Speaking candidly, the cruise to nowhere - a 2D2N cruise in the high seas on Star Cruise anounced by the BIJHAR core committee, to me, initially appeared to be an exercise in extravaganza. I was of the view that the organizers might instead spend the money - almost S$500 per head on higher value for money tours on the likes of  Angkor Vat, Bali etc.

But that was not what I felt as the trip progressed on the beautiful sunny afternoon of Friday 22Sep06. My wife, my teenager son and I realised that the experience of cruising with 7 BIJHARI families in tow was indeed going to be a fascinating and memorable one .

The people who deserve to be thanked profusely for making this most amazing trip happen are Prakash and Bhawana who kept egging us on during the planning phase of the trip when many of us showed a lackadaisical approach to the idea and wanted to pull out due to one reason or the other.

 The Journey Begins

The rendezvous commenced at about 5 pm on the Friday with some of us rushing directly from our offices to Harbour Front pick up point.  It took us about half an hour to obtain our boarding tickets which also served as our cabin key, onboard credit card and identity card.  We were advised to keep this card with us all the times during the cruise. The immigration was hassle free. We just needed to carry our passports and PR cards/EPs and no visas were necessary. While walking on the gangway to reach the ship, we caught a lovely glimpse of the majestic 12 storeyed cruiser named SUPERSTAR VIRGO, our home for the next 2 days and at least I could not resist saying wow. There were guys and gals at the ship entrance in fancy dresses welcoming us with a warm smile. They also took our photographs which were later displayed for buying in case we wished to.

Excitement is So Evident

Some Details of The Ship

The SUPERSTAR VIRGO has a gross tonnage of 76800, measures 268m x 32 m and cruises at an average speed of 24 Knots ( 1 Knot = 1.8 kilometres per hour). It has a passenger capacity of 1960 in its 980 exquisitely designed cabins of different types, with high end priced cabins having balconies. We had selected the 11th floor stateroom cabins with 2 to 4 beds which were laid out in two tiers and were highly reminiscent of the train journeys in the AC Two Tier compartments in India. The rooms were cosy, very well designed, had attached toilet and bath and had all other facilities which one will normally expect in a 5-star hotel. In the cabins one hardly feels any movement and I do not recall even one case of anyone complaining of seasickness. Maybe I should rather let you browse the starcruise website instead of describing every detail.

Storm in our Tea Cups- Literally 

After an efficient check-in we all went for our dinner at Bella Vista which we had reserved in advance. All meals on the cruise are included in the price but one is free to dine at various restauarants with prior booking and I understand in some case an additional payment might be involved. One thing that was very evident on board was the recognition that StarCruise accorded to the large number of Indian visitors. There was literally an Indian food fest like scene. Bella Vista served us some lip smacking Indian fare including Samosas as a starter.  The ship had an exclusive Indian restaurant called Tajmahal as well. And then there was Mediterranean Buffet
and Terrace with a sprawling dining space opening a full view of the ocean with all its might and grandeur. Sitting here our BIJHARIs did an
impossible. They sighted a Twister which is so rare that even the cruise employees had not seen one in years. A Twister is a form of tornado which simply put is a violenlty rotating narrow column of air.