Half term holidays and the chance of my wife and I having some time together without the children who were on a school trip. A quick bit of winter sunshine around the Canaries on a relaxing cruise sounded a good idea.
We chose the Island Escape as we had already cruised around the Med on her back in April and although this old converted ferry has got many faults, on balance we enjoyed our last (and only previous cruise) on her.
We had mixed views this time and despite the fact that we enjoyed our break, certain things seemed to have been lost in the 10 months from our last cruise. The entertainment was almost identical, with certain themed shows reappearing with the same cast and the same now-not-so-funny punch lines. The waiting staff 10 months ago seemed to go the extra mile in the restaurant, yet this time there were no little magic tricks at the table, or impromptu serenading of diners by keen guitar-playing waiters.
Small, quiet, central location and therefore minimal movement from sea swell.