SuperStar Virgo Cruise: Food Galore & Gala Dinner

When you're on vacation, one thing you can be sure of doing a lot of is EAT! And with so many restaurants onboard the SuperStar Virgo, it's no wonder we all gained so much weight after. ;p

The food is inclusive in the cruise package, so all you need to worry about is where to eat. Drinks are not included though so you can imagine the huge bill my hubby racked up ordering beer hehe! ;p The "free" restaurants are the Mediterranean Buffet (International buffet restaurant), Pavilion Restaurant (Chinese family style restaurant), and the Bella Vista Restaurant (Continental main restaurant). They serve food for breakfast, lunch, tea time (merienda), dinner, and even supper (midnight snack). If you get sick of the "free" food, you can choose to eat in the other restaurants (there's Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc.) but you have to pay for it separately.

The Mediterranean Buffet is probably the most popular restaurant since they serve international food. It's like a cafeteria style place where you line up with your trays and just get whatever you like. I like it here since there are so many choices, except that it can get kind of crowded and noisy. Sometimes, there are also rude people who cut in line! It can also get nakakasawa after a while since they serve practically the same food everyday.

Mediterranean Buffet

cafeteria style

busog!

Our favorite would have to be the Bella Vista which is a fine dining restaurant serving continental food. This is also the main dining hall so it's huge and very spacious, so it hardly ever gets filled up.

They have a set menu and you just choose your appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert. Then they serve it to you beautifully plated. Here's just some of the food we had ranging from salads, pasta, chicken, sausages, sandwiches, and of course yummy yummy dessert!

There's a formal gala on the last night where everybody gets dressed up for dinner at the Bella Vista. There's also cocktails beforehand where they serve free beer and champagne. The ship's crew is also there and you can get your photos taken with the Captain and the other officers.

photo op with the ship's main crew

hubby's favorite part of the cruise - free beer!

There's 2 schedules for the Gala Dinner, since not everyone will be able to fit at the Bella Vista all at the same time. Hubby and I took the earlier time at 6PM while the rest of the family watched the kids. It was so nice to be able to have a "date" since this was probably the only time we got to be alone the whole cruise haha! Just a little trivia, during our honeymoon 5 years ago, we were one of the couples chosen to sit at the Captain's table for the Gala Dinner. It was an honor since we were the only Asians out of the 4 other couples who were also there (we were seated beside a couple from Australia and the USA). Nosebleed lang nga haha! ;p

Gala Dinner

table for 2

Hubby and I always make it a point to order something different so we could try as much on the menu as possible. Here's what we got during the dinner:

APPETIZER
Left: Captain's Spring Salad
Right: Smoked Duck Breast Carpaccio

SOUP
Left: Cream of Forest Mushroom
Right: Double Boiled Chicken Consomme

MAIN COURSE
Left: Roasted Beef Tenderloin seasoned with Orange-Pimiento Flakes
Right: Grilled Chicken Breast Filled with Cream Cheese

DESSERT
Strawberry and Pineapple Yogurt Parfait

Now you can see how we all gained so much weight after! ;p

Cruise Stops: Phuket, Thailand & Langkawi, Malaysia

The SuperStar Virgo Cruise we were on last October had stopovers in Phuket, Thailand and Langkawi, Malaysia. You can choose from among several shore excursions which you have to pay for separately (exclusive from the cruise package price), or you can choose to just stay on the boat while the ship is docked on port.

When we were on our honeymoon 5 years ago, the stops our cruise made were in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Phuket. The schedule was also nicer since we had a whole day in Phuket, which we spent just lounging around and exploring Patong Beach. This time, the ship arrived in Phuket at 7PM and would stay until 3AM. The activities being offered were cabaret shows, buffet dinners, Thai massages, etc. Basically, nothing we found appealing especially with two toddlers in tow who would probably be sleepy and cranky from being out way past their bedtime. Besides, I was also pregnant then and didn't want to stay out so late since I was already so tired. So we opted to just stay on the boat and just go down to do a little shopping in the tiangges on the port.

many stalls on the port selling souvenirs, clothes, food, etc.

with the SS Virgo

The stopover in Langkawi, Malaysia was from 11AM to 6PM. Some of the activities being offered were sightseeing, shopping, a trip to Langkawi Underwater World, eagle feeding, water sports, and other island adventures. We simply chose the free time at the beach since we wanted to just relax and hang out with the kids.

Of course, what tour wouldn't be complete without a trip to some factory to force you to buy some goodies right? hehe! ;p This time, it was a chocolate / coffee shop.

After that, we were dropped off at the beach where we just spent the afternoon swimming and running around the shore. The beach had soft sand and clear waters, but of course Boracay is definitely nicer. I wish we had more time though since it felt really bitin when we had to go back to the ship.

looking for crabs

enjoying the waves

ice cream time

I know we really weren't able to maximize the shore excursions since we didn't want to have to drag the kids on tours that would just tire them. Our main focus was really to enjoy the cruise itself and we definitely accomplished that. :)

Cruisin' aboard the SuperStar Virgo

Finally, FINALLY I'm able to blog about our family vacation last October! I've just been putting it off for so long since I have sooooo many pictures and I wasn't looking forward to editing them at all haha! It took a while but better late than never right? :p

The departure port at the Singapore Harbourfront Centre, where you check-in just like in a flight

This was such a special trip for me and hubby since this is were we spent our honeymoon 5 years ago! Back then on the cruise, I remember we'd talk about the future and our dreams... There were so many families on board and I would see children running around or swimming and I'd fondly imagine what our own babies would look like when the time came. I remember saying to hubby, we have to come back here when we have kids of our own so that we can share with them this amazing experience. And I can't believe we were able to do so (with even another one on the way haha). God is really so good!

left: newly married in '09; right: 20 pounds heavier and pregnant!

we've come full circle, now with our kids

The SuperStar Virgo is one of the ships from Star Cruises that travel around different Asian countries. We took a 4-day cruise with stops in Phuket, Thailand and Langkawi, Malaysia.

The ship is HUGE at almost 900 feet long and 100 feet wide, with 935 cabins and a passenger capacity of 1,870. There are more than 25 outlets of food & beverage, entertainment, and recreation so you can be sure you won't be bored for even 1 minute with so many things to see and do.

Here's just some of their facilities:

• Amphitheatre (Jumbo chess board, jumbo checkers and table tennis)
• Universal Gymnasium (Gymnasium)
• Parthenon Pool (Outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi (4), sunbathing)
• Aquaswim (Jet current exercise pool)
• Star Track (Jogging circuit)
• Galaxy of the Stars (Live music, dance lounge and cocktail)
• The Lido (Show lounge)
• Out of Africa (Karaoke)
• Star Club (Games of chance)
• Celebrity (Vodka club lounge)
• Art Gallery, Ports O’Call and Star Boutique (Onboard shopping)
• Computer World (Computer centre in the child care centre)
• Starlight Video Arcade (Video games and onboard shopping)
• Oscar’s Salon (Hairdressing and beauty salon)
• Library/Writing Room (Book loans and reading room)
• Charlie's Child Care Centre (Children's playroom and nursery)

the Parthenon pool

They even have a huge water slide! Too bad I wasn't able to try this at that time since I was pregnant, but hubby and I enjoyed this so much during our honeymoon back then :)

lovely at night

the magnificent lobby

Anyway, the first thing that happens when the ship leaves is that everybody has to go on deck for a safety demonstration. This was kind of nerve-wracking for me since all I could think about were scenes from the Titanic! Good thing there were no icebergs in the sea haha! ;p

After this, they call everybody to the main lobby where they have a party to welcome everyone! The crew starts dancing, music is pumping and food and drinks are served. It was really such a fun way to start the cruise. What's also great is the crew is mostly Filipino, so you can always talk to someone in Tagalog and not get lost in translation. :)

welcome party

matching outfits

chillin' by the pool

This is the kiddie pool called Neptune's Wet & Wild. It could get pretty windy and wavy though, so you have to be careful not to slip on the wet areas. There's also a playroom and an arcade for kids, plus other activities and workshops like arts & crafts, cooking, magic tricks, etc (some fees apply).

This is The Lido, the ship's main theater where lots of shows and performances take place at different times of the day.

The Lido

Some shows were just ok (meaning a bit boring haha), while others were really great like this Cirque du Soleil type show, with amazing production value and performers. Seats are on a first come first served basis.

Even though there's so much to do on board, sometimes the best way to spend the time is to just lounge out on the deck and just watch the sea and sky. :)

You can also have a souvenir picture taken on a green screen, and then choose the background you like. Here's the BEFORE...

and then the AFTER! It's a bit expensive though at SG$20 (or about P600) but we figured it was worth it since we would always be able to look back on it and remember the time we had. :)

Another thing to note, after being on the boat for 4 days, we all developed sea legs, wherein we still felt like we were moving and swaying even if we were on dry land already! I swear, I think it lasted for about a week haha. :p

We had such a great time, but it was also definitely tiring with the kids. It was really a different experience from our honeymoon where all we did before was swim and drink all day! Now, everything was about the kids especially since we didn't have a yaya on this trip. But I will forever be thankful for this time spent with family. I'll still be blogging about the restaurants and food on the ship (there were a LOT, that's why we all gained so much weight after hehe), plus our stopovers in Phuket and Langkawi. :)

the whole gang

If you're interested, we booked everything via a travel agency, Horizon Travel & Tours Inc. Aside from the cruise, they also booked our Singapore flights (via Singapore Airlines) and arranged our hotel and transportation in Singapore.