Super Star Virgo

[Doubletrouble_in_oz]

We are off to Singapore tomorrow morning (5am!:eek: ) and sailing on the Virgo the day after.

I would like to thank Mike and everyone else for all the brilliant information about the SSV and the ins and outs of cruising......hopefully I can return the favour some day.

 

Cheers

 

Justine

[J33JWA]

Bon Voyage Justine~hope it's not too late to catch you before you set off to Singapore. Don't forget the Singapore sling at the Raffles Long Bar;)

 

Cheers. James:)

[deck 9 001]

Justine,

 

 

BON VOYAGE

 

Wishing you a fabulous cruise and lifelong memories.

 

Don't forget to have a drink and soak up the atmosphere and great views at The Taverna on Deck 13.

 

Best,

Mike

[Jamin]

Have a great voyage Justine:p - Bon Voyage,

Any pics and reviews will be something to look forward for.

Hope it is safe and memorable - very envious - can't wait !

 

Any comparisons would be excellent per my previous post,

hope I am requesting in the right forum ? ( new as you know )

 

Enjoy:cool:

[J33JWA]

Hi Mike and fellow cruisers ~ anyone of you cruised on the SS Libra (aka.Norwegian Sea) lately? We are booked to cruise the Aegean Sea next month and wonder whether this ship is large enough to keep us busy during the 3 sea days! We can't spend too much time in the casinos and rather join the line dancing classes, art auctions or other activities.

 

Anyone else boarding the SSVirgo, Gemini or Leo in the coming months?

This seems to be the most active thread for the SS ships, though it originally started off with Virgo.

 

Have a nice day.........Cheers.....................James:)

[deck 9 001]

Hi James, congrats on your upcoming Med cruise aboard Libra.

At 42,000 tons I think the Libra is large enough to have the venues and facilities to keep you busy. Although the ship just recently had a refurb for the Indian market, Star Cruises has again refreshed some venues to a more Asian look.

 

From recent reports that I have heard about Libra in the Med, passengers are very pleased with this ship and the unbeatable service from the Asian staff.

 

I am sure you will enjoy your cruise with Libra. Just go in knowing that the cabins (in all categories) are quite small. But this should not matter, as you will be too busy doing other things.

 

Have a great cruise James. I am sure Libra will be fine for you.

 

Best,

Mike

[Jamin]

Hi SS cruisers,:)

James - we are on Aug 27th and counting the days.

Never had a suite on SSV - but by all reports ( thanks to all ) it will be

amazing.

I hope that 2007 will see some new itinerary options on SSV but have been unable to gain any insight as to the possible options.

You are right when commenting on this being the SS thread which I hope continues.:D

Please, please :confused: - can anyone give me some comparisons as to how SSV

stacks up compared to other cruiselines and similiar size vessels.

 

Remember - any questions requiring answers that I can take onboard

would be great.

Kind regards

Simon;)

[mummsie]

Hi SS cruisers,:)

James - we are on Aug 27th and counting the days.

Never had a suite on SSV - but by all reports ( thanks to all ) it will be

amazing.

I hope that 2007 will see some new itinerary options on SSV but have been unable to gain any insight as to the possible options.

You are right when commenting on this being the SS thread which I hope continues.:D

Please, please :confused: - can anyone give me some comparisons as to how SSV

stacks up compared to other cruiselines and similiar size vessels.

 

Remember - any questions requiring answers that I can take onboard

would be great.

Kind regards

Simon;)

 

Hi Simon, I can give you a comparison between SS Gemini and the Pacific Princess - similar sized ships and both 5 star ships. We found that the cabin staff and the wait staff are on a parr. The bar staff we found a little more friendly on the Gemini but the service was about the same. The food - we found the breakfast on the Gemini very basic compared to the Pacific Princess but adequate. Ditto for the buffet. The range of foods in the buffet on Pacific Princess was much larger. The food in the restaurant was much better prepared than the food on Pacific Princess but the range again was much smaller. Entertainment was better on the Gemini although the dance music wasn't as good. My husband and I are ballroom dancers and we live to dance. We didn't use the pool on the Gemini so I can't comment. Also the range of goods to buy on the Gemini is much smaller. There is only the one small shop that sells everything. Pacific Princess has 2 shops - one with novelties and toilereries and another with jewellery and ornaments. I also found the Gemini much better laid out and much easier to find your way around. Pacific Princess you are forever going up and down stairs (Not a bad thing though - you need to work off all the food!!). Hope this answers your questions :) Mummsie

[Jamin]

Hi all,

:) Thanks Mummsie - appreciated !

It would be excellent to gain some more input re comparing StarCruises

vessels to similiar size vessels in other fleets.

P & O, Carnival, etc surely can't compete with SSV and the value it represents ?

Looking forward to some feedback.

Happy cruisin:D

Simon

[deck 9 001]

Hi Simon, the crew/staff to passenger ratio alone ensures better and more efficient service on all of Star's ships. The entertainment provided by Star on their ships is in my opinion, far superior to other Lines. Star's "in-house" produced shows are spectacular, especially in a venue such as The Lido onboard the Virgo.

 

All in all, Star offers a fine product which keeps getting better and better since I started sailing with them from their inception 13 years ago.

 

Of course a cruise is "what you make it," but Star gives you a head start to help you make your cruise enjoyable.

 

Best,

 

Mike

[mummsie]

Hi all,

:) Thanks Mummsie - appreciated !

It would be excellent to gain some more input re comparing StarCruises

vessels to similiar size vessels in other fleets.

P & O, Carnival, etc surely can't compete with SSV and the value it represents ?

Looking forward to some feedback.

Happy cruisin:D

Simon

 

our cruise on the Gemini was more expensive than the Pacific Princess but because there is no tipping it probably worked out the same. The only thing I didn't like was having to buy cans of soft drink. On Princess you can buy a soda card at the beginning of the cruise and then you can get free soft drinks from the fountain for the entire cruise. P&O is a bit cheaper but then they usually run 3 star ships. We have booked our daughter on P&O for her honeymoon on the Sun so I can let you know a bit more after she gets back middle of October. Mummsie:)

[Jamin]

Thanks mummsie and Mike,:D

We had the impression from our first cruise that the crew on Starcruise

vessels were exceptional - particularly with cleanliness.

Hope your daughter enjoys P & O and congratulations.

 

:confused: Hopefully other board members can impart some knowledge on

other comparable ships to SSV - which we can all look forward to.

Regards

Simon ;)

[J33JWA]

Mike ~ we will look forward to sailing on SSV Libra on their Med.cruises. We usually sail on larger ships but have tried a similar sized ship (40k tons) - Celebrity: Horizon, some years back and loved it just the same, especially having made many friends with table mates and CC cruisers on board.

 

Simon ~ you have just over a month wait for your SSV and we are sure you will like your suite. The SSV is a fairly large ship and we give it a 3.75 star rating........after comparing it to the other cruise ships that we tried. If you like free-style cruising and less formal nights (tuxedo, black tie and dressing up and ambience) then SSV will be great!

 

Simon, Gayle ~ In my opinion (IMO) after cruising with several lines (except QE2,Q.Mary -too expensive!:rolleyes:) I will rank them as follows - Celebrity, RCL, P&O Princess, Starship & Carnival. But who cares as any cruise line will do! -

Cruising rekindles the body, soothes the soul and awakens the spirit!

 

Happy cruising everyone.:p

 

James:)

[Jamin]

Thanks James,:)

So looking forward to it - counting the days.

I am interested to know how the other cruiselines compare

for value ? We are under the impression that a suite would be way

out of our league on other lines. We only paid $1515 each then get $400

to spend.

Cheers again

Simon:D

[Doubletrouble_in_oz]

Wow! What can I say.....we loved it! It was all I expected and more.....the whole family had a great time, the ship itself is fantastic, the crew amazing. We only got back at 1am this morning (had 5 days in Singapore after the cruise) and I have already stopped by my travel agent (ok, ok, had to go grocery shopping and travel shop is right next door :rolleyes: ) and asked her to keep an eye out for "earlybird" offers for 2008!! There is so much to do on board and so little time to do it all......so we just chilled out and relaxed and enjoyed the experience. We had 2 balcony cabins and the $800 on-board credit came in very handy. We did spend a lot of time at The Taverna (cold beers after an excursion=heaven) and at the Observatory.....great views!

This was our very first cruise and we are hooked.

Once again, many thanks to everyone who answered all my questions during the last few months.....hopefully I be able to help any new cruisers. Just ask!

 

Cheers

 

Justine

[Jamin]

Great to hear Justine !!!:D

It truly is a fantastic ship to enjoy.

How was Kung Fu ? and the other shows...

I can taste the Heineken already.

:) Balcony priveleges are fantastic especially with the credit.

Did you get a chance to dine at Pallazo or Noble House ?

We experienced the same feeling after our first cruise and booked again.

Rest up and reminisce.:cool:

Regards Simon

[FrangipaniGirl]

Sounds like you had a great trip Justine! Welcome home :D

I'd love to hear about the ports you visited and the shore excursions you did.

Cheers,

Caz :)

[J33JWA]

Welcome back Justine. While you were in Singapore, did you get on a trishaw for a ride? We did and it was great fun! It only cost us SPR$20 for a ride from Raffles Long Bar back to our Phoenix Hotel in Orchard Road in the middle of the night, and the rider blast 60's music all the way! It was so much fun when he weaves through cars, traffic lights and the Parks too.

 

Simon ~ when you mention $s do you mean US$s or Aus$s? On the US cruises we usually book with US TAs, and we usually book balconies instead of suites, so difficult to compare prices to SSV.

We have dined in SSV Pallazo and the service and food was excellent, but you have to book early as there are very few tables.

 

Cheers everyone........James:)

[Jamin]

Hi James,

Aus $ - which convert well to most Asian destinations.

American $ I am sure would just about make you a tycoon in Asia.;)

Justine - Iam like Caz and am really looking forward to hearing of

your experiences whilst cruising on SSV.

Did you go to the Fantasea shorex show in Phuket ?

 

We went on the trishaw shorex when in Penang which was also brilliant.

The chap driving us ( pedalling ) had legs like matchsticks and was quite mature - he looked 90 not out ! But boy was he amazing and very enthusiastic.

 

Regards:D

Simon

[deck 9 001]

Welcome back Justine. I knew you would love Virgo. Good thing your TA is close to the supermarket:D

So glad that this thread helped to make your cruise just that more enjoyable.

 

Don't stay away now, you have lot's of first-hand info to give to others.

 

Aren't those beers up at The Taverna with that fantastic view just great!

 

Cheers,

Mike

[Jamin]

Mike,

You are so right - the Heineken is fantastic at the Taverna,:o

as is the hamburgers they do !

Come on Justine - we are all hanging in anticipation.:eek:

Simon

[deck 9 001]

Simon,

 

Aren't those burgers fabulous!!!

 

Wish I had one right now.

 

Regards,

Mike

[Doubletrouble_in_oz]

Hi everyone,

 

Many thanks for all the "Welcome Backs"!:o

 

I only have a few minutes, as it's almost time to go and pick the kids from school.......we didn't do any excursions organized by the ship, mainly because we had a 7 year old with us who tends to get very annoying when tired or bored (and drives us nuts). In Phuket and Lankgawi we hired a driver who took us where we wanted to go. I do realize we didn't see many of the local attractions, but we still got a "taste" of the locations and we will certainly go back when the kids are older.

In Redang we spent time on the beach, once again without taking part in any shorex excursions. However, crew members from the SSV had beach games organized (volleyball, soccer etc) and it was hilarious. Only a few passengers took part in them, (maybe 15, including our family of 4:eek: ) rest was crew members, but it was the best time ever.

 

Tiger beer tastes even better:p

 

Have to run, will continue later.......

 

Cheers

 

Justine

[FrangipaniGirl]

mmmmm ...... Tiger Beer ...... :D :D :D :D

[Jamin]

Cheers all - any beer is great on SSV !:D

The cocktails are also very tasty - cannot wait.

Simon :cool: