afternoon cakes and wonderful Ice Sculptures. OR how about some cheese and biscuits and a glass of Port as you sail away from one country to the next? The staff seen to be proud of what they do and really want to give good service - and they do.



I would go on another cruise - and on the Island Escape again in a heartbeat. It's a great way to get a snapshot of different countries/resorts OR simply to stay on board and watch the Med go by.



Had already planned a holiday for next year, and it didn't feature any water, but now under serious review! Do give it a try and definitely go All. Inc - it is the best value for money ever.

The flight over from local airport was the usual sitting trussed up like a chicken episode. Transfer from Palma Airport to the ship was well organised and efficient. Delays were only to be expected as each person was photographed as they boarded the ship. On arrival a member of the crew escorts you to your cabin, again very efficient.



I was in the Golden Deck with an inside cabin, this although being a double was quite cramped and eventually as the cruise progressed, turned out to be quite noisy ,fellow travellers bodily functions and conversations were quite audible in adjoining cabins, late night music a must and footsteps on the deck above unavoidable.



Housekeeping was superb, twice daily the cabin was cleaned and freshened, ice bucket refilled, origami with the towels absolutely brilliant. Staff and crew were exceptional, friendly to a fault.



Entertainment was wide and varied and carried out by true professionals The food onboard.. Well that is something else; three decks provided a wide and varied choice .The formal, the not so formal and the Beachcomber up top which provided 24hr nosh to a high standard.



We had themed nights onboard, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and Indian, including a more standard menu for the not so adventures. Certainly one of the highlights of this cruise was the quality of the food.



Excursions were in my opinion expensive and I was quite able to take in Rome etc on my own for a lot less money. Reading through reviews before I left gave me an insight as what to expect. I travelled on my own and as this was my first Cruise it turned out to be a great advantage.



The ship although a bit past its sell by sailed along nicely and really it was hard to believe that you were on board a ship at all. The passage between ports was very smooth. I would advise anyone to travel all inclusive, the swipe card system although a bit odd at the start ended up a great way to pay for everything onboard.



The whole week was brilliant. Certainly would cruise on this ship again. Personally, I would want a better cabin away from the noise. If you’re thinking about going on a cruise this is not a bad place to start the atmosphere is great.



The Staff were fantastic. Noise on Golder Deck, that’s why I gave 8/10. Happy days!

May I say, before I booked on this holiday I read these comments and it put me off a little.



After being on there and having the best holiday I have ever had, I would recommend everyone to go on there and have the time of their life.



The food 10/10. Entertainment 10/10. Everything was brilliant.



Please go and see for yourself!

I'm very surprised at the varying opinions on this cruise.



It took me 2 years to persuade my husband to go on a cruise and we both had the time of our lives.



This is one of the few holidays we have ever had where I found absolutely nothing to complain about.



The staff are all excellent. The excursions although slightly expensive were well worth it.



The cabins although small were adequate for your needs.



The entertainment was very good. Found it hard fitting everything in there was so much choice.



The all inclusive drinks package covered a wide variety of drinks, the soft drinks the only down side was from the mixers that were served from bottles and could be slightly flat on occasion.



However, the staff would open fresh bottles for you if asked. The cocktails of the day were a must.



Infact we both enjoyed it so much were going back in August, still cruising the med but with a different itinerary.



Can’t wait.

Hey, just got back from a cruise on the Island Escape, this was my first cruise and all I can say is that it was fantastic.



The staff was great and they always welcomed you with a smile, the food out of the world. the ship was very clean, our rooms got cleaned twice a day , and there was always crew members about the ship cleaning it, at every port we stopped at the crew would be outside cleaning the windows and painting the ship.



The entertainment was top rate. There is no chance that you will get bored on this ship as there is always something going on, and every morning you will receive a copy of the "Island Chat" which will inform you of the days activities.



I would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone, young and old and there is something for everyone, as I am only 18 and I loved it and I was never bored.



Overall I would say this is one of the best holiday I have ever had and I intend to go back next year but this time I would stay for 2 weeks, as one week just flies by and before you know it its home time and you will not want to leave. Hope this review has helped. Megan x

Judging by the last 2 comments, I reckon I must have been on a different ship with the same name!



My friends will agree that I am the first to complain of shoddy service when I come across it, but on my cruise, I couldn't find anything to complain about.



Initially I was rather reluctant to try a cruise but was persuaded by my wife to give it a go. Boy was I surprised! I'm now converted.



We had an outside cabin on Emerald deck that was quite adequate for our needs, and was kept immaculate by our Steward, Ivo. You definitely get the impression that nothing is too much trouble for the crew, especially bearing in mind they only get little pay. If you take the time to chat to the crew, you will hear some very interesting stories.



I found the food to be very good and plentiful 24 hours/day. The entertainment was very good, with some promising talent evident.



OK, if you look hard enough you may find something that needs sprucing up, but at each port it was a common sight to see crew members suspended over the side with paint and rollers keeping the hull clean.



Anyway, if you're planning on cruising on this ship, you will not be disappointed. Another passenger told me that she had taken a cruise on the sister ship the Island Star. Though a newer ship, the atmosphere onboard was not a patch on the Island Escape.

My wife and I have been cruising before, so we booked a week in May on the Island Escape.



Flight from local airport to Palma. Everything went ok, Futura flight ok. Food on board aircraft was awful, but it was the cruise we were looking forward to.



We arrived at the ship and we were on the diamond deck, outside cabin. The cabin was a little cramped but it was adequate. High praise must go to the cabin staff that were fantastic.



If you do go cruising it is a must that you go all inclusive. The food and entertainment were first class. No negatives. Ships staff were all brilliant.



The excursions are a bit expensive. We went to Rome and it took nearly 3hrs with the traffic, but Rome is a must.



All the bars were brilliant, the staff could not do enough, don’t listen to all the negative reviews, try it yourself, and you will not be disappointed.



If you do go on an excursion make sure you take your own bottled water available from the restaurant as they sell the water as you leave the ship to go on the excursion, considering you paid 58 quid for the excursion I thought it was extortionate.



The ship is looking a bit dated, but if you want a no frills cruise, meet lots of people, and look no further than this ship.



We had a fantastic week, and will definitely going back. Try it.

I would like to comment on this ship, which has so many ups and downs.



Having just returned from a Med cruise my comments are:



Entertainment excellent 10/10. Food poor quality 2/10. Accommodation best available inside cabin Flamingo deck, far too small, hard bed, and past its sell buy date 2/10.



Staff polite and excellent could not do enough for you 10/10. First choice airways average 5/10.



Places visited - delay on first day did not arrive in Sicily until 12.30 after being held up in Palma due to flight problems with another plane, cost us half a day in Sicily7/10.



Ship has seen better days and ready for scrap yard 2/10.

Having cruised many times in the past 10 years (including Airtours, Thomson, Fred Olsen, P & O) I decided to give Island Cruises a go. Would I cruise with them again - definitely not.



The inside bunk cabin on deck 5 was adequate as I was travelling alone. However the cleaning of same left a lot to be desired. I found used cotton buds in a number of places, I don't think it was vacuumed more than once during the time 14 days, no pillow slips on the changeover day, sink blocked a couple of times and the vacuum toilet failed several times (as they did in the public toilets), only three small drawers - totally inadequate if there were 2 people sharing the cabin.



On being shown to the cabin I asked as a smoker if I could smoke in the cabin. I was told it was not allowed but I could smoke in the toilets. However other passengers asked for and received ashtrays. This showed a total lack of consideration for other passengers embarking in the weeks to come - non smokers can tell if someone has smoked in a place no matter how well it is cleaned.



On the first changeover day there was an attempt to make The Pub a non smoking area - this almost provoked a riot and Island Cruises backed down.



Food - quantity and variety should never be confused with quality. The Beachcomber is worse than transport cafe and a large number of fellow passengers ignored the hand gel at the entrances. The Island was a little better.



However at breakfast on one of the last days the gel dispenser was not working and the staff encouraged us not to wait for another dispenser to be brought the 10 feet from the alternative (not used) entrance.



The only foods in the Beachcomber and Island that were ever hot were the soups and the custard. On the second week I could tolerate it no more and booked into the Oasis restaurant for dinner every night. The food here was hot, there was a reasonable menu and the staff attentive. However using margarine instead of butter in sauces is not on when you are expecting people to shell out 12.45 for the pleasure.



I didn't attend any of the shows or the organised entertainment. The excursions were well priced and very good value for money - particularly Montserrat from Barcelona and Monaco & Monte Carlo from Nice.



The all inclusive option - which I got free when booking - was not as good as that offered by Thomson’s.



There were children running around the ship and it became so much of a problem that the Captain had to request parents and grandparents to prevent them disturbing other passengers. The pool deck was particularly bad - I ignored it after the first day as it was a very uninspiring place - people drinking to the max of the all inclusive, rubbish music played over and over - the same CD for the 2 weeks - and loungers crammed so close together and it was impossible to get up and move about once you were lucky enough to grab one.



The staff were brilliant - at least those who were not from Eastern Europe. When asking an Eastern European cabin stewardess about her work her reply was "there are too many blacks on the ship.” It appears that racism could start to be a problem in the future.



On this cruise the ports of call and the majority of the staff were the stars. However Island Cruises looks on its staff as additional revenue collectors - they are required to sell flashing glasses of the cocktail of the day (4.99), bum bags, and other Island Cruises merchandise and this must put people off the cruise line - it did me.



On a final note please, if you are a regular user of mini bars, don't use the one in the cabin. If you do then note what you have used and leave it in clear view of the cabin stewardess. Many people suspected a scam as they were charged for things which they did not use - once you sign the form there is nothing to stop someone ticking additional boxes.



The Island Escape is not the worst cruise ship I have ever been on - it is simply the only one where I can safely say never again.

I had saved for years for my dream cruise and First Choice certainly shattered my dreams.



Both my partner and I had an absolutely miserable time.



First of all they couldn't even get our accommodation right. Our cabin had been pre-booked and paid for 10 months in advance and they allocated it to someone else, as we were on holiday with my parents this was very inconvenient as we were placed along the corridor from them.



The reception staff were far from helpful, they had no customer loyalty at all and were not the least bit interested in any complaint that we had and tried to pass the buck to First Choice and vice versa.



The ship decor was very tired and shabby certainly not what I expected from a cruise ship, certainly not up to standard considering how much we had paid.



We were told that cocktails and drinks were included in the all inclusive package but these drinks were restricted and it was difficult getting service. Sun loungers were impossible to get, people were actually arguing over them.



Food was more of the same day after day. If you didn't pay for their expensive excursions you were basically left on your own.



Overall a very disappointing experience and I will certainly not be going on another cruise in a hurry.



I wrote to Abta when we returned and they were useless, First Choice offered us no compensation at all and we will never book with them again!

Just back from a holiday of a lifetime. Was a bit apprehensive about cruising before I went but had a fab time and couldn’t complain about anything.



Ship was brilliant, crew treated u extremely well and the place very very clean.



Food of every description to eat -- we ate in the beachcomber most days and nights (open 24hrs a day). We went all inclusive and was worth it.



Entertainment excellent at night with lots of bars, music and good craic. Went on 3 organised tours which were a bit dear but well worth it ,if you want to see the highlights of each place.



The days we didn’t take them there was free transport laid on to and from each area.



Must say was very impressed how organised it all is from going to coming home.



Only downside was having to be out of cabins at 8 the morning we were going home and our flight wasn’t till 9 that night. However we just lazed at the pool that day.



Since the ship operates a cashless system was a bit strange getting used to but we would get regular updates from reception whenever we wanted.



Overall fab place and will be back.

Four of us sailed on Island Escape on the Venetian Adventure in April. The weather was exceptional - blue skies and sunshine every day which certainly was an added bonus!



We have cruised before and although the previous ships we have been on were certainly more sumptuous and more ornate. The 4 of us had a great holiday.



The plus's were - the staff were always friendly and helpful, especially in the Island Restaurant, the variety and choice of food offered was excellent.



The evening entertainment by the Island Variety Team was very professional and each and every show was first class (we are not easy pleased incidentally!).



The minus's were - the cabin walls are VERY thin, the shower cubicle is tiny (we were sure there were many passengers who would not be able to get into it), there were chips on the basin, and some of the bathroom tiles were chipped.



The ship's decor in some areas did look 'tired'.



Also on days at sea it was not always possible to get a deck chair - unfortunately people still leave their towels on their sunbeds and then disappear. As there were 4 of us we did not go on any of the excursions - they did seem very expensive but perhaps they were good value.



All in all though we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and made the most of it!



Yes we would cruise with them again - but only if we got the all inclusive package again.

Not one to award praise unduly, I find I must comment on our recent 7 night cruise of the Med aboard this ship.



Admittedly, it was our first experience of a cruise so have nothing to compare it against but I would be hard pressed to find just one word of criticism.



My wife and two children (7 and 9 yrs) had an outside cabin on deck 6. Yes, space was at a premium but how long do you spend in the cabin? It had a perfectly adequate bathroom with shower, toilet and wash basin.



There was sufficient storage for our clothes and even a TV if you wanted it.



There were three restaurants (1 x 24 hr buffet; 1 x set times buffet and 1 x a la carte) which provided excellent quality food.



We used the a la carte once (£10 extra per head for 4 courses) and the standard of food and service matched or bettered most restaurants that I have been to.



The children were well catered for with 'kids clubs' should you need it, and the evening entertainment was first rate. In particular, the shows put on in the Ocean Theatre were very professional and highly entertaining.



The Bounty Bar had other stage entertainment and the numerous bars around the ship provided something for every taste.



One minor quibble would be that the pool on the deck 10 was salt water and not very large.



Finally, a mention for the staff. Mainly from the Philippines you could not wish to meet more friendly, attentive and dedicated staff.



From cabin cleaners (who seemed to never stop attending to your cabin) to the ship's officers, not one would pass you by without a 'Good Morning sir' and all of them worked tirelessly to provide us with a fantastic week's holiday.



Highly recommended.