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Riding the seas

Packed with excitement Aboard the Star Cruise Virgo

On a very sleepy Sunday in clean Singapore, some sleep-ridden journalists board the Star Cruise Virgo. There are more than 3,000 people on board this floating township.

The three-day cruise takes you to Penang and Phuket. The carpets are a dazzling red and blue, the wooden interiors polished to a shine that bounces off the walls, and the sun’s glare is blinding.

It’s a floating ‘luxurious’ bazaar of sorts — loud, chatty co-passengers from Iran, the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia and India walk about in swarms. They are milling from every corner, posing in every angle, and capturing every view possible in the background.

And, after four hours of watching two movies on a late night flight and no sleep, you just want to find a corner and curl up and sleep, before the heavy-duty entertainment and socialising starts. But, it’s time for lunch at the massive formal dining ‘Bella Vista’, and sleep takes a backseat. I attempt to dig into some chunks of meats — the beginning of my foray into endless rows of mild and meaty Western food. There’s Indian too, for the unadventurous.

I emerge and notice that it doesn’t look like it’s taken long for the people on board to save for this cruise — in fact, it looks like they’ll be back very soon. Large-hearted Iranian families celebrating Navroze, guffawing circles of friends from down under and, of course, honeymooning couples — protective husbands and bangle-wearing brides in shorts and spaghetti tops.

The next day we stop at Penang, where we are whisked off into buses with tour guides sporting microphones. An hour’s drive around pretty Georgetown later, we reach a Government-run tropical agro farm that raises endangered fruit trees on a steep hillock.

After digging into some juicy fruits and scrumptious food on a humid day, we head down to Wat Chayamangkalarm, a temple featuring the third-largest Buddha, in a reclining posture. Around the temple are stalls selling plenty of cheap souvenirs. Back on the cruise at night, there are plenty of shows to catch if you dig circus acts and cabaret shows. We sail into Phuket on a very cloudy morning, and are taken on a five-minute elephant ride. Then, we watch monkey and elephant shows. The rains have just broken, and protected in typical raincoats that simply go over our heads, we head to two typical malls and the Sri Burapa cashew nut factory. The malls look like they have been cut out from catalogue books that we have seen as children. At the cashew factory, we sample and buy huge quantities of cashew nuts in every flavour — from chocolate to coconut — to suit everyone’s taste back home. We also visit the Wat Chalong Buddhist temple, surrounded by shopping stalls.

It’s absolutely the wrong time to head to Patong as its pouring now. Up and down steep hills, we descend on the populated beach, now greyed by the cloudy skies, and surrounded by chic restaurants. It’s a pity that we don’t have the whole day to just relax on the beach; we’re whisked back into the buses, and back into the liner. Bone-tired, we struggle to get into formal attire for the Gala Captain’s Dinner at the Bella Vista. From gowns and high heels to suits, people dressed to kill spill out of their rooms for the most-awaited event of the cruise. Everybody vies for a photograph with the captain and it becomes an affair to remember for those who anticipate and wait to relive Titanic-style experiences of fine dining.

Recuperating after a day of hectic activity, we sail into Singapore the next evening, ending our luxury-liner adventure. If you are the kind that likes a touristy holiday aboard a cruise with a food court or mall-style restaurants, thousands of people, an on-board casino, Jacuzzi, loud entertainment and offshore guided tours, then it is worth spending thousands on the Star Cruise Virgo.

FACTFILE

For a three-night cruise, depending on the room — ocean state room / balcony room or suites — the price varies from Rs. 23,100 to Rs. 84,800 per head. The cost includes up to six complimentary meals a day on any of the three specified restaurants on board. All drinks are chargeable.

A two-night cruise will cost anything from Rs. 14,700 to Rs. 56,700 per head. These rates are valid till September 2009.

Shore excursions have to be booked separately, and charges are anywhere between 25 Singapore dollars and 155 Singapore dollars, depending on the package you choose.

Visit www.starcruises.co.in for details

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