Our holiday cruise ship...
Just like our stopover travel in Penang yesterday, today our holiday cruise ship on this Star Cruise Line would be stopping over in Phuket, Thailand. This allowed us to snap some harbour pictures of Phuket as well as get off our Star Cruise Line and go on a short Phuket tour. We managed to do some shopping in Phuket as well as see some cashew processing during our short tour. During our free time on board the ship, we managed to capture some amazing sunset images as well as clouds images.
Our holiday cruise ship Star Cruise Virgo reached Phuket early in the morning at approximately 0700 hrs. Here are some pictures of Phuket harbour.
Pictures taken from Phuket harbour where we were docked
More pictures from Phuket harbour
Unlike many islands, Phuket’s beauty is not limited to its beaches. About the size of Singapore, Phuket’s beaches sprawl along the foot of a range of hills covered in jungle, coconut groves, rubber plantations and picturesque villages. Beyond the beaches are reefs teeming with marine life. Thus, Phuket offers more than beach lounging, it offers the opportunity to explore a tropical world of surpassing beauty, with lots of beautiful resorts all with their own individual character. The most developed is Patong, east of Phuket Town.
In the early 1970’s, Patong was little more than a fishing village on a wide crescent of sand. It has however made up for lost time, with a vengeance. Gone is the village, replaced by an entire town with hotels, supermarkets, shopping arcades, entertainment centres and a wide range of amenities.
Patong beach is dotted with colourful parasols and the bay with yachts. Unlike most of the other Phuket beaches, Patong has a wide range of water sport facilities including para-sailing and jet skiing.
As soon as you reach Patong, almost everything is within walking distance. Patong has open-air bars with hostesses in the middle of the resort. There are thousands of market stalls selling everything from Rolex to Versace, all at unbelievably cheap prices. Only one thing, everything you buy here will be an imitation of the original.
Star Cruise Virgo docked at Phuket 
Some optional Phuket tour available include:-
Amazing Cabaret Show
Shop Till You Drop
Adventure Tour
Off-Shore Sightseeing
Thai Massage
Spa Tour
Off-Shore Adventure
Shopping and Independent Activities
Shopping and Adventure Activities
You can choose any of the various tours depending on what you are interested in. If you are looking for some adventure, you could go for the adventure activities which include shooting and elephant riding and all terrain vehicle ride, or cruise to the Outer islands of PhangNga Bay and go on a kayaking trip. If you are looking for pure relaxation, you can go for the Spa Tour comprising steam, sauna and Jacuzzi, aromatic massage and reflexology. You could also visit any of Phuket’s 29 Buddhist monastries or stopover at The Sri Bhurapha Cashew Nut Factory and sample an assortment of cashew nut varieties and dry fruit candies which are available for sale.
In the early 1970’s, Patong was little more than a fishing village on a wide crescent of sand. It has however made up for lost time, with a vengeance. Gone is the village, replaced by an entire town with hotels, supermarkets, shopping arcades, entertainment centres and a wide range of amenities.
Patong beach is dotted with colourful parasols and the bay with yachts. Unlike most of the other Phuket beaches, Patong has a wide range of water sport facilities including para-sailing and jet skiing.
As soon as you reach Patong, almost everything is within walking distance. Patong has open-air bars with hostesses in the middle of the resort. There are thousands of market stalls selling everything from Rolex to Versace, all at unbelievably cheap prices. Only one thing, everything you buy here will be an imitation of the original.
Star Cruise Virgo docked at Phuket 
Some optional Phuket tour available include:-
Amazing Cabaret Show
Shop Till You Drop
Adventure Tour
Off-Shore Sightseeing
Thai Massage
Spa Tour
Off-Shore Adventure
Shopping and Independent Activities
Shopping and Adventure Activities
You can choose any of the various tours depending on what you are interested in. If you are looking for some adventure, you could go for the adventure activities which include shooting and elephant riding and all terrain vehicle ride, or cruise to the Outer islands of PhangNga Bay and go on a kayaking trip. If you are looking for pure relaxation, you can go for the Spa Tour comprising steam, sauna and Jacuzzi, aromatic massage and reflexology. You could also visit any of Phuket’s 29 Buddhist monastries or stopover at The Sri Bhurapha Cashew Nut Factory and sample an assortment of cashew nut varieties and dry fruit candies which are available for sale.
Deep Sea Port 
Check out the number of buses waiting to bring the passengers on the optional Phuket tour
Day 3 on our holiday cruise ship, we had breakfast at Bella Vista whilst the ship was docked at Deep Sea Port in Phuket Thailand. Due to choppy waters and rainy season this time of the year, the Star Cruise Virgo was not able to stopover at Patong Beach.
Bella Vista
View of Phuket from Bella Vista
Western omelette, ham and sunny side up eggs
Asian breakfast of roti canai with chicken curry
Once again, instead of joining any of the optional Phuket tour, we decided to arrange our very own Phuket tour. We disembarked after breakfast at around 0900 hrs. Stopping over at Deep Sea Port was not as convenient for us who wish to just take a ride into town as the taxi and minivan drivers who were closest to the area were all charging exorbitant rates knowing that we would finally need to pay if we really wanted to go into town.
Disembarking at Deep Sea Port
After Sri Bhurapha, the driver asked us if we would mind stopping over at a jewellery shop, Wang Talang so that he could collect some vouchers in order to offset his petrol cost. We agreed and managed to see some gem stone masters at work. Wang Talang also offers quality local handmade souvenirs, gifts, Thai silk, pearls as well as jewellery.
Next stop:- Robinson Department Store. Here we did some shopping and only realized that we had actually gone to the wrong Robinson when we asked the sales person for the name of a particular restaurant that we had wanted to patronize. The Robinson we had originally wanted to go to was the Robinson Department Store in Patong Chang Silong.
Tops supermarket at Robinson
Fruit section
Footwear
Check out the number of buses waiting to bring the passengers on the optional Phuket tourDay 3 on our holiday cruise ship, we had breakfast at Bella Vista whilst the ship was docked at Deep Sea Port in Phuket Thailand. Due to choppy waters and rainy season this time of the year, the Star Cruise Virgo was not able to stopover at Patong Beach.
Bella VistaView of Phuket from Bella Vista
Western omelette, ham and sunny side up eggsAsian breakfast of roti canai with chicken curry
Once again, instead of joining any of the optional Phuket tour, we decided to arrange our very own Phuket tour. We disembarked after breakfast at around 0900 hrs. Stopping over at Deep Sea Port was not as convenient for us who wish to just take a ride into town as the taxi and minivan drivers who were closest to the area were all charging exorbitant rates knowing that we would finally need to pay if we really wanted to go into town.
Disembarking at Deep Sea Port
As we knew that the price was on the high side, we were keen to walk out a little to look for those drivers with more reasonable rates. Unfortunately as we started making our way out, it started to pour and the senior citizens started to get worried as we made our back to base. Thus, we had to bargain the price down a little and we finally managed to get a driver who was willing to charge 2000 Baht for the 5 of us. Some drivers had even wanted to charge 3000 Baht! We did manage to get one who was willing to charge only 1500 Baht much earlier before the rain but at that time, we were prepared to walk out to get cheaper rates. So the rates are really dependent on how desperate you are. Do not fear that you will not be able to get any transport into Phuket if you have not booked any of the optional tours. There are many if you are willing to just walk out a little. As our group had three senior citizens, we reluctantly decided to just go ahead and pay the 2000 Baht.
Our first stop was the Sri Bhurapha Cashew Nut Factory. This is an award-winning producer and retailer of cashew nut products. You can see how the processing of the cashew from the time they remove the cashew from the shell and proceed to clean them by removing the skin of the cashew. You also get to sample an assortment of cashew nut varieties and dry fruit candies that they have available for sale.
Our first stop was the Sri Bhurapha Cashew Nut Factory. This is an award-winning producer and retailer of cashew nut products. You can see how the processing of the cashew from the time they remove the cashew from the shell and proceed to clean them by removing the skin of the cashew. You also get to sample an assortment of cashew nut varieties and dry fruit candies that they have available for sale. Sri Bhurapha Cashew Nut Factory where you can see the processing of cashews
After Sri Bhurapha, the driver asked us if we would mind stopping over at a jewellery shop, Wang Talang so that he could collect some vouchers in order to offset his petrol cost. We agreed and managed to see some gem stone masters at work. Wang Talang also offers quality local handmade souvenirs, gifts, Thai silk, pearls as well as jewellery.At Wang Talang
Next stop:- Robinson Department Store. Here we did some shopping and only realized that we had actually gone to the wrong Robinson when we asked the sales person for the name of a particular restaurant that we had wanted to patronize. The Robinson we had originally wanted to go to was the Robinson Department Store in Patong Chang Silong. 
Tops supermarket at RobinsonFruit section
FootwearFlowery decor 
Handbags section
We managed to board our holiday cruise ship at 1330 hrs and had lunch at The Mediterranean Buffet Restaurant, the only inclusive restaurant opened for lunch.
After lunch, we disembarked our holiday cruise ship again and just took a walk around the Deep Sea Port area where there were stalls selling an assortment of clothes, bags, watches, souvenir as well as cooked food and snacks.
Snacks
Coconuts to quench your thirst
Different variety of coconut
Clothings
Casual wear
We then spent the afternoon lazing away capturing various interesting images of the clouds. Tea time saw us back in The Mediterranean again after which we started taking images of the sunset.
Tea break
Sunset images 
More sunset images 
Tonight, our last night on board, we had the gala Dinner. We had already made our gala dinner reservations for The Pavilion, a Chinese Restaurant, for the first seating. The reservations were strictly on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and depended on the seating availability in the restaurants.
The evening started off with the Captain’s gala Cocktail at The Grand Piazza from 1815 hrs followed by the Gala Dinner at the various restaurants according to the reservations that you had made.
We proceeded to The Pavilion for dinner at 1830 hrs. Gala dinner menu:-
* Appetizer
Deluxe Three Happiness Combination Platter
* Soup
Double Boiled Superior Soup with Sea Treasures
* Main Course
Steamed Fish with Golden Garlic “Hong Kong” Style
Roasted Crispy Duck “Hong Kong” Style
Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus and Pine Nuts
Pan-fried Prawns with Homemade Tomato Sauce
* Dessert
Chilled Hasma with Red Date and Aloe Vera
Gala Dinner at Pavilion Chinese Restaurant
There was even a short display of ‘sparklers’ by the restaurant staff in the middle of dinner. It was a very filling dinner. You could also order the bottle of wine @ S$35 if you wanted to or any of the beverages.
Following dinner, we went to watch the Gala Showtime: Maestro & Muse at 2115 hrs. Tonight marked the premiere night and we were the first to watch this much awaited multi-million dollar spectacular production produced entirely by Star Cruises and featuring a combination of modern and classical dance which incorporated incredible and breathtaking acrobatic performances. Maestro & Muse was indeed a fantastic experience in theatrics with brilliant choreography, artistic costumes and stunning audio visual effects. The contortionist from Russia was truly amazing the way he ‘contorted’ his body into various moves and poses, something we never thought possible. If you have the chance, do not miss out on this wonderfully spectacular show.
The cast from Maestro & Muse
Cakes
Pao or Chinese buns
Omelette and fried noodles
Day 3 on board our holiday cruise ship had passed so quickly. We have had an enjoyable time on our Star Cruise Line as there are various activities to keep you occupied. One setback is that we did not manage to make full use of our time during our stopover travel in Phuket, basically just a little shopping and watching the cashew processing. If we had arranged things better, we would have been better able to make full use of our Phuket tour so that we could spend more time in Phuket instead of going back on board the Star Cruise Virgo so early. However, that did give us time to capture some sunset images and wonderful clouds images.
Handbags sectionWhen we called our taxi driver, he was going to charge us another 500 Baht and we finally decided that it was not worth going all the way to Patong as it would take us approximately 45 minutes to get there and almost an hour to get from Patong back to our cruise ship which would only give us about an hour to eat without any time for shopping. Thus we decided to return to the ship.
We managed to board our holiday cruise ship at 1330 hrs and had lunch at The Mediterranean Buffet Restaurant, the only inclusive restaurant opened for lunch.
After lunch, we disembarked our holiday cruise ship again and just took a walk around the Deep Sea Port area where there were stalls selling an assortment of clothes, bags, watches, souvenir as well as cooked food and snacks.
SnacksCoconuts to quench your thirst
Different variety of coconutClothings
Casual wearWe then spent the afternoon lazing away capturing various interesting images of the clouds. Tea time saw us back in The Mediterranean again after which we started taking images of the sunset.
Tea break
Sunset images 
More sunset images 
Clouds Images
Tonight, our last night on board, we had the gala Dinner. We had already made our gala dinner reservations for The Pavilion, a Chinese Restaurant, for the first seating. The reservations were strictly on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and depended on the seating availability in the restaurants.
The evening started off with the Captain’s gala Cocktail at The Grand Piazza from 1815 hrs followed by the Gala Dinner at the various restaurants according to the reservations that you had made.
We proceeded to The Pavilion for dinner at 1830 hrs. Gala dinner menu:-
* Appetizer
Deluxe Three Happiness Combination Platter
* Soup
Double Boiled Superior Soup with Sea Treasures
* Main Course
Steamed Fish with Golden Garlic “Hong Kong” Style
Roasted Crispy Duck “Hong Kong” Style
Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus and Pine Nuts
Pan-fried Prawns with Homemade Tomato Sauce
* Dessert
Chilled Hasma with Red Date and Aloe Vera
There was even a short display of ‘sparklers’ by the restaurant staff in the middle of dinner. It was a very filling dinner. You could also order the bottle of wine @ S$35 if you wanted to or any of the beverages.
Following dinner, we went to watch the Gala Showtime: Maestro & Muse at 2115 hrs. Tonight marked the premiere night and we were the first to watch this much awaited multi-million dollar spectacular production produced entirely by Star Cruises and featuring a combination of modern and classical dance which incorporated incredible and breathtaking acrobatic performances. Maestro & Muse was indeed a fantastic experience in theatrics with brilliant choreography, artistic costumes and stunning audio visual effects. The contortionist from Russia was truly amazing the way he ‘contorted’ his body into various moves and poses, something we never thought possible. If you have the chance, do not miss out on this wonderfully spectacular show.
Showtime 
The cast from Maestro & MuseAfter the Gala Showtime, we went to watch the movie “The Secrets”. Expecting it to be about the law of attraction as indicated on the synopsis, it turned out to be a foreign language movie and depicted the story of how two girls met in a religious school, their relationship and experiences.
When the movie was over, we had a light supper before retiring for the night.
When the movie was over, we had a light supper before retiring for the night.
CakesPao or Chinese buns
Omelette and fried noodlesDay 3 on board our holiday cruise ship had passed so quickly. We have had an enjoyable time on our Star Cruise Line as there are various activities to keep you occupied. One setback is that we did not manage to make full use of our time during our stopover travel in Phuket, basically just a little shopping and watching the cashew processing. If we had arranged things better, we would have been better able to make full use of our Phuket tour so that we could spend more time in Phuket instead of going back on board the Star Cruise Virgo so early. However, that did give us time to capture some sunset images and wonderful clouds images.
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