The Island Escape is an older and very tired ship. We booked through Thomson's in the UK. This cruise caters to the budget minded British travelers. The food is British and the entertainment is British. We have cruised with Celebrity and Holland America and found this cruise significantly below both their standards.

The food is institutional in it's preparation and presentation. Every meal had exactly the same selection. The only decent meal with had was in the "specialty" restaurant for an additional charge. This meal was good but still below the nightly regular meals on Celebrity or Holland America. Our package "included tips" for the crew and the level of service reflected it. Service in the evening dining room was poor and when 9PM came around the staff were hastily resetting tables ignoring diners and making you feel rushed to eat.

The theatre was very disappointing as the seating is cabaret style not true theatre style, so in order to get a decent seat we had to be in the theatre at least 30-45 minutes before the show. The shows were very good; on par with Celebrity and Holland America. Read more