I went on a cruise for 3 days. It was a good break, since I was overwhelmed by the preparations for the concert at ACM. It was my first time on board the ship and that of my parents too. We boarded it at Harbourfront at 8.30pm on Wednesday, 29th June. To my surprise and annoyance, as I hate crowds, there were many passengers boarding it even though school had just reopened. Most of them were from India. It was probably the school holidays for the children there then, since there were some as well. We were lucky to have checked in two days in advance with Citibank and have obtained our cabin keys. In this way, we could avoid queuing up at the check-in counter and board the ship immediately.
After clearing Customs and the baggage counter, we were welcomed by the Star Cruise stuffed mascot and two females dressed flamboyantly in yellow and pink, as part of the welcome crew. We took photographs with them and were informed that we could buy them on board the ship. I was not used to this gesture because I am rather shy but still went along with it, hiding my discomfort. I feel pity for the person in the stuffed mascot though. It is sweltering hot in the costume and he does not get to show his real self to people. The good point is that shy people will feel that this job is suitable for them. We were also welcomed by Garfield and Odie, again people in costumes, as well as given free cocktail drinks.
The lobby-cum-reception area on Deck 7 was gorgeous with beautiful chandaliers and was decorated in a grand style. The outdoor deck of the ship surrounded it all around. We went to put our baggage in the cabin. It was on Deck 9, where the oceanview balcony cabins were. These are different from the normal cabins where there are double-decker beds and a porthole. These have a balcony with a sitting area and a double bed, a sofa bed and a television set with Disney and Discovery channels as two of the available channels. Then we went to explore the ship's facilities.
It is easy to gain access to the different decks of the ship. There is either the lifts or the staircases to use. I recommend the latter since they are less crowded and they provide exercise for the legs too. We first went to have supper at the Pavilion Chinese restuarant, one of four 'free' restaurants on board, in the sense that the meals taken there are charged as part of the tour price each passenger pays to stay on board. I paid $260. It is rather cheap, I feel. The food was fine, not much impression while the service crew had problems understanding our requests, probably due to the language barrier between us. The crew on board is an international crew, with people from different parts of the world like Finland, Vietnam, Philippines, India and Thailand. We then walked around the deck area and saw teens playing basketball in the games area of it. We also went to visit the other facilities like the library, the activity centre, the parthenon pool, the hair and beauty salon, the spa and the movie theatre.
I then separated from my parents who waited for Oasis Casino to open an hour after the ship set sail at midnight. It can open only when the ship is out of Singapore waters and into international waters. It is a 24-hour outlet. I went to the video arcade. It is huge, has many types of video games to play and is spacious. I was entranced by it because it was not crowded due to its exclusiveness to only the ship's passengers. I could not play however, as the games require tokens that are to be bought with money. I was too lazy and tired by then to get the money from my cabin and then go back to buy the tokens to play the games. I went back to my cabin to watch television and learn my music for the upcoming concert before falling asleep. It was 1.30am.
I skipped breakfast the next morning due to supper the night before. We ate at Bella Vista, a Western restaurant. The staff is friendly, very and it was a joyful experience we had while there. I loved the food there. The Chickpea Fritters with Pita Bread and Yoghurt Dip made an impression on me. We were there on time and got a good seat, with a view of the sea. I then went to the library to read magazines and to shop for souvenirs. The shopping is horrible and pathetic. There are only two shops. One sells designer goods and the other sells stuff that did not really appeal to me. There is also a counter selling hand-made goods but they are expensive and more ornamental in nature. I bought only three things altogether.
Then I went back to watch my favourite television programme on Discovery channel before going to watch National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage. The show is really good and kept me rooted to my seat throughout. Unfortunately the other movie-goers spoilt the experience for me. They walked in and out of the theatre during the show and blocked my view as a result. No one could stop them as they were passengers on the ship, as I was.
We had dinner at Noble House and I ordered my favourite dish, Deep-fried Prawns with Mayonnaise. My mum told me I'd get pimples if I ate it. She was right. I did get one at an obvious place and size. I not only disregarded her advice but I also ate about 3-4 pieces. My parents wanted to join me at the video arcade. This time I had money to get tokens. My dad wanted to try out the soccer game and my mum the mahjong game but the games were probably too fast for them to grasp. I spent a maximum of $35 there, I think. Each game usually takes 2 tokens to play. I enjoy playing the shooting and fighting games. I tried my hands on the fighting game my god-bro loves and I didn't even get past the first round. Haha. *blush*. I played till my hands ached. Then I headed back to my cabin to watch more television programmes before falling asleep. I was too tired to learn my music.
It was our last day on board. I skipped breakfast, watched television programmes and packed my bag. We made sure the cabin was cleared of our things before checking out. We had lunch at Bella Vista, after which I went to the video arcade to pass the time while waiting to go back to Harbourfront. My dad came to tell me that they would wait for me at a different place and not to meet them at the original place as planned. I felt bad for having to make them wait without anything to do and so I gave about $6 out of the $10 tokens I had obtained, to a white girl who was also playing. She was obviously delighted at getting so many free tokens. I did feel a pinch but I told myself that I was making someone's holiday a joy. That made me feel better.
Soon, we reached Harbourfront and disembarked from the ship. It was 2.00pm, Friday. Some Filipino dancers saw us off as part of the farewell crew. We walked pretty quickly to catch a taxi to go home. The queue was really snaking on Wednesday. Thank goodness we got into the railings defining the taxi stand. It was around 3.00pm when we reached home.
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