The Island Escape Is Now Ready For Some Money To Be Thrown At It , Big Time , Its Old Tierd And Dirty Looking .
My Carpet Was In Two Different Shades And Very Worn , all that said i enjoyed and so did my wife , the ship Has A great feel about it , Loads of Atmosphere very lively And with Great entertainment .
They Had Good Shows Including Acts Flown Out The Tribute Act Was Great, The Singer Was Mediocre , But The Comedian Phil Doyle From Wales Made It For Us He Was Fantastic My Wife Doesn't Like Laughing But He Made Her Laugh , We Were Ready For A Good Laugh After Days And Days Of Singing And Dancing , He Seemed To Change The Whole Feeling Of The Cruise It Lifted Everyone .
The Cruise Director Was Appearing In Everything He Was Very Camp And Reminded Me Of Peggy In Hi De Hi Wanting To Be In Everything But Tried Much Too Hard .
A Special Mention Should Go To The Staff/Crew They Are Wonderfull Allways Smiling And Freindly .
We Are Going On Again But The Itinery Will Have To Be Very Hot , The Canaries Arn't That Warm This Time Of Year , On The Whole We Had A Nice Time

just been on the island escape,what a let down,we had just had another cruise on the thompson spirit that was great,even though alot of reviews had said that was a ferry, we got there no problems then we had a look at the outside of the ship well i thought oh no,then well we are here,got onboard and could tell it was a not a good ship[ferry] we set off around the canaries islands. well you heard of [rock the boat song ]im not sea sick but came close but alot of others was ive never felt like that ,ive had 2cruises before,guess cant be blamed for the sea conditions,the cabin staff and resturants was ok,the food was a bit naff but i was able to eat a bit what i liked.the cabin was like a sardine tin it was rubbish to say the least , like a few people who have commented on here there are good points and bad one,s you had to time it to get to the shows and i dont think the were that good compared to the spirit the places we visited were ok maderia,had a good day there went around santa cruz that was ok had a 2 days of sunshine all holiday but that cant be blamed on the ship all in all the sea sickness [nearly]and general ship was a let down ,wouldnt do it on that ship again either want a re-fit or scrapping , if you look at the general reviews and pick out the good point about the ship you wont go on it its not for me 4/10 thats a four for the cabin crew and overhaul staff and was well i thought was quite exspensive the prices been on there wont do it again

I just came back yesterday from a cruise on the Island Escape 11 -18th Dec (Colourful Coasts). I have to admit that before I went, I was a bit worried, after some of the bad reviews I read. Well, I say to anyone who intends to cruise on this ship,go and ignore anything bad you read. It is a bit dated in some places,yes, but, very,very cleaned anywhere you go. Food, entertainment, treatment you get is second to none. From the moment you step on board, from the cabin steward/ess to the officers on board,everybody makes you feel you are the only one, they make you feel special.Forget the luxury of other liners, if you want a cruise you will never forget, go on the Island Escape. I am looking forward to my next cruise on this ship. Well done Island Escape!!!!!!

Last January we decided that for Christmas 2009 we were going to treat ourselves and go on a cruise! We have previously sailed on a number of Thomson ships, principally the Thomson Spirit and have always enjoyed ourselves immensely. We decided to go on the Island Escape as it was the latest addition to the fleet at the time. We read all the review sites and the reviews were largely positive with only the odd negative review, so we thought we were going to have a great time.

So we scrimped and saved all year and were looking forward to experiencing a different kind of Christmas. It was different, but not in the way we had hoped!

We got off to a bad start, unfortunately overnight there was quite a bit of snow and as a result planes weren’t where they should be. Thomson can’t be blamed for this, what they can be blamed for is being completely un-communicative as to what was happening. Indeed at no point in the six hours we were waiting did any Thomson representative make any kind of announcement regarding the status of our flight. Eventually we tracked someone down and were given vouchers to buy refreshments.

When we arrived we saw the ship, which looks quite impressive all lit up, much bigger than The Spirit. However the lustre quickly vanished, we were shown to our room which can only be described as tiny and shabby. We were in cabin 6542 which was an outside cabin, there was a large window which was filthy. There was some kind of algae growing between the panes of glass and the glass was badly stained both internally and externally. We knew that the Island Escape used to be a ferry in a previous life, but we had thought wrongly it transpired, that when it had been refitted they had taken into account its new role. The bathroom was disgusting. There was a broken shaver socket and cracked glass in the shower cubicle, you felt dirty just going into it.

But at this point we were tired and just wanted something to eat, the Island Restaurant was shut so we went to the Beachcomber. Oh my God! The place was heaving, not surprising as coach loads of people had just arrived. The place is a dive, the seating is compromised of what can be at best described as garden furniture. There wasn’t nearly enough seating and due to the strange way it is laid out you end up with a massive bottleneck as people try to get food. At this point we were beginning to have some serious reservations about coming away for Christmas. But we figured that our views were clouded after such a long journey.

They weren’t! The ship is shabby, in the cold light of day it looks even worse and even just a casual glance reveals something else to make your skin crawl. The linen is old and stained. Bedsheets and towels are grey and dirty, you hope when you get new towels that the new ones are less stained than the other ones but you are frequently disappointed.

At this point I would like to mention the drinks package. For example if you order a coke, they will open a can pour most of it into the glass then leave the remainder for the next person who orders a drink. If you want the whole contents of the can you need to buy the can. Also in the drinks menu there are more exclusions than an MP expenses claim. You can’t even have a coffee as part of your package. If you want a coffee you need to traipse up to the Beachcomber to get one in the horrible little mugs that they use, which have to be checked before you use them for stray bits of food and lipstick.

Back to the cruise, our first stop was Gran Canaria which was lovely, 28 degrees. At this point we were feeling good, a bit of last minute crimbo shopping then planted out on deck catching some rays. Then we were off to La Palma.

The weather had changed by the time we got there it was raining and extremely windy so we decided not to get off. Whilst docking in La Palma the crew managed to hit the dock, not just a nudge a big hit.

Our next port of call was due to be Madeira, this was cancelled due to bad weather. At this point we were enduring Force 8 gales. Although we were denied access to the port both The Queen Victoria and The Aurora were able to enter. I have subsequently found out that this has happened previously to the Island Escape, in far more favourable weather conditions. The reason transpires that the propulsion system on the boat means that it relies heavily on tugs to enter and leave port. This appears to be the real reason that we were denied entry to Madeira. So off to Cadiz we toddled.

Except same again we were informed by the Captain that we were denied entry to Cadiz due to inclement conditions, presumably for the same reasons outlined above. However a glimmer of hope, he was heading to Malaga a day early so that we could get to dry land, so off we went again. During our extended period at sea the toilet systems worked periodically, it was a lottery every time you hit the button. The toilets in the communal areas seemed to be repeatedly “Under Maintenance”.

During our extended period at sea, the disquiet about what happened grew and grew. The stories of what was going on also began to surface. The night after the boat/dock incident the people on Deck Three awoke in the middle of the night to two feet of water in their cabins, they genuinely thought we were sinking. They were told it was because the water heater in the Oasis restaurant had exploded. However, if this had been the case surely the Oasis would have been shut the following night, which it wasn’t. Also we were told by a member of the entertainment staff that they had been rudely awoken as engineers entered their room to enter the crawlspace between the inner and outer hulls to make repairs. The people affected by the water entering the ship were advised to wear their shoes to bed in case they needed to get up in the night!

Whilst at sea a petition was started, which collected over 300 signatures, to ask for a Q & A session with the Captain to address our concerns. The Captain did not respond.

Finally we arrived in Malaga, it was at this point the toilet system went into complete meltdown. Over 200 people affected by the toilet outage were transferred to hotel accommodation whilst repairs were carried out. I have subsequently heard that a part had to be flown in to make a repair. We were affected by the toilet situation but chose to stay on board, you just had to wander around for a bit to find a working toilet. When we set sail on the 24th the toilets were working, although they started playing up again once we set sail.

We arrived in Almeria and all was well, the sun was out and bar the intermittent working toilets all was well. We had an invite to the Captains’ cocktail reception and a meal in the Oasis as we had booked our cruise early and received copies of the Thomson Horizons Cruise magazine. Except the Captain didn’t show, nor was any explanation given for his non appearance.

Off we headed to Gibraltar. Well I say headed, only once it had taken an hour to negotiate our way out of our berth. Presumably in no small part down to the propulsion issued I have outlined earlier. As a side note my partner and I were in the theatre watching “It’s A Wonderful Life”, the irony of which isn’t lost on me, when the engines started gearing up for departure. It felt like the room was being shaken apart, it felt like we were in the middle of an earthquake.

We reached Gibraltar, except we weren’t permitted to enter the port. It was at this point that the Captain decided to address his adoring public. Demand was high and as a result a repeat was arranged to start after the initial address. The theatre was crammed to the rafters, not least when all the senior officers along with the entire entertainments crew came in to patrol the aisles. I am guessing the Captain thought he wasn’t in for the warmest of welcomes. The Captain came prepared, with a statement that was presumably prepared by Thomson UK/TUI plc, merely re-iterating that the weather is out of their control. It was at this point the Captain chose to bring the fuel situation to our attention. We would not be able to leave Gibraltar’s waters until we refuelled. The Captain iterated and repeatedly re-iterated that the ship maintained 2 – 3 days emergency reserve, but when question directly how much fuel we had he avoided the question and merely restated that he held an emergency reserve. The Captain also stated that Thomson UK had been advised of what had happened thus far during the cruise and that they and they alone would look at the issue of compensation for the cruise on a case by case basis. We did finally head into a berth around 6pm and were told that we would be berthed overnight and that we would get a chance to do some shopping the following day, as our itinerary had been changed. We would be spending most of the following day in Gibraltar but as a result our scheduled stop in Tangier was cancelled and we would restart the itinerary in Casablanca. This was sad news as of the two stops in Morocco, the one in Tangier had MUCH better excursions. But at this point it was just nice to be on dry land. Although due to inclement weather, that old chestnut, the cable car up The Rock was closed. So after a bit of retail therapy and a very nice portion of chips we were off to Casablanca.

After Casablanca we were off to Lanzarote by way of a day at sea. This for us was when the excrement truly did hit the fan. As usual the day at sea was rough, but today was particularly rough with six foot swells battering the ship. My partner was feeling unwell, which got steadily worse. We consulted the Doctor and the Nurse Mark came along, he administered an injection and dispensed some tablets. We weren’t told what she was suffering from, but the inference was Norovirus or a gastric related complaint. We were then confined to our cabin for 24 hours! We would be free of house arrest at 5pm the following day. Subsequently we lost the chance to visit another port.

All was well until around 8 o’clock the same evening our son began to complain of stomach pains. We called the Doc and guess what, we were confined to our cabin AGAIN with the same gastric problem!

On the point of gastric problems, our party weren’t the only ones to contract it. Indeed when housekeeping brought us food, I saw at least eight other cabin numbers marked down for him to deliver food to. Having seen how they deal with infections I am astonished that the entire ship wasn’t affected. Whilst you are ill they deep clean your cabin while you are in it. This means that the cleaner wears marigolds and uses a stronger disinfectant. All towels and waste from the room are placed in red bin bags. What they don’t do is change your sheets nor do they clean anything but prominent surfaces, like the phone, door handles and the remote control. With measures like this it is no surprise that gastric problems are so rife. That said I have never known there to be an outbreak on any of the other vessels I have travelled on. The ship headed to Tenerife for our final stop. We were to be berthed up overnight, no more sailing, no more swells or so we thought.

It was a relief to be parked up, even though we couldn’t go out, considering we were still confined to our quarters, the Captain did his best to mess this up. A note was put under out door overnight informing us in an alteration to the itinerary we wouldn’t be staying berthed in Tenerife. Instead we would be leaving at 5pm to sail out 12 miles to empty the waste tanks. We would then sail back into port for 11ish, hopefully in time to ring in New Year.

I have serious issues with this, we asked a number of the crew and they had never known this to happen. Presumably the waste tanks were emptied on the way to Tenerife, so why was it necessary to empty them again after eight hours in port? Especially when the vast majority of people went ashore! But after some investigation since our return I know why he did it. He did it because Island operates an usual system called Shipboard Management, whereby the captain is directly responsible for onboard revenue. So the only reason we went on our little sojourn was so the Captain could make more money, because as soon as he pulled out the shops and casino could open for business. Considering what has gone before this shows an utter contempt for the passengers. I have to say that I am appalled by this. Throughout everything the Captain stoically maintained that our comfort and safety were his top priorities. Rubbish! Even if it had been vital that we empty the waste tanks, from his own information he could have sailed out to 12 miles, which would have taken an hour at 15 knots. Dumped the “waste” and then sailed back. No more than two and a half hours, NOT the six hours that it took!

I can only assume that with all the aborted visits and with the constantly changing itinerary that he was seriously short of his targets for revenue. It is an appalling way to act.

We saw in the New Year, with a fireworks display put on by the port and we did our last bits of packing before heading home. But the fun wasn’t over yet.

So that was our great Christmas holiday, £6500 utterly wasted! The only consolation is that the five of us made it home.

Finally, thank god you say, I would mention a couple of things that are pertinent that I learned from crew members just to fully flesh out the Island Escape experience.

1) A member of the entertainment team complained about one of the staircases, stating that one of the stairs was loose and that someone could get hurt. Indeed they did, the guy who complained used the stairs and had a fall and cracked one of his vertebrae and had to be repatriated to the UK for medical treatment.

2) The Captain constantly stated that our safety was his top priority. Yet at every opportunity the corridor by the shops were blocked by trestle tables selling various bits of stock they were trying to shift. This area was very congested between shows. Coupled with the wet floor frequently experienced in the area it was just plain dangerous.

The moral of these two examples is that for all the bluster, the safety of both the passengers and crew are of little concern to the ship’s management. This remark extends to the reception staff who were dismissive of all but the most cursory enquiries, I observed on a number of occasions them being downright rude. I appreciate that they were in a difficult position, but they are there to serve the customer. If they want to vent there vitriol at anyone it should be the Captain for putting them in that position.

Captain David Bathgate should face an inquiry into the decisions he made, he was arrogant and self serving. Even on the few days that we weren’t affected by bad weather, we would arrive late at port or he would curtail the stop with no excuse whatsoever.

That said the vast majority of staff are excellent, they are helpful, friendly and polite. A special mention goes to Jeff who ran the Teenagers club, with limited resources he made the holiday for the teenagers and he should be commended for his efforts. Equally Amrut who looked after our cabin was wonderful, he couldn’t help enough especially when we were ill.

If Thomson/TUI have any honour they will refund most if not all the money paid on this cruise. It was an aberration and whilst I appreciate that no one can control the weather. There is a catalogue of dubious decisions made by The Island Escape management team. This was supposed to be special, spending Christmas abroad. This boat is well past it’s sell-by date, it should be sold for scrap. Supposedly this ship/boat/ferry is due to be refurbished in 2010. The only problem with that is that they are doing the work for three weeks. It will take longer than that to fix the toilets!

It you are considering booking a cruise on the Island Escape I implore you don’t. Thomson has some other great ships in its portfolio, go on one of them.

Having been on the island escape several times in the past i was expecting great things despite the recent reviews on the internet. Sadly many of these reviews have been proved right the ship appears to have been badly neglected since my last cruise on it. When it rained water poured through the roof of the beachcomber restaurant and the roof of the lookout bar but sadly no attempt was made to fix this . Also on deck four by the lifts water was leaking through the ceiling for several days despite numerous attempts to fix it they were still trying on the last day of the cruise. The toilets broke on the first day of the cruise and were fixed and broke again over the first few days of the cruise. On docking in malaga 400 people had to be taken off the ship and put in hotels overnight while the ship was docked in port and the toilets mended. The air-conditioning was also faulty in some areas and in our cabin the vent had to be taken off the duct by the staff to try and get some cold air into the hot cabin. Three ports were missed on the cruise due to bad weather but this of course is not the fault of the ship. On a positve note the staff and the food were excellent and the entertainment staff on the ship were fantastic though the guest acts brought in from the uk were very poor with the exception of the comedian from hull. The shows put on by the ships own staff were fantastic. the comments ive read about dirty towels and bedlinen are sadly true though they had clearly been washed they had seen better days and it looked like a long time since any of the towels had actually been white.

My advice if you havent already booked your holiday on this ship would be to go elsewhere unless the ship undergoes a refit and the ongoing maintenance issues are resolved

Having read some of the reviews I had mixed feelings believing it can’t be as bad as described but it was - DO NOT GO ON THIS SHIP IT IS A DISGRACE. My family paid £5.2k for this holiday 2 adults 2 children aged 14 and 11
Where do I start - the cabin was too small for two people never mind four no storage space, damaged ceiling and wall panels, shower room tiny dirty taps, cracked shower screen, cigarette burns all over sink, mould on walls and tiles, carpets and beds very worn, outside window dirty and mouldy around seal, sleeping is near impossible due to the loose fittings and whatever was clanking about in the ceiling space. Public areas tired and neglected leaks all over, the smell of drains and damp was quite evident throughout. the food is good but the restaurants are beyond a joke, the beachcomber is ok if you like eating off old melamine plates the tables and chairs are old and very worn its bit like a greasy Joes café. The Island restaurant is better but the long communal tables are not my cup of tea, they are too close together compounded with the wide arm wicker chairs it’s near impossible to exit the table which is a problem considering its self service. We had paid a supplement in our holiday cost to dine in the Oasis restaurant on Christmas day – the quality was much better the food good but the service was poor , there was a sorbet served between the first and second course picture this we shared a table again we had the same waiter the other couple received their sorbet then main course we received our main course but did not start as we where expecting the sorbet to come too – it did not I eventually I got the waiters attention explained we had not received the sorbet to which he disappeared for some time then he brought the sorbets then promptly disappeared guess what no sundae spoons to eat it with by this time our main was cold considering the cover charge was £34.50 pp it was a poor service. The ship in general is past its sell by date and appears unstable in choppy seas it’s also worth noting that some of the stair carpets are thread bare and several people where injured falling - my daughter included. The all inclusive is a rip off its not as on other Thompson ships and I would be very surprised if the Stella is genuine - I suppose if you like cheap beer,spirits,wine & rola cola its for you. As I'm not a big drinker I like my teas & coffees but guess what their not all inclusive you have to commute to deck 10 to greasy Joes where you can get cheap coffee in a plastic cup then trek back. I’ve saved the best for last the toilets!! Yes they constantly break down when you complain you’re told it’s an old ship! In our case along with most other passengers our toilets did not function for most of the cruise and when they did they may not flush for up to 10-15 mins. We had to trek around the ship to find a loo and when you did they where usually overflowing with excrement. We where offered to be put up in hotel Malaga at for the night but I did not see the point .Complaining is an utter waste of time. Most of the staff worked hard but as the old adage says “you cant maker a silk purse from sow’s ear” .I also noted the staff seemed very subdued and had some sort of discipline regime to humiliate the crew called Bananas apparently the more bananas received demonstrated a lack of competence. We have been on many cruises and booked with Thompson as they have always represented good quality but they have now seriously damaged their brand by using the Island Escape cruise ship.

never again i was sold this holiday as suitable for my disabilllity no way my frame was to wide to get in the toilets there was one disabled toileton 7th floor there was a very high step into our toilet in the cabin Ihad to stay in the cabin when we were at sea cos of the rocking and rolling i couldnt walk .The ship was shabby we had a balcony cabin which cost us a lot of money , e went on excursions on one i was not allowed in the shop because of my frame another we had one stop in four hours and the toilrts were down steep concret steps with no rail and the trip when we got there was an 8oo metre walk there was no cafe to sit and wait while people went on the walk.wen we arrived at the airport there was noone to help us even though we had booked special asistance when we eventually got through our coach to the ship had gone without us no thomson rep came looking for us the whole think was a dissaster food was repetative i just wanted to come home never again i have been on smoothe ferry crossings iwas unable to get up the steps of the coach staff didnt book me in front s4ats getting on and of the ship s traumtic oh i wish we had just lazd on a beach somewhere this ship is so passed itsll buy ad this disaster cost us over 2000 pounds please if you have a moblity problem dont go near

I think there is little point in reiterating the very factual report from Anthony Murphy (listed below)suffice only to say this is without doubt the worst ship we have ever sailed on. I can't imagine what Thomson thought they were doing with this ship other than to put people off cruising for good.This holiday was not cheap but ever thing about it was and as someone reported earlier "Don't Do It".

We sailed on the Island Escape on the 1st of January 2010. On first impressions of the ship we taken to our cabins, we had a standard balcony and our friends had outside cabins on deck 4. We went with our friends to check out their cabins and to be honest we did think the corridors on the lower decks were very shabby, with peeling wall paper and scuff marks alover the walls. The cabin was small and very basic but it was clean and acceptable.It had a drinks area with a few drinks and nuts if you wanted to purchase these items along with bottled water. There was a few small shower items and soap in the bathroom and 2 pool towels and TV. We all went to our standard balcony cabin on deck 9 and it was exactly the same size as the ones on deck 4 with the balcony. We had a fridge a drinks area and some better quality shower and soap items in the bathroom along with 2 pool towels. We had a small flat sreen tv with built in DVD player. We all thought that the cabins were basic with basic linens, but again acceptable.There were no hair dryers in any of the cabins. The food was very good for the most part and we didnt complain after we tried all the food areas at all times. The main thing regarding the food areas was the seating. It was very hard to get in or out of your seat due to the fact that the seats were too big for the tables, but we never felt like we had cause to complain about the food. The staff were really good at all times and again we never had a reason to complain. They came around every evening to fill the ice bucket and then again for the evening turn down service, no chocolates though, but we did get towel art.The entertainment was very mixed, we did enjoy some of it and some not so good, but we were in good company and not everyone likes the same things so we couldnt complain about this either. We were off the ship at every port so we didnt experience any of the daytime entertainment. We had read reviews before we booked this cruise, and to be honest we all thought it was better than what we expected. Yes we could find fault if we wanted to, the main thing we all found quite funny was when the towels were replaced, they would put one really white towel and one really gray towel in the bathroom, we all said either put 2 gray or 2 white it wouldnt have stood out so much. Yes the carpets were thread bare in places and stained in some places, but again its old and even though it was shabby, not one of us said it was dirty. We have sailed on many cruises and yes this was the most basic but we had a really good time and enjoyed the fact we were away. I do think for thomsons the Island Escape is a let down at the side of their other ships. But we got a good price and enjoyed it for what it was, there were loads complaining but we were just enjoying it. The complaints were mostly that yes it did rock quite a lot and yes it was a bit noisy at times, also complaints that there was nothing to eat what they liked, well that was not true at all, there was something for everyone, not 5 star but it was good and you could get food 24 hours aday. The one thing we did miss was the waiter service as they are all buffets, although we did go to the waiter service and paid £12.99 each, it was really nice fantastic service,and nice seats with plenty of room, but on the other thomson ships you get that for free every night.We did know that this was a very informal cruise but in the evening everyone made an effort to look nice. We did get the drinks package included in the price of the holiday, and we all decided we would not pay for it if it was not included. We had a laugh one night when my husband wanted a Johns smith, and i said i wanted a diet coke, we got our drinks a nice can of diet coke with ice and lemon in the glass, when the waitress saw our all inclusive card she said you must pay for the Johns smith and we said yes thats fine, but she grabbed my opened can of diet coke and glass and gave me a glass of diet coke out of a large bottle !!! well we laughed so much. All in all we had a really good holiday, in great company and we were not there to pick fault. If it had been really bad then would complain, but we knew what we were getting when we booked it. If you want luxury you are definatly not going to get it on this ship. Would we go on it again, if the itinery was where we really wanted to go and the price was too good to miss then yes i would, but being honest the rest of the Thomson fleet are better. By the way we have all been on P O and Princess Cruises and paid 3 times more than what we paid for this cruise, so we have not only sailed with Thomson. All in all if you want a basic holiday with plenty of different sites each day and dont expect too much then you will enjoy it. One of the couples in our group did have an incident in which their cabin was slightly flooded, they were moved for the night and given £50.00, the staff were really good and did everything they could to ensure their comfort during the time it took to clean and dry. So yes there was an incident but it was handled with great care so no reason to complain.

Not very pleasureable experience to say the least. First cabin so noisy - continuous bang bang bang bang - hour after hour like Chinese torture. Complained twice eventually manager agreed move to higher more luxurious deck. Cabin creaked, groaned, juddered, rocked - thumping noise from bar above (barrels on floor - thought ceiling might collapse)until 3am - awful. Didn't get one decent nights sleep during the fortnight. Fell downstairs and fractured wrist on 10th day - staff very good on ship and in hospital in Gibraltar, where temp plaster put on. When got to airport check in clerk saw plaster and asked me for 'safe to fly certificate' - how would I know this was required - someone has slipped up in their 'duty of care' to me. Thomson rep not able to assist - useless. Fortunately because plaster wasn't hard was allowed to board. Going from one disaster to another - NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! - Won't use Thomsons ever again - cheap and nasty holidays at not so cheap prices!