Island Escape.

[solostar]

Has anyone been on "Island Escape"recently? how does it compare to "Spirit?" apart from the itinery of course ;)

[ekco]

Has anyone been on "Island Escape"recently? how does it compare to "Spirit?" apart from the itinery of course ;)

 

Hi, if you'd like to pop over to the Island forum and post you'll get plenty of good advice there.:):)

 

Jan

[solostar]

Thanks, I wondered why no-one was talking about it. Sorry !! :mad:

[john_l]

Thanks, I wondered why no-one was talking about it. Sorry !! :mad:

 

It's a thomson ship and you're on the Thomson forum so are in the right place so I am sure someone will answer soon :)

[ekco]

My laptop overheated before I could come back and sort of explain.

 

It's a bit quirky really as the Island Escape sails with the Island logo. I think that Thomson lease the ship and the employees are employed by the owners.:confused: So all IE posts tend to go on the Island forum and everyone goes back and forth from that to this. Does that make sense?:):)

 

Jan

[ekco]

Ok, I've been on the IE this year and on Celebration which is basically the same ship so substitute Spirit for Celebration. It depends what you're looking for on a cruise, if you want a menu and waiter service at dinner and a formal night then you need to be on the Spirit. A lot of people love this and it makes their holiday special. The IE has the Beachcomber buffet restaurant on Deck 10 which is a bit cafeteria and the Island buffet restaurant lower down the ship which is more formal with set tables and waiters to bring you drinks, water, coffee etc but you get your own food at the buffet. We didn't mind either way but things moved along a lot quicker at the buffet. They both have a la carte restaurants which charge a fee. There's not a lot to choose between them in cabin size, although we had a 4 berth on the Celebration for 2 of us which was slightly bigger. The shower is bigger on the IE. Personally we preferred the layout of the IE with more bars to sit outside and have an evening drink and the pool, Beachcomber, gym and beauty salon on Deck 10 all close together. The Celebration layout is more confusing and always seemed to involve a lot of walking through the cabin areas to get from A to B. IE does look more like a ferry but both ships look dated next to newer cruise ships in port. We much preferred the entertainment on the IE and the fact that we didn't have to go far from one lounge or bar to another to watch the various acts. The Celebration has the notorious vibration which a lot of people don't notice but we did. There is a dedicated coffee bar on the IE at the rear of the ship and we loved sitting there with a cappuccino in the afternoon whilst at sea and watching the wake disappearing into the distance. The Celebration has a cinema which no one seemed to use as there is so much more to do.

 

Anyway I won't drone on any longer but as you can see you need to list what you want from a cruise and look at the itinerary. This is just my personal opinion and everyone else will have a different one, that's for sure.:):)

 

Jan

[infoqueen]

hi been on both and about to go on the spirit next week. Would say Island escape a bit more casual but loved having the pub in the middle of the ship, entertainment and food better than the spirit but really didnt use the spirit to its full capability 2 years ago as it was our first time cruising and we were a bit unsure of things. island escape has a lovely restaurant available for a suppliment we went there on our wedding anniversary and were treated like royalty. We will probably go on ie again next year my husband loves it but I loved the Spirit also and was upset to come off after the first week even though we were headed for a 4* hotel the next week. Basically you can't go far wrong with either ship we were extremely comfortable on both and I am so loking forward to next week and doing the Adriatic.

[davecttr]

Apparently Island Escape is actually owned by Thomsons parent company TUI so little chance of getting rid of it I am afraid.

 

When the Island Cruises brand ceased with RCI? redeploying Island Star elsewhere Thomsons got the short straw and ended up with Island Escape. It was initially marketed alongside Thomsons ships but this confused passengers so now it is kept separate with its own company?

 

If the rumoured refit actually happens this autumn it might make it a option worth considering for a winter Canaries cruise.