please has anyone done the titan cruise on island escape,need imfo on trips and cost please.

cassie,

Never cruised with Island Escape.

But, if you could let us know what ports you are calling at it then if anyone has visted that port before you should get answers.

ports of call for island escape are palma, ajaccio corsica,rome,la spenzia,palmos will be with friend who is a wheelchair user,any info on what best to do ,friend has said nice is lovely so will not do trip there

Cassie,

Most cruises only spend a day in Mallorca and if you want to see the real countryside you either need to book trips or hire a car and you will need more than a day.

The Island

We will start with out and about.

The scenic coast road between Palma, Port D'Andratrix to Soller is fantastic for its views. Along the way there are many stopping places to admire the many views over the coast and then onto Valdemossa and Deia. Valdemossa is one of the favourite destinations of tourists who are more into tranquillity and quiet relaxation and because of this it is very touristy, from their past you have Chopin, the French romantic novelist George Sands and of course up to date Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones have a home here as well. Deia is the burial place of Robert Graves, a famous writer and poet. From here to Soller for a relaxing lunch in the main square. If you have the time the trolley train to Port Soller is a must.

Between Palma and Soller is Jardin de Alfabia. These gardens are well worth the visit and are situated just before the southern end of the Palma - Soller tunnel. Well laid out, and beautiful walks through many different trees and plants. Can I recommend the home made lemonade from the café on site, they also do homemade orange but the lemonade is superb.

Another place to visit depending on time is Port De Pollenca, again stopping on the way to admire the views. A quick stop at the viewing point north of Port De Pollenca then onto the Lighthouse at Cap De Formentor, with views across the water towards Menorca, worth the drive, but it is not for the faint hearted. Be warned, a small bottle of water in the café costs €2.50.

Felantix is a small town towards the north but more famous for another of our favourites, Sant Salvador Monastery, a very twisty drive up but the views across Mallorca and towards the coast, especially Porto Colom is breath taking.

Everyone goes on about the Coves of Drac. Very large lots to see, a guided tour and a chance at the end to take a boat across the lake towards the exit, but no photography allowed. However, in my opinion the Caves of Arta are something different and do not disappoint. Beautiful caves, excellent lighting, very good English speaking guide, along with German, Dutch and Spanish, and you could take photographs. The exit out was towards the sea. These caves may be out of the way but are worth the visit.

Palma

Well a visit to Mallorca cannot pass without a visit to Palma.

If you look above Palma you will see Bellver Castle. This is a very famous and unique castle. Bellver castle is a very pleasant, worth a visit with an excellent photo opportunity of Palma and the bay.

Most coaches drop off, opposite the Cathedral, think it is called Escullera - It is near the entrance to the Marina just south and across a very busy dual carriageway from the Cathedral. It is very easy to cross road - just remember to look left first.

So, first a visit to the Royal Palace, entrance just opposite the Cathedral, The Palace was originally a citadel built by the Moorish governors and was converted into a palace at the beginning of the 14th century, beautiful décor and laid out rooms. Next must be the Cathedral, This is a beautiful and magnificent Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Palma. Light comes in through the rose window, this is one of the world's largest windows. Then onto the Museum that displays a superb collection of prehistoric artefacts.

Then after the culture, a walk around town and a little shopping. If you are looking for exclusive shops try Passeig Des Bonn and Avinguida Jaume III. For those who want to know, Palma has two Corte de Ingles. Be careful, the streets behind the Cathedral are a rabbit warren and it is easy to lose track of time and direction. Take care and have your street map handy, if you do not have one there are two easy to find tourist information centres within 10 mins walk of Cathedral. However, if in doubt there is always a sign somewhere pointing to the Cathedral. In the streets there are plenty of shops, restaurants and tapas bars.

There is HOHO bus stop just to the west of the Cathedral, on Avinguda D'Antoni Maura and it completes a fairly extensive tour of Palma, including Bellver Castle.

Pictures of our visits can be found at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/PeterJD01/Majorca?feat=directlink

Somewhere I have a review on Rome which I will sort for you.

We called at Ajaccio on a cruise a few years ago- the ship docked right in town so there is no need for an excursion here unless you want to go off and see something else. There was a nice little market with local produce right outside the terminal, an easy walk to Napoleon's birthplace, a mini train ride around town, and a harbour with lots of bars and restaurants. I believe there is also a beach but we didn't see it.
kate

thanks folks for imfo, great to knoweasy access to ajaccio, as friend in wheelchair,just a walk round will be good enough.

I just had a text from daughter who has been on the Island Escape since Friday. She said that they were on their way to Madeira, but that it was quite choppy tonight. Apparently all the ladies have been told not to wear high heels out tonight. Has anyone heard of something like this before?

Hi Helen- don't worry- it's standard procedure for safety when the sea gets a little rough.

If they can still manage to walk around the ship, then it's not too bad!

We've had rough weather on most of our cruises- always in the height of summer, in places that are supposed to be calm, like the med. Sometimes the entertainment gets cancelled, too, if it's not safe for them to perform.

Other than that, is she enjoying it?
kate

Yes thanks Kate - she said they're having a great time

Perfectly normal if it's expected to be rough. It's far easier to keep your footing in flatter shoes.

You usually know it's going to be rough when they put seasickness bags over the stair rails and near the lifts, or as P&O like to call them "motion discomfort bags"!

If she keeps taking the Stugeron she should be fine.

luci

Well I wasn't keen on the idea of a cruise before this post but now I've been put right off. If the sea's rough enough to make you lose your footing and get the entertainment cancelled that's enough for me. It must be really rough for it to be that extreme on a huge ship. I've always told myself that with ships that size you'd hardly notice a bit of rough sea but obviously not.

I think I'll stick to dry land

shirley I used to be like you! Half way into our cruise a couple of years back we had rough seas. We were not told to wear flat shoes at all, just to take extra care when walking about the cruise ship That night we were going to see an Ice Dancing Performance. It was not cancelled and the skaters were excellent!

Now I cannot wait to do another cruise. It really is not a noticeable thing at all the rough and choppy seas

Had a text from Marlou earlier, saying that the weather hadn't been kind to them this week, although it was nice in Tenerife today. To cap it all, when they got to the airport they were told there was at least a 5 hour delay on their flight. The problem now, is that they have booked a hotel to stay in tonight on their return, and at the moment the earliest they will be boarding is midnight

Ouch! That's bad luck.
It hardly seems worth taking a hotel at 5 or 6 am, but on the other hand they will be shattered and won't fancy the drive home.
kate

I spoke to Helen T earlier and Marlou is STILL out in Tenerife. They were supposed to arrive back in Cardiff around 4pm yesterday I believe. They were at the airport for over 12 hours before being taken to a nearby 5* hotel at gone 3am this morning. They are supposed to report to reception at noon today for more information. It seems there was a technical hitch on their original plane and then the aircraft sent in it's place hit a flock of birds and sustained damage on the way to pick them up.

Poor lou . Hopefully she can make a claim on the travel insurance for the delay and loss of what was paid for the hotel. Or maybe they will let her use it tonight assuming she gets back today.

Latest news from Lou is that they've been given a provisional time for departure of 20.00hrs but it's subject to change as they're waiting for a component to fix a fault to arrive.

That's definitely put me off the cruise we've booked for the end of the year. I was a bit hesitant when we booked but if it's rough seas now what will it be like when we go? At least we're going direct from Southampton so won't have the flight troubles poor Louise is having, they must be shattered.

Jean - she didn't tell me anything about feeling ill to be honest - just that it was a bit choppy. I've just been on the Cardiff airport website, and there's a plane due to land at 2.00am, that was due to leave Tenerife on the 18th, so I'm presuming that's their flight. She told me that she'd phoned the hotel in Cardiff where they've left the car, as they were meant to be staying there last night. She's now re booked for tonight - but I don't know whether they've had to pay again.