Live review from the Sapphire Princess! | Zig Zag Asia | 24 Jan - 8 Feb, 2018

[Oztpot]

-- Pattaya (Laem Chabang), Thailand --

 

 

 

Our mysterious lunch of 'Knife-Cutting Pork' from the mall's food court for less that US $2! Tasted delicious!

 

 

Irresistible Hello Kitty donut.

 

 

Cute collection of soaps. 3 for 100 Baht (~ US $3) seemed to be the going rate! Smelt as good as they looked.

 

 

Our haul of various foodstuffs by the end of the day. Mixed toffees (mango, durian, mangosteen), citrus lollies, lychee drink, chocolate biscuit sticks, mini macarons, and seaweed chips. Some are arguably more authentic Thai cuisine than others!

 

Keep reading on for Q&A and the cooking class review...

 

 

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[Oztpot]

Hi everyone, we have just come into Singapore after disembarking! We will thoroughly answer questions then post the review of our cooking class in Koh Samui!

 

Did you keep the same cruise card for the entire cruise? Also were the charges applied to the same folio so that you'll only get a single bill at the end of the trip?

 

Luckily it was very straight forward with only one cruise card for the entire trip and yes all on the same folio so only a single bill at the end of the trip! We didn't feel like the B2B booking negatively affected our experience of the cruise in any way, so a great option in our opinion! :)

 

My apologies too if I have hijacked your post with my replies to Les

 

Not at all!! We really appreciate the help from others in the thread as there are areas we are less familiar with including the issue of fixed time dining, intolerances etc.. Thank you for your well wishes and it's good to hear your enjoy reading the review!

 

when you have time would you let us know if there was a charge for the shuttle to Pattaya

 

Hi wallyj, the shuttle cost for us was US $20 pp round trip. It was around a 20 minute bus drive. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Are the hot tubs actually hot tubs and do the jets work?

 

The hot tubs were definitely very hot, with a very decent bubble stream. So indeed we thought that they were definitely good quality hot tubs!

 

Do they offer shuttle bus service in Koh Samui like the one in Pattaya?

 

They offered a shuttle bus at Koh Samui to Chaeweng Beach! I don't think it was free however, but can't recall the exact price. It's important to note that the shuttle only allowed a small amount of time at the beach, around 2h.

 

 

We're more than happy to answer questions even though our cruise has officially come to an end, and will continue to keep check!

 

-- Koh Samui (Thailand) --

 

Well, we have come to the last port on our cruise. We chose to splash out a little on this one, and booked a cooking class tour through Princess (US $129 per head). Chloe loves cooking and we both love eating so it seemed like the right option!

 

We ventured out just past 8am and got shuffled into tenders. Being with a Princess tour, we didn't have to go through the process of getting a tender ticket, which was a relief. It was quite a long and bumpy tender ride but by 9am we were on the shores of Koh Samui and were directed to our bus. A smaller group of around ~35 of us were doing the tour so we all fit into one bus.

 

We had a scenic view of the coast driving to the quieter, resort side of the island, around 30 minutes away. Our cheerful tour guide "it's-easier-to-call-me-Bob" (he had a complicated Thai name), explained the history of the island and the life of the people, as well as the impact of tourism.

 

We pulled up at the beautiful Nora Beach Resort and were directed through a garden path to a beachfront set up of cooking stations and around 5 tables which seated 7-8 people. It all felt very elegant, with white linen cloth and chair coverings. The views were simply stunning. We were provided three very important things at the table; the recipe book, aprons (to borrow), and the WiFi password! The Nora Beach Resort Sous Chef (unfortunately her name escapes me) introduced herself as the cooking instructor and sort-of-jokingly warned us that "not everyone will receive their certificate so watch carefully!"

 

 

 

We begun by learning how to cook a fragrant crab and pork stuffed crab shell. First we watched the chef demonstrate and explain, then it was our turn to give it a go! We each stood at our stations (one crab each) and shared various bowls of ingredients. With fair help from the recipe book, we managed to have our stuffed crab ready to be cooked. They numbered each crab and we returned to our seats ready to be called up! Once the stuffing had been cooked, we then dipped the whole crab shell in egg and deep fried until golden. A lovely tropical side salad was pre-plated for us and we returned to our seats to enjoy the fruits of our labour! Delicious! Soon after, we savoured a bowl of Tom Kha Kai (Chicken Coconut Soup) which was made for us to just enjoy, before moving on to cooking 'la pièce de résistance' - Pad Thai!

 

 

Once again, the chef demonstrated the dish in its entirety first. Carefully frying the shrimp, cracking in the eggs, softening the rice noodle, and combining all of the sauce ingredients in the hot pan. The end result was a fragrant, generous serve of Pad Thai- the smell alone had us itching to start on our own! We tied up our aprons and, in pairs, tackled the famous dish. Once again garnishes were pre-prepared and we plated up our noodles. For a first go, we like to think it was very successful! Spicy, aromatic and absolutely delicious!

 

 

 

Afterwards, a plate of tropical fruits was provided, all very sweet and juicy. Thankfully, everyone received a certificate (although one required a quick dash to the printing room!) and we clapped as the chef shook each persons hand. With two hours until the bus was scheduled to leave, we were allowed to take advantage of the resort's amenities including WiFi, loungers, the beach and the pool. You could also buy cocktails and coffee at a reasonable price to enjoy by the water. It was a lovely to way to relax and see out the rest of the day.

 

We would very highly recommend this tour if cooking interests you. It was well organised, and an intimate size, with friendly and helpful staff all the way. In the evening, we had a lovely (light!!) dinner in the Sante Fe dining room, then we sunk into the chairs in the Piazza and listened to the violinists (The Sunshine Duo). All in all, a fantastic day out and a wonderful way to finish the cruise on a high note!

 

 

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[NSWP]

Great 'Live' with great pics, thanks again. Happy future cruising.:hearteyes: