Destinations: SuperStar Gemini

Fun-filled Cruising with Star Cruises’ SuperStar Gemini

Text & Images by JUHAN KAMARUDDIN

SuperStar Gemini – one of the popular cruise ships by Star Cruises (www.starcruises.com) – takes up residency at Port Klang from 5 November 2018 until 1 May 2019. With SuperStar Gemini homeport deployment at Port Klang, including having Penang and Langkawi as port-of-calls, Star Cruises remain committed in positioning Malaysia as a cruise hub for the region.

SuperStar Gemini offers a variation of three-night itineraries that include Phuket in Thailand, with the additional options of embarking in Penang and Langkawi. Passengers can now choose to depart from any of these well-connected travel hubs to discover a variety of popular round-trip itineraries such as the four-day and three-night Phuket and Langkawi cruise or four-day and three-night Phuket and Penang cruise, including special cruises like the five-day and four-night Phuket, Krabi and Penang cruise that departs on 6 February 2019, and the three-day and two-night Singapore cruise departing on 10 February 2019. Alternatively, passengers can savour the four-day and three-night round-trip cruise itinerary to Port Klang and Phuket from Penang available on selected departure dates. Passengers who begin their cruise on SuperStar Gemini at Port Klang need to do so at Boustead Cruise Centre.

According to Genting Cruise Lines’ Senior Vice President for International Sales Mr. Michael Goh, the Malaysian cruise industry is growing. Over the years, Genting Cruise Lines sees increasing demand from the Malaysian and Singaporean markets, including mainland China and India.

Since cruising is hassle-free, this form of vacationing is recommended for families, couples and groups of friends to holiday in one comfortable vicinity and strengthen bonds with each other throughout the trip. Cruising can also be treated as part of meetings, incentives, conferences and expositions (MICE) tourism because corporations can organise incentive trips on cruise ships to reward their employees or as retreat for their management teams.

Hotel on the sea

Families enjoying their time at Topsiders pool on deck 11 of SuperStar Gemini.

SuperStar Gemini – at 50,764 gross registered tonnage – is 230 metres long and 29 metres wide with average cruising speed of 18 knots. Backed up by experienced and well-trained crew, this 25-year old 13-storey ship is remarkably well maintained with 765 cabins and 1,530 lower berths. Though passengers new to the ship might feel like being in a maze at first, passengers would eventually get their bearings right on the second day of the cruise. It would be fun for passengers to spend time on board exploring all of the ship’s accessible sections, nooks and crannies. That said, passengers need to remain safe and follow the crew’s instructions at all times.

Children having a good time at the pool next to Oceana Barbecue on deck 12 of SuperStar Gemini.

SuperStar Gemini serves up a wide selection of awardwinning Asian and international cuisines through its 11 restaurants and bars. Four of those restaurants are classified as inclusive (which means that food and beverages served are complimentary since they have already been priced in the cruise fare): western semi buffet at Bella Vista, and international spread at Mariners, both on deck 9; Oceana Barbecue on deck 12 and Chinese non-halal dining at Dynasty on deck 11. On the same note, there are many corners where passengers could just lounge and order beverages of choice while listening to live music such as the IR Lounge on deck 10. Passengers could sing their hearts out at the Observatory Lounge cum karaoke lounge on deck 12.

The ship’s Main Galley (where the food is prepared) is manned by 81 chefs and cooks who provide 24-hour catering service for the passengers and the ship’s 700 crew members. At every mealtime, the Main Galley team prepares various specialties for up to 1,200 persons who dine at all four different inclusive restaurants. All food served at the inclusive restaurants, except for Dynasty, are sourced from halalcertified food suppliers.

Extensive gastronomic choices aside, SuperStar Gemini offers onboard leisure activities such as spectacular shows, live revues, relaxing spa, beauty salon, and duty-free shopping, all part of Star Cruises’ promise to deliver signature, heartfelt Asian hospitality. On top of the exciting family-friendly performances and movie screenings held at the Stardust Lounge that can accommodate up to more than one thousand spectators on deck 10, there are more entertainment and shopping outlets await on decks 9 and 11. The ship has children day care centre too on deck 11 where parents could leave their children for a few hours at an additional fee.

Bella Vista restaurant on deck 9 of SuperStar Gemini.

SuperStar Gemini has two pools, one located on deck 9 outside Bella Vista and another one on deck 11 on the same level as Topsiders bar and the 24-hour Blue Lagoon (noninclusive) dining outlet. Those who wish to sweat it out and keep their fitness level up could jog along the designated track on deck 7. Alternatively, they can head to the well-quipped fitness centre on deck 12 that is open from 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m., adjacent to the spa called King Neptune Health Club.

Early morning cappucino at Blue Lagoon restaurant on deck 11 of SuperStar Gemini.

Tip: If you suffer from motion sickness, best to bring along motion sickness pills. Normally, the larger the ship, the more stable it becomes.

The sleeping experience on SuperStar Gemini is like being in a cradle because the ship gently rocks side to side as it traverses the waters of the Straits of Malacca. The cabin (also called stateroom) is similar to what you expect from a normal hotel room but in a more compact scale. For better cruising experience, it is recommended that passengers opt for the Oceanview Staterooms on the upper decks with larger windows located to avoid feeling claustrophobic.

I truly recommend that passengers, especially early risers like me, to wake up early morning and go for a walk (if weather permits) around the top-most deck of Star Cruises’ SuperStar Gemini while waiting for the inclusive restaurants to open for breakfast to take in the revitalising sunrise, the sky, the sea breeze and early morning atmosphere.

Exploring Phuket

Big Buddha of Phuket.

As passengers arrive at Phuket, they need to realise that there is no pier right on the shore for the cruise ship to berth, so the ship drops anchor at Patong Bay and passengers are ferried to the beach using tenders (smaller boats). Once arrived in Phuket, since they would then might have around five hours at the destination, passengers should quickly go for the excursions they have booked earlier via the Shore Excursion counter on deck 7, next to the reception.

Alternatively, passengers who do not opt for any excursion can frolic along Patong beach on foot and check out its eateries, cafes, bars or outlets, including the vibrant Jungceylon (http:// www.jungceylon.com/) shopping mall. One unique excursion that passengers can opt for is the marble-cladded 45-metre tall white statue of Big Buddha meditating in cross-legged position with serene facial expression and eyes lowered as if gazing down at visitors, located about an hour’s drive from Patong. Since the statue perches on a hill that overlooks Chalong harbour, visitors can witness the green undulating surroundings and sunset on a clear day.

Another interesting place to visit is the Si Supalak Orchid cashew nut factory to witness how cashew nuts are prepared. Visitors are bound to be bowled over by the multitude of crunchy and lip-smacking packed cashew nuts laden in diverse flavours – among the best sellers are honey and wasabi. This is the best place for passengers to stock up on snacks as souvenirs to bring back home. However, passengers need to be aware that getting to the factory takes around one hour to get there from Patong beach.

Exploring Penang

Fried noodles, a popular Penang delicacy.

In Penang, the ship docks close to the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage core area (http://www.gtwhi.com. my/), Penang Town Hall and Fort Cornwallis. Passengers should saunter down Beach Street, Acheh Street, Armenian Street, Campbell Street, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and Light Street, among others, to take in their charmingly wistful atmosphere and quaint pre-war structures. Culminate the walk at Padang Kota Lama Food Court or the popular eatery Hameed Pata Mee Sotong to sample lip-smacking Penang street delicacies like pasembur (a local snack consisting shredded cucumber, potatoes, beancurd, turnip, beansprouts, prawn fritters with other seafood served with a sweet and spicy nut sauce) , coconut shake and the Malaysian dessert called ais kacang (shaved ice laden with sweetened beans, palm sugar, evaporated or condensed milk, syrup, green rice-flour jelly called cendol and creamed corn, including nipa palm attap seeds, topped with vanilla ice cream) located 15 minutes’ walk away from Pier Swettenham.

The view of George Town from The Top Penang on level 68 of KOMTAR Tower.

Passengers who prefer a more contemporary experience should head to the island’s largest indoor themepark called The Top Penang (https://thetop.com.my/), housed within the iconic Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (KOMTAR) Tower that was completed in 1986. Upon reaching the tower’s observatory deck on level 65, they should take selfies while standing or sitting (or even lying) on the deck’s glassbottomed ledge. Then, they can bring their ‘walking-on-air’ experience a notch higher by walking along the vertigo inducing cantilevered and uncovered U-shaped glassbottomed observation bridge called Rainbow Skywalk on level 68. The excursion to The Top Penang can be arranged by SuperStar Gemini’s Shore Excursion counter. Those who are more adventurous can test their mettle by playing the obstacle course called Gravityz (https://www. thegravityz.com/) that includes flying fox and bridge-crossing without handrails 239 metres above ground, located right on the ledge outside level 65. Remember: this activity is only for those who are 18 and above, not less than 100 centrimetres tall, not weighing more than 100 kilograms, have no heartrelated diseases or high blood pressure or pregnant.

Reminders when cruising:

• Each passenger is issued an access card that bears their full name as per their identification document or passport and cabin number – it is important for passengers to always hold onto their access cards because they are not only used to enter the cabins but also serve as boarding permits and charge cards when ordering food and beverages, including purchases at the duty-free outlets. Passengers need to fully settle all outstanding bills at the reception area on deck 7 before disembarking the ship at the end of the cruise.

• Remember to switch off the roaming and data service on your mobile device to avoid unnecessary charges because the device might pick up foreign telecommunication signals when cruising since the waters are close to Indonesian and Thai territories.

• Upon reaching Phuket, Penang or Langkawi, passengers need to understand that it takes time for them to disembark from the ship, thus patience is required, especially in Phuket because passengers need to be transferred onto tenders to reach Patong Beach.

• A late re-boarding charge of MYR400 would be levied on each passenger who returns late to the cruise ship after the shore excursion or visit. Passengers must take note of the latest time they need to be back at the cruise ship to avoid unnecessary charges and hassle.

Find out more about Star Cruises’ SuperStar Gemini at https:// www.starcruises.com/my/en/ships/gemini