This is our second time on a luxury cruise liner but the first time
on Princess Sapphire. The 16-deck luxury ship is in its 50th year of
voyage experience. Compared to the Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the
Seas, the Princess ship is smaller. There is no ice-skating rink, the performing theatre and fine-dining rooms are also smaller. The cabin we had is relatively tiny compared to the other cruise ship.The single twin beds are also not as comfy. But they kind of made up for it by surprising us with different mini chocolate treats on our beds every night.
We had a
relaxing first day on board the ship, going round from deck to deck to
explore the cruise liner. After a sumptuous buffet lunch, we took an afternoon nap before preparing
for an early pre-booked fine dining at 5.30pm. Food and service were impeccable -- the main courses were nicely presented and tasted as good as they looked. I especially loved their desserts. Yummy!
After a quick shower, we went straight for the
show. But we were only 15 minutes late and the whole theatre was full with
no seats at all. So we stood around, like many others, to watch. First
night was a Caucasian singer who could belt out Mandarin songs with
almost perfect pronunciation and pitch. When the show finished, the night was
still young so we headed to Club Fusion for karaoke. Most of the patrons
were senior folks who sang the evergreen Mandarin songs. With the hubby's ardent
support, I plucked up courage to sing Sarah McLachlan's 'Angel'.
The
next day after a satisfying buffet breakfast, we sent Girl to the Youth
Club for kids aged 7 to 12, then took a leisurely walk on the ship's
deck. In the afternoon, we decided to disembark at Penang for some sightseeing around the
vicinity. The sun was scorching hot and as it was a Saturday, most shops
were closed. But we came across a quaint little shop, Goh KaKi Childhood Museum, that makes and
sells traditional childhood toys like paper kites, skipping
ropes made of rubber bands and the wooden rocking horse, amongst other
board games that are already extinct. Walking through the shop was like taking a trip down memory lanes.
We
also visited the renowned Pinang Peranakan Museum which was voted 2015 Winner on TripAdvisor.
After a culture-filled and perspiring afternoon, we were quite
relieved to make our way back to the docked ship to have a good cold
shower. We were looking forward to the Magic Show that night, so we
decided to forgo fine dining and opt for a quick and fuss-free buffet
dinner so that we could go to the theatre early to get good seats in the
front row. The magic show didn't disappoint. Girl enjoyed it the most.
On our
3rd day at sea, we didn't disembark at Port Klang. Just spent the day
soaking in the hot jacuzzi tub and swimming. Surprisingly, the pool water
wasn't salty sea water like the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We also watched an
in-house movie 'Ant Man' and took a short nap in the afternoon. After
dinner, we were entertained by the ship crew's song-and-dance show 'Born
to be Wild' at the theatre. The show wasn't exactly Girl's cup of tea. After the show, we decided to head for some
supper since it was the last night on the ship. We had yummy chicken
satay, fried chicken wings and some fruits before retiring to the cabin
to sleep.
In a nutshell, taking a cruise vacation is
much less stressful than self-drive holidays. Everything, including
food, is taken care of. There is no packed itineraries to rush from place to place, no worries where to find food or restrooms. It's the perfect vacation for those who just want to chill out, relax and have a carefree time bonding with the family without the hassles of planning a scheduled holiday.
