Ship Ahoy!

On board a Star Cruise.

By Heinz Bulos
Iebruary 2004

ay cruise` and you think the
Caribbean` ,or, um, 1om` i
you`re really dim,. 1here are, in
act, hundreds o cruises to hundreds o
destinations to choose rom. Closer to
home, Star Cruises remain the top cruise
line in Asia Paciic.

\e had the pleasure o going on a cruise
recently. Cruises are a no-brainer
acation idea. 1here are plenty o
actiities on board, enough distractions
or een the most hyper-actie toddlers,
in this case, my nephew Iko. It`s hassle-
ree trael. lor one, you take the
hotel-and the mall-with you. 1he
Captain does the driing and
eerything`s been prepaid ,your trip,
cabin, meals, and entertainment, except
or optional stu,. Plus, you get to do
whateer you like-lounge, swim,
workout, eat, play ball, get a spa, watch a
moie, play games, read, sur the Net,
play mini-gol, take shore tours-
without being orced to go to a jewellery
actory that sponsors the typical tour.
It`s called reestyle cruising.

But the whole point is, you`re doing all
these on sea!

\e were booked on the SuperStar
Virgo, the largest in the Star Cruises
leet ,along with twin SuperStar Leo,.
1o gie you an idea o how large it is, it
measures 268.29m long and 32.2m wide.
1hat`s the size o 12 ootball ields. And
it can accommodate 1,960 passengers.
\e had a glimpse o Virgo just beore
check in and the guaranteed reaction is
\hoa!`

\ou can take a six-day Straits o Malacca
cruise, which takes you to Langkawi,
Phuket, and Kuala Lumpur. 1here`s also
the our-day Langkawi-Phuket cruise.
Or you can take the three-day Kuala
Lumpur-Malacca cruise. \e took the
latter, as we dumped beach heaen
Phuket and instead ly to shopping
paradise Bangkok.

Lmbarkation
ter an oernight stay in
Singabore, er, Singapore ,part o
the tour package anyway,, we
headed towards the port around eight in
the eening to check in and embark.
Ater checking-in our luggage, we
queued or check in to present our
passports and conirmation notice. I was
the designated lead o lamily or the
entire trip, which meant I had to do all
the dirty work like lining up. And this
line was hell. It took about an hour to
get to the check in counter. Imagine
close to 2,000 passengers checking in at
the same time and you can understand
why I had migraines or the next three
days. 1alk about relaxation!

\e decided to just let eeryone queue
up or boarding and be the last ew ones
to embark. Smart moe. Ater security
check, we were handed Access Cards in
exchange or our passports. 1he Access
Card seres as a boarding pass, room
key, and charge card on board.

But beore we een reached the linkway,
we had to pass through three or more
mascot check points`, as I like to call
them. 1hese are photo ops where you`re
orced to pose with a penguin ,smile!,,
Brazilian costume perormers ,smile!,,
and other giant stued animals ,smile!,.
All the photos will then be displayed in
one hallway o the ship, where you hae
the option to buy them ramed, as key
chains, or other doodads.

Iirst night
S
A
ter being herded like cattle or a
couple o hours, we inally
reached our deck ,Deck 5,. \e
passed through the long red-carpeted
hallway to get to our cabin. 1he proper
term is Inside Stateroom`. I like to call
it \alk-in Closet`. Okay, it`s bigger
than that, about 14.6-16.6 sq.m.,
comortable enough to sleep in. 1he
bathroom was also small, but well
urnished. \e had a iew o a, well, a
painted iew o the ocean and the
bright, blue sky. Pay a little more and
you get the Oceaniew Stateroom, with
an actual window iew o the ocean. But
hey, at least, we get sunny skies and the
clear, blue sea 24,!

1here`s a hierarchy on board, just like in
airlines and hotels. Most passengers, us
included, are \orld Cruisers, and we get
to stay at the lower decks. 1hose that
pay a lot more or a stateroom with a
balcony are in Balcony Class ,duh,. And
the ones who can aord an upper deck
junior or executie suite with balcony-
and Jacuzzi!-are in Admiral Class. \e
reasoned that i we wanted a iew o the
ocean, we could just step out o our
room.

I told my amily we`re in the Losers
Deck ,Deck 5,, until I discoered there
are still some staterooms in Deck 4
,losers!,. I elt better. 1he highest deck is
Deck 13, so you really hae to take the
eleators to get there. lortunately, the
restaurants are on Deck 6 and the lobby
on Deck .

By this time-it was past ten-we were
so stressed, exhausted, and amished.
\e decided to hae dinner. Apparently,
a couple o thousand other passengers
made the same decision. Not knowing
any better, we proceeded to the
Mediterranean Buet and 1errace.

1he cruise package included three meals
a day at any o three restaurants, one
being all-you-can-eat buet. It was all-
you-can-eat all right, because you cannot
eat more than one sering. It tasted like
prison ood, except there`s a lot. 1he
place was oer-crowded. It was like
being at the United Nations or the
1ower o Babel. 1here were
Singaporeans, Indians, Chinese,
Malaysians, Indonesians, Americans,
Luropeans, and lilipinos.

\ell, at least there were many lilipinos
in the crew, although we didn`t see any
lilipino passenger. Sure, we were
outnumbered, but we were treated
special by the lilipino sta. 1o be air,
the entire crew-one or eery
passenger!-were courteous, helpul,
riendly, and accommodating ,which is
more than I can say or light attendants
and waiters who hae made their lie
mission to ignore you,.

Ater a disappointing meal, we decided
to make a quick tour o the ship. And
my, were we oerwhelmed! 1he Grand
Piazza, the main lobby and reception,
was indeed grand. \e went during the
holidays so there was an enormous
Christmas tree in the middle. 1he ceiling
was as high as a irst-class hotel lobby
and certainly a lot more colorul. 1he
interiors are a mix o Classical and
Mediterranean design, with carpeted
loors, multi-hue marble, rich wood
inishing, and high-class urniture and
dcor. 1he entire ship is like a luxury
hotel crossed with an upscale mall. 1he
accurate description is loating ie-star
resort`.

\e were too tired to explore the entire
ship. Besides, it was easy to get lost. \ou
really need a map to ind your way as
not all decks are accessible at either end
o the ship. On the other hand, with
laish eleators, lush stairways, and
luxurious hallways, instead o dark
alleys, what a way to get lost!

1o cap the eening, we decided to take a
sneak peak at 1he Lido, an enormous,
A
Las Vegas-style theatre. 1hat night, they
were showing or ree the moie
linding Nemo` ,how apt!,, not,
thankully, 1itanic`.

By the way, i you want to hae your
1itanic moment, go to the Deck
Viewpoint at the bow ,ront, o the ship
to take pictures with your spouse or
partner and shout I can ly!`, I`m on
top o the world!`, or I hate Celine
Dion!`.

Ater midnight, while strolling along the
promenade, the outdoor walkway at the
sides o the ship, we were surprised we
were already underway. \e didn`t eel a
thing, thanks to the ship`s stabilizers, it`s
smooth sailing. Ater a quick shower, we
were o to dreamland.

Morning after
e planned to wake up early,
like six, to catch the sunrise.
\e woke up past eight. By
this time, we`e already reached the port
o Malacca. \e had breakast at-
darn!-1he Mediterranean again. Lousy
breakast, as expected. Let`s not again, I
pleaded. I had coee at the
Amphitheatre open-air terrace at the
rear area o the ship, the at, i you must
know. So there I was sipping brewed
coee under the cloudy sky and the
open seas. Ahh, bliss!

\e then decided to take Iko or a swim
at the kiddie pool, Neptune`s \et &
\ild. It`s easy to please a toddler, who
only wants swimming, soup, and chips.
And the SuperStar Virgo is kid-riendly.
1hey een hae an exclusie StarKids
Club that has reebies, goodies, and
superised actiities. But een without
signing up, children will not run out o
things to do.

1here`s the kiddie pool and Jacuzzi, the
Computer \orld Centre, the Starlight
ideo arcade, and Charlie`s Childcare
Centre just or them. 1here`s also a
neer-ending stream o actiities or
kids and teens, like crat making, games,
disco or teens, moies or kids, and
creatie workshops.

Grown-ups will be bombarded with
entertainment as well. At the Celebrity
Disco, you can dance the night away. At
1he Lido, you can watch shows like
Amazonian Loe, a Las Vegas-style
topless reue ,did you say topless!,. At
the Galaxy o the Stars, you can play
bingo or the lottery, listen to lie bands,
ballroom dance, or play games like line
dancing and Reindeer Racing. At 1he
Picture louse, you can watch moies in
this mini-theater. At Out o Arica, you
can sing your lungs out or some group
karaoke ,i you sing really bad, you
might een win at the \orst Karaoke
Competition,. At 1he Oasis Club, you
can try to win back what you paid or
the cruise by playing blackjack, baccarat,
roulette, slot machines, or Caribbean
stud poker in the huge casino.

I you`re more o the sporty type, you
can jog around the Star 1rack. 1here`s a
gol driing range and mini gol at the
Sports Deck. \ou can play basketball
and table tennis as well. Or, i you like,
you can take a dip at the massie
Parthenon swimming pool. 1here`s also
Aquaswim, a jet current exercise pool, i
you want to burn some calories, and
our Jacuzzis at the Parthenon, i you
want to chill out. I you`re a gym rat,
they hae the Uniersal Gym, which has
modern workout acilities. 1hey also
hae scheduled gym actiities like
stretching, aerobics, abs workout, and
circuit training.

My brother and sister spent some time
at the gym. I, on the other hand, spent
some time just chilling out at one o the
ew deck chairs at the Promenade or at
the Sun Deck. I you want a more laid
back pace on board, you can play board
games at the Card Room or mahjong
games at the Mahjong Room. 1here`s a
\
jumbo chess board at the Amphitheatre.
1here`s a library where you can read
magazines and borrow books. It also
seres as a writing room and Internet
area as well. \ou can get a spa treatment
at Samson`s or Delilah`s. Or perhaps a
acial or haircut at Oscar`s lair &
Beauty Salon.

I you`re a workaholic, there are
business serices at the reception.
1here`s also a boardroom and meeting
rooms that can accommodate up to 18
people. Party pooper! On the other
hand, i you`re a shopaholic, there are a
ew retail shops like 1he Gallery or
your photo needs, the \ine Shop or
wines and cigars, and the Ports O` Call
and Star Boutique or duty ree
shopping.

Keep in mind though that some o the
actiities charge a ee, but access to
most acilities is ree. Contrary to
expectations, aside rom the restaurants,
the acilities aren`t oercrowded. \ith
so many actiities to choose rom, you
won`t eel crowded in the pool, gym,
library, casino, disco, or lobby. I you
take the cruise, it`s really best to spend
your mornings swimming or taking in
the cool sea breeze under the cloudy sky
by lounging around at the obseratory
decks, and not, say, playing mahjong.
1hen make the most o the other
acilities in the eening when it`s stark
dark outside.

Beore we knew it, it was lunch time.
\e decided to try the Pailion Room,
which seres Chinese cuisine. As part o
the package, you get to choose rom two
set menus. 1he ood-soup, steamed
ish, stir ried chilli diced chicken-
thankully, was good. \ou do hae to
ollow a set schedule or all meals, 12-2
or lunch and 6:30-9 or dinner. So
sometimes there`s a line or waiting list,
especially at the Pailion. And you`re
assigned a table, at times you hae to
share with other passengers. But while
there`s supposed to be a dress code,
they`re not really that strict. Dinner that
eening was at the Bella Vista, which
seres International cuisine. I had lamb
chops, which was passable, in a hotel
cuisine kind o way. But the ambiance is
unbeatable. 1he Bella Vista is an
enormous upscale restaurant, and we
were seated at the ar end, where there`s
a huge window iew o the at. \e can
see Port Klang getting smaller and
smaller as the ship was leaing, while we
were haing dinner.

O course, you`re not limited to the
three restaurants that are part o your
package. But then you hae to pay extra
or Japanese at Samurai, Italian at the
Palazzo, Chinese at the Noble louse,
Indian at the 1aj, or Southeast Asian at
the Blue Lagoon. SuperStar Virgo oers
the most number o ala carte dining
restaurants on any cruise ship in the
world. 1here are also bars and caes like
Bellini, 1aerna, 1he Den, and Ca
Gelato. Prices are similar to prices at
hotels in Singapore.

Ater lunch, we reached Port Klang in
Kuala Lumpur. Larlier, we booked an
optional aternoon tour in KL just to
see the Petronas 1owers. 1here are
other tours aailable, like sightseeing
and city tour, shopping tour, historical
tour, and theme park tour. \e took the
shopping tour, which will take us a
stone`s throw away rom Petronas
1owers.

Last day
endeaoured to wake up as early as
I can on our last day, to catch the
sunrise. I managed to rise up
around seen. 1he sun has started to
rise but it was still quite cloudy, casting a
dreamy green hue on the ocean. \ith
most passengers still dozing o, I rested
at a deck chair to breathe the resh air.

\e then had sumptuous breakast at the
Bella Vista. 1his time, we had more
I
choices. All you do is tick o on a card
items you want to eat. O course, we
ticked o most on the list.

I spent the morning exploring eery
nook and cranny o the ship, hanging
out at the Captain`s Bridge Viewing
Gallery and the obseratory deck, and
reading magazines in the library ,I`m
reading a magazine in a cozy library with
a window iew o the ocean!,.

1hen we had a quick lunch at the
Pailion, packed our bags, settled the
extra charges we racked up, and got
ready to disembark. Good thing
disembarkation was a lot quicker,
though there was still some lining up to
do. 1hree days seem to be just enough
or a cruise. Ater the noelty and
excitement on the irst couple o days,
you`ll start yearning or land ,land ho!,.

Note as well that large ships like the
SuperStar Virgo are best or amilies. I
you`re a couple interested in more exotic
destinations rather than on-board
actiities galore, and want ewer crowds
and a more relaxed pace, try the smaller
or mid-sized ships. But i you hae a
amily, with small kids, the megaships
are best. And in Asia Paciic, you can`t
go wrong with Star Cruises. Just aoid
the buet restaurant.


SIDLBAR

Nautical Notes
Some nautical terms you need to know:

Starboard Side: Right side o the ship
acing orward
Port Side: Let side o the ship acing
orward
Amidships: 1he Central area o the ship
lorward: 1he lorward area o the ship
At: 1he Rear area o the ship
Knots: 1he speed o the ship ,1 knot is
equialent to 1.8kmh,
Underway: \hen the ship is moing, it
is underway
Ship's Colour: llag o the Country o
Register o the ship ,Panama,

SIDLBAR

Ship Iacts
Ship Name: SuperStar Virgo
Gross 1onnage: 6,800grt
Length: 268.29m
\idth: 32.2m
Aerage Cruising Speed ,knots,: 24kn
Maximum Cruising Speed ,knots,:
25.5kn
Number o Stabilisers: 1set
Bow & Stern 1hrusters: 3
lull Satellite Naigation System: 2
Number o Cabins: 980
Passenger Capacity ,based on lower
berths,: 1,960

SIDLBAR

About Star Cruises
Star Cruises was incorporated in
September 1993, representing a bold
initiatie to tap Asia Paciic`s potential
as an international cruise destination.

It`s presently operating a combined leet
o 19 ships with oer 24,000 lower
berths, with cruises to destinations and
islands in Asia-Paciic, North and South
America, Caribbean, Alaska, Lurope,
Mediterranean, Bermuda and Antarctica
under the Star Cruises, Norwegian
Cruise Line, Orient Lines and Cruise
lerries brands.

Vessels operated under the Star Cruises'
brand in Asia-Paciic are SuperStar Leo,
SuperStar Virgo, SuperStar Aries,
SuperStar Gemini, SuperStar Capricorn,
Star Pisces, MegaStar Aries, and
MegaStar 1aurus.

\ithin 10 years since its inception, Star
Cruises has become the world`s third
largest cruise company. Star Cruises has
won coeted awards that include: Best
Cruise Operator, 199-2002, 11G
1rael Awards in conjunction with
PA1A 1rael Mart and Best Cruise
Operator in Asia Paciic, 199-2002,
11G Asia 1rael Award.

SIDLBAR

How to get in touch
Star Cruises
Unit 3B, Paciic Place Building,
539 Arquiza Street, Lrmita,
Manila, Philippines.
1el: ,63, 2 521 5660, 526 8401
lax: ,63, 2 521 563

SIDLBAR

Common cruise questions
lran \enograd Golden in Cruise Critic
,www.cruisecritic.com, proides the
ollowing lAQs or cruise newbies.

Cruise "newbies" oten hae more
excuses as to why they'e neer cruised
than there are ships at sea. And these
excuses are oten based on
misconceptions about what a cruise
acation is really like. lere we answer
some common questions to gie you
better insight into the cruise experience.

Isn't it expensive?
1he upront price may come as a shock,
but remember your cruise are includes
your accommodations, ood, actiities
,including children's programs, and
nighttime entertainment. Add that to the
option o reduced-rate airare and
transers, and you can actually sae
bucks going on a cruise as opposed to a
land-based acation.

Won't I get seasick?
Most ships are so big and well stabilized
you can hardly tell you're moing,
especially in the calm waters o the
Caribbean and Alaska's Inside Passage.
Radar helps big ships outrun hurricanes
and other bad weather patches, but i
you do happen to pass through some
rough water, any queasiness can usually
be relieed by an oer-the-counter
medication like Dramamine or Bonine.
I you are ery prone to seasickness, ask
your doctor beore you leae home or
the 1ransderm patch, aailable by
prescription. Alternatie remedies
include ginger capsules and acupressure
wristbands, aailable at most
pharmacies.

Can I stay in touch?
On most ships you'll get CNN on your
in-room 1V. A daily newssheet may also
be aailable that combines wire reports
with stories rom major newspapers.
\ou can make phone calls and send e-
mails rom most ships, although it's
usually cheaper to do both rom the
ports.

Is cruising safe?
Ships must ollow an extraordinary
number o rules and regulations that
assure passengers' ,and crew members',
saety while on board. 1he Coast Guard
conducts rigorous quarterly inspections
o all ships operating rom U.S. ports,
looking to make sure they comply with
its emergency-response requirements.
Rather than sinking a la 1itanic, ire is
the biggest concern, and when it comes
to ire saety, ships operate under
international rules known as Saety o
Lie at Sea ,SOLAS,. 1he rules require
most ships to hae smoke detectors,
sprinklers and low-leel emergency
lighting or escape routes. \ithin the
irst 24 hours o sailing, eeryone on
your ship is required to participate in a
saety drill that includes trying on a nity
orange lie jacket and locating your
assigned lieboat, on the odd ,and rare,
chance that you need to use it.

Is there good security?
Gien the current world enironment,
increased emphasis has been put on
cruise ship security by the Coast Guard
and others. New international rules hae
been established that among other
things require all ships and ports to hae
both security oicers and security plans.
Cruise lines are now required to report
names o passengers beore each sailing,
and the lines hae tightened policies that
require guests and crew to proide
identiication when boarding and re-
boarding a essel ,passengers are issued
special boarding cards, and in some
cases ships een hae a machine that
takes and stores your photo or
identiication purposes,.

Will I be bored?
\ou may need a map to naigate around
today's big ships, and there's something
to do in nearly eery corner. lor
intellectual stimulation you can listen to
guest speakers, participate in a Bridge
tournament or attend a wine lecture. 1o
get your heart pumping, play some
hoops or isit the ship's gym, and then
reward yoursel with a cool one at the
sports bar. 1here are pools or soaking
and swimming, shops or shopping and
spas or pampering. \ou can participate
in a contest, learn a crat or watch a
moie. Or simply grab a book and get a
tan. Plus, remember you're not on the
ship all the time. Ships also take you
exciting ports.

Won't I get fat?
Okay, we know the rumor that the
aerage person gains about ie pounds
on a one week cruise. But or those
watching calories, be assured there will
be low-at options on the menus and
boast at least some healthy choices at
the buets. Meantime, you can burn
calories by working out in the ship's
gym, walking ast or jogging around the
arious decks ,we like walking the
stairs,, and mountain biking, hiking and
kayaking at the ports.