BJC

Are you in favour of tipping or not. Do you agree with this policy change or not. If you do get on Star Cruises ships again would you tip.

So much can be said about the American and the Australians and culturally the Australians are now moving closer to the Americans.

That is not to say the American way of doing things is the best way. In Asia tipping has been a spotty matter. The Japanese don't tip. I remember taking a taxi in Tokyo and the fare came to the equivalent of $14.95 and the taxi driver handed me a 5 cent change back.

My message here is to help out and reward the crew and are you on board on this or not.

In answer to your questions in simple terms, I am against tipping when used to compensate for an Employer under paying staff.

I support a fair days pay for a fair days work.

Whenever or wherever we travel I will acknowledge excellence in service, where appropriate by tipping, but always by going out of my way to genuinely thank someone and praising them for their efforts, and I quite often write to management to acknowledge the quality of individual staff.

I do not agree with the change in the Star policy to force compulsory Tipping, simply to make up for the fall in the US$, why not just charge a bit more and pay their staff better.

I am totally against the perceived move of Australians towards the American culture and the way of doing things, I think that the “American Way” is a long way short of perfect.

I totally agree with your sentiment of paying the Crew a decent wage, the only difference between us appears to be in the method of payment, for me it’s not the money it’s the principle, I would rather they pay fairly, and that any tip comes as a genuine expression of appreciation, rather as a top up to a decent wage.

Regards Bruce

The new president David Chua is making sweeping changes to Star Cruises and it seems even this most fundamental policy of the company is now history.

I am posting this message here because alot of CC Internet users here especially on the Gemini are Australian and they are known to be good generous tippers. But of course it apply to all nationalities and on all Star Cruises ships.

Mike, on the Libra are you doing your part for the crew there.

Thr crew on the Star Cruises I would say is paid and average of US$300 per month and since the US$ has dropped against all currencies their take home pay has drop also. Any small tip would mean alot to them. For instance if you have 2 beers it would cost you about S$15 (US$10) and if you give a US$1 tip that would mean 10% more pay to them as their pay works out to be $10 per day. Incidentally this David Chua have raised my regular bottle of Australian wine from $25 to $28. But I am not complaining because I don't drink that much.

So for all the wonderful hardworking crew on Star Cruises let us show our appreciation in a tangible way.

Yes I’m still lurking, and sorry but had to put my two penny-worth in on this subject!

As a true blue egalitarian Australian, it irks me somewhat that they are still pedaling the old hoary chestnut of “Rewarding Excellence in Service” as the reason for Tipping rather than what it simply is about, that of making up the wages of underpaid Staff!

I have no problem of paying a little extra for a cruise in order to pay the staff a reasonable wage, and by that I mean all staff not just those who have direct contact with Passengers.

I also have no problem is tipping certain staff for service “above and beyond the call of duty”, and that could be anyone, not just wait staff and room attendants.

The other of my pet hates is the double dipping of charging a “Service Charge” for bar and wine waiter service in the lounges and dining room and then being expected to tip as well, because I fully expect that all or most of the service charge goes directly to the cruise line and not to the waiters.

But sadly tipping appears to be ingrained in the American cruising and hospitality industry physic and it is spreading down under, and as such it now appears to be no turning back!

I’ll get down from my soapbox now!:rolleyes:

Regards, BJC

Hi there Boeckli,

Not as many as we would like, but will hopefully make up for it when I finally get around to retiring, this next one will be our sixth for this round of cruising, that is in the last 10 years, prior to that in our misspent youth, both my wife and I did what could be called world cruises, she circumnavigated and I Aus to England, Europe and back, P&O and Chandris Lines, also State Ships to Singapore and back.

I also had 10 years “cruising” with what we jokingly called the “Grey Funnel Line” aka RAN, but for me it should have been the “Black Fin Line” as the last five years I spent in Submarines, and didn't get to see much!:p

Anyway we came ashore and became landlubbers, and only in the last ten years we rediscovered the joys of Cruising, having had a couple of trips on Gemini, but mostly we cruise with Celebrity.

As for my contributions to the West, I do so mainly as a bit of fun and to get others interested in Cruising, but not only on cruising, I also contribute to other “publications” here and in the US on our land based holidays, anything to get people up and about seeing the world, before we lose it to one manmade disaster or another.:rolleyes:

Regards, Bruce

I know there will be a certain sadness with the pending, sorry but for the want of a better word, demise of the Gemini, as there are still many cruisers that just love what she had to offer.

There has been some discussion here as to what may have been contributing factors including “Size” and “Age”, to Gemini being sold.

However another very valid argument is the way Star has “managed” the operation of the Gemini in the past, and I am one of those that believe that if it is a “commercial” reason, falling numbers, cost v return, etc, for the demise of Gemini, then it is as much the fault of Star Cruise Management, rather than the Ship as such.

While Gemini is classed as a Small Cruise Ship, there are a number of major cruise line that recognize that there is an expanding market in small ship cruising, as I have identified in an article to be published soon in the West entitled “When cruising does size real matter”!

There are a number of major cruise lines that have embraced small ship cruising, and have identified a niche market, being cashed up 55 plus couples looking for that little extra in their cruise experiences by way of the ship, the food and service, the entertainment and enrichment programs, and destinations not always accessible to the Big Ships.

The Oceania Cruise Line has been doing this for a number of years now, and Celebrity have just commissioned their second small ship into the newly formed Azamara Cruise Line, and let me tell you from personal experience, the ’08 Cruises are all but booked out, and the ’09 Cruises are filling fast!

Then there is age, well what can one say about that other than to remind everyone that the QE2 came into service in early 1969, and that there are a number of ships still in service that are nearly twice the age of the Gemini, which is just 15 years old.

So it all comes down, I believe, to the way in which Gemini was “managed” and promoted by Star, starting when, at the height of her popularity in the late 90’s, she was “pulled” from service on the Singapore and Asia Cruise run and taken to Hong Kong to service the Casino trade.

At that time Star lost a lot of momentum, and I believe that many Australian, British and European cruisers looked else ware to meet their cruising needs, something from which I don’t believe Star, and or Gemini, ever really recovered from.

But that’s just my personal thoughts on this matter, I’m sure a lot will disagree, but the facts appear to support the hypothesis.

Regards, BJC.

Hi All,

I received this in the post, looks like they have not "Sold Out" as some would have us believe, 30% discount for early birds sounds too good to be true?

Regards, Bruce

Calling all Gemini Cruises from the West.

Check out Saturday’s Travel Section in the West newspaper, there is a two page article titled “The life of a SuperStar”!:D

So you see I can be as positive as anyone with regards to the Gemini, autographs later! LOL.:p

Regards, Bruce J Crane (aka BJC)

Hi tmbhl, don’t remember who, but it was one of the Aus Cruise specialists, and they were offering Flights from Aus to Shanghai, overnights accommodation Crowne Plaza Shanghai, 8 day / 7 night Cruise on Rhapsody of the Sea, called Pearls of the Orient, for $2888 inc Tax's, twin share, for an Outside Stateroom with window / porthole Cat “I”.:)

That is a very good price, don’t know that Star will do better for you, given the Ports of Call!

Regards, Bruce

Hi tmbhl on the go, there are both long haul and 7 – 14 Day cruises presently operating in Asia.

Right now and in ’08 the cruise lines in Asia, that is Singapore to Japan, from Europe there is P&O, MSC & Costa which we met up with in Vietnam heading for Hong Kong, as we headed for Singapore.

And from the USA I believe Celebrity, Holland America, and Oceania which have been cruising through Asia for a couple of years now, and Royal Caribbean is repositioning Rhapsody of the Sea to Asia in 08 with a couple of interesting Cruises out of Shanghai to South Korea and Japan, that we had looked at but could not fit in.

Despite what some may say here, I am reliably informed that they are all very well booked already, and while they may not make an impact on the Asian Gambling Cruise market, they will however provide an alternative to Star in the normal Asia Cruise Market.

Not that the Asia Gambling Cruise business appears to be that good otherwise why did Star transfer half of their fleet to NCL a few years back?

Anyway I am confident that if you shop around on the internet you will find something that takes your fancy, unfortunately they are not always well publicised in Aus, they (major Retailers) seem to have their own preferences, however you will probably have to search the Overseas market place and then contact the Aus agent / wholesaler or get your TA to follow up.

Regards Bruce

I must say that the Gemini’s Crew are most wonderful and will help you enjoy your experience.

The medical staff “managed” all the “problems” on the first Sing-HK-Sing cruise as well as could be expected, and my wife has nothing but praise for them in sorting her problem out for her.

The Ships Officers, mostly Scandinavian, and crew, mostly Pilipino, were very efficient, helpful and friendly, and as for safety they were always holding drills to ensure that they would be on top of any situation that might arise.

They continuously tested and maintained, the ships safety equipment including the lifeboats and tenders, in virtually every Port of Call they would lower one or more and take it for a test run.

We took the bridge tour, which is not always available on the short Cruises, and despite being built in the early 90’s the Gemini is fitted with all the latest hi-tech equipment.

All in all I have no problem with Gemini the Ship, I just think that Star the Cruise Line needs to lift their game.

As for the new players in Asia falling on their collective faces, only time will tell, but friends in the US tell me that there is strong bookings for all of the US Cruise ships venturing to Asia in 08.

You will all enjoy your cruise, of that I am confident.

Regards, Bruce

I do not have an agenda, nor an axe to grind with Star, but quite frankly I don’t believe they know how to run a Cruise Line in this day and age, they appear to be still locked into the 90’s way of thinking!

Their website is much the same it was in 95/96 when we first cruised with them, and as it was then, it is still as about as helpful as hip-pockets on a singlet!

The “Asian way” of not answering a reasonable request, which is either too hard, or the information is not available, only puts its Customers off side, I would rather they say “I don’t know” or that “the information is not available, have a good day!”, than simply ignoring you, I just gave up on them in the end.

Their apparent lack of vision as to what to provide by way of cruises other than the same old Straits of Malacca cruises that they have been doing for over 12 years now, has allowed more of the European and North American Cruise Lines to start filling Cruises in the Asia region, which has been Stars sole domain for so long, as such they will lose market share to these proven “World Class” Cruise Lines.

As previously indicated we are looking at an Alaska Cruise/Tour in August/September ’08 and both HAL and Princess have a number of their sail dates already showing as fully booked, 13 / 14 months out, where it appears that Star can’t fill Gemini for many of their Straits cruises, makes you wonder.

The other thing I don’t understand is that when, as many have done, you sail and find that there are Staterooms available for an upgrade, the on board prices quoted are so far over the top of what it would have cost as an original booking, that no one takes them up, the silly thing is that there is no additional cost incurred by Star for the upgrade, so that any on board upgrade revenue is all Profit to Star!

I have expressed my concerns and made suggestions to Star and have had not a single response, the "Asian way", oh well never mind!

Regards, Bruce

Hi Vera,

Yes the ‘rush’ appears to be on to go North, as I indicated on the HAL web site nearly all of the late June, July and early August 2008 have sold out, now whether there are wholesalers with cabins still free or not who knows!

Not been on HAL, only Celebrity (sorry and Gemini), would like to know what they are like, especially like to hear from someone who has experienced both to get a comparison???:confused:

Apparently from what we were told there are quite a number of the Gemini Crew who’s contract expires just prior to the Aus Cruises and they are mostly opting not to go / sign back on, don’t know if the others have an option or not?

Anyway from Bali to Freo it’s all down hill so it should be ok!:p

Regards, Bruce

Hi All,

He’s back on the thread, but never mind, anyway just talking with friends who did the Straits trip last week, sorry week before, anyway they said the ship was only half full, they reckon more Staff than Passengers, while good for the Cruisers it is a bit sad for Star!

Silly thing is we have started to look at going back to Alaska in ’08, only this time on HAL so going to different places, and half of the cruises on their 4 ships, all 1,200 Passengers plus, are already booked over 12 months out, I bet Star are scratching their heads?:confused:

Anyway back to Gemini, our friends told us that most of the Staff they talked to indicated that they would not be going down to Australia, they all said that they thought that Australian waters would be too rough!

Unfortunately have spent 10 years in the RAN I tend to agree with them, as it ac be quite fickle, the likes of the Bight and Bass Strait can be as flat as a mill pond and at other times I have ploughed through 25 meter swell / waves, just hope for all those planning a Aus Cruise it is calm.:eek:

Anyway glad to inform all those about to Cruise that Miss Smith (unpronounceable first name) the CD has settled into the job and is thought by all to be just grand, gone is the Hi de Hi – Ho de Ho, style, so that’s good.:p

Anyway best wishes to Gemini and all who sail on her.

Regards, Bruce

Hi Frank,

Here are my thoughts for what they are worth, and let me start by saying that Mrs C had a problem with some medication she was taking which left her feeling crook for the first few days of the Cruise, so we did not do all we had planned, however.

Ha Long Bay on day one, we opted to do the Cruise of the Bay, unfortunately for us our Vietnamese Guide was not very talkative as such unlike the other Junks, about 5 or six in total from the ship, we did not get a very good running comminatory, where as friends on two of the other junks said that their Guides were simply brilliant, so it is very much luck of the draw.

Take the one that takes in the Cave Tour, we didn’t and from what we were told we missed out on something special.

To do justice to Ha Long Bay I reckon you would need to do an overnight junk cruise that would include the sea kayaking into the many caves and grottos, unfortunately Gemini does not offer this at present.

I am informed, by those that took the Hanoi Bus Tour, that if you haven’t been to Hanoi before then it is well worth the three and a half hours there, and three and a half hours back, but be prepared for a long and tiring twelve hour day.

We opted for the transfer to the Markets on day two, lots of stuff to buy, bargain hard they will not sell to you at a loss so if you walk away and they don’t call you back then that’s the bottom line for them, so go back later and get it if you want or go to another stall and pay that price.

Nah Trang we did the Historic Temples tour which finishes with a visit to XQ Silk Studio, the work there is simply stunning, I picked up a silk embroidered picture which now has pride of place in our dining room, however it is not cheap, but you get what you pay for, mine cost $100US, take lots of US$’s if you want to buy, they have a web page take a look at their work.

You can buy pictures with or without the frame but the difference in price is only about $5, and it would cost you $60-70 to get it framed at home, they will pack it very well for you, I put mine in my big case, as it was too big to take as hand luggage, it just fitted, but when I saw the state of my bag when we got back to Perth I thought it smashed for sure, however it survived.

Kota Kinabalu we did the Wild Life Park and Shopping Tour, the Park is reasonably new and they are still getting some exhibits up and running, however there is enough to keep you busy for the time you have, the shopping is in a big Mall however if you want there are market stalls to the right of the mall looking at it from the main road.

We were going to go to them but this was the only afternoon when the heavens opened up and it bucketed down so had to shop in the Mall, not that we wanted a lot, however they have young blokes that will approach you and take you to their DVD Shop where I believe they have copies of just about anything and or can make you one up in about 40 minutes, as they did for those in our bus looking for Pirates 3.

Kuching, we were to go on the Primates Tour, however yours truly finally sarcome to the Cold / Flu that swept the Gemini just after leaving HK, and spent the last 3 days either in bed or curled up on a sunlounge on deck 5, so missed out.

However I have been told by all that went on this tour that it was a standout highlight, and would not have missed for quids, so we will just have to go back and have a look for ourselves.

Anyway there are my thoughts, hopefully others will give you theirs.

Regards, Bruce

Hi Les,

Mate I am disappointed, I thought that a “wink was as good as a nod”, my advice not to drink the water was very much a joke, there is nothing wrong with the water on Gemini, there is no taste, nor any nasties, IT IS SAFE.:)

I am informed that they do not run the plant in harbour only at sea, they make enough to allow for this, and you get two Bottles of Water every day in your cabin, so take that ashore with you.

My recommendation to go for the COD or the Beer Bucket, was my sad attempt at humour, sorry you missed it.:p

Regards, Bruce

Hi all,

We had to phone home in Perth from HK, and at sea, and in Ha Long Bay, using the ships satellite phone, because we did not bring our mobile phone as we didn’t have global roaming, anyway there are two on the port side of Customer service area.

You just ask them at the desk, fill in a form, and they ring for you, just pick up the phone when they buzz you, and I think the most we paid was $3AU for a 4 minute call, they charge it out at about $1 Singapore per minute, probably ended up being cheaper than a Mobile call!

By the way don’t drink the water on board, as the Cocktail of the Day in a big highball glass, and unlike the Yanks with no ice, at $7 Singapore is the best thing to drink, and different one every day, so play safe it’s either that or the Bucket Of Beer special, can’t recall what that cost but cheap as chips, so no need to drink the water!;)

Regards, Bruce

Hi Kuldalai,

Your analogy over the prices, though interesting, I must disagree with, I’ve just checked our costing for the 11 night Mediterranean Cruise out of Rome last year on Celebrity Galaxy and it was only $160AU more than the Gemini Cruise, for the same level of stateroom, well in fact it was a full square window on deck 5 on Galaxy, rather than two round portholes on deck 3 on Gemini.

Also the flights on Emirates, Perth Rome and return, were all but the same Qantas Perth to HK and back from Singapore, the only difference in the total costs was the stop over in Rome and trip to Florence before and after the cruise.

So you don’t necessarily get what you pay for, in fact if you line up Star with any of the Major Cruise Lines, I will not say competitors as such, as very few have in the past worried about competing in the Asia market, that is why Star can say they are the “Leading Cruise Line in Asia-Pacific”, however on a cost per day and overall quality, star rating, level, they don’t do all that well.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not Gemini nor Star bashing, I have no barrow to push, I only present the facts as I see them, hopefully in an objective way so that people can take them or leave them, anyway hope you all have a wonderful time when Gemini comes down under, and on next years Asian Odyssey.

Regards, Bruce

Hi Frank,

The Disco, which I believe is called Formula One, is in lower the side street heading down to Nathan Road, and was closed all the time we were there, don’t know if this is permanent or not, we asked out TA about 10 days out to request a room on the 10th floor or above, which we got, there was still a little traffic noise, but hey it’s Hong Kong.;)

There is a subway under Nathan Road just outside the Majestic which takes you to the Temple Street Markets two streets on from there, lots of eating places, and a 711 just about every corner for your convenience.

The Jordan St MRT is two blocks down from the Hotel, don’t try to travel between 8.30 and 10 am it is just packed solid, so go early or wait until mid morning.

Lots of good bargains to be had at the Temple Street Markets, got a very nice Jackie Chan style dress shirt, white with pearl silk embroidery and silver dragon, was the best dressed male on the Cruise and it cost about $15AU, a bargain!:p

The Cabins on Gemini are not big, but big enough as is the bathroom and shower recess, we had a room in a hotel in Rome that was smaller!:rolleyes:

They are clean but showing signs of age, the Gemini is in need of a solid refit at some time soon, new carpets, drapes and furniture will not go astray, but would not hold my breath.

Enough hanging space and a couple of draws each for the smalls, the rest you keep in your suitcase under the bed.

There is no fridge, but your cabin steward will bring you a bucket of ice as required, ours came at 4.30 every day so I popped the tonic water in to cool down and had ice for the G&T.;)

There is a tea and coffee making facility in your room, well there was in ours, an ocean view on deck 3, not that you need worry as the tea, coffee and Milo is available from the Mariners Buffet 24x7, I used to slip up there at about 6am and watch the sunrise with my cuppa, and take photos, which I sold to those that could not get up in time for the princely sum of a cocktail of the day!:D

Power is by English power outlet, Type G, so take an adaptor if you need to charge the camera batteries and the like, there were others for the kettle and hair dryer but these were like the Type F with a couple of, for want of a better term, keys that were built into the socket / plug so only corresponding ones would fit.

Any thing else you can think of just ask, or e-mail me.

Regrads, Bruce

Mate you should look to change your bank, as this is not they way they do it at the one I use in town here to change my money!

They charge a flat fee of $8, less with a pension card, on transactions less than the equivalent of $10,000AU.

Any currency to any currency at the daily rate they have set, which at the start of the day is about 1-2% less than the quoted Bank to Bank Foreign Exchange Rate, which they hold firm for that day irrespective of fluctuations during that day, no passing through $AU, so no double dip!

I also changed Malaysian Ringit and Singapore $’s to $AU at Changi airport and they did not convert the Ringit to $Sing first either, sorry mate but your statement “the universal way the money changing business is conducted world wide” is incorrect.

Look I know it’s just good business on behalf of Star, you want to use this service then you have to pay for it, that’s life, take it or leave it.

Regards, Bruce

Hi Frank,

You are correct, as with all other cruise ships, that I am aware of, Gemini is a cashless ship, except for the Casino where you buy chips and pokie tokens with cash.

What I was referring to was that if you had to change currency on board say from $AU to Malaysian Ringit, they would first convert it to Singapore $’s at a rate, which of course is less than favourable for you, and then from Singapore $’s to Malaysian Ringit, again at a less than favourable rate, hence my ascertain that they double dipped.:(

Now on this Cruise, had you not done so before, you could possibly have to change from $AU to Singapore $’s, Malaysian Ringit, US $’s for Vietnam, and HK $’s, and if you happen to have any large amounts left over, then back again, it makes for quite an expensive exercise.:rolleyes:

OK people will say why not do it ashore, well if you go ashore independently then you very may well have an opportunity, however if your locked into an organised excursion you may not go anywhere near a money changer before they take you to a market, or pottery, or silk factory.

Some places like in Vietnam are happy to take payment in $AU or $US but then try to give you change in Dong, so have lots of small notes and work out your best price with no change, which is a bit hard with $AU as they don’t like $1-2 coins, and at the market stalls nothing costs less than $1US, so you just have to bargain them down to 2 for a $!;)

Hope this clears this up for you.

Regards, Bruce

Hi Deck 10, still very croaky, and still coughing well, but not angry, and yes they are a 5 star Crew on a 2 (and a half) star Ship, and nothing I have said is anything but the facts as I perceive them to be, if unfair then I’m sorry but if nothing I may be blunt but am honest.:p

Thanks SSV, it was indeed Hedicha, and I was probably a bit unkind, she was only trying to do her job, however continuing to ask us three or four times “are we having a good time?” until we shout out loud enough for her “NO! sorry, YES!” is about as subtle as Drill Sergeant.;)

Also if you do do the circumnavigation of Aus I would take lots of books, games and a couple of jigsaw puzzles, there are only so many napkin folding classes one can do before the novelty wears off, and power walking around deck 5, and kick boxing aerobics did not appeal to this sloth!

Les, sorry mate we flew into HK, and had no problems with the DF purchased inside the security section of Perth Airport, I expect you would not have any problems at Singapore, if in doubt leave it until you get to Changi, they advertise as having the cheapest DF in Asia anyway.

The problem you will have is taking it (DF) onto Gemini, strictly speaking it is not allowed, however some unscrupulous types have been known to put it in their big luggage rather than their carry on bag which is scanned, this unscrupulous type managed to get ours on board with out problem.;)

Hi Mike, I suppose the question that must be asked is when is Gemini going in for a decent Refit, sorry to say but she needs one, you can only put so many coats of white paint over the rust before you need to strip it all off and start from scratch.

Also I was talking to the Second Officer on the Bridge Tour we went on, and he indicated that they spent many thousands of dollars on a new computerised fuel efficiency system that collects data form different areas and advices how many diesels are requires through the different gearbox configurations to obtain the maximum fuel efficiency.

The problem is that at the most efficient settings the ship vibrates badly, and the Engineers can not work it out, they suspect it may simply be cavitation of the variable pitch props, or harmonics from having two diesels through one gearbox on one prop and one on one on the other, anyway they are not able to get the settings right and Star are a bit upset that they are getting no return, by way of efficiency, from their investment.

The problem is that apart from the fact you can’t eat your dinner in the Ocean Palace with the vibration, it will eventually chew up the stern glands, and that will require a docking, and that’s the opinion of both Jim and I with over 50 years combined Marine Engineering experience, by the way we offered to help by casting our eyes over the situation, but they would not let us down in the Engine Room, I wonder why, a couple of pirates if ever I saw one!:p

Anyway you all enjoy your time on Gemini, and don’t listen to this “grumpy old man”, you’ll have a ball, so will catch you on the high seas sometime, Mrs C wants to go somewhere “COLD” next time, so may do another Alaska Cruise but with different ports, anyway this old pirate will collect his buccaneers and sail off into the sunset! :D

Regards, Bruce

Good people,

Please don’t get me wrong, what happened on Gemini first with the Norovirus on the Singapore to Hong Kong Leg and then to a lesser extent HK to Singapore, and then the Cold/Flu Virus on the HK to Singapore leg, could happen to anyone on any Cruise / Ship it was just unfortunate to come one after another.

The unfortunate passing of the gentleman from a Cardio problem is just part of life anywhere any time, and the Medivac of the gent with the fractured hip from a fall while ashore was again something that could happen anywhere.

I am sure that Star and the Gemini Crew will work the little buts off to make sure that they get on top of the situation, and the future cruisers should not be concerned about their up coming trips.

My observations were undoubtedly influenced by our recent Mediterranean Cruise on Celebrity Galaxy which is a true 4 Star Ship, I’m sorry I should not have let that happen, as we knew what Gemini was like, but it was a bit of a “come down” all the same.

As I indicated it is the 1%’s that make the difference between a “good” and a “Great” Cruise, and as previously stated despite the very best efforts of the vast majority of the Gemini Crew, who just tried their utmost to assist you, Star and some of the operational / administration staff simply didn’t get it right.

A special mention of acknowledgement to the Dr and Medical Staff, who under trying circumstances did a splendid job in keep on top of the situation, as Tracey pointed out our meeting on the first night out of HK was for Mrs C who was having problems with some new blood pressure tablets, which the Dr got sorted in a couple of visits.

For Les, please don’t get me wrong in that at no time did I disapprove of the Demographics, but rather at the activities, shore excursions, and entertainment was just not suited to the vast majority of Cruisers, who, for reasons mostly to do with this particular Cruise and Destinations, simply attracted a higher than normal percentage of older cruisers.

The Cruise Director was an English lass with an unpronounceable first name and last name Smith, for me I thought she had just come from a stint as a Red Coat from Butlins Holiday Camp, Hi de Hi, Hi de Ho! There were those who thought she was good but then they probably grew up going to Butlins, sorry did not impress us.

Make up was 96% Australians and of those 45% from WA, we met up with a couple our age (late 50’s early 60’s) from SA during our 4 hour wait to get on in HK and had a wonderful time with them over the next 11 days drinks and dinner each night until I fell to the wog, anyway they are coming over to Perth later in the year and we will have them over for a BBQ, then there is Tracey and Trevor from NSW, much younger but in the minority.

Can’t comment on Virgo, have not sailed on her, and yes we will only go forward from now on.

As for what processes are in place for expressions of concern, there was a customer survey form which we filled in, as for contacting Star direct, unfortunately all my communications with them to date have been very one sided they are not strong on communication for some reason!

Again people please don’t get me wrong, Gemini is a nice ship and ideally suited for people to try out cruising on for the first time, and sufficiently appeals to some cruisers, who come back time and time again.

Like I said in my article in the West cruising is like finding a good wine, you want to come back for more, it’s just that we have moved on from the Cask Wine to Premier Grand Crus Classes, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild.;)

Regards, BJC

Hi boeckli,

In response to your thoughts, this was our second cruise on the Gemini and therefore knew exactly what to expect, including the size of the pool, my point was that it is totally inadequate for the number of passengers and the mostly hot climate in which she normally cruises.

This Cruise, according to Travel Agents and Star, has been fully booked for many months, as such they knew exactly what the demographics were, I believe it was simply not good planning, as for some of the entertainment it was inappropriate for the size of the venue, once again not good planning.

My reference to the possible impact of Topless Review was meant to be very much tongue in cheek, I’m sorry you missed that, and I do hope that no one related to the gentleman who unfortunately passed away, should they read it, take any offence, as none was intended, but again trying to make the point that it was probably inappropriate for the demographics, bad planning.

The “newspaper” consisted of the equivalent of 4 x A4 pages, of which better than half contained the same information day in and day out, such as the dress code for dining, that no electronic devices and or photos are allowed in the Casino, and that dry cleaning was 25% off for 5 or more articles, and, and, it was simply just the same.

Any information on our next port of call you had to get from the Excursion Desk and was heavily slanted towards you booking your Tour from them, there was little or no information on the ship or the crew, the weather forecast was minimal, if you wanted detail on anything you had to eek it out of reception, even if they told us how many sausages the cooked for breakfast would have been something, but again experiences on other ships have our expectations higher than Star can provide.

We, as I am sure many others did, brought our own foreign currency with us, however there were times when we did need to supplement this with extra, as the shopping became more intense, as such we had to make use of the on board facilities, as there is often no opportunity to do so ashore, especially on an organised excursion, and I knew the penalty, but there is no need to double dip and it just left a bad taste.

There are banks in Aus that will exchange any currency for another at a flat fee of $8 ($6 for Pensioners), for amounts less than $10K, at the going daily rate which is just under the prime.

Anyway hope that clears things up for you, I expect that Tracey may respond to your thoughts on her post, we were to catch up with her on the second night out of HK but bumped into her at the Dr’s on the first night and I know she was not a well budgie for a couple of days.

As I pointed out in my post I agree with her that Star / Gemini needed to react more, and to up their level of food hygiene, this is nothing more than most other cruise lines have adopted as standard practice for a couple of years now, I believe that up until the Gastro started they had nothing in place.

Anyway hope you enjoy your up coming cruise on Gemini.

Regards, BJC

Hi all, we’re back in Perth, flew straight home instead of having our few days in Singapore, still pretty crook, but not the Norovirus, managed to dodge that one, but ended up with the Cold / Flu virus that spread like wildfire a couple of days out of HK.

Sorry to say that from what I observed about half of the Passengers went down with it, rasping cough, sore throat, and headaches from blocked sinuses, not nice let me tell you as despite having flu shots I came down with a bad dose of it and was too sick to get ashore in Kuching so missed the Urana tangs, bugger!

Anyway after living on a diet of Panadol and Fisherman’s Friends for four days we felt it best to fly straight home on arrival in Singapore.

Unfortunately this has not been a happy cruise for many, and is one of the chances we all take when we go cruising, no matter what the Ship or Cruise Line.

Could Star and Gemini have done more, I expect so, and suspect that lessons will have been learned, and hopefully steps put in place for the future, as Tracey has already indicated they will need to put in place better food handling procedures for a start, and this is nothing new, most of this we experienced on Celebrity a year ago in the Med.

Celebrity would not allow you to serve yourself at the buffet, rather gloved Staff would ensure you got only what you wanted, nothing was returned, no plates, utensils, drinking vessels, and the like were ever used twice, no top ups of own bottles allowed, they even did away with the ice-cream in a cone, instead you had it in a bowl.

As for the Flu, unfortunately because the ship is like an inclosed Air-conditioned capsule, it’s a case of just one cough and it’s like opening Pandora’s Box, also it was simply just too cold in any areas, like it was 32 degrees and 90 percent humidity outside and 16 degrees and a dry cold inside, which didn’t help.

Would we cruise again on Gemini, probably not, not because of this cruise or the medical problems, you can get that on any Ship, but rather we’ve moved on with our Cruising, Gemini is a “nice” ship for the first time cruisers to go on to experience their first cruise, however if you have not been before and don’t know what to expect and have experienced four and five star cruising on Celebrity, HAL, Oceania, Crystal and others, then it would be a bit of a let down.

Please don’t let me put anyone off, and for those who just love Gemini and go back time and time again, please forgive me, but for us it is what I call the 1%’s that makes the difference between a good cruise and a Great Cruise, and Star and Gemini just don’t do the 1%’s.

For example, the scheduled the showing of a 2 hour Movie at 12 noon, when lunch was only available in the Mariners Buffet from 12 to 2pm, and on another day they had 5 bus loads of up to 40 passengers arrive back from their shore excursions within 5 minutes of each other and with just 15 minutes before lunch was over, well you can imagine that the queue stretched for miles and some missed out!

They had a big family of Chinese Acrobats on board as part of the entertainment, well what can you expect them to do in the Galaxy Theatre with a “stage” the size of a pocket hankie, with barely 8 foot high ceilings, and any entertainment activity that is carried on below the waist level, such as fancy tap dancing, can not be seen by anyone other than those lucky few in the very front row of seats, as such they must tailor their shows to the venue.

Sorry to say they did not match the extra curricular activities to the passenger demographics, given that over 90% of the passengers were between 60 and 80, the likes of the hip-opp dance lessons were not well attended, also the $25 a head “Topless Review” was probably not the best idea, given the pressure the medical staff were already under, another dozen old blokes with heart attacks was all they needed!

Communication was minimal, the daily “newspaper” had the same “general information” and ships adverts for discount dry-cleaning or hair / beauty treatment every day and just minimum information on other items of interest.

Other things that did not ingratiate Star to it’s passengers was the likes of double dipping in the Currency Exchange, by converting your currency say $AU to $SG first then from $SG to $US, $HK or Malaysian Ringgit, and back, everything had to go through Singapore $’s so you lost on the exchange rate twice for every transaction.

Also the pool is just too small for the number of passengers and the number of sea days in such a hot climate, at best it takes no more than a dozen people standing shoulder to shoulder, I miss being able to do laps in a half size Olympic pool available on other bigger ships.

Anyway you all go and enjoy yourselves on Gemini, I am confident you will as the Staff are just so friendly and helpful, and while she is an old ship, by today’s standards, the Gemini still has the grace of a real cruise ship.

Catch you on the Seas one day.

Regards, BJ (Bruce) and Mrs C (Beth)

Thanks Vera,

I missed it the first time but have found it, nice party I went as a troll!:p

Regrads, Bruce.

Hi all,

Good news the system is back up and I’ve finished my Stocktake, so don’t have to work on the weekend, Bl..dy IT Help Desk, another “oxymoron”!:rolleyes:

Anyway good to hear from all the lucky people on Gemini, having a good time, but sad to hear you lost one, I could think of worse ways to go.

Which triggered a weird thought process, I wonder if you passed away overseas, when they ship you back to Aus, would you still be entitled to your two bottles of Duty Free?;)

So will catch up with you lot soon, got the Granddaughters 3rd birthday party tomorrow, it’s a “Fairy Party”, don’t know what Boompah is supposed to get dressed up in, but there will be no photos to show, that’s for sure!:p

Regards, Bruce