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Cruise Reviews

Island Cruises

Island Escape

Not A Great Experience

not a great experience

Reviewed By: graham, carrickfergus on 4th Sep 2010
Cruise Line: Island Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Island Escape	Sailed: August, 2010
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 36-45
Cabin: Inside	Occasion: Family holiday

Our experience of this ship left us feeling very unenthusiastic about cruising. My husband and 2 children , aged 10 and 6 had an inside cabin on deck 5 near the main reception. This appearred to be where they put all the families with kids and could be quite noisy at night when people were returning to their cabins. Also the noise from the engines was quite loud at night. The cabin was small but good storage space. It was kept very clean by Dwight our cabin steward and he was very helpful when we asked for anything. The Island restaurant was above us on the 6th floor, so we tried it for the first couple of days.The food was fine and buffet style, but the tables and chairs were packed in so if you were at the far end of a table , you had to keep disturbing people to get out. The waiters were also a bit abrupt and at times rude...our brochure stated that this ship had no dress code and you could wear what you liked, but a waiter on the first night kept pointing at my husband and just shouting long trousers! long trousers! when he was wearing shorts. After that experience we went up to the other buffet restaurant, the beachcomber, where there was room to move about but sometimes had to wait on a table at breakfast time. The kids club was not as good as we had previously experienced on other ships. Although you had to sign the kids in and out, no one actually looked up to see who you were taking and did not check to see the kids leave. We found this a little too relaxed for kid sof 7 to 11 who can just wander off. The timetable of activities seemed good initially but as the week went on , things kept changing. The swimming pool on the top deck was really small and dirty. 10 kids in and it was packed. Also trying to find a sunbed or even a chair on deck to sit down was impossible on most days. The entertainment was also very hit and miss. The commedian was very good and we enjoyed the generation game, but some of the bands were dreadful. I would not return to this ship as actually found ourselves bored as we were not big drinkers or sunbathers.All in all very disappointing.
Quality of Food
Good variety of food at all times and always very tasty.
Entertainment
A bit 'Butlins' at sea.
Shore Excursions
Did not take any planned trips just went our own way with no difficulty. Big delays getting off and back on the tender at Villefranche.
Staff

Children's Facilities
Kids found themselves a bit bored and did leave the kids club a few times when what was advertised did not run. Some good things like a Bridge tour and a ghost walk around the ship which they liked. Some activities only lasted 30 minutes , others 2 hours. Felt the staff here were not quite up to the standard i would expect from a security point of view.
Onboard Activities
It appearred again on the daily planner that there was lots to do but things like daily quiz took 10 minutes, hoy bingo about 5 minutes and these 2 events looked like they would fill an hour
Cabins
Small but clean and good storage
Overall Rating

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Comment by owen, Rochdale (14 Oct 10 09:55) about this REVIEW

we have been on all the top cruises and the entertainment on the island escape tops the lot just returned from cruising with the Royal carribean not a patch on the island escape yes a bit more fancy but so are the beer prices : 2 cans of fosters $17-10. about ( £11-55 ) they say you get what you pay for ?............ SORRY NOT ON THIS CRUISE LINE we are back on the island escape in December and cant wait

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Comment by mcguire, dunfermline fife (21 Oct 10 22:11) about a COMMENT by owen (14 Oct 10 09:55)

HIYA good chouce island escape shes in for refit at present cant beat the old one can you .enjoy your cruise in december

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Comment by mcguire, dunfermline fife (29 Sep 10 22:50) about this REVIEW

hiya you say you were not big drinkers or sunbathers so what did you do on your cruise thats what its all about getting the sunshine round the lovley med .then you say somtimes could not get deck chair or seat to sit down .thought you were not sun bathers .

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Comment by graham, Carrickfergus (01 Oct 10 11:50) about a COMMENT by mcguire (29 Sep 10 22:50)

A cruise is about enjoying the ports of call and the entertainment on board. The entertainment was lacking , so my son and i tried in vain some days after coming back on board, to get somewhere to sit to read our books. If i wanted to sunbathe , i would have booked a week in Spain and sat by the pool!!!

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Comment by ramsey, bishopton (27 Sep 10 21:49) about this REVIEW

I don't think it is unreasonable for people to expect people to be dressed properly for dinner.Its ok to wear shorts at a day time snack, but a bit of effort would be the correct thing to do do when going for dinner. Casual dining doesn't mean flipflops and vests at dinner time.

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Comment by graham, CARRICKFERGUS (28 Sep 10 22:14) about a COMMENT by ramsey (27 Sep 10 21:49)

He was wearing a knee length pair of dress shorts with a collared polo t shirt. My point is that the ship stated that there was NO DRESS CODE at all...you could wear what you liked.You cannot change the rules when you are floating in the middle of the med with no access to other clothing.Other ships do state there is a dress code and that is fine when you know what to expect.

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Comment by Craib, Inverurie (13 Sep 10 09:03) about this REVIEW

Glad you enjoyed the generation game, my niece and I had a great laugh participating in it

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Comment by Craib, Inverurie (13 Sep 10 09:03) about this REVIEW

Glad you enjoyed the generation game, my niece and I had a great laugh participating in it

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Comment by Mason, Brentwood (11 Sep 10 14:55) about this REVIEW

Try Royal Caribbean. They cater very well for children/families. We have cruised with Royal Caribbean many times and have always been impressed. Cruising is a fantastic way to travel. You will have to pay a bit more but it is still value for money. You get what you pay for.

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Comment by Hardiman, Cheltenham (04 Sep 10 11:47) about this REVIEW

The lack of a dress code still doesn't mean shorts are OK in the main dining room, I think. This is probably what the waiter meant.

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