Super Star Virgo

[Mahjong77]

:) Thanks for that , I knew I had read about the office somewhere , don't forget to come back and tells us how the cruise went :D

 

cheers

[little britain]

I wasn't on this trip this time round :( but my cousin was - she isn't a CC member - so here is what she said!

 

The pick-up was organised for 12.30, Unfortunately, huge queues of people, as the Gemini was also in, all queueing to check their suitcases in, and very hot, and no special check-in place for Admiral Class passengers! (or rather, no SIGNPOSTED special check-in area, we found out AFTER!) ....... but eventually we were aboard, and being given nice glasses of champers! I think Star cruises will be making sure signs are up next time!

The cruise was great - lots of sailing. Our Executive Suite 10001 was just beautiful! Much the same as before - drinks either in our window spot in the Galaxy of the Stars or in our suite before dinner, 3 dinners in the Bella Vista, 1 in the Taj, and 1 in the Noble House - we had the Peking Duck again! Sat with the Captain himself at the Captain's dinner - wow he was a spunk!

Mornings spent on deck, lunches at the Mediterranean Buffet out the back.........

It was a 2 1/2 hour trip one way from the port into Bangkok, so we decided not to bother, and as usual the ship emptied, so it was lovely round the pool and at lunch!

We did go into Koh Samui - 20 min tender boat ride, then a 30 min bemo trip to get to Chaweng beach, and very hot, so a bit of a journey! The beach was just packed with tourists, but we walked up to the northern area which was a bit quieter, and found a lovely local restaurant on the beach and had an amazingly cheap lunch - several Singha beers (very needed by then!), a plate of seafood noodles and a spicy green papaya and cashew nut salad - all up A$15 !!!! But then a very hot trip back to the ship again!

And then sailed all the way back to S'pore! Trip went very very quickly again.

All the food on board was delicious, especially the Beef Wellington at the Captains Dinner!

Getting off was no trouble at all, so altogether was a fabulous holiday.

[J33JWA]

Hi Guys ~ this has been a very useful place on the CC board to seek information and tips for the Virgo. Hopefully the CC administrators will move it to a more easily accessable place on the boards for other would be passengers to check in, instead of leaving it under 'other cruises'.

 

Mike (resident Virgo cruiser;)) - please confirm if there will be a muster drill on board this ship for those taking the short or longer cruises? I suspect there will be none, but if there is one how long will it take?

 

Are there any 'NCL Star internet online facilities' to book for shore excursions in the countries visited or does one have to line up to book them?

 

Cheers again and hope other Virgo cruisers (old and new) drop in for a chat or two and exchange views of this Far East Asian cruise.

 

Latest........................James:)

[deck 9 001]

Hi James,

 

There will indeed be a muster drill. Star Cruises views safety as their #1 priority. But fear not, it is usually painless and last for 25 to 30 minutes and then you are at liberty to enjoy the ship and all the fun.

 

No, Star does not have an online booking engine for shorex. They do have descriptions of their optional shorex on their web site which you can see here. http://www2.starcruises.com/Fleet/Virgo/tours.html

 

Take a look and see what interests you. Make note of the shorex # and when you get aboard go to the desk and double check price and then fill out the form. It really is not too congested with pax. It goes quickly. Anyway, it is a good opportunity to ask questions you may have about the shorex you are interested in just to verify that it will be suitable for you.

 

Nice to see that you are trying to make your cruise as enjoyable as possible. Being prepared sure makes things easier.

You will love your cruise James.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

[cheeky_minx]

Hello all !

 

I have been reading with interest all about the Virgo since last October, but now with only 21 sleeps until we leave for Singapore, am getting very excited. My partner bought me the cruise as a Christmas and Birthday present with me celebrating my birthday on the day after the cruise finishes with a dinner at Equinox, which is where he took me for my birthday dinner last year - we saw the Virgo from the cable car to Sentosa Island - must be where he got the idea!!

 

Mind you, from what you guys have been saying, I dont think I will be eating for a month after we disembark the Virgo!, or at the very least, shouldnt be !! :)

 

You guys have been a fountain of information and most of the questions I was formulating over the months have been answered. Just have a couple of questions which may or may not have been answered and I missed, so apologise if that is the case....

 

On the board is there a facility for putting digital camera photos onto CD from memory sticks - or will we need to take our laptop?

 

Also I notice that the ship is very multicultural, and having been built for the Asian market, can I presume that there will be vegetarian options available at all restaurants on board ? - my partner is vegetarian. We love indian food and know that they usually have a good selection of veggie dishes and apparently the Indian Restaurant on board is superb, but what about the others ....

 

Also, power points on board - do they follow the UK system 3 square pin?

 

Sorry, if the questions seem trivial, but we are relative 'newbies' to cruising!!

 

Kind regards

Jane

 

PS: Did I mention 21 sleeps !!

[Doubletrouble_in_oz]

Hi everyone,

 

Our TA has just called and our travel documents have arrived!!! :D

 

The cabin numbers we have requested have been confirmed (in small print but still black on white:p ) and with our pre-cruise accommodation finally booked, we are all set to go.

Kids go back to school on Tuesday (after a 2 week break), so the cruise is only 1 school term away, or 2 P&F meetings, or 10 soccer games......but who is counting, huh?:p

 

These boards have been absolutely brilliant, everyone has been so helpful and friendly, it almost feels like being part of a big family....LOL

 

Mike...once again, you are a legend. Thank you for answering all the dumbest questions I could think of:D

and for being there with all the advice.

 

Justine

 

PS. James, my apologies for not answering your question re:Easter earlier. We went away for the school break and only got back a few days ago. Yes, we do celebrate Easter and the chocolate eggs are part of the tradition. However, the Easter Bunny was a day late this year (a big ooooopppssss!:p )

[deck 9 001]

Hi Jane,

 

Glad that you have gotten good info from this thread. We are all glad to help.

 

I am not 100% sure of the Digital photo availabilities onboard Virgo. Do contact Star Cruises at starcare@starcruises.com.my and ask. They will certainly answer yoour questions.

 

You will be extremely pleased with the Vegetarian food available onboard Virgo. Indeed the Indian section at the buffet offers a wide and varied choice of vegetarian food, and quite good I may add.

Also The Taj (extra tariff) restaurant has many choices.

In general, you will find many food choices to suit your tastes in all the dining venues.

 

Regarding the power points in the cabin, I am attaching a photo taken aboard the Gemini. This is the normal power points supplied. Adaptors are available at Reception if you need them.

 

You will love Virgo and have a great cruise. Please let us know how it was for you when you return.

 

Regards,

 

Mike--heading to Thailand today.

 

 

[deck 9 001]

Hi Justine, bet you are a happy camper now, being that your travel docs have arrived. This just makes it all the more exciting for you.

 

I am really happy that I was able to help with some of your questions. It makes me feel good to know that my little input meant something to someone.

 

Keep asking, we're all here for you.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

[J33JWA]

Thank you for more updates and information. I will be checking in constantly until we board the Virgo.

 

Another question ~ anyone been on either of the 'Scenic Phang Nga Bay' or 'Sea Cave canoe adventure' and wonder if the 2nd excursion is purely a canoe trip? When does one get on the canoe, from where, how many pax.on each canoe, and how long does one have to row?

 

Re the Indian curries - are the pre cooked buffet curries spicey and madras hot (which we like) or just mild and korma like?

 

Hey Mike ~ which city in Thailand will you be working in this time? Looks like you travel round working in the Far East and you are based in Taipeh?

Is it still foggy as usual in Taipeh?

 

Cheers and ta ta......................James:)

[J33JWA]

Hi Justine ~ forgot to ask when is your sailing date?

Well you can continue with the document dance this weekend.;)

Have a nice day.

James:)

[FrangipaniGirl]

I have been reading these boards with interest recently - thanks for all the great info!

Looks like hubby and I'll be heading off on a 5 night (Redang/KK) SSV cruise in June :D The last time I was cruising was as a single girl 20 years ago so this time is going to be a completely different experience I bet ;)

I'm bound to think of quite a few questions before then, but for now, can anyone tell me if there are any advantages to requesting a cabin on one side of the ship rather than the other?

Caz :)

[cheeky_minx]

Dear Mike

Thank you for that. I have emailed SSV and will certainly come back and let everyone know their response.

 

The food on SSV sounds amazing - looking forward to this 'freestyle' cruising - have cruised previously but with set seating and set menus.

 

I notice that some of the extra tariff restaurants have smaller seating capacity eg. Palazzo and The Taj - do they take reservations and would you recommend booking these??

 

A big thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge - I recall someone on here said that the more you are prepared and plan, the more enjoyable the cruise, so I really appreciate everyone taking the time.

 

Jane

18 sleeps!!

[Doubletrouble_in_oz]

Hi James,

 

We sail on Sunday, 16th July.......we fly into Singapore the day before as the plane doesn't land until 1.30 and it would have been a mad rush trying to get onboard.

 

 

Jane.....wow, less than 3 weeks to go:D have a wonderful cruise !

 

 

Cheers

 

Justine

[Caz99]

We are travelling on the SSV this September, spending 5 nights in Singapore beforehand. I'm am thinking of purchasing a dvd / video cam in Singapore (duty free approx $1000.00 sgd). When I board the ship can I open this item and use it . Also do I have to declare it in Malayasia, Thailand or in Singapore when we get back. Will there be duties payable?

:confused:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cheeky_minx]

Dear Justine

Thanks for that.

 

Yes, I know! I cant believe it - booked it last October, thought it would never get here ...

 

Will definitely post as soon as we get back to let you know what a treat you are in for in July.

 

Jane

[J33JWA]

Hi Guys ~ Cax(FgGirl), Jane and Caz99 ~ nice of you to keep this thread warm while our 'resident SSV cruiser' Mike(deck9 001) is away working hard in Thailand. Hopefully he will report back soon.

 

Justine - good thing that you fly to SPR the day before or you cutting it a bit fine by landing at 1:30pm on cruise day. Our original flight from KLIA was suppose to land in Changi at 1:00pm.on cruise day but we changed it to an earlier flight and will be in SPR by 10:30am.just in case there are delays and flight cancellations.

 

Cheers. James:)

[cheeky_minx]

Hi guys

In response to one of my earlier questions - Starcare have confirmed that they do not have a facility on board for transferring photos from memory stick to CD - just thought I would let everyone know in they had the same question.

 

We are also arriving into Singapore the day before, had a similar thought about possible delays etc..

 

Also, does anyone know - do they have a bureau de change on board or do you recommend purchasing the currencies for each stop prior to boarding??

 

Cant belive that about this time in 2 weeks we will be touching down in Singapore for a Sunday cruise - yippee!!

 

Jane

[FrangipaniGirl]

Thanks for letting us know about the photo transfers Jane - it was something I wanted to know as well. Looks like I'll have to take the extra memory cards in that case.

I have a couple more questions (please bear with me - I'm a newbie:o )......

On the Virgo do we use a card to pay for all our purchases and then settle the bill at the end as the other liners do?

Also, are we able to take a towel with us on shore excursions or should we bring our own?

Thanks,

Caz :)

[cheeky_minx]

Dear Caz

I am a 'newbie' too, however I did read in one of the earlier pages of this forum that SSV is a cashless access card system on board - here is the link to the bit on their website in relation to this - hope it helps.

 

http://www.starcruises.com/Destinations/comprehensive.html#Anchor-Access

 

As for the towels, I wouldnt know.

 

Kind regards

Jane

[FrangipaniGirl]

Thanks again Jane :)

[Nicole Joan]

Caz99 What date in September are you going on Virgo. We are doing 17 & 24 Seotember cruises, Nicole

[deck 9 001]

Hi Everyone,

 

As James pointed out, I am indeed still in Thailand (Pattaya) and do not have my pc here. So, I am at the mercy of local internets shops/cafe's.

As you can imagine, they are always busy and most of the time I cannot wait around for a spot to open up.

But, I will be returning to Taipei after a brief stop in TaiShan,China and will catch up on all the posts I have missed and do my best to supply some info for you.

 

Ok, must leave, as I have appointments.

 

Stay well everyone and speak to you again soon.

 

Brgds,

Mike

[J33JWA]

Hi Mike,

 

So glad that you dropped in again. We understand that you cannot stay too long in Siam's internet cafes and their PCs are always very busy.

 

You must travel around a lot in the Asian circuit and lucky to visit so many different cities while you work.

 

Cheers and regards.

James:)

 

PS. hope the rest of you folks will pop in to keep this thread warm while Mike is away!;)

[Caz99]

We Leave Brisbane on the 5th Sept spend 5 nights in Singapore then board SSV on the 10th. Home again on the 16th. :)

 

Carole

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FrangipaniGirl]

Hi Mike,

Nice to see you're still "on board" :D

Caz