Tom Ah…cruises…one of our favourite ways of having a holiday and vacation. There are so many benefits and advantages of going on a cruise
1. All prices inclusive. That means to say, you have 6 meals a day (2 snacks, 3 meals and a supper), use of the pool which includes the jacuzzi, sauna, gym, cinema, entertainment shows in the evening, game shows, art and craft, sunrise, sunset. ALL INCLUSIVE in one price! But of course, if you want some red/white wine or in room service, you’d have to top up. Essentially, one price gives you all the entertainment that the cruise ship offers.
2. No need for plans. That’s right! All programmes have been planned out for you each day. This really makes for a good holiday where you can just unwind, join in the programmes if you want to and skip if you just want to enjoy the sea breeze and sounds of the ocean. Even if you go for shore excursions, the options are there for you to follow what the cruise has planned for you (usually at exhorbitant prices) but you get gist ya? No planning required. Just follow the programmes and hop in and out as you wish.
3. Value for money. As a typical kiasu (scared to lose out) Singaporean, the all expenses paid for trip is value for money. For one price, I get to travel, stay in a ‘hotel’ and enjoy its facilities, eat as much as I want (thats where I really get the value back) and enjoy the shows in the evening that includes magic shows, music and dance, acrobatics/circus among others.
4. Getting back to nature – oceanliner style. You really do get to enjoy the wonders of God’s creation by joining a cruise. You can wake up each morning and enjoy the marvellous sunrise, end the evening with views of spectacular sunsets. You also get to star gaze in the night without bright city lights obscuring the view. The calming sounds of the waves and vast limitless ocean views really does soothes the soul. You could even catch a glimpse of the dolphins swimming with the cruise ship!
With that as the backdrop, Kate and I chose to celebrate our anniversary onboard the Superstar Virgo (from Starcruise) for a 4D3N cruise to Phuket and Langkawi (from Signapore).
We paid about $700 each for the balcony class room. This means that you can enjoy views of the ocean and port right in your room. Remember, there is always ongoing deals with your credit card. Usually it is with UOB and Citibank, do check this out with your local dealers. We got a 50% off through the cards.
Essentially, the trip was a relaxing and rejuvenating one. So we’ll just take you through some of the highlights of the trip!
Day 1
Bought Kate a music singing balloon – Love Machine and we started to take pictures of it throughout the ship. Take a look at the pictures…
First thing you do when you board the ship – EAT! We had our lunch at the Mediterranean (deck 12) and enjoyed some pasta with meatballs. As the ship slipped off, we immerse ourselves in the pool (parthenon pool) and waved goodbye to Singapore. We also slipped in and out of the jacuzzi and enjoyed the outdoor slide (part of it even overhangs out to the ocean!). Before long, it was dinner time! We chose to have dinner at the Chinese-themed restaurant – Pavilion (deck 6). The chinese food was not bad i must say.
Then we headed for the show of the night. It was Terry Parade (the Lido at Deck 7) performing juggling acts. He was good! Juggling things like ping-pong balls and plastic bags! Also on the same deck as you enter or leave the Lido is the casino, be wary!
Day 2
We caught the sunrise this morning and enjoyed dim sum breakfast back at the Pavilion. The picture house (deck 8) was showing Tale of Desperaux and we caught the movie there. Lunch was at Bella Vista (Deck 6) where western fanfare was served. We had a bottle of wine (too much) and enjoyed the beef and sandwich there.
We were alongside Phuket in the afternoon and we got on a tour to visit the cashew nut factory. The workers there work really hard and carefully retrieve each cashew nut from its ‘shell’ to ensure that it is whole. Any cashew nut that is not retrieved as a whole, will be considered ‘defective’ and fetch a lower price. We also got to taste the different flavours available, wasabi was one of our favourite.
At night, we headed out to Patong beach, saw tonnes of fake bags and made our way back to the ship.
Day 3
There is usually a gala night for every cruise where one is expected to dress up to the nines. This was the day. Beside lunch at Pavilion and snacks at Taverna (Deck 13 – overlooking the pool) we joined in the “Win lose or draw” gameshow and got to make a paper necklace for ourselves! (Proud look).
For dinner, you could choose to go any one of the 3 dedicated restaurants. We chose our dinner to be at the Samurai Restaurant (Deck 8) where we enjoyed the sushi, tempura, beef/chicken tepanyaki. It was a really classy place and guests were treated like VIPs.
We enjoyed Maestro & Music at Lido for the night where dance and music were performed.
Day 4
Too soon, it was day 4 and our last day before we head home to Singapore. Again, we joined in the programme for the day and included Dancexercise (healthy way to get back into shape after all that eating), Box or Bucks ( whereby you answer a question by standing at the correct place. Last person standing wins. Much like million dollar drop just that the person moves instead of the money and people are ‘dropped out’ if they choose to stand at the wrong place. Kate won btw! We received some starcruise vouchers and exchanged them for some souvenirs. Cool…) as well as mini golf!
If you’re looking for hotel stays in Singapore before setting sail, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Singapore right here!
Conclusion
He says: If I can afford it, I would cruise for every holiday to every continent! That’s how enjoyable cruises are!
She says: For the first time, I dont have to plan for the trip and I get to really chill out and relax. With the credit card discount, it was certainly a steal.
Remember to check out the best cruise packages at LastMinuteTravel.com – Last Minute Prices in Advance!
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thailand visa can be made at cruse it self sir
Hi Vishal,
Thanks for the information! It is definitely most helpful for visitors who need visas there!