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I got sponsored a cruise trip by Gasi Holidays and Star Cruises!

After a lot of procrasinating, here's the blog entry about the smashing trip.

:D

We first did a "Ship inspection", which was for us to get familiarised with the ship first before going onboard it...

THE PRELUDE

It was so exciting! Freaking SuperStar Virgo is way bigger than the Titanic ever was, and has 13 storeys with luxurious amenities inside.

13 storeys! I know I sound damn ignorant, but for someone who had only gone on a cruise once when she was a baby, it seems very amazing to me that a ship can go so high.

Because she is my bff, Shuyin accompanied me to the ship inspection. Once you step into the ship, you will totally forget it's a ship, coz the spacious interior just looks like a five-star hotel!

Bubble lift up the 13 floors!

After this SY and I were brought to see the cabins.

First in line, for the value-for-money travellers, would be the Inside Staterooms, where there has no window.

It is quite squashed actually, but can fit 4 people including one bugger who has to sleep on a folded bed. :D

Eh the fake balcony? Oh well, nice try.

The Balcony Class!

This is what we were sponsored, and our comfy looking room has a sea-glazing balcony!

I know in hotels balconies and windows are rather pointless, but damn did we love the balcony! You would see why later. :)

We couldn't resist.

After that, Gary from Star Cruises made us jealous by bringing us to the suites.

The suites cost over a thousand bucks, and they look JUST SPLENDID.

There are actually a few "sections" within the cabin.

For the mahjong addicts! ME! I love mahjong!

The bed is real pretty and possibly for honeymooners.

Hmm, own jacuzzi... Also good for honeymooners!

And SY and I go to the top deck!

Being on such a big ship, you can help but laugh at the puny ships around you. HAHAHA!

Gym in the ship too!

The Aquaswim pool is so interesting! Apparently it shoots out jets of water at the edge, so you would have to swim towards the end but you will never reach it. Interesting huh?

The real outdoors pool is gorgeous, with four jacuzzis around it.

WE FOUND A DAMN HELIPAD!

Man, this ship has EVERYTHING! I couldn't resist and had to go stand in the middle!

This marks the end of the ship inspection. A helicopter landed on me and I died.

Just kidding. I lived on and went for the smashing cruise, which was free teeheeheeheehee I love you Star Cruises and Gasi Holidays!

DAY 1

We met at harbourfront's cruise center, looking all excited!

SY and I had matching outfits. *blush*

Magnificanto! The ship photographer was trying to snap a shot of me with the penguin mascot to sell it back to me, so I snapped him first.

Er, this is Sy's idea.

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Ok fine, it's my idea.

I think the best thing about being on a cruise is the food!

Now being cruisers, we had a choice of going to the Bella Vista (Western fine dining), the Pavillion Room (Chinese fine dining) or the Mediterranean Buffet and Terrace (International Buffet) for our food, which you can eat totally free.

You cannot imagine how much we ate during this trip. Shuyin gained 2 kg, I think. I didn't date to weigh myself but just now I rolled over and found myself in JB.

Anyway, we are all gluttons so the first thing we did was to go EAT!

Oh, and I went on this trip with Weili and Shuyin.

To the Bella Vista!

The restaurant was so posh! They had a 3-course set meal provided.

Our food. Yummy huh?

My cabin card! It's important to bring it along everywhere during the cruise. :)

After filling up we went to a mandatory drill for safety!

Mandatory it says, but regular cruises are very familiar with it so they all skip it... It was fun though.

We were so mean! Other people were all listening intently to instructions on how to operate a life jacket, and we were just giggling around and I used the front of my life jacket to bump Shuyin on her front.

She is so skinny she almost fell over and Weili caught her.

After that we all laughed non-stop and I think inside his heart the demonstration guy must be hoping we get thrown overboard. :(

We went to book seats for our gala dinner next. The gala dinner is on the 3rd night of the cruise, and people have to choose between 4 restaurants for where they want to dine.

You can dine at Bella Vista and Pavillion anytime you want. Noble House (Chinese fine dining) and Samurai (Japanese) were the clear favourites.

We then witnessed Singaporeans all rushing to the front to queue, and we were the only ones still wearing our life jackets. The power Aunties, obviously experienced in cruising, all rushed to the front, and there was an obvious gap between the foreigners who were only leisurely walking.

AUNTIES ARE NEVER WRONG.

I have learnt to trust them, coz following them almost never goes wrong... Aunties know best!!

In the end, by the time it was our turn to book seats, Noble House, which served a FANTASTIC 9-course set Chinese dinner including Shark's Fin, scallops, cod fish and etc yummy stuff, was all taken!

Damn those kancheong aunties.

Disappointed, we went back to our rooms.

See, the balcony is so pretty! We couldn't resist and just started snapping photos!

Weili says this photo is a classic coz
we are all doing our own stuff, totally oblivious to each other. :D

We went to watch a movie next. Monster-in-law

Midway, all 3 of us realised we saw the movie before so we left. Duh.

TO SING KTV!

On the way there we saw our photos on sale and decided to be a cheapskate and snap it with a digicam instead of buying it.

The songs were pretty new! :D


Hello gorgeous!

To the Galaxy of the Stars Observatory


Weili wants to man the ship.

There is more to staying indoors all day, so we went up to the top deck next.

So pretty

MY GOD THE WIND WAS SO STRONG!!!

I dropped a 10 dollar bill out of my purse and it flew SO FAST, I never saw it again.

Visited the library for a bit.

End of the day! We sleep.


DAY 2

Good morning!

Tan session!

I tell you, tanning is superb on the cruise!

Firstly, you are closer to the sun coz you are 13 storeys high. 2nd, the ship's moving so fast even though the sun may be really strong, you will never feel the heat coz the wind is overwhelming!

Although the sun wasn't too strong, I got so brown fast! :D


Obviously was a happy girl!

And we go off to Penang at 12pm! Tours, like this one we took, costs a little extra.

Had to go on a small boat to get to shore

Ha we all look like we have underbites. :)


Us

Got on a comfortable coach!

First thing we do... EAT AGAIN!


To a revolving restaurant in a hotel!

Eh I think the revolving mechanism is spoilt so I shall manually revolve for you all.

See, I am so nice!


The food was ok... There is no Penang Laksa!

Unfortunately, no amount of food can fill Shuyin so she decided to eat something 70,000 tonnes.

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Not our ship please! How to go back after that?!

Rickshaw ride next!

I felt like I was too heavy for the scrawny old uncle! Shuyin's worse, she ate a whole ship!

70,000 tonnes plus a negligible 44kg.

After this we set foot

To the Chew Jetty.

Shuyin doesn't seem to like it much...


Wonder why?






oh.

Suddenly it felt like not having an air con is not so bad afterall.

Off to the Khoo Kong Si temple next!

I want one of those signboards so I can use them to hit people when they make too much noise, heehee.

End of Penang! We go back to the ship to bathe and be pretty. :D

The sunset is so nice!



At the Grand Piazza

After this, it's food again! The Parthenon Pool was filled to the brim with people coz there was a big BBQ Party going on!!

Was so lively and fun! There was a live band singing, a bartender struting his stuff, and Star Cruises staff milling around with drinks and most people drinking strawberry daiquiri. :D

The food, I tell you, was FABULOUS. It stretched 3 buffet aisles full, and was so full of variety, you can just go overweight right there and then.

Oh man so good.



Well-fed people are happy people

After sitting around for the longest time listening to the band sing, we go up to the windy deck again!

Shuyin told Weili to take a mock shot of my scarf flying, and see what he took?

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This is more like it.


He does seem happy doesn't he?

This is life, gorging on food, having great friends as company, and listening to wonderful singing while looking at the sea pass you by. :D

Stay tuned for Part II! :D

If you decide to tell Gasi Holidays you want go book a cruise ticket now, you are entitled to a $20 Spinelli's voucher too! Cool yeah?

For bookings and enquiries, please contact Gasi Holidays at 6355 0016 or
email at cruises@gasi.com.sg.