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China Sea Cruises

S/S China Sea Discovery

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Reviewed by: Mike M.an
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: October 3, 2002
Itinerary: Nowhere

It was just great to be back on a true ship. A ship that felt like a ship. Granted, this ship is well past her prime, but just overlook some of the shortcomings and you can just picture what she may have been like in her prime.

The China Sea Discovery, as she is now, and under this new ownership, is definitely not for the average western cruiser. She is sailing from Taiwan and is therefore geared for the local market and a gambling market at that. I am quite accustomed to the Taiwan lifestyle so I knew what to expect. I will now give you my observations,opinions and comments of the China Sea Discovery. Remember all comments are subjective, and these are just my comments. Others may have differing comments.

Upon approaching the pier, the ship was glistening in the afternoon sun. She had just received a fresh exterior paint job. Her impressive funnel painted dark blue with a small white oval with the red logo inside the oval towered above the terminal building. A nice sight!

Yes, as reported, it is sadly true that some original rooms on the Promenade deck have been dismantled and turned into casinos. I do not have the deck plans when this ship was the Fair Princess, although I searched the web, so I cannot say with certainty what many of the original rooms were. I did ask at the pursers desk, but the staff were all new and from China, and had no idea about her former days. Now let us start at the top.

Deck 12 Sun Deck-- This is where the gymnasium is located. Can't tell you anything about it, as the outdoor stairs leading to this deck were roped off and off limits to passengers. Why? I have no idea.

Deck 11 Lido Deck-- contains the bridge and radio room forward and at the stern has an outdoor swimming pool and Lido Bar. Although the pool was filled for swimming, the Lido Bar was shuttered and never opened. This area is classic in design. Brought back many fond memories. The teakwood decking has seen better days, and the white plastic chairs and Loungers should all be thrown overboard and replaced. This also holds true for the astro turf surrounding the pool. But the area was still functional albeit in shabby condition.

Deck 10 Aloha Deck-- contains cabins midship and a Mah Jong/card room aft and another swimming pool at the stern. I do not know what the Mah Jong/card room was originally. In its present state it is dismal at best. This pool area has the white plastic chairs and Loungers also and need to be replaced along with the astro turf. Again, the teakwood decking is shabby and needs work. There is rust to be seen at all outdoor pool areas, especially in the scuppers. How about another gallon of paint? There is also a room here for foot massages. Deck 9 Baja Deck-- Extreme forward you will find the Mistral Lounge now called Yes Disco. Not a bad room, just very plain. No major adornment at all. The large picture windows have shades that were closed and stayed that way. As you enter the room on the right side is the bar which is quite nice, but there are no stools for sitting. In the center of the room is a metal dance floor. On the left side you will find blue upholstered tub chairs in groups of four with a round cocktail table in the center. On the right side is the same set up but the chairs have pinkish upholstery. Carpeting is blue with floral print.No lighting on the walls, save for a diamond shaped light display on the wall behind the dance floor. There are a few disco light shining on the dance floor.

When I walked in this room the bartender was resting his head on the bar. I believe he was shocked to see a customer. He didn't know what to do for me. He jumped up and said Sir please sit. Let me get you a drink etc, etc. I had to disappoint him when I said I feel kinda strange sitting in a room all by myself. Not another customer to be seen. He told me that it is like this all the time. By the way, the disco music volume was so low that it was conducive for sleeping! As I said, the room is ok, just nothing memorable.This rooms does hold one nice surprise. Behind the wall of the dance floor towards forward, there is a hidden door that opens onto a semi circular, very narrow observation deck. This area was again roped off, but I managed to get the door open and go out. Wonderful views of the bow and views of the sea on three sides. Much too narrow for any chairs, but it was pleasant to stand out there. Aft of this room you will find cabins, mini suites (and they are mini) and suites. Also you will find the outdoor Sea Breeze Path. A sort of promenade deck, though very narrow with lifeboats overhead. No seating, and again the teakwood deck needs surgery. But it was pleasant enough to stroll along.

Deck 8 Promenade Deck--Here you will find the majority of public rooms, including the splendid teakwood promenade. Very wide and roomy enough to have the plastic Lounges and chairs. Some of the Lounges had padding while others not. This promenade is truly classic. Here the teak decking is in pretty good shape. And I really enjoyed the original wood benches attached to the bulkheads. Brought back many memories of days gone by. Being that this deck is fully covered, it is ideal in any weather.

On the port side of this outdoor deck you will find tables and chairs that are bolted to the decking. This is the outdoor area of the Napoletana Pizzeria. These are original tables and chairs. Sure they are showing their age, but so what!! Inside, the pizzeria is still the original design and furnishings. Dated yes, but ok. I did at 3:00am have a Hawaiian Pizza as this was the only type they had left. It was cooked to order and very tasty.

Ok, now let's go indoors and start at the bow where we find the Seaward Lounge and Seaward Bar. This room is the main show room. The seating is in rows of banquette style sofas in tan colors with wood topped oval cocktail tables in front of the banquettes. The carpeting is in blue with small floral print. The large windows were curtained and never opened even during the day! Being a one level room, sight lines can be an issue if someone tall is sitting in front of you. The room is plain with no pictures, paintings or sculptures on the walls. I did attend the show here, but more on that later. Adjoining the show Lounge as an annex, is the Seaward Bar. This was my favorite room on the ship. I believe it has been left intact in its original decor. It has a lovely wood paneled bar front with comfortable padded stools. To the right there is tub chair seating in rose colored fabric with round cocktail tables. No wall decorations except for long, narrow, horizontal glass light fixtures. They are quite nice. This is the only room aboard the ship which gave a hint of some elegance. I enjoyed my time here sitting at the bar drinking a very strong vodka with orange juice. The bar stewards were all from China. They spoke some English and were pleasant enough but not outgoing or "fun to talk to." But more about staff and crew a little later.

Further aft of these rooms is what is called the Promenade Lounge and Libray/card room. This is one of the rooms that has been dismantled and turned into a video arcade room. Just a small section of the original library is all that remains. I could only peek in as the room was always locked and never open. A video arcade is a video arcade. Nothing new or special.Strangely, they have an small enclosed structure/room which they call a Service Center. I have no idea what this is for, as it was never open and empty inside. Continuing aft on starboard side you find the hallway that leads to the two duty free shops. There are actually three, but one was closed off. The shops that were operating had mostly empty shelves and a pitiful assortment of goods. Not even a T-shirt or anything with the ships logo.

Across from the shops there is a room which was gutted and is now a VIP casino room with blackjack tables. I believe this room was an annex room to perhaps a dining room. I am not really sure. The room itself is non descript with yellowish/beige walls adorned with a few large paintings scattered around the walls, round fluorescent light fixtures and a wood stand with TV on top of it stuck in a corner of the room. Again, this room was closed and never opened, but I managed to get myself and my friends in to look around.

Next to this room aft, is another large room which also was gutted and turned into a slot machine room. Banks of slots line all the walls with banks of slots in the center as well. On the side of this room there is a bar which I think is still original, but slots have also been installed here as well. The bar is quite nice although under used. Further aft, starboard side down the hallway there is a very small coffee bar room. At least here you can see out the windows as the curtains were open. Very small unadorned and they only have instant coffee and some sort of unidentifiable noodle dishes. Pass..Further aft there is supposed to be a Harry's Bar. But I never found it. It is possible that they meant the bar inside the South Pacific Lounge at the stern. This room is now the Karaoke Lounge where you can have "hostesses" join you at the bar or tables. Who was it that started the "Hookers on board" thread? I really cannot describe this Lounge to you as the curtains were definitely closed and the light so dim that you could hardly see in front of you. The only fair amount of light was those above the bar. I did make out some tub chairs, small sofas, tables etc. Can't even tell you the color scheme of this Lounge. As karaoke is not my thing, I did not join in. At the stern outdoors there is another swimming pool that is now covered over with wood and used as a dance floor. Also there is an area for BBQ and buffet and noodle bar, but once again this area was never open. So much for eating outdoors! The teakwood decking as like the others is in need of repair, as is the battered astro turf surrounding the fairly large pool which is now not used unless you like dancing on top of the pool!! But more on this area later when I talk about the entertainment. Okay, let's now go to

Deck 7 Caribe Deck--This deck is totally devoted to cabins with the exception of the beauty salon located forward.

Deck 6 Dolphin Deck--Also devoted to cabins, but is also the location of the Pursers lobby forward. A wonderful lobby room. I am sure that it has not been altered and remains original.It has some nice seating areas against the walls with two seater sofas and large glass topped cocktail tables.At these seating areas on the wall are unusual plastic flower arrangements on green velvet and framed.I think its you either love it or hate it. But I haven't decided yet. But I did decide that I certainly do not like the plastic flowers and vines hanging down from the recessed ceiling lights. And they completely cover all the recess. Pursers desk is quite nice and manned by very helpful and pleasant staff. I asked if I and my friends could be shown some other cabins and some suites. They complied immediately. As a matter of fact, the shore side office manager was aboard and he personally escorted us to view the cabins. He was very nice and said that if we are not happy with our present cabin he will change us immediately. We declined, as our cabin was no better nor worse than the others we saw. More on this later. While the pursers lobby is not gorgeous or "wow" it is very pleasant and comfortable. A nice quiet area.

Deck 5 Emerald Deck--Here you will also find cabins and the Dorchester Casino near the bow. I believe this room was originally a dining room. But everything except for the walls and curtained port holes, nothing remains. Just gaming tables and a handful of slots. Although if you have a good imagination, you can see where this may have been a nice dining room. Further aft, midships, is the Grosvenor Dining Room. This is the only remaining dining room on the ship, which has open seating buffet meals. I found this room to be nondescript like many others. Nothing memorable at all except for the mirror paneled center section which is also the service areas. There are tables for 4,6,8 and 10. At the tables there are metal tube chairs with padded seats and backs in blue upholstery. They are nice and comfortable as well. Again, the portholes are closed and curtained and never opened. I really dislike the fluorescent lighting in this dining room although it is indirect. Other than this there are a few incandescent light here and there on recessed in the ceiling. It's just an ok room.

Deck 4 Fiesta deck--Devoted to cabins and contains the medical center which is located just aft of midships. Don't know anything about this facility as I luckily did not need it!

Deck 3 Gala Deck--Devoted to cabins but contains the balcony of the Princess Cinema.

Deck 2 Holiday Deck--Has an massage center located forward at the bow. Aft is the lower (main) level of the Princess Cinema where from 02:00--04:00 you can watch x rated movies! It's a nice enough cinema with blue velvet seats and a fairly large screen. I don"t watch movies while I am cruising so cannot report about the comfort or the seats, but they did look comfortable.

Now let me talk about food and service. I and my Taiwanese friends who sailed with me found they food in the dining room to be very good. We were quite surprised at the quality and wide choice of food available. At dinner there is a separate area to make your selection of soups. On the main buffet table which was set up and displayed very nicely you had the breads at the beginning of the buffet, followed by cold appetizers including shrimps, squid, salads, noodles, vegetables et al. In the middle of the table you will find the hot dishes which included roast pork, roast duck, sauteed squid, deep fried prawns, stewed beef, fried fish, chicken legs,stewed pork knuckle, and an assortment of stir fried vegetables. Of course stir fried rice was available as well. The kitchen staff including the head chef is from China, and they obviously are very good at their job. My friends do not freely compliment food, but they did here. Although there was no "western" food available, the Chinese food offered was abundant and delicious.

The following morning the dining room offered breakfast/lunch combination. There was juices, cereals, sausage, ham, bacon and other traditional Chinese breakfast foods such as congee (rice Porridge) deep fried bread sticks, sour vegetables, stewed pork, stir fried rice, etc. Also available were lunch foods such as braised beef, pork chops, stir fried squid, tofu, fried fish, and many deserts. Also, there was an omelette station where eggs are made to order according to your choice. Very nice. I must say that dining aboard China Sea Discovery was the cruise highlight. I have only one negative comment about the dining room, and that is even at breakfast if you want coffee or tea, you are charged for it. And to make matters worse, they only have instant Nescafe. Tea is also of the tea bag variety. I'm not a happy camper without my morning coffee. The only real coffee machine on the entire ship was at the Pizzeria. But as my luck would be, the machine was broken. So much for my coffee!!! Next time I will bring the filter drip cups with me.

Some comments about service from the staff. I was told by the band members there are appx.,200 staff and crew from the Philippines and some from Vietnam. While the remaining staff and crew of 400 were from China. Every one of the staff was pleasant and always had a hello and smile for you. While walking down hallways you were always greeted and wished a good day. Service in the dining room was adequate. Plates were removed when needed, and water glasses always full. In the bars and Lounges, everyone was pleasant but not overly outgoing. The bar and table staff do need more training. Drinks were put down without coasters, you had to ask for a small cocktail napkin. Ash trays were not changed when full many mistakes in the drink orders even though we spoke to them in their native Chinese language. I think that this is all do to the ship being in service only since September 13. A little more polish and they should be ok. Speaking about polish, while the ship was always clean, I never once saw anyone cleaning or polishing or maintaining the carpeting. Can't understand how the ship stayed as clean as it was. I did try to hold a conversation with some bar stewards while I was sitting at the bar in the Seaward Bar. Again, they were pleasant but not forthcoming with conversation. I even spoke to them in Chinese, but had the same results. And the female Lounge staff were even more "shy" to speak.

I do feel sorry for the Chinese staff about this ship. Because of the political situation between China and Taiwan, all Chinese crew and staff are NOT allowed off the ship when docked in Taiwan. Also, the ship still does not have docking rights to dock in Ishigaki, Japan. So on the 3D/2N sailing it is a high seas cruise with no port of call. Many of the Chinese staff asked me and my friends if we would be kind enough to mail letters for them as they could not get off the ship to do so themselves. They always had money in the hands to give us along with the envelopes, but of course we would never take their money to mail letters. I am sure that their salaries must be disgracefully low. All in all, they did their best given the limited training they have and I respect them for this. I cannot find fault with any of the staff.

My cabin was utilitarian at best. Located on Deck 7 Caribe Deck it was a 4 berth 2 lower and 2 upper outside porthole cabin located on a short corridor off the main hallway. No pretense of luxury here, but it was adequate and fulfilled its purpose. It is a fairly large square cabin. As you entered the cabin, you see the beds on the far wall. The beds are separated by a 4 drawer dresser with a large mirror above it. There are fluorescent lights on either side of the mirror. One did not work. On the top of the dresser was a radio console which also did not work. There also was a telephone and that did not work. I was told that all shipboard phones were out of service.

The porthole is on the left side of the cabin. On the opposite wall of the dresser are 4 wardrobes. Roomy and also had drawers in them. One wardrobe had a shelf at the top where I assume a television would have been. Notice I said would have been....

The ceiling had one round glaring fluorescent light. Although at the bedsides there were small "proper" reading lights. At the lower beds against the walls, there was an open storage shelf and a two door closed shelf. Very convenient and much appreciated. The two lower beds had mattresses that were more lumpy that my gravy. The two upper berth mattresses were better. Perhaps they were not used as much. Carpeting was of a solid blue color with white patches where the carpet was threadbare. Of course there were many stains as well, but I do not let carpeting bother me. Oh yes, in front of the dresser was a metal legged formica topped oblong table and one upholstered tub chair. I really liked all the storage that this cabin has.As far as sound insulation is concerned, my friends had no trouble talking to each other. But of course we were in two different cabins. You could hear your next door neighbor as clearly as if they were in your cabin. My friends did indeed talk back and forth between the walls.

To describe the bathroom as tiny is an understatement. You can sit on the throne, brush your teeth and take a shower all at the same time. And yes, the shower curtain got intimate. But there was nice hot water and good pressure. The toilet flushed and did not back up. Yes there was some brown water situations, but nothing major. The bathroom is very dated including exposed pipes. But there was a nice vanity above the sink with storage shelves behind the mirrored doors.

Directly outside the bathroom there is an air conditioning thermostat. Even at the lowest setting the room was uncomfortably warm and made sleeping for all of us to be challenging. As a matter of fact, the air conditioning on the entire ship was spotty. Some areas cold and others either warm or hot. An interesting note on the air con in the dining room. It seems that Princess may have installed an auxiliary air con unit in the dining room. When it was working, the cold, and I mean cold, air blew out of the vents with such force that it was like being in gale force winds. I am not exaggerating when I say that people's hair was blowing in the wind while seated at the tables. Quite an experience.

Ok, back to the cabin. It was functional and served its purpose. Yes it is dated and dowdy as most of the other public rooms aboard the ship. But use it in a good frame of mind and everything will be ok. Can't tell you about the bedspreads, because there weren't any.

The entertainment was another highlight of the cruise. I attended the evening show in the Seaward Lounge. The quasi-cruise director did some jokes and sang. He is from Taiwan. His voice is very good and can sing in Chinese, Taiwanese and English. Being that I was the only western person aboard he singled me out and said he would sing some songs in English especially for me. He also asked me questions such as where I am from etc. When I replied to him in Chinese, he was shocked and surprised that I spoke Chinese. Well after that, he never left me alone. He was extremely personable and did his best to interact with the audience. He introduced a very talented female singer from China who sang two songs. Very good. Then he introduced a handsome young man from Vietnam who sang only one song, but had a voice that could rival the best of them. He did not speak Chinese and his English was not great, but the audience really liked him. I am sure that his main role aboard ship is not that of an entertainer, but that of an cabin steward. He was really good.

The band, drums, keyboard and backup were great. Drummer is from the Philippines while backup and keyboard are from Taiwan. After this show at around midnight the band and quasi-cruise director would change venues and perform at the Deck 8 Promenade pool. While the audience was seated around the pool area, the band was set up on the aft terrace of Deck 9. Great spot. During the show the cruise director would be singing and walk down the stairs and finish standing on the covered pool dance floor. The keyboard player also sang and came down to the pool area as well. The lighting was done very professionally and really made the atmosphere festive.

Speaking of lighting, at the very stern of this pool area the new owners have put up tube chase lighting on poles. Some of the lighting is in the form of fireworks bursting, and others of star bursts. They were flashing, blinking, changing colors, chasing and what not. I haven't quite decided if I like them. It did remind me of a carnival though. The band singled me out again and did a special "New York, New York" for me. During their break they came over and sat with me. They told me that there are usually five members of the band, but two were currently under other contract obligations. This they said, made it very difficult for them as far as performing. Also, they are the only band aboard ship and they have to perform at embarkation, at the evening show, at the pool deck and sometimes in the disco. They did admit that this schedule was wearing them out. They hope that things will change and the new owners will hire at least one more band. They are really very nice guys, play great music and also interact with the audience. I wish them the best of luck in the future and hope that conditions will improve for them. The entertainment by this group and the cruise director can not be faulted. I enjoyed it.

To describe the activities on board, I think it would be best for me to list them as they appear in the ships newsletter.

October 3.

18:00-20:30   dinner
18:00-21:00   enjoy sail away from outdoor decks.
18:00-20:00   ships tour
20:00-23:00   bingo and horse racing
20:00-24:00   duty free shops open
21:00-21:45   evening show
22:00-06:00   karaoke (with hostesses)
23:00-04:00   Disco
23:00-11:00   deck 5 casino is open
22:30-23:30   Adults only show (entrance fee)
23:30-02:00   Band show at deck 8 pool
24:00-02:00   Snacks  (where I don't know. Never saw any!)
24:00-02:00   Movie in cinema
02:00-04:00   Adult X rated movies in the cinema.

October 4
07:00-13:00   breakfast/lunch
07:30-11:00   exersise (where I don't know)
09:00-10:00   Bridge Tour
09:00-12:00   Duty Free shops open
09:00-12:00   Karaoke
09:00-13:00   Bingo (never started until 11:30 and ended 20 minutes later!)
14:30-16:30   Disembarkation  (don't know if you can really stay aboard 
until 16:30 as I disembarked as soon as we were allowed to)

It says that they have a child care center. It was never open. On this sailing there were only 3 or 4 children.

There were about 144 passengers aboard on this sailing. I can best describe them as people who love gambling. This is evident as all shows had very poor attendance.

Closing thoughts --- Yes the China Sea Discovery ex-Fair Princess is showing her age and needs refurbishment and needs some of her dowdy public rooms to be brightened up, but she is a true ship and should be enjoyed as such. I know I did. I went with a positive attitude and didn't let minor things disturb me. Also for the price paid, US$ 60 per person you really can't complain.

Would I sail again? Yes, I would. But I will say that this is now not the ship nor the cruise for Western people, unless you are accustomed to Asian living. Actually I am looking forward to my next cruise aboard this former liner.

Any comments or questions will be gladly answered.

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