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Thursday 9th Feb 2012
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Mediterranean Discovery - We Enjoyed It
Mediterranean Discovery - We Enjoyed It |
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Reviewed By: Buchanan, Camberley on 3rd Sep 2010
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| Cruise Line: Island Cruises |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Island Escape |
Sailed:
August,
2010 |
| Destination:
Mediterranean
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Age: 46-55 |
| Cabin: Outside |
Occasion: Annual/regular holiday |
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Holiday Overall
We have been on the Island Escape several times before, but the ship did look a bit run down. I believe it is due for a refurbish soon. However, it is clean (on the whole) and the staff work very hard. We also got the holiday for a good price, so can't complain. This ship is ideal if you have children, or if you prefer informal ships where there is virtually no dress code. If you like 'Posh' cruises, then you may not like this ship! We don't do 'Posh' so I can't really compare. It is more informal than the other Thomson ships, with no formal dining nights. We love the food, and the entertainment, so would definitely go again. We booked about 3 weeks before, and feel we got a good price.
Ship
Our cabin was on deck 3, mid-ship - a bit small, but we only sleep in the cabin so not much of a problem. We had 2 portholes, which were battened down on two nights due to predicted strong winds/choppy sea. There was no hairdryer, but these can be borrowed from reception on a first come first served basis (deposit £20). I took my own, but with the adapter (electrical sockets are American), there was not much power so drying my hair took ages. There are 3 movies a day shown on the TVs, on a cycle. We didn't watch any though. There was quite a bit of cabin noise at night, but not enough to keep me awake.
As this was durng school holidays, there were lots of children on board. They have their own kids club, but there are always loads of kids in the swimming pool. When we were there was a quiet hour, where adults only were allowed in the pool, which was a good idea.
I took a battery charger which I did not seem to be working properly in the cabin. Reception will charge batteries etc for you at no extra charge (pardon the pun). We found reception to be very helpful, as were the excursion staff. Waiters in the Beachcobmer restaurant were very efficient and friendly, though I didn't find the Island restaurant staff quite so good.
The bottled water in the cabin costs £2.40 for 1.5l, but if you walk down the road towards the town centre, there is a small shop that sells water for 1 Euro.
The sunbeds were a bit dirty, but you are provided with pool towels that you can use on the sunbed. I did not see any staff cleaning the sunbeds, so I got covered in fake tan (not my own) on my first day.
Dining/Food
It is buffet dining in both restaurants, with Island Restaurant being slightly more formal (you are shown to your seat, and no shorts allowed). Waiters come round and offer you tea or coffee, though we found that most evenings we were not asked, which was a bit frustrating.
The food is basic, nothing pretentious. Various meats, pasta dishes etc. Quite a few desserts, and ice cream served every day. It got a bit repetitive after a few days, but not enough to stop me having my daily helping of trifle and ice-cream! Afternoon tea is between 4 and 5 pm, and this is very good, with a large selection of desserts, sandwiches, scones etc. At breakfast they had cereals (rice crispies, Weetabix, cornflakes, porridge). You could have a cooked breakfast, yogurts, fruit juice, mini pancakes, toast, plus other stuff I have forgotten.
Ports/Excursions
Palma
We flew in from Luton, which we have never flown from before. The airport was smaller than Gatwick, but there were no problems, and the flight was on time. I used a car park called 'Central Car Storage' which I found on the internet. They were very efficient and I would use them again. The check in at the Port terminal in Palma was very good, with no problems. There seemed to be a bottleneck where photographers were taking pictures, but as we are too stingy to pay for photos, we politely declined and went on to identify our luggage. The suitcases are taken to your cabin within 2 hours of your arrival.
Day At Sea
There is a compulsory emergency drill (ours was 10:30). We thought we would be clever and get a sunbed beforehand, but were told that the deck had to be kept clear of sunbeds until after the drill. You can use the sunbeds on other decks before the drill. During the drill there were seats provided for elderly/disabled people.
Villefranche
This was the only day that tender boats were used. There was a delay getting people off the ship, and the sea was more rocky that usual, which made the whole process quite slow. Villefranche is quite small, with cobbled streets, a church and a crowded beach. It is the 'gateway' to Monaco/Monte Carlo. There are various excursions. However, various people we spoke to did it themselves by catching a train from Villefranche. We just pottered around in Villefranch, but queued for 50 minutes for the return tender, as there were no Island Escape tenders coming in (plenty of Thomson Dream ones though). We were not happy that there was no explanation as to the reason for the delay. There also did not appear to be anywhere for elderly/disabled people to sit once in the queue.
Livorno (A change from the advertised port)
We have been to Livorno before, and as this was a Sunday (few shops open) we lazed around on the ship. Shameful I know! There was a shuttle bus to the town for £3, last bus 18:00.
Civitavecchia
There was a free shuttle to take you to the port exit. Last shuttle departs town 18:30.
We went on an all day excursion to Rome, called 'Rome Express All In One Day'. It was expensive, but we thought we would treat ourselves, as we had not been to Rome before. There was a similar excursion but on a coach, and to be honest, the people on this trip were not much longer than us. Our Rome Express train took about 45 minutes to get to Rome, but we had a coach trip to get to the station first. However, the train was lovely, with red leather seats, and plenty of room. There was a toilet on board, which you should use, as there are no loos until a few hours later.
From the station we got onto a coach, and drove througb Rome, seeing the Colosseum from the outside, plus some other historical buildings. We were dropped off at the Colluseum and spent 45 minutes there. The excursion was a fully guided tour. We were provided with a headset and contraption to go round our neck so we could hear our Guide. To be honest, you could do the trip to Rome yourself on the local trains , but it was great to have someone explaining the history of the place. You only see the Colosseum from the outside. Next we were taken by coach to the Spanish steps for a short photo stop, and the start of our walking tour. Next was the Trevi fountain, for another photo stop, then the Pantheon, which we went inside.
There was a brief stop at the Trevi Fountain to allow us to have a comfort break, and buy an ice cream. I had a huge icecream for 4 Euros. It was the best ice cream I have ever had. The trip included a typical Italian lunch at a local Restaurant (called the 'Opera'). This took about 1hour 15 minutes, and was cheese, olives, bread, Lasagne for starters, Pork, chips and peas for main course, and Tiramasu for dessert. There was a selection of wines, and coffee to finish, all inclusive in the trip price.
Then it was back to the coach to travel to the Vatican. This is also fully guided - mostly in the Bassilica. I must admit I was a bit disappointed not to see the Sistene chapel. However, what we did see was very impressive. At 4:30 pm it was back to the train station to hop on the Rome Express once more for our return journey home.
Propriano
We did a half day excursion to visit a nearby little town called Sartene. Again, it was a guided tour. We drove to the mountains, stopping at a bridge for 15 minutes. Then on to Sartene. After a walk through the town with our guide, we had some free time. There was a small market selling tat, but it was quite colourful. We had a drimk, which was a bit expensive (6.50 Euros for a small beer and coke). There is a lovely harbour with yachts in Propriano.
Mahon, Menorca
We went on a half day tour here - 'Memories of Menorca'. The coach stops at 4 different places, spending about 25-30 minutes in each place. it was a little rushed, but there was not much in each place to warrant spending huge amounts of time. One of the stops is at the highest peak on the island, with lovely views of the whole island, and we could even see Majorca.
I will post some photos on this site.
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