THIS SHIP IS NO GOOD FOR ELDERLY OR INFIRM PEOPLE AS THERE ARE TOO MANY STAIRWAYS. THE ONLY SUNBATHING AREA THAT YOU CAN GET A LIFT IS THE POOL AREA. ACCESS TO ALL OTHER AREAS CAN ONLY BE REACHED BY STAIRWAYS! THERE IS NO LIFT TO FLOOR ELEVEN. TO GET TO FLOOR ELEVEN CAN ONLY BE REACHED VIA STAIRWAYS! THE LIFT ARE OVER USED MOST OF THE TIME!

WE HAVE LODGED A SERIOUS COMPLAINT ABOUT OUR HOLIDAY ON THIS CRUISE SHIP FROM HELL!

IT WAS A SPECIAL OCCASION FOR US, IT WAS OUR GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. ON THE DAY OF OUR ANNIVERSARY, THE TOILET/SHOWER FLOODED WHICH CAME FROM THE FLOOR DRAINS AND WE WERE ON THE NINTH FLOOR!!!

OUR BALCONY WAS AWFUL! EVERY MORNING WE DISCOVERED THAT SMOKERS THREW THEIR FAG-ENDS OVER THE SIDE OF THE SHIP WHICH LANDED ON SOME OF THE BALCONIES. THE PERMITTED SMOKING AREA ON THE DECK ABOVE US WAS TE ONLY PERMITTED SMOKING AREA ON THE SHIP! ON OUR SECOND NIGHT, WE SAT ON OUR BALCONY FOR A DRINK BEFORE RETIRING WHEN SOMEONE DROPPED AN EMPTY WINE BOTTLE OVER THE SIDE WHICH LANDED ON OUR BALCONY.

THE CARPET HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS AND WAS SCORED AT THE DOOR ENTRANCE AS WELL SHOWER ROOM AREA. I NOTICED THAT THE NEXT DOOR CABINS HAD BEEN FITTED WITH NEW CARPET. THE AIR CONDITIONING NEVER WORKED AND WHEN IT WAS COLD AT NIGHT, THE HEATING DID NOT WORK EITHER. WE REPORTED THESE FACTS TO THE RECEPTION BUT THEY SHOWED NO SYMPATHY AT ALL. THEY LOGGED MY REPORT AND SOME DAYS LATER, SOMEONE LEFT A TYPED NOTICE SAYING THAT THE HEATER/AIR CONDITIONING UNIT HAD BEEN REPAIRED BUT IT HAD NOT.

THIS BOAT ALLEGEDLY WAS A FERRY BUT HAD BEEN CONVERTED TO A CRUISE SHIP AND IT SHOWED.

WE HAVE LODGED A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE COMPANY AND THOMAS COOK AND THE MATTER IS UNDER INVESTIGATION!

TWO YEARS AGO, WE SAILED ON THE SISTER SHIP. THE "ISLAND STAR" AND THAT WAS A FAR SUPERIOR CRUISE. WE THOUGHT THAT THE "ISLAND ESCAPE" WOULD BE OF THE SAME STANDARD BUT IT CERTAINLY IS NOT.

WE BOOKED ON AN 'ALL INCLUSIVE' BASIS AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE FOOD AND DRINKS WERE VERY GOOD. THE CREW AND STAFF WERE ALSO VERY GOOD.

IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS OF THIS SHIP, 'ISLAND CRUISE' IT PROBABLY IS THE THE WORST OF ITS KIND. NEXT TIME, WE WILL PAY EXTRA AND GO ON A SUPERIOR SHIP.

I CANNOT EMPHASISE ENOUGH ON THE FACT THAT THIS IS A THIRD RATE SHIP!

WE HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS OF THE RELEVANT AND UNHYGIENIC ASPECTS OF OUR CABIN AND THE FILTHY STATE OF THE CARPETS IN OUR CABIN AND ON THE BALCONY!

We sailed on the Island Star on the Latin Caribbean cruise departing on the 2nd Jan 2009 from Barbados.

Let me say first that this was our first (and probably last) cruise.

Our cabin was on Platinum deck with an outside balcony.

We had booked a year in advance and at that time most of the reviews I could find were favourable but if you were now to get the opions of the people on our cruise, well, you would probably give this ship a miss.

On the good side the bars and restaurants were fairly clean and the vast majority of the crew were excellent, also the food was quite reasonable and hygiene in the restaurants was very good.

On the downside the carpets, bed sheets(on one occasion blood stained) and towels had seen better days, much better days, about a decade ago, and some of the waiters in the Island Restaurant were extremely rude, openly making comments about the appearance of some of the passengers and, oh yes, the Captain was incoherrant at times seemingly finding it difficult to string a sentence together.

The itinery wasn't very well thought out. On the first Sunday we docked in Curacao only to find it closed and, due to high winds, we were late arriving in Aruba to find it was 'early closing day', surely these days could have been 'days at sea'and the itinery changed to accommodate.

Wherever the ship docked we seemed to be the poor relations, coming third in docking berth priority to the German and American cruise ships in almost every port. In Grenada the Germans had berthed in the inner harbour and the two American ships had tied up to the remaining pier, which left the Island Star to anchor half a mile offshore and use its tenders to ferry passengers to shore.

The excursions booked on the ship were very expensive but you could find the equivilent trip outside the docks for about half the price. For me Cartagena was the highlight of the cruise, Curacao and Aruba the disappointments, yet this was the exact the opposite of what I had envisaged.

A word of warning about one of the excursions in Limon, Costa Rica. 'The Original Canopy Tour' is quite dangerous, being fitted with a harness and a couple of pulleys attached to two wires slung between trees with the forest floor 150 feet

below is not on everybodys favourites list, but some of us were not warned about the danger and indeed the ships excursion booking people did not hesitate to send a couple of 77 year olds on it!. Shear stupidity.

On 'days at sea' there were not enough sunbeds for people wanting them which led people carrying chairs from the dining areas to the sundecks and having to make do, inevitably this lead to the usual arguments about towels on beds etc.also

if you are an active person you will probably find that 'days at sea' can be extreemely boring unless you fancy learning how to fold towels to resemble monkeys, play darts, paint pot pigs and generally do a lot of mind numbing things just to get through the day. Take plenty of books.

The ship itself was in pretty poor shape with passengers including ourselves struggling with blocked toilets and sinks and a chest/throat infection that seriously affected many of the older passengers (and this cruise had plenty of older
passengers, my wife and I being in our sixtys felt like junior members)

We found out, on the cruise, that this ship has been sold and is to be de-commissioned in March and were told by one of the engineers that the present owners were reluctant to replace broken parts and an attitude of "make do, not long now" prevailed.

I'm not a Show person but I watched an hour of a show one night then realised that the Harbour Bar was a better bet, enough said, but, to each his own and if you're a Games person and like to play Blankety Blank etc you are in for a treat!!!

I have learned that cruising is not for me and although the Island Star is classed as a spacious ship, it's nowhere near spacious enough for me.

This Holiday was a huge disappointment and, for me, a waste of time and money, so once bitten twice shy and cruising, BYEE!

we all loved this latin caribbean .cartagena favorite one,aruba nice but not much time because of the wind,grenda,trinidad,curacao and panama.limon costa rica doing the canopy tour v good.this was second island cruises we went on the escape but the star is better we love cruising .

just back from 2 week cruise on the island star round the carribean,fantastic.Our room on deck 5 was spotless clean towels,linen,etc.Our cabin boy was Dwain very nice and good at his job.Meals in all restaurants were good something for everyone,staff friendly allin all cant find anything negative to say about this ship except the shore excursion that were too pricey,you can get a better deal with the local taxis or minibuses when you dock would love to go on this ship again but was sorry to hear it has been sold

Firstly I have to say for the price and the fact it was our first cruise, it was brilliant. I was a little apprehensive the first day or so, but it has definitely given us a taste of cruises and want to do more.
Went on the the Island Star, from Palma to Messina, Naples, Livorno, Toulon and Barcelona. Only real downside was the expensive trips, we had three full days and one half day, we wish we had done more on our own, as would have worked out cheaper, only reason we didn't was we didn't know the places and concerned with getting about and ensuring we got to the boat on time.
Entertainment most of the time was good, special mention to Ruddy West the comedian - excellent had us in bits both in the Ocean Theatre and the Bounty Club. Entertainments team did very well, especially Gemma (what is she doing on a cruise - she is amazing she would knock the socks of anyone on X Factor) and Nolan - Cruise Director was brilliant. All the staff in fact were fantastic, always friendly and worked very hard including Carl our Steward.
Sorry to see the ship going for next year as would do it all again. Great value for the price we paid and didn't expect all fancy bits and bobs. Certainly recommend it for your first cruise if you don't want to do the formal ones.

We were first time cruisers and having booked we then looked at the reviews! With some concern we set off and have to say that the whole process ran VERY smoothly with very limited queueing. We were pleasantly surprised by the whole experience and have included some detail below.

For mass catering the food was VERY good - plenty of choice and good quality - and the Island restaurant (formal seating for buffet service) was just right for an informal atmosphere. We were always asked if we wanted to share a table, so we could have sat with just teh two of us if we wanted to (but half the fun is to meet new people). We used the beachcomber restaurant once or tice, but that was a bit too much like a works canteen atmosphere and had no advantages over the Island. We did not try the restaurants where you had to pay extra - there seemed little point. The only area of improvement would be a better selection of veg with dinner, but there was plenty of salad and fruit so no problme getting the five a day!

Entertainment was fine - theatre good, some singers excellent, others less so.

Excursions VERY expensive, but the one we did (Monumental Rome) was good, and the 'light lunch' was good, including wine and three courses. I'd have iked to do one of the bike tours, but as that would have been £58 for two of us to potter along on a borrowed bike we gave it a skip! Most of the ports of call had plenty to do and see, with ocal bus rides getting you further afield at very low costs (recommend the bus ride to Nice.... well worth the couple of euros bus fare)

Drinks were pub prices, and contrary to other reviews we found the regular requests of whether we wanted a drink fine; a polite 'no thanks' was all that was needed if you did not want one, and if you did order you didn't have to move as the drinks were brought to you. There were also plenty of 2 for 1 offers as well - not sure how people can complain at that!

Cabin was fine - only noise was when manouvering as we came into port, but that was minor as we should have been out of bed by then anyway! Cabin was spacious (restricted view outside cabin - budget level!) and well maintained with daily cleaning and bed making all included, along with fresh towels - all of these were in good condition, though old enough to actually dry you (new ones are hopeless in that respect!).

We have zero complaints - we'd do it again. I think many of the complaints I have seen are down to expectations. This is meant to be an informal cruise and to be honest, if you look at the pricing it is vey good value for money.

We went on the 'Island Star' last October (half term week) first cruise any of us had been on.
This was an informal cruise just what we wanted.

It was great, staff wonderful, food choice was amazing in the diffent restaurants.

The shows were first class,

Even the captain was a very approachable friendly man!
We went cycling around Valencia what an experience
We could not fault it, when it was a bit rough and I could'nt sleep the staff said pretend you are a baby and its rocking you to sleep they were such a happy bunch of very hard workers.
Such a shame its no longer here in UK.

I cannot understand the somewhat negative reports about this ship. this was our 3rd Med Cruise on this ship and everything about it is fantastic the cleanliness - food - staff - entertainment were all excellent, the cabins are of a very good size and are serviced by very willing and happy staff. Drinks prices in the various bars are normal UK pub prices and there are many special offers at various times of the day. We are most disapppointed to learn that Thomson (TUI) have taken over the company and are selling the Island Star so sadly this was our last cruise on this ship. We would to wish all the staff very good luck for the future and maybe we will see them again on another ship.

Just got back from holiday on island star and thoroughly enjoyed it. Cabin was bigger than expected which was a bonus as there were four of us in one room (we were on diamond deck). My mum and dad were on bronze deck towards the back of the ship and it did get rather noisy especially as the ship was coming into port, however if this is a problem you can get earplugs from guest relations on coral deck. Cabins were cleaned twice a day and you are sometimes left an animal or flower of some sort on your bed made from towels. Our steward was Noel and was absolutely lovely, worked much too hard and always said good morning etc. with a big smile. We only ate in the beachcomber as we didn't feel the need to eat elsewhere as everything we wanted was there. Food was lovely, breakfasts had lots of variety from fruit, yogurt and cereals to full english breakfasts. Afternoon tea was a selection of sandwiches, sausage rolls, selection of cakes and much more, and for the evening meal sometimes they had themed nights. Actually, i tell a lie, we also ate at the grill where you could pick up a burger, fries, steak roll and other snacks, again food was beautiful. Staff were very friendly and regularly asked if you wanted a drink. Captain would regularly walk round chatting to people and also took part in the poolside games in the afternoon. There was plenty of entertainment, shows, acts on in the bounty club and pubs and the casino, but equally there were plenty of places to sit and have a nice quiet drink if you wished. I would definately sail on this ship again. The only thing i would say is if you like to lie in the sun make sure you get up early and put your towel on a sunbed as people were putting towels on sunbeds and leaving them even when they were going out on excursions. Also the first day when you are at sea the sunbeds go really early as nobody is getting off.

Travelled on 9th of August.
3 Adults & 1 teenager.

Our initial thoughts when we boarded in Palma were that the ships decor looked tired and having booked a premium cabin it wasnt that much better than lesser grades.

However our weeks cruise was superb and that was mostly down to the hard working, friendly staff and the excellant Captain "JC"... as he liked to be known.

All the entertainment areas are superb and offer a great range of entertainment for all age groups.
Our week ranged from excellant shows from the entertainment teams in the Ocean Theatre, Jongleurs comedy evenings with 3 really funny comedians [1 night of which was an adults only show which was great],Guest vocalists, Easy listening piano music & a pub with vocalists and quizzes every night.
The poolside games were good to watch or take part in especially when the crew [including the captain] got involved.

The food was excellant.The informal Beachcomer on deck 11 was very popular but could get crowded at times. The freshly cooked pasta made while you wait was superb. Food was always hot and plenty of it.
The more formal island resturant was lovelly and again the food hot, varied and tasty with something for everyone.It was nice to be seated by waiters for braekfast & dinner but again there can be queues at certain times but the staff get you seated quckly. The outside grill bar [burgers, pork, chicken] was again excellant and very tasty.

A good selection of drinks were available and pretty reasonable although £1.50 for a can of juice is far too expensive especially when some cocktails were £2.50 !! They always have promotions on at some part of the day. eg happy hour...2 cocktails for the price of one !! with one waiters famous cry of " BUY 1 GET 1 FREE 1" or "BUY 2 GET 2 FREE 1" always having us in stitches. In the Bounty Bar you could get a pitcher of draft beer for £7.85 [thats 3 and a half pints!!]. Tea, Coffee, Hot chocolate is free and available 24hrs along with food in the Beachcomer & unlike some all inclusives the food was always hot fresh even at 4 in the morning !!!

Excursions to some places were a rip off. Having spoken to many people on board we were glad we had a bash at doing Rome ourselves. 9 euros return train ticket from Civittavechia to Rome Termini [just over an hour by train]. 18 Euros for the open top bus [all day ticket] and even a lunch near the Trevi fountain for 30 Euros for 4 of us more than beat the hefty price of the ships tours...ranging from £50 to £80.

One drawback was that our "day at sea" was ruined for a short while by the lack of sun beds to cope with everyone being onboard at the one time. We had to use chairs until some people moved away. It then meant we were back to the "get up early and put your towel out routine" even though the staff are meant to lift towels off beds not occupied for 30mins.....this didnt happen & to be honest i wouldnt want that job either.

the most important thing was that every single crew member tried to ensure you enjoyed your stay on board. Its always a good indication if staff are happy in their work and for the week we were on board thats the impression we got. Its also the first cruise weve been on where you were not hassled to leave "tips" for every bit of service you got.

Even though they advertise a relaxed informal cruise, it was nice to see that guests did make an effort to dress up for the evening on the ship.

All in all a great holiday and we would certaily reccomend the Island Star to anyone especially for a first time cruise. We would deffinately return and would love to try a 14 day cruise....especially if all the staff were as friendly as they were on this holiday.