A few questions about Island Escape

[Tinkers70]

Hi all

 

We had our first cruise last year and sailed on RCI Freedom of the sea's on an Eastern Caribbean cruise.

 

We've now caught the cruising bug;) and really fancy doing a cruise which is closer to home. We are looking to go in July 2014 but I know these prices aren't available yet.

 

I've been pricing up Island Escape ship based on this year's prices and hoping that some people can maybe answer are few questions I have.

 

I know that this ship won't be a patch on Freedom of the Sea's and we totally understand that but still willing to give it a try. When we were on the Freedom last year we had a balcony room. Is there any balcony cabins on Island Escape? I can't see any prices for this. If there is is the price vastly different?

 

Also, we would love to do a 14 night cruise this time, has anyone done this before and would / wouldn't recommend it? What is the med like in July time? Is the sea generally always smooth or can it be pretty rough? We had 6 days of smooth sailing in the caribbean last year and 1 day of very rough sea's and we were all ill. That is what's putting me off going for 14 days lol.

 

Another question....is there plenty of bed / chairs for everyone at the pool or on the decks or you do have to be up very early in the morning to get one?

 

Sorry for all the questions lol

 

Marion

[crafty sue]

Never been on it but I know someone who works for the company, and he advised me against it ! - ex car ferry ! - very noisy and think that is why it is quite cheap to cruise on

[sodafountain]

Never been on it but I know someone who works for the company, and he advised me against it ! - ex car ferry ! - very noisy and think that is why it is quite cheap to cruise on

 

Having never been on it, how can you comment? Can't even see a reason for you to be in this forum, having never cruised the IE, or having any plans to.

 

We have cruised on Thomson Dream, Spirit, Destiny & the Island Escape, and the cruise was as good as the others, and the staff and fellow cruisers were all fantastic.

 

Maybe you're just a snob, so quite frankly, wouldn't want you on board moaning all the time.

[jenny wren]

It may be an ex car ferry but it was an Ocean going car ferry (I think sailing between New York and Bahamas) not a cross channel type ferry!! It was then bought by Royal Caribbean to convert into a cruise ship....I would agree with Sodafountain...why make a comment when you have never been on the ship???:confused:

 

Anyway...we have cruised with Celebrity, P & O, Princess, Thomson, Royal Caribbean, Costa.....and also on Island Escape....we just did a week to start with in 2011 and loved it, so went back for two weeks in 2012!!

 

We had cabins as near to midships as possible (on Decks 6 and 7) which was very stable and quiet even when it was a bit choppy. There are a few balconies but they looked quite small and personally I wouldn't spend the extra to have one.The cabins are small compared to others we've had but had plenty of storage and the beds were very comfy. There were new carpets last year and the bathrooms had had an update but are still rather dated. Everywhere was spotlessly clean.

There is no formal dining but a buffet and another self serve that has tablecloths and waiters to serve tea, coffee, wine, etc.and also a speciality restaurant for a supplement which is waiter service and excellent. The food is good and plentiful!!

The entertainment is superb with shows put on by the show team and also various entertainers brought on board, and a band who play out on deck as well as inside.

The staff are also superb, very welcoming and friendly and always smiling!!

Last, but not least, the itineraries that this ship sails are what attracted us in the first place, she can get into ports others can't and so makes very interesting cruises ...not the same old ports that the likes of P & O do.

The sea can be rough in the Med but in June/July last year we only had one rough night out of 14 !

One other benefit this year (don't know if it will apply next year) is that all the drinks are inclusive and the tips are included.

It is a very popular ship with families (there is a kids club) and we found it got busier in July when the schools broke up than it was in June. That may not be an issue for you if you have children yourself.

Hope this helps :)

[FIFE1]

Can anyone advise the hours of the kids club please

[barnowl1950]

We're on IE April and as it will be the first time for us I had a look at videos on you tube yesterday, there's one excellent video in particular and might be worth you having a look to help you decide... I know I feel ok with it and can't wait, what time of the year do you have in mind? :)

[barnowl1950]

Sorry just noticed you said July 2014:o

[Tinkers70]

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it.

 

I'll have a look on Youtub for some video's to get a feel for the ship :)

[Rebel Rouser]

No Comment :D

[sodafountain]

No Comment :D

 

Think it will be a different ship next year?

[crafty sue]

I am Not a SNOB

[Rebel Rouser]

SNOB = so-not-on-board :p

[crafty sue]

I am definately not a Snob - and take exception to the conment - i was only passing on information from a Good friend of mine who works for the Company and loves Thomson cruises. He is on board one of their ships at the moment and that is what he told me.

 

I never said I would never cruise on IE - if it went to ports I would like to visit, then maybe I would - i was considering it and asked my friends opinon - I apologise if I have offended anyone -

Also anyone can go on any thread, or so I thought !

[Rebel Rouser]

Crafty, the Island Escape has a Hard core of "cruisers" and they will protect the ship :) the Island Escape is love/hate. relationSHIP and if you haven't been on it I can't see where you can comment ;)

[ekco]

Getting back to the question. Watching YouTube videos is a good way of checking out the ship and we found them really helpful. As usual you get what you pay for and the IE is cheap and cheerful and was much better than we thought from the reviews. There are a few balconies but they look as though they were added on as an afterthought and appear to be bolted or welded onto the outside of the ship. I doubt if I would pay the extra for one of those. The cabins are basic but with plenty of storage room but if you have experienced a newer ship you might want to upgrade to a higher deck and better grade. We were on deck 9 and had a flat screen tv and fridge on our first cruise on the IE a much more basic cabin and old tv on deck 8 on our second. Dining is buffet service in the MDR which we didn't mind but some don't care for. The Oasis is worth paying for if you want waiter service. The one thing that would put us off booking the IE again is the overcrowding on board which got a bit tiresome. When we cruised the Canaries it wasn't such as problem as there were 3 arrival and departure days but in the Med. it got really tedious not being able to get a seat in any of the bars or shows and definitely no chance of a sunbed. We are off the ship all day every day we can so it was only a problem in the late afternoon onwards. If the itinerary and price suites you go for it, we had low expectations and expected threadbare carpets and everything worn out according to the reviews but the public areas were well maintained and if they would just upgrade the cabins it would make all the difference. I'm sure I heard that the IE is going AI and that would put me off as we don't drink much so don't want to pay for others to indulge the whole trip.:):)

 

Jan

[Cappers]

I.E was our first cruise last August and we loved it. We have since done a little trip on a P&O ship which we also loved but the atmosphere was noticeably nicer on the good old I.E. Having said that the fact that it has now gone A.I has put us off going on it again because there will inevitably be those that just sit on that aft sailaway deck (which was our favourite spot) and drink all day long and then carry on drinking all night as well. Thats up to them,,each to their own, but manners, etiquette, reason, dignity and civility go out the window,,or overboard when drink is in the house! People just don't realise what drink does to them sometimes and I wouldn't fancy being stuck on a ship with binge drinkers. I was born and bred in a pub so I know what I'm talking about! Have to admit I'm not a fan of A.I. In my experience it brings out the worst in some types of people that may be inclined to enjoy a few too many sherberts.

[MallorcaChap]

I wouldn't worry too much about the IE going all inclusive - every time we have been on it, it was always noticeable that an awful lot of the passengers were on AI - Thomson frequently gave it away for early booking. We never noticed any problems with people who were on AI - Island Escape drinkers are a hardy lot :)

[Rebel Rouser]

Thanks Mallorca Chap :p

[ekco]

We've never seen any trouble on the IE but there is a definite change in atmosphere from late afternoon that perhaps only low or non-consumers would notice. It's not a criticism of pub culture but just an explanation as to why some people would prefer a non AI ship. You do feel out of the loop a bit. It's the same with hotels, we would now prefer half board ashore and find it a pity that we can't visit other hotels in the area due to AI and all the security that is everywhere.:):)

 

Don't shoot the messenger.:eek:

 

Never mind, it's freezing but the snow has gone.

 

Jan

[TheMaryJane2]

Originally Posted by crafty sue

Never been on it but I know someone who works for the company, and he advised me against it ! - ex car ferry ! - very noisy and think that is why it is quite cheap to cruise on

Having never been on it, how can you comment? Can't even see a reason for you to be in this forum, having never cruised the IE, or having any plans to.

 

We have cruised on Thomson Dream, Spirit, Destiny & the Island Escape, and the cruise was as good as the others, and the staff and fellow cruisers were all fantastic.

 

Maybe you're just a snob, so quite frankly, wouldn't want you on board moaning all the time.

I have sailed on the IE and am not a snob, but I do have a certain level of expectation of a cruise and the IE fell short in many respects. However, none mattered much except that the quality of the food was awful. It was cheap and not to the standard I routinely eat when at home. The food was not just poor, it was a problem insofar as I was concerned.

I had previously only sailed on a quality cruise line (a couple of times) and the food on that was exemplary, and something to be relished.

The Oasis restaurant was good (but nowhere near as good as the quality line) but for a cover charge.

I feel duty-bound to tell other like-minded people of my experience.

It must be said that generally people seemed to have had no problems with the food, although we heard a few grumbles.

Strangely enough, mainly due to the itinerary, we are not sorry we went on the IE. It was value for money, I guess, and many people were repeat cruisers and really seemed to enjoy the IE cruise experience. But we won't go on it again.

The very pleasant and hard-working crew (mainly from the Philipines) kept the ship very clean and the environment pleasant.

[Rebel Rouser]

Well that told us :D

[jenny wren]

I'd be interested to know which 'quality' cruise line you sailed on MaryJane2...we sailed on IE twice in 2012 and 2011 and on both occasions the food was good (not excellent) in the Island Restaurant where we had all our meals.....but of course it all depends on the chef who is in charge at the time. We always found something to eat that we liked if not on the counter then at the carvery or the salad bar.

IE does not pretend to be a 'quality' cruiseline so passengers do not expect a very high standard of food...it is probably a 3 star cruiseline and so provides a 3 star menu.

 

We feel that the varied itineraries and the wonderful entertainment and staff more than make up for any shortcomings in other areas. It always pays to research the cruiseline well before booking then you will not be disappointed. :)

[Cappers]

Hey RR ,,I see you are going on the Adonia then?? I heard lots about that the other week when I was on Azura ;) I'll be very interested to see what you think when you come back. I think it looks a very elegant ship. Can I ask where you are going or is it top secret?? ;)

[Rebel Rouser]

Whoops well spotted Cappers..do it when I get home :o

[Rebel Rouser]

Better :D