Cruising on SuperStar Libra @ Penang, Malaysia

My family and I went on a cruise when we were in Penang last December. It was a one-night 'Cruise to Nowhere', whereby the ship departs at night and goes to a mysterious place in the middle of the ocean called Nowhere and comes back to the port in the morning.... ok jokes.

We reached Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal at about 6pm. The cruise ship that we went on was the SuperStar Libra (that white ship in the pic), which is operated by Star Cruises, the third largest cruise line in the world.

Inside the terminal.

Hello Kitty seems to be everywhere.



So huge; so exciting!

The narrow corridor to our room. It reminds me of Titanic heh.

And... I came to the smallest room I've ever seen.

You can also choose not to get a room. Just bring your sleeping bag and spend the night under the sky! Tickets will be cheaper of course.

2-in-1 swimming pool.

Jacuzzi tubs.



Another pool at the other end.

Penang bridge in the distance!

It drizzled for a while. Thank goodness the rain wasn't too heavy!

For dinner, there are two choices of restaurants that are inclusive of the ticket price: Ocean Palace for chinese cuisine, and Mariners Buffet for a spread of international food. There are other restaurants as well but you have to pay separately. We chose the Mariners Buffet (coz of the word "international") which was located on the decks, but regretted after we saw the food choices. There was only rice, noodles, lamb, sweet & sour chicken, vegetables... and I think that's all! Except for the lamb, what happened to "international"...

I'm not sure about the chinese cuisine, but I feel that they should really improve the quality (and variety) of the food for the buffet. Dinner was quite disappointing, but breakfast was a different story. There was a greater variety, and the food tasted way better. I ate like a greedy pig haha!

The ship departed at 9pm sharp.

There are a number of facilities on the ship, such as a gymnasium, basketball court, golf driving range, beauty salon, and a KTV lounge, just to name a few. Not much (suitable) activities to do, as most of them cater to either kids or adults. There's even an "adult show" aha ahaha. The only activity that seemed interesting to me was this dance show performed by a group of world-class European acrobats.

The show lasted for about 45 minutes. With their spectacular moves and their flamboyant costumes, it was a pretty awesome performance, I'd say! Since we had nothing to do after that, my sister and I decided to explore the ship. 

This is the model of our ship! It has 10 decks altogether. 

As I walk towards the front part of the ship, it felt like someone was holding a vacuum at full blast to my face! The wind was SO strong that I bet if I didn't grip the ground strong enough with my feet, I might just get blown away.

The back part of the ship. There's a basketball court here!

They have high nets all around the edges to prevent the ball from flying into the ocean. Though I wonder, how does one play in such strong wind...

Seriously, why are Hello Kitty characters everywhere on the ship!?

Macam yes tapi bukan, heh!

Feels so blissful to lie down under the night sky enjoying the cool breeze, while listening to the waves gently crashing against the ship. If I had brought my pillows and blanket with me, I would definitely have fallen asleep right on this deckchair. I planned to stay up longer (enjoy while you can right?) but sadly only managed till about 2am before I surrender to sleep.

The next morning, I gathered all my willpower to get up from my "bed" (blankets on the floor) to catch the sunrise - which I think is definitely a must if you go on a cruise :D

Heading back to the island.

That cylindrical-shaped building is called the Komtar Tower, the tallest building - and one of the landmarks - in Penang.  

The ship's captains at the bridge!

Arrived at 8am on the dot. I was quite impressed with the punctuality to be honest.

Check-out time is at 12 noon, but we left earlier as there was't much to do on the ship. I got to keep my access card as a souvenir! :B

It wasn't a bad first time experience on a cruise, but I think one time will be enough for me. Maybe the experience will be different if I go with a bunch of friends, as I bet it'll be more fun since we'd surely compensate for the lack of activities on the ship ;) So if you're planning to go on a cruise, definitely go with a big group of people!