Star Cruises

MS SuperStar Gemini

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Operator:Star Cruises
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1993/ 1996
Length / Tonnage: 537 / 19,089
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 410 / 820
Officers / Crew: Scandinavian / Filipino
Operating Area: Year-round 7 day cruises out of Singapore to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Phuket.

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.....but we know this ship well as the CROWN JEWEL....and her basic layout is the same. Sadly, there is very little information available on Star Cruises company in North America.....so we hope this information will be of assistance. A word about our star ratings with these ships.....we have based the number of stars on what we have gleaned from the available information....if you have sailed with Star Cruises, we'd love to hear from you....let us know how close we came to accurately rating them. One thing we can tell you with certainty is that most Americans and Canadians would not consider making the long air trip from their homes to Asia just to take a five night cruise! When the SUPERSTAR LEO comes into service later this year, Star Cruises will offer back to back sailings of that ship, combineable with a new one week cruise on the SUPERSTAR GEMINI.....and that cruise length makes more sense for passengers coming from far away lands. For now, though, if you are planning an independent visit to Singapore.....or if you lock into a tour company who features Star Cruises as part of the itinerary, these cruises make sense....and the SUPERSTAR GEMINI will take you to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Phuket in comfort.

When you set foot into any of the lounges on the SUPERSTAR GEMINI, you won't feel as if you've landed in the exotic Orient....in fact, you'll be hard pressed to notice any difference between these well maintained rooms and their cousins on some of the well known ships plying our nearby waters. There's the Galaxy of the Stars on Deck Five....a semi circular room where evening shows are produced....the Starship Disco and Karaoke is the haven for night owls...karaoke continues as a very popular diversion in these parts of the world. And as on any modern liner, you'll find a intimate bar, lots of shops, a library, a beauty parlor, and a gym. You'll see that there is sufficient deck space on the SUPERSTAR GEMINI....she has a pleasant promenade area and a nice pool. Something you won't see much of in the Caribbean....and it's worth poking your head inside to watch the action....is the small Mah Jong Room aft on Deck Eight. Die hard mah jong players get as serious as bridge players.....so while it's okay to peek in, don't interrupt their concentration....I don't know how severe the penalty is for intruding on their fun..

You'll find the two sitting Ocean Palace dining room a comfortable spot.....virtually unchanged since her service under the Cunard logo....and the food may prove to be better than you would expect. Star Cruises, trying to capture both the local and overseas market, has designed their menus to appeal to many cultures. So expect to sample both Western and Eastern cuisine, both in the dining room and the Mariner's buffet and terrace.

The cabins on the SUPERSTAR GEMINI have never been known for tons of floor space...although there's copious amounts of storage...but they are cheerful, fully appointed and comfortable. All cabins, even the suites, have bathrooms with a shower only....no tubs to soak in here. And all rooms have a television and phone. The inside cabins have two lower beds, while outside cabins and suites have beds that can be left as twins or pushed together to form a queen. If you want an outside room, try to get either Deck Three or Four.....the views are unobstructed. If you end up on Deck Six, provided the cabin is forward, you'll be all right, but the mid ship outsides here are blocked in part by life boat machinery. There are some junior suites on this deck with magnificent views out over the bows....these rooms have a small sofa, and are fitted with mirrors everywhere....even on the ceiling! You'll come out of these cabins with one of two impressions....either you'll think the cabin was massive, or you'll think you've just spent time in a carnival fun house. All but two of the executive suites have private balconies....in varying sizes. For that matter, the suites themselves are different in layout and square footage....but each has a living room area and large windows. It is of particular interest, and a certain irony, that smoking is prohibited in the cabins on the SUPERSTAR GEMINI....so much for the stereotype that Asians love to puff away en masse.

Star Cruises' original intent was to provide wealthy Orientals with a year round option to cruise in Southeast Asia.....so you will see many such individuals on board. The SUPERSTAR GEMINI is also aggressively sold in Europe....and plane loads of passengers from there will arrive in Singapore to walk up the GEMINI's gangway. You'll find all age groups here.....the ship has a small children's playroom, so tots are welcome. If you are uncomfortable with a wide variety of nationalities....all have traveled here with their own cultures and ways of doing things....you might be uncomfortable. Star Cruises will do their best to make everyone feel at home....but the passenger load will not be necessarily homogeneous.

The SUPERSTAR GEMINI has been offering five night cruises from Singapore to Thailand and Malaysia since her entry into the Star Cruises fleet. When the new SUPERSTAR LEO comes into service in November, the GEMINI will begin seven night cruises....still from Singapore, and still visiting ports in the Straits of Malacca, Andaman Sea and South China Sea. It is hoped that with tandem Sunday calls at Singapore, passengers will combine a cruise on the SUPERSTAR LEO with the SUPERSTAR GEMINI.....making a more comprehensive ten or twelve night cruise through the region.

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. 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.