I vaguely remember how much fun I had when I went on a cruise during my childhood. I recall running around the ship with my newly made friends, joining in the games on board, playing at the arcade, and eating as much as I possibly could. It’s been years and years since that holiday — so you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to cruise again, as an adult. I knew it was going to be a whole different experience, and I was looking forward to just being at sea.

Star Cruise’s Superstar Gemini

I was scheduled for a 4 days 3 nights cruise on Star Cruise’s Superstar Gemini. At approximately 230 meters long, with 10 passenger accessible decks; the liner isn’t the biggest in Star Cruise’s ship line-up — but can accommodate more than 2000 passengers. Currently, the Superstar Gemini sets sail from Port Klang, stopping by Phuket and Langkawi/Penang, before returning to Port Klang again. My trip was the Port Klang – Phuket – Langkawi – Phuket league.

The Superstar Gemini has 4 complimentary restaurants and 2 ala-carte; as well as 5 bars. There are 2 large outdoor swimming pools, outdoor jacuzzis, a gymnasium, a jogging track, a karaoke lounge, a show theater, a spa, a salon, and of course — the very important, casino. For some mid-sea shopping, there are duty-free shops, boutiques and a convenient store; and they also offer services like photo-taking, child care and excursion planning. Everything you’d need at sea!

The grand Superstar Gemini from the sky.

All ready to board my ship!

Checking into the cruise at the Boustead Cruise Terminal.

The outdoor pool area, where adults chill and children play.

Doing what I do best while onboard the cruise ship — basking under the sun.

Getting Onboard the Cruise

I arrived at the Boustead Cruise Terminal at about 12.30pm for my cruise embarkation. I decided to drive there; and paid RM20 to park my car at the secured outdoor parking area for the entire cruise duration. There were two cruises at the port that day, but there were signage everywhere and the Star Cruise check-in process was pretty straight forward. With my ticket in hand, I dropped off my luggage at the front counter; followed the crowd up the stairs to get my room-card; passed through immigration and bag-checks; and finally made my way to the ship. I had to drop off my passport upon entry, but throughout the cruise, I was able to use my room-card as my identification pass (even when disembarking the ship at Phuket and Langkawi).

Lunch was being served when we boarded, and after a compulsory safety briefing session for all the passengers — the ship finally set sail at 4.00pm.

Inside my spacious Oceanview Balcony stateroom.

View over my balcony as we cruise into Port Klang.

View from the side of my room, overlooking Phuket.

Along the stateroom corridors running through the ship.

Stairs leading up and down the cruise ship.

My Stateroom

My Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony was on deck 8 at the aft (back) of the ship. It is pretty spacious — and of course, has a wonderful balcony that allowed me to look at and smell the sea every morning. The room has a separate living area, ensuite bathroom, closet, at least 3 mirrors, a flat screen TV, refrigerator, hairdryer (thankfully), tea and coffee making facilities, and the most comfortable bed! I’ll be honest and say that I snuggled in bed most of the day, and just lazed as long as I could before I got up in the morning. Yes, the bedding was that cozy! On the first day, I was also served a complimentary fruit basket, and cookies.

My stateroom was just a few doors down from an observatory deck at the back of the vessel — where I could watch the flock of birds fly behind the ship to avoid the strong winds. And the deck is just a floor below one of the outdoor swimming pools, which was super convenient for me whenever I needed to go for a quick dip.

A delicious roast lamb leg on the buffet spread at the outdoor Oceana Restaurant.

Fancy dinner plates at the Bella Vista.

The ever so popular Chinese restaurant, Dynasty — I went early, to beat the crowds!

Love this American diner ambiance at the Blue Lagoon Cafe.

Enjoying a Singapore Sling at the Pool Bar.

Restaurants and Bars

There are a total of 4 complimentary restaurants on board the Superstar Gemini — Mariners (International and Indian buffet), Bella Vista (Western cuisine), Dynasty (Chinese and Asian buffet), and the dinner-only Oceana BBQ buffet. I had the opportunity to dine in all the restaurants during my cruise — and though I enjoyed the 3-course meals at the Bella Vista, I still love my Chinese cuisine so Dynasty was my favorite restaurant (it gets packed fast though, so best to start queuing early). All the restaurants display their menu on a signboard outside the restaurant a few hours before meal times, so passengers can decide where to dine. We had lobster on the last day of our cruise.

I got hungry once outside of the pre-set meal times, and went to the ala-carte Blue Lagoon Restaurant to eat. There is a separate charge to dine here — but I thoroughly enjoyed their Hainanese Chicken Rice (they serve Bak Kut Teh and Unagi Don too). Drinks (like sodas and fruit juices) are separately charged as well, and a glass cost about RM13. The bars (for alcoholic beverages) are not included too — so whenever I wanted my beer and cocktails, I had to swipe my room-card for the extra charges. I think I spent the most money on drinks at Champ’s Bar while listening to the live band; and then at the KTV Lounge where I sang karaoke till 3am in the morning!

Pool time at sea time!

We’re having a go at Bubble Football — but I lost. *sob*

And I had the entire jacuzzi all to myself.

Bingo games, lucky draws and the casino.

Exciting and compelling performances every night.

Activities, Shows and Things To Do

Superstar Gemini has several shows, performances and activities planned throughout the day to keep passengers occupied. I was most entertained by their nightly performances — we had three different shows on board during our cruise, the Circus Performance on the first night, the Crew Talent Show on the second, and an amazing magic performance by James Long on the final day.

During the day though, things can get a little slow because of the stops at Phuket and Langkawi, where a majority of passengers disembark to explore the islands. I spent most of my time sunbathing and swimming by the pool; and I noticed that sometimes the crew would have fun and games with the little children (where they win little medals). I was obliged to join in a game of Bubble Football (because no one else wanted to), but ended up having fun rolling around in a bubble while kicking an oversized inflated football. Most of the more exciting activities like the Galley and Captain Bridge tours, Kiddie Chef Classes and Children’s Art Workshops are via pre-registration with an additional charge.

Oh, and I also tried my hand at Bingo for the very first time (it cost RM60 for a set with 6+1 tickets). It was the most stressed I have ever been, and I was just one number from calling Bingo but someone beat me to it! The jackpot is about RM100K, but he walked away with the RM1K consolation price. There’s also the Casino for some rounds of Poker, Black Jack or the slot machines, and it is one of the most popular places for the elderly. I decided to give gambling a miss.

The view of Phuket’s Patong Beach from the cruise liner.

Getting ferried from the ship to shore.

A couple of hours in Phuket to roam its shopping streets.

The Superstar Gemini and the jetty from Patong Beach.

Watching the infamous Bangla Road come to life at night.

Stopping at Phuket and Langkawi

Sometimes it can get a little mundane at sea, so of course the stops along the way is something to look forward to! For my trip, the Superstar Gemini cruise called on the ports of Phuket and Langkawi for about 6 hours at both locations. The ship arrived in Phuket at 4pm on the 2nd day and anchored just off the shore of Phuket’s Patong Beach.  We took a tender (a small boat that ferries passengers) ashore; and I spent my time in Phuket doing two must-do’s while in Thailand — looking for food (tom-yum, pad thai, banana pancakes and mangoes), and going for a massage. You can’t really go too far from the Patong area with a limit of 6 hours, but if you want to know what to do in Phuket, check it out here:- Mynn’s Top 10 Things to Do in Phuket. Alternatively, just book a tour on board.

On the 3rd day, the Superstar Gemini arrived in Langkawi at about 10am. It docked at the jetty at Resorts World Langkawi, so passengers could just walk off the vessel onto land. I decided to stay on the ship instead — and ‘almost’ had it all to myself! Here’s a list of things you can do in Langkawi:- Mynn’s Top 20 Things to Do in Langkawi. It’s important to adjust your exploring time accordingly and get back to the ship on time because RM400 per person will be imposed on late returning passengers; or worse still, you’ll be left behind!

The children are excited to meet Spiderman and his friends.

Learning some spidey poses at the Spiderman Fitness Challenge.

Is this Spiderman… or not?

The Superstar Gemini crew members celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Star Cruise.

A special cake to commemorate the occasion.

The Spiderman Theme Cruise + 25th Anniversary (Limited Time)

For a limited time only, the Superstar Gemini features a Spiderman Theme Cruise — in conjunction with the release of the animation movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The themed cruise runs from 14 November 2018 to 31 January 2019, and features lots of Spiderman activities. Young superhero fans will definitely enjoy the Spiderman parties, Spiderman challenges, Spiderman tea-parties, Spiderman Scavenger Hunts, and of course, the chance to meet and take pictures with Spiderman and his spidey friends.

This year also marks the 25th Anniversary of Star Cruise; so on the last day of the cruise, there was a cake-cutting ceremony as well as a 25th Anniversary Dance Party where we got to play games, take part in fun challenges, and party the night away.

The pool, and the wide open sea.

Looking out the window as the ship cruises by.

It’s always fun in the sun.

Walking around the upper deck of the Superstar Gemini.

Hello from Star Cruises!

My Experience on the Superstar Gemini

I spent most of my day on the cruise just relaxing and chilling by the pool, and then singing and drinking way into the night. The journey at sea was pretty smooth and (thankfully) I didn’t get sea sick — though the port calls did give me a chance to get onto dry (and stable) land, and away from the constant small vibrations that I could feel on board. Everyday we had a program leaflet left just outside our room to find out all the things that are happening on the cruise — daily activities, dining schedules, onboard offers, important notices and port disembarkation details. It helped that reminders on activities were announced on the loud speakers from time to time — I constantly lose track of time while onboard!

A cruise is a great way to disconnect and get away from the stresses of life. However, there’s only so much you can do on a ship of this size, so I still wanted to be online and paid an extra fee of about RM100 to get WiFi access for the duration of my cruise. That, and my need for poolside cocktails made me wish that everything onboard were all-inclusive. So just bear in mind that at the end of the day, there are bills to pay; and yes, passports to collect.

On a whole, I did enjoy my short and sweet trip on Star Cruise’s Superstar Gemini.

All aboard the Superstar Gemini!

The top deck of the ship with its swimming pool and lounge chairs.

Sun on my face and wind in my hair as I cruise the seas.

The Superstar Gemini sailing along the Straits of Malacca.

An aerial view of the pool, and me.

More Information

• Click here to find out more on the package that I experienced — 3 Nights (Port Klang – Phuket – Langkawi – Port Klang).
• For the latest promotion, contact the Cruise Master via Whatsapp here or Facebook here; or call Asia Cathay (parent company) at +603-2142 5566.

*She Walks the World went onboard Star Cruise’s Superstar Gemini as a guest. As always, all opinions stated here are my own.