“Are you a cruise virgin?” Keren Pascual asked.
“Virgin!” I exclaimed in a room full of people, many of whom had never been on a cruise too.
That was about to change.
For over 15 years now, Keren has been organizing cruise groups—always an interesting mix of individuals—for sailing adventures to different parts of the world.
This time, the group Always Famous consisted of models, actors, beauty queens, designers, artists, writers, entrepreneurs and photographers. And our playground? The SuperStar Virgo, the 13-story flagship of the Star Cruises fleet, which has made Manila its home port until May 23, making this summer the perfect time for Filipinos to go on their first cruise. For the next few weeks, its route will take it to Manila, Laoag, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong. The season has already been so successful that the cruise line is scheduled to return to Manila in December.
“I want to see more Filipinos on cruises, I think we’re meant for cruising because we’re so social. This is a great way to be friends with everyone and extend our Filipinos hospitality not just to fellow Filipinos but to other nationalities,” said model LA Aguinaldo who is one of Star Cruises Philippines’ celebrity ambassadors. “Everyone should experience cruising. There’s something for everyone, you know.”
I was excited to be part of the SuperStar Virgo’s maiden voyage, but I also felt a sense of trepidation. Sure, I can swim, but what if I get seasick? What if I can’t sleep? What if I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that we were in the middle of the sea? What if images from “Titanic” and “The Poseidon Adventure” keep popping into my head? I packed my anti-anxiety medication just in case.
Small city
It turns out I shouldn’t have been worried. “If you’re afraid of the water, this is a great way to conquer your fear,” said LA. “You’re in a huge ship, you forget you’re in a ship, it’s a small city, right?”
It did feel like a small city. There were numerous restaurants, clubs and bars, a game room, a theater, a casino, a spa, a gym, a salon, pools, shops and more. The ship is so big and there are always so many fun things going on—
shows, games, classes, movie screenings, parties, shore excursions—that you forget to be afraid.
Sleep wasn’t an issue either—the room was cozy and the bed so comfy that it was hard to get up for Zumba at 7 a.m. And waking up to a view of the open sea? Not scary at all—it was wonderful.
I woke up to the sounds of cheering one morning. I thought other passengers were excited to see that we were approaching Taiwan, but no—the sound was coming from a group of locals excitedly waving to everyone on the ship. It was a lovely welcome.
One of the best things about going on a cruise is how it can be as relaxing or as exciting as you make it—it’s totally your choice. Don’t feel like exploring the port of call? Stay on the ship. Want to read all day? Want to party all night? Go for it.
There were a lot of cruisers on the ship (around 2,000 passengers, 95 percent of which were Filipinos) but, if you cherish moments of solitude like I do, the ship has quiet corners, too. I hung out in the library, I sat in my cabin’s balcony and read a book and stared out into the sea, I hit the treadmill, I got a Swedish massage.
“I found it relaxing to just watch the deep blue sea. Emotera kasi ako, kaya I like being alone with my thoughts,” said model Nikita McElroy.
Model/actor Raphael Robes said, “It depends on your personality. If you’re an introvert who wants to find yourself all alone, a cruise would still be a perfect thing to do on your own… But with company it would also be a great experience.”
I found that the cruise gave me the perfect mix of alone time and social fun. It is a great place to make new friends. There’s WiFi, yes, but it isn’t as fast as it is on land so you’re forced to look up from your phone every once in a while. I bonded with different people over different things—tattoos, Bonamine, common friends, frog legs, midnight karaoke.
I found joy in other people’s joy, too, watching giddy families exploring the ship late at night, smiling at barkadas giggling in elevators and listening to a dad talk about his plans to bring his kids on the cruise, too.
Soon (actually, in just a matter of hours), the SuperStar Virgo felt like home—and it welcomed me back into its comforting arms after walking along Vigan’s Calle Crisologo, exploring Kaohsiung for the first time and getting a tattoo in Hong Kong.
I love traveling by air, I even love long flights, but there was something romantic about traveling by ship.
Even the rockiest night—the night we were sailing to Hong Kong—wasn’t scary, it was fun. We laughed with the other cruisers as we rode the waves and stumbled out of The Lido after Markki Stroem’s concert, clinging to the rails. The crew (and their supply of Bonamine) made us feel completely safe. We even managed to sneak in a couple of hours of karaoke.
Here’s the truth: no matter how nervous you are in the beginning, you’ll end up too busy enjoying yourself to be afraid. And when you remember that you’re on a ship—when it sways or when you’re greeted by the sight of the deepest blue waves outside your balcony in the morning—you’re hit not with terror but with wonder. And gratitude.
Nikita was right when she said that on a cruise, “You’ll discover a lot of things not only about the ship, but also about yourself.”
On one of the last few times I walked into Cabin 09682, a surprise was waiting for me on the bed: an inaugural certificate signed by Captain Jan Blomqvist, proof that I had survived my first cruise. And I didn’t just survive it, I really really enjoyed it.
Like model/actor Miko Raval said, “The destination is the cruise, not every other country you get to go to.”
Visit www.starcruises.com.
