Cruising the Andaman Sea

Sailing away from Pulau Pinang (AP 2013)

Recently I went on my very first cruise on a big ship. The 4D/3N trip would start from Pulau Pinang, sail to Phuket and Krabi in Thailand before coming back to PP. The cruise started on a Sunday with a 'check-in' at the PP International Cruise Terminal, so passports must not be forgotten. Boarding started in the afternoon and there was a mandatory safety drill for all.

The mandatory safety drill (CNB 2013)

The ship set sail at 5.00 pm and a 'sail away' party started at the poolside on deck 9, followed by a BBQ dinner party. In the later part of the evening, it was showtime at the Stardust Lounge. But for A and me, it was time to hit the sack, because the very early morning bus trip from KL up to PP and the various activities that followed led to tired bodies. Ahh ... it was quite blissful to be sleeping in a comfy cabin bed in a floating hotel!

Welcome to the cabins on deck 6 (CNB 2013)

The next morning after a sumptuous breakfast, it was "Fun with Pak Nil" at the poolside. Popular presenter Datuk Aznil Hj Nawawi or Pak Nil, played host to about 300 of his fans who'd followed him on the cruise.

At midday, the ship arrived in Phuket, Thailand and we enjoyed a shore excursion of about 7 hours before re-embarking for dinner on board (I will write a post on Phuket in more detail). Later we would celebrate Pak Nil's birthday in a pyjama theme party. Certainly he's a very youthful 51 year old. Here's wishing a very happy birthday, Aznil and many more to come.

With Aznil, host extraordinaire (AB 2013)

Tuesday morning was the start of another shore excursion in Krabi (I will do a post on this later too). We re-embark in the late afternoon and in the evening there was the Gala dinner with the ship's Captain in attendance, at the Four Seasons and Ocean Palace Restaurants. The dinner was preceded by a Gala show - Rasputin, by a Russian troupe. Quite a fantastic performance by very tall dancers, acrobats and contortionists. A farewell party too followed as the next day will see the ship arrive back in PP around midday. I noticed that many of the passengers came with families in tow, some three generations strong. There were also many tourists from India and maybe China/Taiwan.

The first of many poolside parties on deck 9 (CNB 2013)

A pose at one of the numerous parties on board (AB 2013)

The Star Cruise's Superstar Libra is quite a big (10 deck) ship with a capacity for nearly 1,500 passengers and 740 cabins. With the super typhoon Haiyan hitting the Philippines* earlier, I thought the seas would be rough in the Andaman. But it was really smooth sailing. We were on the sixth deck and slept like logs on all three nights on the ship. On board it was mostly fun with lots of activities that may be enjoyed - there are live shows and bands, KTV, disco, movies, spa, sports activities including swimming, gymnasium, basketball, golf, etc. (plus gambling - is it a sport?) and duty-free shops. There are many (8) food and beverage outlets to cater for all gastronomic needs, including the halal-certified Spices Restaurant. Heck, it is a mini-city afloat. All in all, it was a thoroughly fun trip.

*Our heartfelt condolence to the victims of this disaster. May recovery be fast with the aid of the international community, including generous Malaysians.

10-13 November 2013