Super star Gemini Cruise Trip

4 days 3 nights – Super Star Gemini Cruise

Dates: June 28^th to 1^st July 2015

Duration: 4 days 3 nights

Package: SIN-PENANG-LANGKAWI-SIN

                                
We went on Superstar Gemini for 4 days 3 nights trip from Singapore to Penang & Langkawi. This was my first cruise trip and it was a wonderful experience all along!

Price: We booked only 1.5 months before the trip. So the price was 620 SGD per person. We booked Ocean View Window Cabin. (Tip: Try to plan and book well in-advance, preferably Balcony class..look out for cheap deals/offers)

Check-in and Boarding: Boarding was a little chaotic because the Ferry terminal was overcrowded due to boarding of two large cruise liners on the same day. Getting our boarding passes took hardly 15mins and even luggage check-in was very quick. But actual boarding took almost 30-40mins of waiting time in long serpentine queues.

There were welcome drinks and party organised by staff during on-boarding…unluckily we missed the welcome drinks due to delay in our boarding :(

Auditorium

About Rooms: We had booked the Oceanview Window room. Rooms were clean and quite comfortable for 2 people (definitely stuffy if you have a kid). The room had 2 separate single beds,  sofa set near the nice, big window. The bath was small similar to the ones in aeroplanes, but  had amenities like hair dryer, towels etc... Our room was on deck 5 and well located.



Facilities: They had a normal sized pool, Jacuzzi, Spa, Parlour, Gym,KTV/Karaoke Lounge, Children’s activity centre and 2-3 Café and Bars.

There were different restaurants – Blue Lagoon, Oceana (BBQ/Indian), Dynasty (Chinese), Mariners (Indian) & Our most favourite Bella Vista (Fine Dining Western).
 
Staff was very nice always and prompt with service.There were many activities happening throughout the entire day.  Cruise provides itinerary called “Star Navigator” for the next day was sent to every room so that we could plan our day in advance.

 

DAY1:  Boarding started at 11am at Harbour front ferry terminal. We grabbed some quick breakfast of sandwiches at Mccafé located in Harbour front Mall level#1. The cruise departed by 3pm from Singapore. Most of the time was spent exploring different decks, enjoying breath-taking view of the vast, blue sea and attending the welcome party and game shows organised throughout the evening.

The cruise also organised a Bollywood disco nite priced at 12sgd per person from 10pm to 12am which was fantastic and the in-house DJ played some latest, peppy dance hit songs.

DAY2 - Initial half of the day was spent roaming around the different decks, attending dance classes, doing some fun photo sessions and then getting ready for Penang. The cruise reached Penang at 4pm on Day2 and we opted for sightseeing on our own as Penang doesn’t have major attractions to be seen. We could bargain and hired a taxi. The taxi driver was very friendly and explained us details of the various heritage buildings and history of the place. Driver’s name is Syed Ali is 017 41 40435 (Penang number)

We visited the reclining Buddha temple, which was already closed by the time we reached (6pm) but still we got the glimpse from outside the door. This was a beautiful temple.

And then we went to a famous beach which was nice and many people were doing parasailing and Jet Ski etc. The water sports were comparatively cheaper here.

We were back to the cruise by 8pm and went for dinner and then attended the  juggling show which was very entertaining and hilarious. It’s a Must watch :)

Till late night we roamed around the deck and it was very beautiful!

DAY3 - Early morning by 7am the cruise was already in Langkawi. We left by 11am after having breakfast and hired a taxi and went first to Eagle Square. From there we went to Pantai Cenang beach. It is a beautiful area with a lovely beach and lane full of small souvenir shops.We enjoyed delicious coconut water, ice candies and bought some cute souvenirs (Langkawi T-shirts and fridge magnets). Langkawi is a great place that you should plan a separate trip to enjoy this city. It has lovely beaches and one of the most happening places in Malaysia. Couples planning for honeymoon can consider it as one of the options.

We returned back to the cruise by 3pm and had lunch in the cruise. After a short rest, we got ready for ‘Gala Dinner’. Before the dinner we also attended Captain’s Gala Cocktail Party….followed by “Sparkles” – special Broadway-type performances by cruise staff and external theatre performers. The show and dances were spectacular – great choreography, costumes, and performers!

Sparkles Broadway Type Show

Gala Dinner is a special and formal dinner where you are expected to dress in your best formal attire, seated royally at reserved tables for your group. Men can dress up in blazer, shirt and trousers. Ladies dress up in formal dresses suited for the occasions like these one.  Lot of people do dress in casuals but appear to be different in the crowd who have come formally dressed.

Gala Dinner at Bella Vista

Food was similar to what was served to us on other days too. But still this is very well arranged. There was a dance performed by that restaurant staff which was very appreciable. There are two time slots for the gala dinner in two different restaurants. We attended the 9.30pm slot. We also had a meet the captain session before the dinner and got a chance to click photo with the Captain!!

An adult dance show was performed at 11pm. Tickets were priced at 50sgd per person for normal class, 80+ sgd for VIP class (first 2 rows). The show was quite ok.

DAY4- This was the last day of our trip L We had late breakfast, some photo session around the cruise, lunch at our favourite Bella Vista, High tea again at the same place and finally checkout by 5pm. Bill settlement can be done at the reception in the morning. After 2pm, they set-up settlement kiosks in the auditorium and there was  long tiring queue to get the dues cleared and get our passports back…still overall smooth and effective process! Checkout was done from rooms by 5pm. We roamed on the deck till 7pm and finally off-boarding was done by 7.30pm :(((

These 4 days got over so soon...lovely trip..lovely memories!

**Special Mention - Excellent customer service and management by the ever-smiling and helpful Cruise Staff all through-out the trip. Hats Off to the entire team..worth experiencing! Please note that couple of staff members speak Hindi as well. It helps many of our Indians who may feel comfortable conversing or asking questions to the crew staff.

Tips & Suggestions:

• You DO NOT need a Malaysia visa for this trip. If you have a valid multiple entry Singapore visa, it should be fine.
• Book as early as possible. Remember, you may not get tickets even 2 months in advance.
• Carry some water bottles before boarding the cruise as the complimentary ones provided in cruise are very small. Buy water at every halts as buying water on the ship can be expensive.
• Remember to register for “Gala dinner” on 1^st day itself because list gets full very fast
• Do some research and try to opt for self-designed tours at the destination spots rather than the one organised by cruise.
• If possible settle your bill early on checkout day (last day of the cruise), else this might take long waiting time. The cruise accepts multiple currencies.
• You can hire a photographer to click your photos all over the place. You would have to pay a moderate price for it.
• For foodies, there are many options and plenty of food available throughout the day. You may choose to eat at any of the restaurants of your choice at the times mentioned.
• Wi-Fi on board is slow. You may use it in case of emergency but do not keep high hopes on the speed.
• (For Girls) Avoid wearing very short dresses for the temple visit. Dress decently.
• Cruise is very punctual with boarding timings at its destination points, always take care and be on time.

 If you are planning to book for the cruise, feel free to leave a comment here. We will be more than happy to help as much as we can.