Superstar Gemini

[BJC]

But rather all to do with Grandchildren!:D

 

 

Ok you lot that have been in Hong Kong, and or Singapore recently, can someone recommend the best place to go, in either or both Cities, to purchase HO/OO Model Electric Train Sets, at a "good" price?:)

 

 

I thought that I would make good use of next years Cruise to do some early Christmas shopping, and get a Model Train Set for the Grandchildren, or was it for Granddad!;)

 

 

The power supply into the transformer (204/50) should be OK , however I might have to change the power plug, but that’s not a problem.

 

 

Anyway we have a couple of free days in both Cities so would be pleased of any assistance, as I can’t seem to find much via the internet.

 

 

Regards, BJC

[BJC]

I can’t remember what the power points were on the Gemini, as it was a few years ago since we cruised, and while they say on the Star Cruise web page that they have 110V and 220V with 2 Pin and 3 Pin outlets, they don’t say what type they are.:confused:

 

 

So could anyone who has been on the Gemini recently, and that knows about power outlets, please advise me.

 

 

I expect that because both Singapore and Hong Kong use the British Type G, that this is the 3 Pin socket Star refer to, however is the 2 Pin socket the Type C, European Round Pin or the Type A, American Flat Pin?

 

 

Which ever way I will need to take an adaptor to suit, and link in with the Type I, Australian 3 Pin plug, as such I suppose that if I want to charge the camera batteries on board as well as in Singapore and HK then I should take the British adaptor, that is if the Gemini has the Type G socket?

 

 

Any assistance would be appreciated.:)

 

 

Regards, BJC

[deck 9 001]

Hi BJC,

 

This is a reply I gave about the outlets onboard Gemini early on in this thread.

 

I found a photo which will give you an idea of the electrical outlets onboard Gemini. Look under the TV. You may be ablt to copy and paste the photo so that it can be enlarged to see the electrical points more clearly.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

Attached Images

[BJC]

Hi Mike,

 

 

Thanks for the photo, I enlarged it as best I could, got a little grainy, but I think the plug directly below the TV is the British Type G, with the 3 Square Pins, two parallel and the other one is square on to these.

 

 

However I could not make out the other outlets at the bottom below this one, I think I’ll just take the Type G, if need be they say you can borrow an adaptor from Housekeeping.

 

 

How are things with you when and where are you Cruising next?

 

 

Regards, BJC

[deck 9 001]

Hi BJC,

 

Indeed, housekeeping will loan you an adapter for the electric points. No problem.

 

I haven't cruised recently due to my being very busy, but I may do the Costa Allegra ex-Hong Kong, 5 night cruise to Sanya and Halong Bay for the Christmas Holidays. Oh, I need a cruise badly!;)

 

Regards,

Mike

[mummsie]

Outlets are standing English /Singapore 3 pin. Gayle

[raringtogo]

hi everyone on this thread- we are just starting to think about doing a 7 day cruise on the Gemini but that won't be until early next year....meanwhile, we've just come back from asia and spent the first few days of the trip in singapore -

 

to BJC- this time we 'swam with the pink dolphins' at Sentoza- it was a very unique experience.

Last Christmas we spent five days in singapore before cruising back to sydney on the Diamond Princess (amazing cruise and ship)

and we went to the Night Safari- I know I'm one of the few, but I can't say I was crazy about it but I know most people rave about it

[laceytreigh]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how far it is into the main town/city from where the Gemini docks in the following places?? It will help decide what we do when we get there, not keen on travelling for hours to get somewhere once in port, unless it's exceptional. Also, any advice on "must see" would be appreciated. Historical, cultural, shopping.

Singapore (be there for a week)

Ko Samui

Bangkok

Ho Chi Min

Da Nang

Nha Trang

Ha Long Bay

Hong Kong

Kota Kinabalu

Kuching

 

Thanks, Tracey.

[BJC]

Hi there Tracey,

 

 

In Singapore to get to and from the Parkroyal Grand Plaza and the Terminal with your luggage I would catch a Taxi, next to the MRT and Buses they are the cheapest, except don’t get in a Mercedes as they charge more.:p

 

 

From memory the Hotel to the Terminal should be between $10 and $15 in a Taxi.

 

 

In Hong Kong the Cruise Terminal is on the Kowloon side just over the road from the Marco Polo Hotel and there is a big Shopping Complex called Harbor Town.

 

 

Anyway from there it’s a 5 minute walk to the Star Ferry Terminal if you want to cross to the HK Main Island, or about the same to the nearest MRT station, just be sure you get the MRT and not the Airport Train different lines, although I believe the Airport train goes under the harbor as well, anyway take the Ferry it’s a must do if you go to HK.:)

 

 

I would expect you will be offered a number of Shore Excursions on Gemini, in all honesty I would recommend you do HK on your own, it’s so easy to get around by MRT and bus, you could just wander around Kowloon if you wanted, there are lots of different markets and you can shop till you drop.:D

 

 

If you go to HK Island on the Star Ferry you can either catch a bus to the Peak and come down by the Tram and then a bus back to the ferry, or take a bus to the lower Peak Tram Station and go up and down on the Tram, however be warned unfortunately the pollution that drifts across from Mainland China sometimes means you can’t see anything from the Peak, just hope for a clear day.:(

 

 

In Halong Bay I am not sure if we are alongside a wharf or anchored, I checked it out via the satellite and couldn’t see, but either way if you go on a cruise of the bay in a junk it would be right there, and if you go on the bus to Hanoi they say it is 3 hours, each way!

 

 

You will need to check with your TA, but I believe that in Vietnam if you take the Gemini organized tours they have arranged for some sort of bulk Visa which is covered in the cost of your Cruise, however if you want to do your own thing, you will need to organize your own Visas before you go, anyway I would talk to your TA they may be able to assist or even organize, they can cost about $60-70 each.

 

 

The other places I have no knowledge of and hopefully someone will answer your question on these as we are also interested, having said that we will probably take the opportunity to do the "Primates" excursion to the Semengoh Orang Utang Rehabilitation Centre in Kuching.:)

 

 

Anyway hope this has been of some help.

 

 

Regards, Bruce.

[BJC]

Hi there Tracey,

Sorry it posted twice!

[laceytreigh]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the info, hopefully some others will have more that will help us both. I sent you an email on Friday. ellis@tac.com.au is mine.

Tracey.

[BJC]

Hi Tracey,

 

Sorry I missed it so have just e-mailed you, please look out for Gemini Cruise in the subject line.

 

B.

[laceytreigh]

You will need to check with your TA, but I believe that in Vietnam if you take the Gemini organized tours they have arranged for some sort of bulk Visa which is covered in the cost of your Cruise, however if you want to do your own thing, you will need to organize your own Visas before you go, anyway I would talk to your TA they may be able to assist or even organize, they can cost about $60-70 each.

 

We have sent away (via our TA) for a multi entry Vietnam visa, which I think everyone on this cruise needs. The cost is covered in the cruise price, but it is up to us to get it. We needed application form (supplied by TA) and a passport size photo.

 

Tracey. :D

[laceytreigh]

Sorry, that didn't work how I thought it would. The 1st par is a quote from BJC.

Tracey. :rolleyes:

[BJC]

Hi Tracy,

 

 

Some confusion as to just whom is responsible for Visa’s, hopefully someone who has been on this cruise will be able to assist, in the mean time I have e-mailed you.:confused:

 

 

Regards, Bruce

[WRX712]

Can you please give me any info that you have!!!

 

I am doing a cruise up the straits of mallaca... IS GEMINI BUMPY or smooth???

 

what is there to do on the ship

 

are the rooms bigish?

 

whats the main lobby like??

 

 

this is my first cruise!!!

 

OMG IM NERVOUS

[WRX712]

Can you help me?

 

this is my first cruise and i am nervous!!!

 

is she bumpy? what is there to do on Gemini? whats the main lobby like?

 

whats the food like??

 

are the rooms big???

 

tell me all tell me all!!!!

[BJC]

Hi there WRX712,

 

 

While it has been a few years since we cruised the Straits of Malacca, let me tell you that you are in for a most wonderful cruise.:)

 

 

Firstly, if your are concerned about cruising or being at sea, from memory you are at no time out of sight from land, and most times you have Malaysia and Thailand on one side and the big Indonesian Island of Sumatra on the other.

 

 

For most part I would expect the sea to be like a mirror, you may get a small and probably unnoticeable swell when you are in the Andaman Sea to and from Phuket, but it is unlikely you will feel anything.

 

 

Like most Cruise Ships, unless you splash out on a Suite, the Cabins are "comfortable" but smallish, having said that I have been in smaller Hotel Rooms and Bathrooms in Rome then on a Ship, however let me say you will spend little time, other than sleeping and doing you ablutions, in your Cabin so it’s not that important.;)

 

 

There are lots of things to do on the ship, you will get a daily news sheet detailing what is on, however with the Cruise you are doing each morning you will arrive in a new Port, and you will go ashore and spend most of your day sightseeing and shopping!:D

 

 

At night there are Shows, Bars, Karaoke, Disco, Casino, Pools, and, and, your choice, do something different every night, I suspect you will not have time to do everything.

 

 

The Lobby / Reception Area is very nice, and I believe they often have live music, the staff are normally very friendly and helpful, there are shops and bars and other areas such as shore excursion desk this is all on Deck 5.

 

 

I expect that the food will, like most of today’s Cruise Ships, be first class, and you will have a number of choices either in the Main Dining Room or in the Buffet, and they used to have "Special Nights" like a BBQ around the Pool, your only problem will be in not putting on too much weight!:p

 

 

All in all we find "cruising" simply the best holidays ever, and I am sure you will also, simply chill out and let the wonderful Staff look after you, do as much or as little as you fancy, and as my old Nana once said "when you go anywhere new, do and eat all the things you don’t get at home!", you have a wonderful time.:)

 

 

Regards, BJC

 

 

PS. If you have any other Questions please ask, someone will know.

[mummsie]

Can you help me?

 

this is my first cruise and i am nervous!!!

 

is she bumpy? what is there to do on Gemini? whats the main lobby like?

 

whats the food like??

 

are the rooms big???

 

tell me all tell me all!!!!

We were on the Gemini in July. The straits are very smooth - in fact you should feel no movement at all - I get really bad seasickness even if I go across the bay here but let me tell you I wouldn't have thought we were on a ship if I hadn't gone up the gang plank. ITS THAT STABLE!!!!

 

Its a very busy cruise so you don't need to do anything on the Gemini - each day you wake up in a different place. If you do decide to stay onboard, you can play bingo, listen to good music, go for a nice long walk around the Promande deck - we usually go twice a day 10 times around to get some exercise. You can relax with a good book and a drink up on the pool deck or down on the Promenade deck out of the sun. There is a small library to borrow from.

 

The main lobby is quite small - I don't what else to say about it. You walk through it a few times a day.

 

The food is fantastic. Breakfast you can go to the dining room or the buffet. We did the buffet. They cook your eggs while you wait out on the back of the ship - the omelets are fantastic. You just tell the cook what you want in it. Lunch we did the buffet on the 2 days we were there for lunch. Dinner - don't go to the buffet - the restaurant has much better food and its very well presented. We had some wonderful meals in the restaurant - not huge serves but sufficient when you have 3 or 4 courses. They always have a steak and chicken dish (the same every night) and they also have another meat, fish, vegetaian choice as well. All the meals we had were absolultely fantastic.

 

The rooms are very small. Just big enough for a bed and a small bedside table. But then you are not in the room very often - really only to sleep and shower. :D

 

Gayle

[WRX712]

You guys are making me feel heaps better about this!!!

 

I CANT WAIT NOW!!! hehehe!!!

 

only 15 days till i go!!!!

 

what kind of activities does the ship have?

 

food food glorius food!!!

 

where are you guys from???

 

like country wise???

[BJC]

Hi WRX712,

 

 

You’re new so we will be forgiving, and just point out that those of us who are happy for everyone to know where we are from enter this into the Location Field in our profiles, which then appears in the Header of each message, look at the top right hand side.:)

 

 

As for the activities, they seem to vary from Cruise to Cruise mostly based on the Cruise Director at the time, which they do occasionally change, you will just have to wait, what’s it now - 13 days, and see.;)

 

 

I’m sure you will enjoy the experience, have fun.:)

 

 

Regards, BJC

[WRX712]

is there a Casino on board? if so what is it called?

[braemar12]

Does anyone have a daily programme for the Superstar Gemini? If so would it be possible to scan it and show us what type of activities to expect.

 

Many thanks

[OuiselG]

Hi Everyone

 

I am taking my husband on the Strait of Malacca cruise for his 40th birthday next March and was wondering which shore excursions people have been on from this cruise and what is recommended. We have never been on a cruise before and my husband has no idea that I am planning this - can't wait!!

 

Any info would be of help :o

 

Also, is anyone else going on the March 25 cruise? If so, where are you from/ages etc???? :) :D

 

Thanks,

Ouisel

[ChrisBNE]

I have heard that the shore excurtions on the Star cruises can be quite dear.