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Star Cruises

MS SuperStar Gemini

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Reviewed by: Luther Myrvold
# previous cruises: 2
Date of Trip: December 19, 1999
Itinerary: Orient

The new Star Cruises offers some beautiful ships, including some new 76,000 ton biggies and interesting cruses out or Singapore, Bangkok, HongKong, and Taipei. If you find yourself in any of these cities and have the time, try the cruises. The prices are really reasonable because of the Asian economic meltdown. I would repeat the cruise without a hesitation.

Great promenade deck, small but adequate e pool, great drink service in the hot tubs. The disco needs some re programming,

There are two dinning rooms, the buffet including the open deck aft and the formal Oceana Room. The food in the always-open buffet was changed ethnically every day, and very good. The Thai night was excellent. Breakfast eggs and things al fresco on the aft main deck was just a delight. The main dinning room approached elegance in appointments, but needed to have a better trained staff. I think that the Gemini is the training ship for the Star Cruises other bigger ships. The shaky service was made up by the young, energetic and charming staff that was trying very hard. I became part of the training staff, but then I am a high school teacher and that comes naturally for me. Bar drinks, beer and wine were available in three separate bars, not counting the show room, and were not expensive.

The 20,000 ton ship launched only in 1992 is very pretty and very well maintained. New carpets and fixtures have been installed throughout. The cabins are not elegant, more like modest well appointed Holiday Inn rooms, but they are models of movement and storage efficiency. They never seems small.

The nightly reviews in the show room were again energetic, but with a ship that has only 700-800 passengers, and is only 20,000 tons, the star quality of the mostly British entertainers was just above small town professional. But we all got to know each other quite well during the 7 days of cruising. The night that the hotel and food service staff did the entertaining was really a highlight. Filipinos dominate the crew, and they are just naturally wonderful entertainers.

Stopped at K.Lumpar, Pangkor Island. Langkowi Island, Phuket, Penang, Melacca.

The passengers were mostly ethnic Chinese from Singapore and Malaysia, but British, a sprinkling of Anzacs, Indians and Filipinos made the mix very interesting. Only 10 Americans, including me were aboard that I know of.