Vacation on a Cruise Ship - Star Cruise to Kuala Lumpur

So we were thinking up ways to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and my birthday together, since they are just a day apart. A short trip to Hong Kong? A resort trip? Fine dining plus staycation? BBQ for family and close friends? In the end, The Beau came up with the brilliant idea of a cruise trip, knowing my deep love for the oceans and seas.

We booked the SuperStar Gemini because it bore the closest date to our anniversary, and decided to sail for Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was to be a 3-days 2 nights cruise trip, and we did not know what the expect because my last trip was ages back, while he never liked cruises (having served the Navy for a decade!).

Not a very huge ship, but there were 12 decks, made up of 5-6 restaurants, 3-4 lounges, 3 swimming pools, a karaoke lounge, casinos, spa and shops, etc. It was enough for us! The ship was set to sail at 9.00pm at night, but we could start boarding as early as 5.00pm to enjoy the facilities onboard. As there was no gala dinner, dressing could be anything from long flowy dresses to casual tanks and shorts. 

For room types, one could choose interior (no views at all; most economical, of course), ocean view through pot holes, ocean view on lower deck (corridor where crew would pass), superior ocean view stateroom and the rooms with balcony. Ours was superior ocean view - unblocked ceiling to floor views of the glistening ocean once we parted the curtains, and I loved it to bits and pieces.

Pork Parmigiano @ Belle Vista Restaurant

Miso Cod with Soba Noodles @ Belle Vista Restaurant

Array of seafood and lamb chops @ the open-deck Ocean Restaurant

Dimsum and other quality Chinese fare @ Dynasty Restaurant

Breakfast and dining-by-the-sea experience @ Mariners Restaurant

For dining, one could choose the inclusive restaurants or pay for more unique meals (2 of the restaurants were not inclusive). Food comprised Western set meals, Western / Continental Buffet, Indian Buffet and Chinese cuisine. I enjoyed the set meal at Belle Vista Restaurant (the miso cod with soba was awesome), seafood galore at Oceana Restaurant, dimsum at Dynasty Restaurant and the by-the-sea dining experience at Mariners Restaurant.

Performances were enjoyed at Stardust Lounge for 2 nights - over cocktails. We had a magic show on one night and circus performance on the second night. There were adult shows at other lounges and some shows for children as well.

I hit the pools a fair bit, really. Especially during the period when they docked at Port Klang for 8 hours and most people went down or out to explore. We had one of the pools to ourselves for a good 1 hour, before we hit the Jacuzzi. Drinks were not expensive - you could get bottles of wine starting from SGD$22.00 or one-for-one cocktails at a mere SGD$10.00!

Other than that, we spent a little time hitting the jackpot at the casinos, singing a few tunes at the KTV lounge, chilling out in our lovely by-the-sea room, and getting up on the decks. Whether we were standing by the berths overlooking the waves and vastness of the oceans, enjoying the strong breezes kissing our cheeks, or lying down to read on deck chairs, the feeling was tranquil and bliss. Imagine a totally relaxing vacation with everything onboard, and one does nothing but eat and laze around. 

There was very little turbulence or rocky motions so we did not feel sea sick at any point in time. It was an enjoyable trip and we would love to take more cruise trips in future, maybe explore the other vessels such as Royal Caribbean, or even cruises in Alaksa!