Just arrived back from first ever cruise. From the welcome on the quayside to leaving on the last day had a really fantastic holiday. This was special holiday due to it being our Pearl Wedding Anniversary. Ship was kept clean at all times, room especially kept clean, three times a day, no complaints whatsoever regarding food or entertainment. Only really went to a couple of the bars and the shows, but really enjoyed these.
On arrival at Palma airport suitcase found to be damaged, mentioned this to reception and they told me to take down and they would give it to their upholster. Next day suitcase left in cabin mended with new material stiched to zip - with no charge. Staff very friendly could not do enough for you. Must admit enjoyed meals in the Island Restaurant better than the Beachcomber purely because you got ice water in glass and proper cups and saucers with tea and coffee rather than polystyrene beaker and plastic cups.
Went on several of the tours which were enjoyable but a bit pricey.
The drinks were similar to home prices the only difference a can of fanta, coke etc £1.40 which we thought a bit dear.

As a 21 year old I found this ship rather dull, I probably would go again in a few years time but not in the foreseeable future.
Although there was a lot of choice a meal times a lot of the foods (and cocktails) were quite bland. Moving around the restaurant was difficult. Breakfast's were the best plenty of choice and flavour their.
A lot of the waiting staff were over friendly to the point of being creepy and this did spoil my enjoyment of my holiday.
The entertainment - the shows - were some of the worst I have ever seen. There was a distinct lack of talent, some dire fake american accents, no storytelling and bad dance routines. The costumes were lovely, but didn't always fit with what the performers were doing. Staff were told off by their managers in front of guests,- great for that holiday atmosphere. And the waiters kept serving drinks through the performance which was annoying as the views of the stage aren't great to start with.
The lounge entertainments were better but incrediably smokey. and the smokers got all the best seats. Enjoyed the audience particpation games.
The salon was lovely and relaxing. I would recommend the sauna to anyone who wants a few minutes peace and quiet each day. I also used the gym which was adquately equped for keeping the holiday bulge at bay - although i did graze my head on the ceiling using some of the machines and I am 'only' 5'9"!Didn't go in the pool once - wasn't big enough to be worth it really.
Had trouble using the internet but wasn't too bothered. Renting a hair dryer and sending a post card wasn't a problem - reception were helpful.
it was difficlt to get a sun bed on the day at sea but afternoons in port weren't a problem.
Would recommend shopping in Barcelona all day!

This is our 4th year on this cruise ship. And yet again we had a great time. Nothing seems to much trouble for the staff onboard, and the food is always fresh, even in the 24hour resturant.There is always plenty to do and lots of entertainment, although the ship could do with a few more sun beds, This time we went fully inclusive, which was an upgrade, because we booked early. But it saved us a lot of money. The only fault we found was that we had to pay in the coffee shop.The trips out at every port were very good and well organised. Anyone who says they did not enjoy this cruise ship, don't know what they are talking about. It is that good we have already booked for 2006, and got our free upgrade to all inclusive yet again.

We have just returned from the island escape 03:05:05. The Beachcomber restaurant was extremely busy, and staff were a bit thin on the ground, the reason why this could of been so will be explained later, so previous diners plates etc were taken away eventually if you were lucky. FOOD well the main problem was that the food was not very hot,and not very imaginative. Celery with raisins,Immersed in white gravy? Most STAFF were friendly,pleasant and obliging. ENTERTAINMENT, forget the "SHOWS" they are rubish, make your way instead to the Bounty lounge, and listen to a couple of singers and a group. Now the nasty bit, reason why staff in any numbers were not around may of been because, some had been struck down with a gastric flu bug, alledgedly this had started within the crew a week prior to our arrival?. This was exacerbated by the toilets on many of the decks being blocked, for a day and a half, 2 days. Despite this rather serious problems the captain failed to abandon the cruise and head back home, he just continued to the next destination. He also forgot to mention all these problems in his Captain's Log. In fact when we arrived back in Palma he said that due to an outbreak of gastric flu over in the UK, the ship would be quarantined and fumergated.I think what he meant to say was because of the outbreak of gastric flu Onboard, but curiously, It just never came out like that. Finally Would I travel on ISLAND CRUISES.. Island Escape Cruise Ship, Again, What Do You Think? P.Partridge.

I returned from a wonderful holiday on the Island Escape yesterday There was a problem with the ship but the captain sorted out very quickly The Food Entertainment and cleanliness of the ship were first class.This was my 4th time on this ship and I had a great time The crew were helpful and kept my cabin spotless can not find a bad word about it I have already booked for next year on the new ship Island Star I cant wait I just love cruising on the Island Escape and would recommend it to everyone

Not long returned from two weeks on island escape... Following a disatsrous arrival day as mentioned in earlier reviews in which the ship was thoroughly cleaned (for which the capatain apologised) we settled in to what we hoped would be a great couple of weeks and were disappointed.

The food was of poor quality, often cold, with little variation in choice.

The entertainment in the show lounge was poor, although the cruise hosts were excellent

The shore excursions were good value for money and provided some days to remember

In all the ship needs updating, looking worn in places, the staff try hard but the ship is let down by quality of food and entertainment

We went on the Island Escape on 17th May as the first part of a cruise and stay holiday. It was our first cruise and we were well impressed. The cabins were cleaned twice a day and the staff were friendly and curtious. The food in the beachcomber bar was a bit basic but great for a lunchtime snack or afternoon tea, the food in the other resturants was fantastic. Great selection, always hot and well presented. the entertainment was fine for a week but I don't know about longer. We went on three of the ships trips and we did think they were a little expensive but our biggest gripe was the early starts one of which was 7.30am. All in all we had a great time and would definately go again

This was our 2nd time on the Island Escape, both 2 week cruises, Sept last year and 14 June 2005, same cruise itinery. To compare we have been on Airtours, Ocean Village and Carnival cruises.

We booked late so ended up on deck 3, which we called the 'engineering deck' as most of deck 3 is for staff and it is quite noisy due to the engines - I always take ear plugs and they came in handy for the first few nights. We did half expect to be on this deck, so we were happy as it was a last minute deal.

We do like the informality of Island cruises, but inevitably there were a few 'chav' types on board who don't seem to care how they dress, even on an evening, but its horses for courses I guess.

The ship:
A fine and very clean ship, at full speed the ship does vibrate a bit due to it being a tall ship - so says the Captain! The staff as always are very helpfull. There is pleny of space and beds to sun bathe, apart from the day at sea, as you would expect, so make sure you get a sunbed early on Wednesday!

Entertainment:
Ocean Theatre. To be fair they do put on a show 5 times a week. They are different on the second week as well, apart from the last farewell show on Monday - That is good if you are on a 2 week cruise.
There is a different theme each night, but the singers all sing to backing tapes, not a live band, so its a bit flat music wise and does get a bit of a 'muchness' if you are on the ship for 2 weeks. 1 night is dedicated to a comedian, which on our 2 weeks were throw backs to the 70's, but they were both ok.

Bounty Lounge: They have a 5 piece band and a duo singing live music most nights and a live quiz or copycat game show. Also a talent competition on the last night (but there was no interest on our weeks, so no shows.
Airtours cruises had the edge with the entertainment, but it was a lot better than Ocean Village.

Food:
Better than Airtours 'Sun Cruises', but not quite as good as 'Ocean Village' but all in all very good with plenty of choice and quite tasty and hot. We prefered the Beachcomber (sun deck). If you like a slightly better variety and sharing a table with different people every day/night then the Island restaurant is for you. (we never tried the Oasis restaurant).

Summary:
We have been on several Med cruises so did not try the costly trips. We had a fantastic time and enjoyed the ship, great value for money. We would like to try the new 'Island Star' next year to compare ships.

This was the first cruise we had ever been on and it proved to be the best holiday experience we have ever had. The ship is kept spotlessly clean at all times and the staff are the best I have ever come across - without exception. There is an endless supply of excellent food and there is always something to do no matter what your choice. I could go into great detail about how what we did and how much we enjoyed this holiday but there is no need to bore you with the detail. ALL I NEED TO SAY WAS THAT IT WAS TOP CLASS AND I WOULD HAVE NO HESITATION IN RECOMMENDING THIS CRUISE TO ANYONE.

Just returned 26th oct 04 and while we where on board there was a virus on the ship,lots of children and some adults sick with vomiting and diaorreathe staff didn't want to know they kept allowing the children into the kids club and letting them get in the pool,they took no responsible actions at all hence lots of us ended up with large medical bills. Did anyone else go on this cruise on the 19th oct 04.