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Star Cruises

MS SuperStar Virgo

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Andrew Burrow
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: January 16, 2003
Itinerary: Orient

My family (myself, father, mother and brother) took the 6 day 5 nights Straights of Mallacca cruise.

The ship itself was absolutely amazing. It was like a floating palace, with plenty of activities for younger children (Star Cruises have an amazing activity schedule for children of all ages - my younger brother enjoyed every minute of it.) The staff on board were all very polite. There were plenty of maps of the ship's layout - just find where the maps are - normally displayed in the stair wells and lifts. The ports visited and tours available were most enjoyable and all tour guides were helpful and friendly. In fact at most stops fresh mineral water was offered and a Star Cruises staff member is on hand to take any comments or fix any problems. In fact at one stop we got to pet monkeys and get photos taken - i was a little worried about germs!!! - but the staff member offered towlettes and directed us to wash basins before we re-boarded the bus. Very thoughtful.

The pool area on deck 12 was great, the water was just warm enough and there was plenty of space to lounge on sun chairs. The jacuzzi's were sometimes crammed and the water was very hot and fresh towels were available for use. The children's splash down pool was well equipped and supervised for children of all ages. The walk-around promenade deck was wide and uncrowded - with some deck chairs to rest on. You can also walk around on the top sun deck (13), you walk along the Star Track a separate track for jogging and exercise. The Galaxy of the Stars Lounge was large and inviting with ocean views forward and to the sides. I am under 18 so was unable to enter the Oasis casino - but apparently it was very crowded at times. The Lido Lounge covered two decks and the shows (ranging from Las Vegas style reviews, Chinese acrobats and Brazilian dancers to comical quiz-show-style contests and bingo. The other bars and lounges on board were stylish but often loud. The library was a welcome departure from the noisy halls, with large sitting chairs and internet access at a nominal charge. The children's disco and video arcade were packed for the whole cruise and the activities for children included radio controlled car racing on the decks to boot-scooting lessons in the lido and Hollywood blockbusters in the cinema. There was also a disco each night. There is also a small viewing area where you can see onto the bridge, with pictures of the ship and various boards with information on her construction. I did not see the gym or the sauna but from what I could tell the people coming out looked relaxed and pleased with their experience.

We ate in the Mediterranean Buffet for breakfast and depending on the menu at the Bella Vista we ate lunch there as well. The Bella Vista provided magnificent views of the ships wake out double height windows and the food was comparable to that of top Singaporian restaurants and hotel restaurants. We did not dine in the Pavillion Room - which mainly served Chinese fare, we preferred the traditional European offerings of the Bella Vista and the huge selection of the buffet. It might also help if I mentioned that the Mediterranean Buffet was the only dining room that was certified halal and also provided a relatively large selection of vegetarian food. We were on a budget so we did not dine in any of the other restaurants - as these charged extra. But this did give us extra spending money whilst on shore and also for drinks at dinner. The service was impeccable - most of the staff spoke fluent english and those that did not were most helpful in any case. All staff greeted you each morning, whether the cabin staff as you passed them in the hall or the door men on deck. My tip is to just be patient with the staff - the service is fast and efficient however the language barrier (although small) may deter some passengers. I did not encounter any problems with the service nor any problems in communicating with staff.

We stayed in an outside cabin with no balcony. The room was large enough to accommodate two adults and two children. The closet space was ample however we had our own coat hangers and my brother travelled very light. Te bathroom itself was small yet comfortable. The shower was large and had shampoo and soap dispensers and a retractable clothes line. An electronic safe was provided as well as an interactive TV with plenty of channels. We only watched the news - no time to watch anything else. The cabins were quiet with little noise. We were on deck 6 so the promenade was above us - we heard the odd footstep but nothing that could disturb even the lightest sleeper - like myself. We had a large picture window which gave us a great view of the ocean and for those who are worried about sea sickness the you can barely feel any movement. The ship is so large and so wide it does not even rock in the heaviest of swells. The boutique and medical centre had various motion sickness tablets available.

The shows on board were fantastic. All were of the highest quality - the Brazilian dancers and Chinese acrobats wowed audiences with several shows throughout the cruise. There was also a special wild west themed show which saw staff get involved. The most enjoyable shows however were the variety shows. The first saw three couples brought on stage to play in a kind of quiz show. It was absolutely hilarious. Comedians appeared in the Galaxy of the Stars lounge and the ships band played often to entice passengers onto the dance floor.

The activities on board were fabulous to take part in or just watch. Each morning there would be yoga and line dancing lessons, shuffleboard games and card games. There were plenty of activities for children and all were supervised by youth workers. The ports of call were tropical paradises. Langkawi was the first stop - we went ashore for shopping purposes only. Phuket was the next stop, here we went on an organized tour, we went for an elephant ride in the jungle, and all meals are included. This tour lasted seven hours but horter tours were available. The other ports were jut as great.

I travelled with my family as mentioned. We are Australian and many of the other passengers were Australian, we did not really meet any one - it was a family holiday and we did not want to feel obliged to meet people each day for dinner of drinks. The other passengers included Japanese and Singaporian tourists, with some Americans and Indians. The age range of passengers was between 0 and 100. With people from all sorts of socio-economic backgrounds and nationalities.