We have just returned from a seven night cruise on the Island Escape starting from Palma and visiting Ajaccio, Livorno, Villefrance, Toulon and Barcelona. This was our first time on the Island Escape and indeed was our first cruise. So what is there to say about the ship and the experience. Well it's a tale of many parts, some good some not so good.

The ship itself is an ageing refurbished car ferry. Although clean and functional it has reached the point of no return really. There are numerous areas where the accommodation is worn and damaged. So it most definitely is not plush. In a way we didn't mind that so much. But we did object to the fact that the main cafeteria called the Beachcomber was too cold. We saw quite a few older passengers huddled against the cold that was caused we were told by the fact that the air-conditioning could not be controlled to particular zones.

The next part of our tale which was the very friendly staff. They were kind and helpful. The service in the dining rooms and bars was excellent. If you put a plate down or finished your drink the plate or glass was gone and staff offered to get you something else. Read more