On A Star Cruise

Earlier this year, I embarked on a 4-day cruise (Penang – Phuket – Krabi) with two of my girlfriends as you may have known from the posts here. It’s not really my first time to go on a cruise so I thought I’d share in this “outfit post” with a little (?!) text on what to expect onboard. Please don’t expect a comprehensive list as I just gathered here what I thought are relevant:

First of all, it’s pretty much like checking-in to the hotel, they assign you a room after which a mandatory safety drill (boring part) will be conducted prior to the ship’s departure. After that the fun begins at the top deck for the…

Sail-away party. There are flowing drinks, live music, some dancing and people spotting (aka getting to know other cruisers). It’s festive - the place to be at right after the ship started sailing for your last look at the port. Coz it’s gonna be sometime when you see land again. Hehe. After the party’s over, now what?

Entertainments Onboard. In your assigned cabin, newsletter are sent to your door for the schedule of activities per day. There are karaoke bars, casinos, theatres, pool deck, gym and a lot of other things provided onboard for the cruiser’s entertainment. Tour the ship to find where they are located and get your bearings. Most of the time, you’ve to take advantage of these after going back from a day trip to the other country/destinations but there are also daytime activities for those who opt to stay in and not explore their stopovers.

Buffet Everyday. Atleast for the two cruises I’ve tried (Royal Caribbean and Star Cruise), buffet meals were provided in the many restaurants they have on board (your preferred cuisine to choose based on what’s available). So, expect a little weight gain after the voyage. Hehe. Another thing to expect?

Sea Sickness. Mal de debarquement (disembarkation syndrome) is common to occur even if you don’t have any sea sickness problem onboard. You can also never tell the weather, seas can be rough sometimes or you might be sensitive when you’re assigned at a lower deck so do prepare your meds (not that there aren’t clinics in the ship).

Formal dinner. Every cruise has a gala night (usually on the last night) where there would be a program and dinner with the captain. Some restaurants have dress codes as well so check with your cruise ship. For this cruise though, we were luckily chosen to dine with the Captain at his table. Getting a little close to the captain has its benefits, we get to explore the bridge (aka the ship’s command) after dinner and see this dude’s room. All 6 of the girls had a photo with him in the room just to pretend to his friends that he’s having fun. Lol.

Bridge Tour. This is one of those things that I didn’t know about during my first cruise. But then again, we were supposed to work (aka whole day meetings) during the cruise that time (lol!). There is a schedule for a tour of the bridge in the day and we didn’t get to sign up in time on our last day. But since we know the captain and saw him during breakfast, naturally we scored a private tour by ourselves. Hehehe. It was a very informative tour though. :)

And there you go! I hope you were able to glean something from this post to prepare you on your next cruise. I do apologize for the lack of posts last week. I will be able to explain it in my next post. Ciao! :)

Full Sails Ahead 🚢

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go. This is my station.”

For those of you who’ve been following me in my social platforms, you may have been aware that earlier this month I went on a 4D3N cruise with Star Cruise. We boarded in Georgetown, Penang where I had the chance to explore one of its heritage found here. 😊

I’m not a rookie when it comes to cruising. The experience is just a little different, depending on the company, the crew although the first one had quite similar destination but a different boarding area which was Singapore. And what better company is there than girls who just wanna have fun? Haha! 👯‍♀️

 For example, in my past cruise 4 years ago, we were out having a sane lovely company dinner in one of the seafood restaurants at night in Phuket. It was a January kick-off meeting with my ex-company btw. But who would’ve thought that just a few walks from there along the street of Bangla, there’s a whole new mad, crazy and lively scene happening right there? Haha! I would have loved to stay in a bar and just watch everything unfold right before my eye but, the ship beckons. And the same thing with Krabi. Hence, the quote above.

Still, I’m grateful to be back in these pockets of the world and learn a few things while on the way. Catch more of this cruise in my posts soon. 😊

Dress/ Shoes: Zalora; Hat: Zara

Le Maison Bleu

Legendary in the annals of the history of Penang is the awe-inspiring Cheong Fat Tze Mansion in Leith Street. Dubbed “La Maison Blue”, this flamboyant masterpiece of 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows took a very special man to create.

Of his vast empire, Cheong Fat Tze chose Penang to build the most elaborate of his homes and to raise his sons. It is reputed to be one of only two such buildings of this size, outside China and certainly the most perfected. While the Mansion’s floorplan is Chinese, the overall effect is eclectic and typical of 19^th century Straits Settlements architecture. Gothic louvered windows, Chinese cut-and-paste porcelain work, Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles, Scottish cast iron works and Art Nouveau stained glass are among the features to be found in this inspired work of art.

No wonder, Cheong Fat Tze Mansion was awarded as one of the 10 greatest mansions in the world (Lonely Planet 2011) and winner of Most Excellent Project by the UNESCO Heritage Conservation Awards in 2000.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~O~O~O~O~O~O~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I am chuffed that without anything in particular planned on a Sunday morning in George Town before we board our cruise ship in the afternoon (yessss, more of that soon!), I discovered this utterly gorgeous mansion. Their daily tour also luckily fitted in our schedule so we were able to check out this pride of Leith street. How coincidental also that I brought a dress that matches their interiors that somehow reminded me of Morocco's blue city 💙💙💙 (not that I've been to but dreaming to visit one day 😍). This mansion is truly a must-see when in Penang. :)