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
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| 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!
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| left: newly married in '09; right: 20 pounds heavier and pregnant! |
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| 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)
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| the Parthenon pool |
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| 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 :) |
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| lovely at night |
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| 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. :)
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| welcome party |
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| matching outfits |
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| 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.
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| 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. :)
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| 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.
