Why cruise?

MANILA, Philippines - It’s the one sound you wouldn’t want to hear on a cruise ship — seven short blasts of the bell, followed by one long blast. It’s the alarm signal, followed by an announcement to abandon ship. This we learned as we gathered on the open deck for the mandatory passenger safety drill, which was the first order of the afternoon, after we had checked in to our cabins.

It was reassuring to know that there were 14 lifeboats, seven on each side of the ship. You have your own flotation vest with its automatic beacon light and whistle. Each boat can carry 150 passengers. With 1,500 passengers on board, there was certainly more than enough room to spare. Even more reassuring was to know that safety is the cruise industry’s number one priority. In fact, it is said that cruising is one of the safest forms of passenger transportation.

With the mandatory drill accomplished, we went on to enjoy the inaugural cruise from Kota Kinabalu to Puerto Princesa aboard the SuperStar Aquarius of Star Cruises, the leading cruise line in Asia Pacific. A member of the Genting Hong Kong group, whose primary business activity is cruise and cruise-related operations, Star Cruises together with Norwegian Cruise Line, is the third largest cruise line in the world. Incidentally, consistent with its global leisure, entertainment and hospitality thrust, Genting Hong Kong’s first land-based attraction is Resorts World Manila.

SuperStar Aquarius recently home-ported in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia for its second season — from November 2014 to March 2015 — introducing an all-new 4D/3N destination cruise itinerary to Puerto Princesa in the Philippines. With Star Cruises marketing primarily to Asian travelers, the maiden voyage carried both local and international passengers from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia and the Philippines.

The first thing I noticed about my cabin on Deck 6 was that it was not as small as I imagined it would be. The more than 15 sqm stateroom and bath was big enough to accommodate two single beds as well as two cozy sofas and a coffee table beside a good-sized window with an unobstructed ocean view. That alone would have been enough to keep us captive in our room, to simply enjoy the utter luxury of freestyle cruising.

The 13-story-high ocean liner with 756 cabins travels at a comfortable average cruising speed of 18 knots, up to a maximum of 20 knots. Stabilizers reduce the rocking motion and ensure that the ship moves smoothly to eliminate the chance of seasickness.

Cruise ships are often described as “giant floating hotels,” with the difference being these so-called floating resort-hotels are moving while the land-based ones do not. You get to enjoy the same hotel services with additional activities to keep you entertained during the leisurely journey from one port of call to the next.

On board SuperStar Aquarius, we were treated to world-class entertainment and live novelty acts such as a riveting magic show and an elaborate international production as well as themed parties such as the Hawaiian-themed cocktail reception at the Stardust Lounge.

There’s the Skyline karaoke lounge with private rooms for marathon singing sprees as well as the exclusive Maxims Lounge to satisfy your taste for fine wines and cocktails. There’s a mah-jong room as well as a basketball court on the top deck; an outdoor Jacuzzi and swimming pool, spa and sauna. There’s a children’s playroom and nursery, ice cream parties and cooking classes for kids as well as galley tours and bingo games. And for the ladies, a beauty salon as well as luxury and duty free shops.

Some say the food seems to taste better on a cruise ship, perhaps because of the variety of dining options as well as the attendant pampering you get from the service crew. SuperStar Aquarius boasts 10 restaurants and bars, found both indoors and outdoors, such as Champ’s outdoor pool bar and Oceana’s barbeque both on Deck 12, and even an intimate tea corner on Deck 9.  Mariners, the biggest restaurant on the ship, offers an international buffet while Dynasty offers Chinese family-style dining. And if you’re craving regional cuisine that’s hot and spicy, there’s the Malaysian specialty restaurant, Spices.

Serving the various restaurants on board the cruise ship is no easy task especially for SuperStar Aquarius executive chef Harald Markt who has the unenviable responsibility of overseeing all the food production on board as well as managing the galley staff of 120 including stewarding and provision. While he ensures that the food quality meets and even exceeds guests’ expectations, his other duties also include the less visible imperatives such as safeguarding food handling standards, hygiene and sanitation.

Chef Harald takes charge of the preparation of the weekly market list as well as the control of food stock inventory, menu planning, costing and implementation. Coming originally from Innsbruck in Austria, he works closely with his chefs who have knowledge of the local market. He welcomes feedback and suggestions from guests as well. With Puerto Princesa as a new port of call, it is not unlikely that some Filipino dishes such as adobo and crispy pata may soon find its way onto the menu.

A good number of the kitchen staff are Filipinos, among them pastry chef Josef Ballelos who has been working at sea for 14 years, the past two years with Star Cruises. Sous chef Elvis Ballaran has 15 years of work experience at sea under his belt. Romeo Flores is the chief butcher who takes care of production and portioning while Jaime Eden is provision master who takes care of the timely and efficient replenishment of supplies.

Chef Harald gave us a personalized tour of the galley, the hot and cold kitchens, as well as the refrigeration and storage areas. We saw how waste segregation and disposal is given special attention. Safety is a primary consideration. These are the nuts and bolts that help keep a pleasant cruise ship experience afloat.

It is Chef Harald’s habit to visit the local market at the cruise ship’s ports of call to check out the produce that’s available and in season. At Puerto Princesa, he took his bike out from the ship at 10 p.m. and got a sense of what this new destination had to offer.

It is said that the land tours are simply the bonus you get out of a cruise ship vacation. Still, it should not be too much to want a memorable shore excursion such as the one you can expect at Puerto Princesa in Palawan in the Philippines.

Star Cruises senior vice president for sales, Michael Goh, remarked: “On behalf of Star Cruises, we are proud to have Puerto Princesa as one of the new destinations for SuperStar Aquarius. During this deployment, SuperStar Aquarius will make 14 calls to Puerto Princesa, each time bringing in world travelers to this beautiful city. We are committed to promoting Puerto Princesa and the Palawan Island province to travellers across the region and the world.”

Recently declared one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Tour should not be missed. Much has been written about this UNESCO World Heritage site, and while it may not always dazzle, still you could not imagine it ever failing to fascinate. The 45-minute paddle boat ride on the estuary that snakes through the bowels of the Saint Paul limestone mountains, while gazing at rock formations millions of years old sculpted by Mother Nature, is an experience you will not easily forget.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” I am not sure which moves more deeply, coming or going, departing or arriving. The sky was overcast during our cruise back to Kota Kinabalu, but by the time we arrived, the sun was out. The popular Filipino Night Market facing the waterfront is some kind of a tourist destination in this capital city of Sabah. In the open stalls were piles of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, prawns, crabs and lobsters as well as barbequed meats on the grill. The seafood dinner at Kampung Nelayan Restaurant, together with its cultural show, was a pleasant way to cap our trip before our flight from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, back to Manila.