Star Cruises

MS Star Aquarius

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Operator:Star Cruises
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1989/ 1997
Length / Tonnage: 579 / 40,012
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 689 / 2,200
Officers / Crew: International / International
Operating Area: Year-round 2 & 3 day cruises from Singapore

Back in the early nineties, when Singapore and Malaysia's fortunate were making money hand over fist, a well known family from Malaysia, the Lims, major players in the gambling industry, decided to branch out into the cruise business. Studying the successes of some of the Miami lines....who for years have been making wads of cash running three and four day junkets from Florida....the Lims looked to Sweden for tonnage....and found two passenger ferry liners, the ATHENA and CALYPSO, that had but a couple of years under their belts operating between Sweden and Finland for AB Slite (Viking Line). These Wartsila built hulls were designed to carry vehicles and well over 2,000 overnight passengers....they were modern ferry liners and well suited to their intended trade.

Once these vessels had been moved east, refurbished and renamed STAR AQUARIUS and STAR PISCES, the Lims based the AQUARIUS out of Singapore and the PISCES at Hong Kong....they were slated to cover one of the three levels of service Star Cruises sought to introduce. These ships, known as "Star" class, would cater to first time cruisers who were looking to sample a short sea trip in a budget setting. To create the other two products....the "Superstar" and "Megastar" levels....the line looked for available cruise ships that were on the market. They found the EffJohn owned, Cunard operated CROWN JEWEL....they brought her into their new family as the SUPERSTAR GEMINI....and sent her into their medium priced service, catering to an international crowd of more experienced cruise travelers who would be uncomfortable on the "Star" side of the business. To inaugurate their luxury division, "Megastar",

The Lims found suitable vessels in AURORA I and AURORA II. These two SEA GODDESS type ships had been ordered for Greece's Navtol and were to be christened LADY DIANA and LADY SARAH. Unable to pay for these ships, Navtol was forced to cancel their plans to operate them.....and in 1992, New Frontier Cruise Line entered the picture and snatched up the pair. With an already over saturated luxury market in the Western Hemisphere, the AURORAs were considered redundant.....and in 1994, Star Cruises jumped at the chance to acquire them, renaming them MEGASTAR ARIES and MEGASTAR TAURUS, and making them available for charter when not operating scheduled short cruises from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. As early as one year ago, Star Cruises was planning to aggressively add tonnage, with the hopes of becoming a major player in the world wide cruise scene. They will be taking delivery of Germany's magnificent EUROPA in June....to be named MEGASTAR ASIA, they plan to add her into the upscale "Megastar" division....the only appropriate spot this ship could occupy. They are also anticipating next month's delivery of the 75,000 ton SUPERSTAR LEO and next year's introduction of her sister, the SUPERSTAR VIRGO. However, the recent economic upheaval in Asia may affect Star Cruises....we cannot account for the disposition of two of their ships, SUPERSTAR CAPRICORN (once the ROYAL VIKING SKY) and SUPERSTAR SAGITTARIUS (ex-SUN VIKING).

It has been a few years since we were last in Singapore.....or anywhere in Southeast Asia, for that matter. So we have not sailed with Star Cruises.....and the most frustrating news of all, at least so far as this "review" is concerned, is that Star Cruises has not published a brochure on these ships....at least we haven't seen anything, and our 60 file drawers full of cruise literature are as complete as any library on this subject can be. We do know that these ships have a cinema, disco, lounge, nightclub, gym, library, video arcade, children's room, and dining rooms....pretty much the same things she had as a Viking Line ferry. But that's about all we know of the physical layout here. The capacity of the ship is roughly the same as when she was ATHENA.....over 2,000! So there's bound to be crowds, lines and a certain amount of discomfort. As well, her original design had very little outdoor space....she wasn't built for the tropics....and as STAR AQUARIUS, her superstructure has not been altered....so we can only wince at the thought of trying to secure a spot in the sun during a sold out cruise.

The STAR AQUARIUS and STAR PISCES are best traveled on only by first timers....who want to party, stay up to all hours, and who do not mind a ship packed to the gills with merry makers. You will find very few westerners on board....these cruises are almost exclusively marketed the people who live in Singapore and Malaysia.

The STAR AQUARIUS is deployed on three night cruises from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang. From October until March of next year, she'll run these trips from Kuala Lumpur...and in March of 1999, she'll move to Keelung, port for Taipei.....schedules and itineraries have not been finalized.

Let me repeat this... I cannot imagine anyone flying all the way to Singapore with the sole intent of making a voyage on the Star Cruise ships. But if you are there already, with a few days to kill, this is a great way to get a glimpse of neighboring countries without having the muss and fuss of flying from place to place. The STAR AQUARIUS and STAR PISCES are not my choice for a cruise....even as a first timer....because there are just too many people on board, and these ships have no business trading in the tropics, where abundant deck space is a requisite for a pleasant voyage. But inside, the ship seems to be complete, and we do know that Star Cruises maintains their ships. Everything that I have seen about Star Cruises makes me believe that they have a fine product....and I think that if you understand that this is not geared to the North American psyche, you'll have a good time on board.