Super Star Virgo

[rasserie]

ok one more impt question

 

are there any internet cafes?

if there is, issit free or payable?

 

thanks

[kuldalai]

No Internet cafes; but Internet access (5 terminals) is available in the Library on Deck - 12 and usage fee is per minute and charged to your on-board account .

 

Halong Bay - Indicative tours that are likely to be offered shown here :

 

e-mail me at kuldalai@pipeline.com.au for WORD copy .

[rasserie]

any currency converter on board?

 

lets say i wanna convert singapore dollar to malaysian ringgit. possible?

[kuldalai]

Reception will change money for you but be careful . Ships currency is Singapore $ . So if you want to change a currency like Aus $ to Malaysian Ringits they first convert to Singapore $ then to Ringits so you pay twice in conversion. Best take Aus or US $ Cash or Travellers Cheques and change money on shore at street Money Changers. Tip always carry $ 50 of the currency of the first country you fly into after leaving home so you buy coffees, a paper, pay for any taxis etc . Get such notes from major banks in your home country .

[Jamin]

Hi SSV cruisers - hope all is well:)

 

kuldalai - great assistance answering all those questions - currency conversion is a great tip and the onshore changers seem quite good IMHO - that is what makes this thread so good.:D

 

Rasserie - I wish you luck with the cruise and am sure you will enjoy SSV so much that you book a longer cruise in the future. Also welcome to the board !

I look forward to your feedback on the cruise and your first impressions.;)

 

casu1 - Your feedback from the Hong Kong departure will be great and something we can all look forward to.

Yes, the rooms are generally a bit smaller in Hong Kong but the atmosphere,views, food, and markets normally mean you don't spend much time in the room.What a wonderful city! :D

 

We stay at the Renaissance Harbourview HK Island religiously as their rooms are quite well proportioned and the access to everything is great. Last year when we stayed they were renovating :mad:so we are really looking forward to the upgraded facility.

They offer a guaranteed upgrade to a superior harbourview room when staying 4 nights or more and the views are amazing - pic attached.

 

I too am awaiting some reports on Halong Bay, Sanya, Xianen in anticipation of our upcoming HK voyage albeit 7 months away.

 

Happy cruising

Regards Simon

[rasserie]

hi everyone,

 

just came back from the cruise. :)

will try to give a short review of what i think of the cruise.

 

later guys...

[rasserie]

No Internet cafes; but Internet access (5 terminals) is available in the Library on Deck - 12 and usage fee is per minute and charged to your on-board account .

 

Halong Bay - Indicative tours that are likely to be offered shown here :

 

e-mail me at kuldalai@pipeline.com.au for WORD copy .

hi, i asked the activity centre and the charges quoted was S$0.23 per minute.

 

hope this information help others who has the same questions as me. :)

[rasserie]

No Internet cafes; but Internet access (5 terminals) is available in the Library on Deck - 12 and usage fee is per minute and charged to your on-board account .

 

Halong Bay - Indicative tours that are likely to be offered shown here :

 

e-mail me at kuldalai@pipeline.com.au for WORD copy .

hi, i asked the activity centre and the charges quoted was S$0.23 per minute.

 

hope this information help others who has the same questions as me. :)

[malamute]

Hi all -

Greeting from South Africa.

Well ! I am so excited I can barely sit still !! Not only have I just booked my first cruise, but this is in fact going to be the first overseas holiday my wife and I have ever had.

I must thank you all for the extremely useful reports and comments on these boards, it played a big role in our decision to book our holiday - we are going to be taking the SS Virgo on 6 July.

I've even plotted my route on Google Earth :p

 

I'll keep reading your comments, I think the tips and general advice will be extremely useful.

 

Is there anyone else on this board who will also be sailing on SSV ont he same date ? Just wondering ... !

[Jamin]

Hi all:)

 

malamute - welcome aboard and hope you enjoy SSV.

I look forward to your impressions and feedback.

 

rasserie - how did you enjoy Virgo - its staff and amenities.

 

Hope it was as good as promised

 

Happy cruisin

Simon:D

[boeckli]

Welcome to all new participants of the Virgo thread.

 

Have been MIA (i.e. cruising) for a while - anyone interested can find photos from our recent Celebrity Mercury cruise at http://picasaweb.google.com/boeckli/...curyFebMar2008 (or click the photo smiley in my signature).

 

malamute - I'm sure you are very excited - hope you'll enjoy the beautiful Virgo as much as we always have :)

[deck 9 001]

Hi boeckli, thanks for sharing your wonderful pics from your cruise aboard Mercury. I enjoyed them very much. Your cabin looks very comfy and inviting. Great color usage.

 

I am sure you had a great cruise and have lots of good memories.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mike

[boeckli]

Hi boeckli, thanks for sharing your wonderful pics from your cruise aboard Mercury. I enjoyed them very much. Your cabin looks very comfy and inviting. Great color usage.

 

I am sure you had a great cruise and have lots of good memories.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mike

 

Thanks, Mike - glad you enjoyed them.

Cabin was OK (similar to Virgo) except that the balcony door is not sliding but a normal opening door onto the balcony with a very stiff door closer (made getting on/off balcony quite awkward). Also only window in door, sides were blocked off, so not much light.

 

But still lots of nice memories :)

[deck 9 001]

Hi all you Virgo cruisers and devotees. Today I went to Keelung to take a few pics of Virgo on her "maiden arrival" to Taiwan on 05 April 2008.

There were appx, 1900 pax onboard.

 

Below are the photos of Virgo in my corner of the world. Enjoy!

 

This is a long shot view of Virgo taken from a pedestrian bridge at the harbour.

 

Virgo is docked at berths 3 & 4 next to the Passenger Ship Terminal.

 

Closer view.

 

Stern shot.

 

On the right hand side you will see all the tents set up by the Keelung Tourism Bureau, tour operators and the Keelung Welcoming Committee.

 

Mike

[boeckli]

Thanks for posting those great shots, Mike. She is definitely a beautiful ship :D

[deck 9 001]

You are most welcome boeckli. Glad you liked them.

 

Mike

[CindyD322]

Hi Ursula.....

 

It is me Cindy (CindyD322) from the Dawn 10/28 repo cruise roll call.

 

First off, Leo and I both say hello....How is Reinhold? I probably spelled his name wrong :)

 

I am in desperate need of your help. Amy (Amy417) just sent you an email asking you if it would be okay for me to contact you by email or if you wanted to contact me. I would love to SPEAK with you and I am willing to call if you would not mind. I am up late at night and I know that is morning to you, so whatever you would like is fine with me. I had a problem this past week on the Norwegian Gem and I know you will be the only one that could me.

 

I hope you are all well and happy....

 

I will look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day....Cindy & Leo

[boeckli]

Hi Ursula.....

 

It is me Cindy (CindyD322) from the Dawn 10/28 repo cruise roll call.

 

First off, Leo and I both say hello....How is Reinhold? I probably spelled his name wrong :)

 

I am in desperate need of your help. Amy (Amy417) just sent you an email asking you if it would be okay for me to contact you by email or if you wanted to contact me. I would love to SPEAK with you and I am willing to call if you would not mind. I am up late at night and I know that is morning to you, so whatever you would like is fine with me. I had a problem this past week on the Norwegian Gem and I know you will be the only one that could me.

 

I hope you are all well and happy....

 

I will look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day....Cindy & Leo

 

Hi Cindy - have replied to amy just now - if you email me, I'll see if I can be of assistance.

[boeckli]

We haven't heard from ssv in quite a while - hope there's nothing wrong :confused:

 

ssv - where are you ????

[boeckli]

You are most welcome boeckli. Glad you liked them.

 

Mike

 

Mike, we still have a soft spot for the Virgo.

Could you possibly try to find out for me which captain's turn it is for the Oct 19 relocation cruise?

Thanks in advance.

 

Ursula

[deck 9 001]

Hi boeckli, I too have a warm spot for Virgo. It was great to see Virgo in Taiwan. Brought back so many fine memories.

 

I have been informed that Captain Magnus Gottberg should be the Master during the relocation cruise.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mike

[redisol]

Hi!

 

I just booked my family's first short vacation abroad and we're excited and apprehensive at the same time. The highlight of this vacation is the balcony class cruise with SSV (HK-Sanya_Halong bay) after an overnight stay at Hong Kong Disneyland. I'll be travelling with my wife, my 2 kids (aged 1yr3months and 2year9months old), their nanny, and 2 of my sister's family. Our itinerary is more or less as follows;

 

10am, March 26 arrive HK, proceed to Disney Hollywood Hotel.

After lunch and a brief rest, enter Disneyland Park and stay there until closing time.

 

11am, March 27, Sunday, check out from Disney Hollywood hotel and proceed to Ocean Terminal and wait for boarding time

 

March 28 Sanya

Marrive 29 Halong Bay, Vietnam

4PM March 30, Disembark SSV and proceed to the airport to catch the 9:45PM flight to our country.

 

I have a few questions and I hope you guys can help me;

 

1. Do they sell purified water by the gallons on board? How much will it cost? or should we buy at the local supermarket before boarding?

 

 

2 Will they allow us to briefly leave the ship immediately after checking in to do some shopping?

our itinerary is very hectic so we barely have time to shop so we're wondering if we can sneak out for a while after boarding. Sure, we have some extra time before boarding and after the cruise but can't do it since we have no place to leave our baggages while shopping :( .

 

2. Do you really have to wear a suit/jacket on captain's night or a long-sleeved shirt with collar nad tie would suffice?

 

3. What is smart casual? Are denim pants and shirt with buttons and collars considered smart casual?

 

4. Are children allowed on captain's night?

 

4. We're thinking of not joining the Sanya shorex and instead join the Halong bay cruise. Star Cruise's itinerary said that ithe Halong bay cruise is not recommended for the physically challenged. I'm just wondering if we will have a difficult time if we join the tour with the kids since it would take more than four hours. Perhaps we should go on our own? Is it safe?

 

5. Our travel agent offers free chinese visa if we pre-book the Sanya shorex. Since the price of the tour is roughly the price of the visa application, would it be possible to book the tour and not join it if we decide not to do so?

 

 

Thanks in advance! I think I may have other concerns about the cruise... I'll post them as soon as I remember :D

[kuldalai]

I have a few questions and I hope you guys can help me;

 

1. Do they sell purified water by the gallons on board? How much will it cost? or should we buy at the local supermarket before boarding?

 

Bottled water is provided in your cabin at rate of 2 free bottles a day. Extra bottles charged for . The tap supply water in your cabin is de-salinated and meets all UN health requirements and is very safe for drinking as well.

 

2 Will they allow us to briefly leave the ship immediately after checking in to do some shopping?

our itinerary is very hectic so we barely have time to shop so we're wondering if we can sneak out for a while after boarding. Sure, we have some extra time before boarding and after the cruise but can't do it since we have no place to leave our baggages while shopping :( .

 

NO. Once you go through Immigration and are on board in HK you are officially out of HK . Also as far as on-board Security which is excellent, you are scanned as on board and thats it. So get your shopping done in HK before you board SS Virgo .

2. Do you really have to wear a suit/jacket on captain's night or a long-sleeved shirt with collar and tie would suffice?

 

Long sleeved collared shirt with tie is OK and any casual jacket .

3. What is smart casual? Are denim pants and shirt with buttons and collars considered smart casual?

 

Just that you don't look like a tramp .

 

4. Are children allowed on Captain's night?

 

I'll leave this one to others to respond .

 

4. We're thinking of not joining the Sanya shorex and instead join the Halong bay cruise. Star Cruise's itinerary said that ithe Halong bay cruise is not recommended for the physically challenged. I'm just wondering if we will have a difficult time if we join the tour with the kids since it would take more than four hours. Perhaps we should go on our own? Is it safe?

 

Of course it is safe otherwise Star would not offer it . The phrase "not recommended for the physically challenged" is a politically correct way of saying " not recommended for the elderly or those with disabilities."

5. Our travel agent offers free chinese visa if we pre-book the Sanya shorex. Since the price of the tour is roughly the price of the visa application, would it be possible to book the tour and not join it if we decide not to do so?

 

Don't know what the TA is at here . The normal Star practice is to obtain a bulk visa for all pax for Chinese ports of call and ditto for Vietnam . The fees for these Visas are charged for as part of your cruise fare . IIRC you need the visas in any case even if you do not disembark, as they are required when vessel is in Chinese or Vietnamese waters .

[redisol]

Thanks, Kuldalai for the fast reply! Sorry for posting too many questions, but I really have very little idea on what to expect. :)

 

Bottled water is provided in your cabin at rate of 2 free bottles a day. Extra bottles charged for . The tap supply water in your cabin is de-salinated and meets all UN health requirements and is very safe for drinking as well.

 

Since we come from a place where drinking from the tap is unsafe, my wife is a bit OC whenit comes to water. I think she would freak out when she sees them drinking from the tap. I guess I would have to get a gallon or two at the supermarket at Ocean terminal before boarding :eek:

 

 

Of course it is safe otherwise Star would not offer it . The phrase "not recommended for the physically challenged" is a politically correct way of saying " not recommended for the elderly or those with disabilities."

 

Well, we are assuming that travelling with 2 rowdy toddlers would be physically challenging! :D

 

What I'm thinking is not to join Star Cruises' shorex and venture out on our own... Maybe hire a van or a taxicab so we can return to the ship when the kids get tired. Do you think it is safe to do that?

 

Regarding the captain's night, would we be missing a lot if we decide not to attend? Since we are traveling with kids, we are not too keen on bring formal clothes since we have to minimize our baggage as much as we can.

 

Thanks again!

[boeckli]

Hi boeckli, I too have a warm spot for Virgo. It was great to see Virgo in Taiwan. Brought back so many fine memories.

 

I have been informed that Captain Magnus Gottberg should be the Master during the relocation cruise.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mike

 

Thanks for the quick response, Mike :)