Hooray, hooray, I’m off on holiday!
After waiting for an hour or so, the travel agent returned our passports, along with the Access Card supplied by the ship as our all-purpose, go-anywhere card. It also functions as a credit card of sorts – we swipe it instead of paying cash, then settle the bill before we check out.
Less talk more pictures.
Star Cruises has its own terminal at Port Klang, as they operate passenger ships.
The Virgo dwarfs its smaller sibling, the Gemini.
My access card had a red stripe across the top to show that I belonged to Balcony Class, and am entitled to privileges such as dining credit and priority seating at the entertainment shows. But mostly it just means I get a better view from my cabin (not ‘room’, this is a ship).
A balcony where I can sit and watch the sunrise, let my hair get messed up by the wind, or just revel in my fantasy of being Rose Whatshername in search of Jack Dawson.
Time to explore the ship! I’m twice as old now as I was the last time I went on a cruise – but I’m still as inquisitive. And this time, I’m armed with a camera!
The Parthenon Pool. The faux-Greek theme is very popular here, as you can also work out at the Apollo Spa, eat at the Mediterranean Buffet and drink at the Taverna while ogling bikini babes in the pool. Ironically, Parthenon originally means ‘virgin’ – the Parthenon Temple was consecrated to the goddess Athena.
The view from the upper decks. It’s not my camera, Port Klang seems to be shrouded in haze even when the rest of the Klang Valley remains clear.
All that running around completed, and it’s only now time to depart. The gangway is lifted.
Side thrusters push the ship away from the terminal so she can head out further to sea.
And further…
Further still…
Far far away!
The wharves of WestPort fade into the hazy distance. Nothing left to see, let’s go check out the cabin instead.
From the doorway, you can see the double bed, bathroom on the left and cupboard on the right.
The view from the sofa-bed in the corner (where poor ol’ Dad had to sleep). That’s not a telephone, it’s a hair-dryer. Very powerful one too, I’d like one in my room.
Small table and one chair under a print of colourful deckchairs. Funnily enough, there were REAL deckchairs on the open deck on level 7 (my cabin was on level 10).
View of the whole room to give an impression of its size. 3 ladies on the bed slept very comfortably, probably because we’re all petite so we could sleep crosswise and have more space, without our legs dangling over the side.
The bathroom was very nice as well – small, as you’d expect, but not uncomfortably so. The sink was in the middle, with the shower on one side and the toilet bowl on another. The shower was outfitted with Grohe fittings, and the water was both hot and had enough pressure. And I didn’t hit my elbows while turning around in the shower, so it was probably big enough.
No time to be bored, there’s still more to see. Next stop: The video game arcade.
Terribly expensive place to play, unless you’re content with the 1-token games (1 token = S$ 0.50). As there were 2 of us, and we played 3-token games, that’s 6 tokens for 1 game. Rather pricey, and we didn’t go back there again, even though my cabin was only a few feet away.
Nautical nautilus patterns on the carpeting. Other decks had starfish, seahorses and other manner of marine creatures.
Back outside we go, to the sports deck.
Lookit the wake! In the corner you can see the kids’ jacuzzi. Yes, kids have a separate pool and jacuzzi, so the Parthenon Pool is blissfully free of them.
Where to dump the tykes so you can go for a whisky at the bar.
For geeks with muscle.
The kids’ climbing wall. For adults, there’s a Treadwall (pictures later).
At 5pm, our tour group adjourned to the Galaxy of the Stars to have our welcome drink and applaud each others’ sales targets. Me, I just took pictures. Here’s a common photo stop:
Hey, it’s just like the one in Titanic where they tried to gostan before hitting the iceberg.
From the front window, you can see this. The pointy tip is the “view point”, but nothing is mentioned of the deckchairs and little pool there. Very curious.
The Galaxy of the Stars is also right above the Captains’ Bridge (the ship pluralizes captains, not my fault). They’re separated from the tourists by a glass panel, but seeing all that equipment is pretty fascinating.
Sunset, and the decks are lined with people who have experienced thousands of sunsets but seem to think this one is special.
I thought it was quite meh, but the flat horizon isn’t something us landlubbers see every day.
What is this curious mark? What does it mark the spot of? Aha, it’s where they keep the lifejackets for their routine emergency drill.
This isn’t teatime. It’s not dinner. It’s supper! Yes, 6 meals a day and this was our modest supper from the Mediterranean Buffet. Those cakes are cute little waistline fillers.
View from the top deck at night.
The pool at night, after they put down the netting to prevent people from taking late-night skinny dips.
So that’s day 1 of the cruise completed. Tomorrow – sunrise, breakfast and Phuket!